My cat has diabetes. I give him 2 units of lantus twice daily. Lately he has been moving slowly, and today he just wants to lay on his bed and walk as little as possible. Appetite is good. He just acts like his back legs hurt and are weak. Has anyone seen this before?
Diabetic Cat moving slow, reluctant to walk
- Thread starter laylalair
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blu
Member Since 2013
Do you home test his glucose levels? That would be the first thing I'd check to make sure he isn't very high or very low.
Second to that, it could be neuropathy. From what I understand, this happens when a kitty has uncontrolled sugars for a long time. The nerves get damaged, and it seems to hit the back legs. My kitty had it bad when he was first diagnosed. The good news is once his sugars were controlled, the nerves began to heal and after some time, Blu had a full recovery. Some signs of this are what you are describing as it is uncomfortable to walk, and also walking on the hocks. Instead of walking on the toes, the kitty will walk on his whole "foot"...like from his toes up to the first joint on his back legs. I didn't notice until the vet showed me....do you see something like that?
Second to that, it could be neuropathy. From what I understand, this happens when a kitty has uncontrolled sugars for a long time. The nerves get damaged, and it seems to hit the back legs. My kitty had it bad when he was first diagnosed. The good news is once his sugars were controlled, the nerves began to heal and after some time, Blu had a full recovery. Some signs of this are what you are describing as it is uncomfortable to walk, and also walking on the hocks. Instead of walking on the toes, the kitty will walk on his whole "foot"...like from his toes up to the first joint on his back legs. I didn't notice until the vet showed me....do you see something like that?
Critter Mom
Member Since 2014
Here's a video of a cat with neuropathy to see whether it is similar to what your kitty is experiencing:
If it is neuropathy, it can be treated successfully by supplementing the diet with B12 methylcobalamin (e.g. Zobaline - diabetic friendly, has no sugar) . That said, it should be noted that potassium deficiency may also produce similar symptoms. Your vet could run some blood work to check.
Mogs
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If it is neuropathy, it can be treated successfully by supplementing the diet with B12 methylcobalamin (e.g. Zobaline - diabetic friendly, has no sugar) . That said, it should be noted that potassium deficiency may also produce similar symptoms. Your vet could run some blood work to check.
Mogs
.
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