What are the odds of developing diabetes simultaneously?

[dog4cats]

What are the odds of 2 cats in a 4 cat household developing diabetes within 3 months of each other?

The cats are both female (the other two are male) and are not related. One is 10 years and the other is 13. The 13 year old is a purebred Ocicat the other is a stray. Neither is over weight. The 2 males are perfectly healthy. All 4 eat the same food (Iams Mature), drink the same water and cohabitate with the same dog. No other injuries nor illnesses.

This is killing me (not only financially) because I can't think of anything in their environment that would bring this on. Additionally isn't diabetes more prevalent in males? Why the 2 girls? Are the boys (approximately same age and weight as the girls) at increased risk?

Is there anything I can do to stop it from developing in another cat?

 

[Carol & Yoshi]

Is that Iams Adult Mature dry cat food? You might want to check out Dr. Lisa Pierson's site (DVM) on the best foods for cats (it isn't dry). Your kitties are in the age group where diseases like FD, kidney, amd hyper-T are diagnosed. If I were you and feeding dry, I'd switch all four to a good wet food now. Dr. Lisa explains why.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Is there anything I can do to stop it from developing in another cat?

Not entirely, but you can limit some of the risk factors for cats developing diabetes and monitor at home to see how they are doing.

1. Weight. Obesity is cats is a large contributing factor to developing diabetes. If your cats are not all at their ideal weights, putting them on a diet would help.

2. Exercise. Sedentary cats are more prone to develop diabetes also. So, some active play sessions with your cats every day will keep them healthier.

3. Test. You can use a glucometer to test your current civies (non-diabetic or civilian) cats and see what their BG (blood glucose) ranges are. This will give you a base line for their glucose levels and if you test and find the BG (blood glucose) numbers are above 117, you might want to consider them pre-diabetic and put them on a low carb diet. (The 117 was from an article in the vet journal "Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice Volume 43, Issue 2, Pages 221-446 (March 2013) special edition on Feline Diabetes that said BG levels >117 were a "cause for concern".)

4. Monitor. Clinical symptoms of diabetes do not usually occur until the BG levels are over renal threshold. That's when you see increased water intake and increased urination. So since you have 2 diabetics already, it's easy to test your other cats with some frequency, say once every month or 2.

5. Diabetogenic medications. Limit the use of drugs that can cause diabetes such as steroids. You certainly do want to treat any other disease or illness your cat has so steroid use may be required in some cases.

6. Spay/Neuter. Cats that are not spayed or neutered are at higher risk for diabetes.

7. Pancreatitis. Treat any pancreatitis as this disease can cause loss of beta cells and lead to diabetes.
8. insulin-resistant disease. Such as agromegaly. (Not very common, but more common than once thought)

Most of these items I highlighted for you are from the AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats and from various articles on the Pathogenesis of Feline Diabetes Mellitis.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

My sister in laws unrelated cats became diabetic around the same time. Diet and obesity I suspect was the issue. Although one of them may have had it longer but was unnoticed.