Alternative Treatments For Cats With Diabetes

If your cat has diabetes or you suspect your cat has diabetes, you should consult with your veterinarian to determine a treatment plan for your cat. However, if your cat is already receiving treatment, there are additional steps to follow that may help.

Raw Diet

Reducing the amount of carbohydrates your cat consumes will help to decrease their body's dependence on insulin. Like with humans, when a cat eats carbohydrates or sugar, their body has to produce insulin to break down these components and turn them into energy. Unfortunately, cats with diabetes often either don't make enough insulin or can't utilize the energy created with the insulin.

While no-grain and other low-carb cat foods are a great choice, putting your cat on a raw or lightly-cooked meat diet is also potentially beneficial. Cats have evolved to eat almost nothing but meat once they've grown out of their kitten phase of life, so this reduces how hard their bodies have to work to make use of their food. Remember to speak with your vet about your cat's personal dietary needs before starting a raw food diet, and always supply some form of grass for them to nibble on to aid their digestion.

Acupuncture

Cats with diabetes may benefit from acupuncture treatments performed by a licensed veterinary acupuncturist. In one clinical trial, a study performed acupuncture on one set of rats who had diabetes and high blood sugar. The rats who received acupuncture more effectively removed lactate from their liver and kidneys, a substance that diabetic cats also produce when their blood sugar is high.

Acupuncture is also sometimes used to help support kidney health, and diabetes often takes its toll on a cat's kidneys. One of the first symptoms of diabetes in cats is excessive thirst and urination, which may indicate that the kidneys are ill or not working effectively.

Supplements

While vitamins and minerals aren't known to have any effect on stopping or improving diabetes itself, they may be helpful to improving some of the side effects that diabetes causes.

Multivitamins and antioxidants may be useful in your cat's diet to improve their immune system. Some cats with diabetes will experience a weakened immune system, so it's a good idea to try and combat this from the start.

It's not the end of the world if your cat has diabetes, and there are many things you can do to improve their quality of life. With your vet's help and these tips, your kitty will live the best life they can, with as few negative effects as possible. Go to an animal clinic for more treatment ideas for your pet specifically.