Understanding normal blood glucose levels in cats
Like humans, cats need blood glucose (or blood sugar) for energy. Keeping your cat’s blood glucose levels in the normal range is essential for their overall health.
Feline diabetes mellitus is a common health condition in cats. If your cat has diabetes, it’s even more important to understand what normal blood glucose levels look like and how to maintain them.
This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of normal blood glucose levels in cats, monitoring techniques, and management strategies for diabetes.
Normal versus diabetic blood glucose levels
What’s a healthy blood glucose level for a cat, and what’s considered diabetic? Here’s a quick rundown.
Defining normal blood glucose
For cats, the normal blood glucose range is usually 80 to 120 mg/dL. This level ensures the cells in your cat’s body have enough energy to function as they should.
Many factors affect what’s normal, including how stressed your cat is, what they’ve been eating, and how active they’ve been.
Understanding diabetic blood glucose
In a cat with diabetes, blood glucose levels are consistently elevated, often above 200 mg/dL. Having too much glucose in the bloodstream means that something is interfering with the way the cat’s body uses insulin.
The renal threshold (the point at which the kidneys can no longer filter glucose out of the urine) is between 200 and 280 mg/dL for cats. When blood glucose gets above that level, the kidneys spill the excess glucose into the urine.
Monitoring blood glucose in diabetic cats
If your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes, regular glucose monitoring is essential. Here’s what you need to know.
Recognizing signs of diabetes
The classic signs of diabetes in cats are:
- Increased thirst (polydipsia)
- Increased urination (polyuria)
- Increased appetite (polyphagia)
You might also notice your cat is losing weight, even though they seem to be eating more.
The earlier you catch diabetes, the better. Regular checkups with your vet can help identify problems early.
Urine glucose testing
Urine dipsticks can detect whether there’s glucose in your cat’s urine. This is a quick and easy screening tool, but it doesn’t give you precise blood glucose numbers. Also, urine glucose levels don’t always match up perfectly with blood glucose levels, and stress can throw off the results.
Blood glucose monitoring
If your cat is on insulin, you’ll need to monitor their blood glucose regularly. This helps your vet fine-tune the insulin dosage to keep your cat’s blood sugar in the right range. Your vet can do blood glucose tests using blood drawn from a vein, or you can learn to monitor your cat’s blood glucose at home with a handheld glucometer.
Blood glucose curves: A detailed look
Blood glucose curves can help you and your vet get a handle on your cat’s diabetes. Here’s what they are and why they’re used.
Purpose of glucose curves
Blood glucose curves are used to see if your cat’s insulin therapy is working. The curve is a visual way of looking at blood glucose levels over time.
Veterinarians use glucose curves to adjust the amount of insulin they prescribe and to fine-tune your cat’s feeding schedule. The goal is to keep blood glucose levels in a target range.
Performing a glucose curve
A blood glucose test typically involves testing a cat’s blood every two hours for a 12-hour period. These measurements should start soon after a meal and an insulin shot.
It’s important to keep your cat’s routine the same on testing days. The vet will want to test your cat’s blood right before the insulin shot, or as soon as you arrive at the clinic.
Interpreting glucose curves
The ideal blood glucose range for a cat with diabetes is generally 120-300 mg/dL. The aim is to keep blood glucose below the renal threshold and also to avoid hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar).
Stress can change the numbers significantly, so your vet will also be looking at your cat’s symptoms in addition to the blood glucose numbers.
Home blood glucose testing
If your cat has diabetes, your vet may recommend that you test your cat’s blood glucose at home. Here are some things to know about home monitoring:
Benefits of home monitoring
Testing your cat at home can reduce stress for both you and your cat, leading to more accurate test results than you’d likely see in a veterinary clinic.
Testing at home is also convenient, and it allows you to check more often and get a clearer picture of how well the glucose is being managed.
Equipment needed
You’ll need a handheld glucometer that’s been calibrated for cats, along with the test strips that go with it. You’ll also need sterile lancets to prick your cat’s ear or paw pad to get a blood sample, and cotton balls to stop the bleeding.
Procedure for blood collection
The ear flap (or pinna) is a common spot to collect a blood sample from your cat. Warming the ear first will help improve blood flow. Then, use a sterile lancet to make a quick prick and collect the drop of blood on the glucose test strip.
Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia: What to Look For and How to Respond
It’s important to recognize the signs of both high and low blood sugar, and to know what to do in either instance.
Recognizing Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar)
If your cat is drinking excessively, urinating frequently, has an increased appetite, and is losing weight, they may have high blood sugar.
If you suspect your cat has hyperglycemia, it’s best to contact your veterinarian. They may advise you to adjust your cat’s insulin dosage.
Recognizing Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
If your cat seems lethargic or wobbly, is having seizures, or seems disoriented, they may have low blood sugar.
In this case, you’ll want to immediately give your cat a sweet liquid like corn syrup or honey.
It’s also important to take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible for monitoring and treatment, even after you’ve given them sugar.
Long-term complications of feline diabetes
If left unmanaged, diabetes can cause a number of long-term health problems in cats:
- Nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). Nerve damage can cause a cat to walk on its hocks, a condition known as plantigrade stance.
- Kidney damage. Over time, diabetes can lead to diabetic nephropathy, or kidney damage.
- Other complications. Blindness caused by cataracts, urinary tract infections, and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a serious condition characterized by vomiting, lethargy, and breath that smells sweet.
Key Takeaways
If your cat has diabetes, early diagnosis, regular blood glucose monitoring, and consistent treatment are essential to preventing complications.
Work closely with your veterinarian to create a personalized management plan that meets your cat’s unique needs.
With the right care and attention, your diabetic cat can live a happy, healthy, and long life.