Oscar, a ten year old cat, had started to lose weight, despite the fact that he was eating well. His coat had begun to look bedraggled, as if he was not grooming himself as much as usual. His owner had noticed him visiting his water bowl more frequently, and she had needed to fill up the bowl every day, rather than every three days.
When I examined him it was clear that Oscar had lost a significant amount of weight. His ribs were prominent, and I could feel the sharp tips of the bones of his back. When I weighed him, I discovered that he had lost a kilogram since his previous visit.
Physically, I could find no obvious cause of a problem, so I decided that a blood profile was needed. Fifteen minutes later, the printout from the biochemistry analyser gave me the clear-cut diagnosis of his illness.
Oscar’s blood glucose was around four times higher than normal. The only possible reason for this was the condition known as diabetes mellitus. Oscar’s pancreas had stopped producing the hormone called insulin, and as a result, his blood glucose was not being controlled. Weight loss, ravenous appetite and copious thirst are classical signs of diabetes, in cats just as in humans and dogs.
As I explained the diagnosis to his owner, I could see a worried furrow developing across her brow. I explained that Oscar’s condition was treatable, but that he would need to have a daily injection of insulin for the rest of his life. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked at me sadly. “Nobody would dare to give Oscar an injection”, she told me. “He’d just get so annoyed with us if we tried something like that!”
I reassured her that the injection was given with an ultra-fine needle, and that only a tiny amount of liquid would be needed. For a cat of Oscar’s size, the volume of insulin would probably be around one hundredth of a teaspoonful, which is literally a single drop. It was very likely that he would barely notice the injection.
I demonstrated the injection technique, using a piece of fruit – an orange – as a practice target. It took a few attempts until she had learned to hold the syringe correctly, but soon she was able to insert the needle steadily and firmly into the orange. She was still very anxious about injecting her cat, so we decided that it would be best for her to bring him in to see me for his injection every morning for the first week.
The technique was simple. I gave Oscar a bowl of his favourite food, and as he lowered his head to eat, I quickly slipped the injection into the scruff of his neck. He stopped eating for a moment, and looked suspiciously at me before recommencing his meal. On day three, his owner gave the injection herself, and by day five, she was able to do this quickly and confidently.
After several dose adjustments over a few weeks, Oscar’s blood glucose had returned to normal. At the same time, his owner reported that his excessive thirst had disappeared. It seemed that his diabetes had been controlled.
The success of his treatment was confirmed at his final visit six weeks later. As the cage door was opened, Oscar stepped out in a confident and dignified fashion, with his head held high. He had put on weight, he was grooming himself again, and even his whiskers looked alert and bristling. He was definitely a healthy cat again.
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