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Diabetes mellitus in cats is a chronic disease that affects carbohydrate metabolism due to either an insufficient insulin response or insulin resistance. Like diabetes in humans, it is characterized by chronically high blood glucose. Diabetes strikes 1 in 400 cats, though recent veterinary studies〔(Fat Cats Facing Diabetes Epidemic, ''The Guardian'', August 7, 2007 )〕〔(Feline Diabetes is Nutrition Key, Vet Tech Blog, Feb 2006 )〕 note that it has become increasingly common. Symptoms in cats are similar to those in humans. Diabetes in cats occurs more frequently than in dogs.〔(Diabetes in cats )〕 80-95% of diabetic cats experience something similar to type-2 diabetes,〔(Canine and Feline Diabetes Mellitus: Nature or Nurture?, J. Rand et al. )〕 but are generally severely insulin-dependent by the time symptoms are diagnosed. The condition is treatable, and treated properly, the cat can experience a normal life expectancy. In type-2 cats, prompt effective treatment may lead to diabetic remission,〔(Understanding Feline Diabetes Mellitus, Rand, J.S. and Marshall, R, Waltham Focus Journal 2005, 15:3 )〕 in which the cat no longer needs injected insulin. Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats, and eventually malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and death. ==Symptoms== Progression of untreated diabetes in cats is very similar to that in humans. Cats will generally show a gradual onset of the disease over a few weeks or months, and it may escape notice for even longer. The condition is rare in cats younger than seven years old. The first outward symptoms are a sudden weight loss (or occasionally gain), accompanied by excessive drinking and urination; for example, cats can appear to develop an obsession with water and lurk around faucets or water bowls. Appetite is suddenly either ravenous (up to three-times normal) or absent. These symptoms arise from the body being unable to use glucose as an energy source. In cats the back legs may become weak and the gait may become stilted or wobbly (peripheral neuropathy). A fasting glucose blood test (the same as used on the Atkins diet) will normally be suggestive of diabetes at this point. The same home blood test monitors used in humans are used on cats, usually by obtaining blood from the ear edges or paw pads. As the disease progresses, ketone bodies will be present in the urine, which can be detected with the same urine strips as in humans. In the final stages, the cat starts wasting and the body will breaking down its own fat and muscle to survive. Lethargy or limpness, and acetone-smelling breath are acute symptoms of ketoacidosis and/or dehydration and is a medical emergency. Untreated, diabetes leads to coma and then death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Diabetes in cats」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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