high glucose level detected

[jman_in_mn]

16yr old Marvin just had routine bloodwork completed apart of annual comprehensive examination and they detected high glucose level. We'll be following up with a urine test to confirm, but I presume this will more than likely confirm he has diabetes. He is/has been an overweight cat for most of his life (Norwegian Forest Cat) so I assume his risk was always much higher. Question for the forum- is there anyway normal diet intake could cause high glucose levels in bloodwork but not be the result of diabetes?

 

[nurseangel]

Cats are very similar to people in terms of anatomy and physiology. My guess would be no, assuming that your cat's diet consists mainly of protein. Please keep us posted on Marvin's results.

 

[jman_in_mn]

Vet just called back; his glucose level was 450 when the blood was drawn (now, this occurred after a few other things going on at the time during his appointment... he had his anal glands expressed, he received a vaccination, etc.) and since this is right on the border for pre-diabetic, we need the urine test to confirm. I've read in the forum that stress can spike glucose levels in the feline, but I'm not confident in that diagnosis. He checks off some of the other boxes- increased urination, strong appetite (despite eating an almost exclusive wet food diet) and since he's overweight, it just feels like everything finally caught up to him.

 

[RTR]

Start him on a high meat low carb wet food diet! If possible make or find low carb all meat diet! Cats are Obligate carnivores and thrive on meat not carbs!

 

[nurseangel]

I agree with R RTR . Meat does not contain carbs. The vet will likely make recommendations as to specific brands of cat food. So many factors are attached to diabetes, such as heredity, as you mentioned. Age is another, along with level of activity. And you are correct that stress can play into diabetes, though I don't think seeing the vet on a day visit would run up glucose levels to the point that a lab would show. I would think that glucose could run up if your cat was kept at the vet for a few weeks or in a shelter for a long time with dogs barking, etc. Again, I am no expert. But please remember, diabetes or pre-diabetes is not a death sentence except under extreme circumstances. It just requires some steps to keep your cat as healthy as possible. I know it's super hard to get a cat to exercise.

 

[jman_in_mn]

The majority of what Marvin eats is Tiki Cat & Sheba pate' wet foods (and those are shown on this list- Best Diabetic Cat Foods and Tips on Feeding)

 

[emocatowner]

The good news is type 2 diabetes can often be reversed, with perfect diet. Sugar is actually a listed ingredient in many popular cat foods, so yes a normal diet could cause it to go high, and it will be the insulin-needing kinda diabetes soon, if not reversed.

But glucose alone isn't enough to diagnose, it can be high just from stress. Ideally you'd either repeat the test, or measure something like fructosamine, which shows what the glucose was like over the course of the past few weeks. Urine test will also give extra markers.

My old dude had high glucose and fructosamine during a blood test. The vet had us switch to Hill's m/d and cut out treats. We also accidentally made him a bit chubby, and we were already in the process of having him lose weight at this point, he was close to normal weight. 2 years later, his glucose values were perfectly normal (he started having other old age issues, but that's a longer unrelated story)

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. If it was me, I would buy a glucose monitor and check his level at home. IIf you chose to do this I can tell you how to do it. They make ones for cats and dogs specifically that run about $120 for the kit. You can use a human one but it won’t be as accurate, although it can be purchased much cheaper. It will still give a general idea as to what the glucose is.
Cats get stress hyperglycemia. So I have seen their numbers as high as 300 for stress, but not 450. At a glucose of 450, the cats level is above the renal threshold which means the kidneys cannot handle that much sugar and they get damaged.
Food wise, you want low carbohydrate higher protein quality canned cat food. You want to do a feeding schedule of set feed times and stay on schedule. All that being said it is imperative that your cat eat. So if he won’t eat canned then feed him what he will eat. You never want a cat to skip eating.

 

[lbeachstace]

Hi. Our cat has diabetes and we've been treating him for over a year and a half. Food can be a factor - high carb food, crunchy food, etc. We've had to change Buddy's food a couple of times but there are a good amount of choices and prices.

There is a forum called felinediabetes.com that we have used since almost the beginning. it can be very very overwhelming at the beginning.

monitoring his BG at home is definitely the way to do. not sure if you are in the US but Walmart sells a human meter that is a ton cheaper than the animal one. it's their own brand called Relion.

Please feel free to ask questions.

 

[jman_in_mn]

once the urinary test results come back, we'll be discussing with the vet an action plan for Marvin; my fingers are crossed that we'll only need dietary changes at this time

until his brother passed away 6 weeks ago, he had been given treats daily because of the process we were going through with the other cat (Izzy had to swallow a pill twice a day and was reinforced with a treat...but Marvin was always right there so he'd get a treat for just being in the room) and that went on for about 4 months

 

[fionasmom]

I have had three cats who have recently been to the vet, two with ongoing medical conditions, and in all three cases the glucose was elevated, but not to the point of 450. Personally, I would not put that down to stress until I was sure that there was no other cause for it.

 

[jman_in_mn]

I have had three cats who have recently been to the vet, two with ongoing medical conditions, and in all three cases the glucose was elevated, but not to the point of 450. Personally, I would not put that down to stress until I was sure that there was no other cause for it.

nope, we're continuing the process as recommended by our vet- we'll be harvesting urine at home and returning to the veterinarian office where they will test it

I'm just trying to be proactive in getting ahead with the information available in this forum!

 

[DreamerRose]

It would also be a help to get him to lose some weight. If his weight goes down, the blood glucose will too as emocatowner mentioned. Blood glucose is very much dependent on the fat he has in his body. Try feeding him a little less - not a lot, but a little less.

 

[jman_in_mn]

So we were given a kit with non-absorbing litter (NOSORB) in order to capture a urine sample. Well Marvin didn't go for it. Anybody have some suggestions? Can you buy the non-absorbing litter from any pet stores? Sucks because now the ability to continue his testing is basically stuck.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you follow him to his litterbox and literally get a small container underneath him? I was able to do that once with Poppy, I don't know if Captain would let me ...

 

[jman_in_mn]

Can you follow him to his litterbox and literally get a small container underneath him? I was able to do that once with Poppy, I don't know if Captain would let me ...

I did think of that, would a cat stop going if I stuck a container underneath his bottom? Worried he would get startled and cause a big mess.

 

[emocatowner]

What do you mean by "didn't go for it"? Did he refuse to use the litter? Or did he go outside the box?

One thing that worked with my dude was to put some non-absorbing litter in a bowl, and put that in the middle of the litter box, kinda buried in the usual litter, so that the edges of the bowl aren't sticking out, there's regular litter all the way up outside and the non-absorbing litter all the way up to the edge in the bowl. It helped that he perched on the edges of the box, so he always peed right in the middle of the box. I'd have a phone with a security camera app on the box to notify me when he went, and then I'd just go about my day (it helps that I WFH). Then when he used the box, I'd get a notification so I could go collect it and rush the sample to the vet. If it got too late in the day, I'd put the bowl in a baggy and stash it away, then set it down again in the morning.

You can get this kinda litter in many pet stores, and definitely online on Amazon etc.

 

[Furballsmom]

would a cat stop going if I stuck a container underneath his bottom? Worried he would get startled and cause a big mess.

Poppycat just ignored me.

 

[jman_in_mn]

What do you mean by "didn't go for it"? Did he refuse to use the litter? Or did he go outside the box?

One thing that worked with my dude was to put some non-absorbing litter in a bowl, and put that in the middle of the litter box, kinda buried in the usual litter, so that the edges of the bowl aren't sticking out, there's regular litter all the way up outside and the non-absorbing litter all the way up to the edge in the bowl. It helped that he perched on the edges of the box, so he always peed right in the middle of the box. I'd have a phone with a security camera app on the box to notify me when he went, and then I'd just go about my day (it helps that I WFH). Then when he used the box, I'd get a notification so I could go collect it and rush the sample to the vet. If it got too late in the day, I'd put the bowl in a baggy and stash it away, then set it down again in the morning.

You can get this kinda litter in many pet stores, and definitely online on Amazon etc.

yes, he refused to go in the box with just the thin layer of NOSORB on the bottom (tried holding him in the box and he even meowed)

but I like your idea about burying a container with the non absorbent litter in a typical spot for peeing, I hadn't thought of that

 

[jman_in_mn]

but I like your idea about burying a container with the non absorbent litter in a typical spot for peeing, I hadn't thought of that

aaaand that idea didn't go so well, he avoided the area where the container was and proceeded to pee on the floor