Feline Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes (Obesity)

As more pet cats live primarily indoors, the prevalence of inactivity is increasing, resulting in rapidly increasing rates of obese/overweight felines currently at 59% (56 million clinically obese cats live in the United States alone) ¹. Left untreated, obesity in cats increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and arthritis/joint pain. Diet alteration alone is typically not sufficient treatment, and indoor cats have few options for exercise.

Along with the obesity trend, feline diabetes is on the rise. However, unlike humans, the only approved treatments available to cats are diet adjustment and insulin shots. 20% to 48% of diabetic cats are euthanized within a year, often because of sub-optimal treatment options ². As cats (and pets in general) become more socially integrated into human households, there is increased demand and willingness to pay for feline health care. Desperate pet owners and veterinarians often resort to using expensive, difficult to administer, and untested human medications.

1 2018 National Pet Obesity Survey Results from Association for Pet Obesity Prevention
2 O’neill, 2016 and Niessen, 2017