Plantigrade Stance

• In advanced cases of diabetes, cats experience a loss of appetite, vomiting, acetone breath, dehydration, labored breathing, lethargy and finally coma and death. They also develop muscle weakness, a form of neuropathy, which is caused by damage to their myelin sheaths due to glucose toxicity and cell starvation. A cat's back legs become so weak, it develops "plantigrade stance," which is exhibited when it walks up on its hocks instead of up on its toes and even has toe deformation in rare cases.
  
  

Reasons For Back Leg Weakness

• A cat whose back legs have been affected by its diabetes often has difficulty walking and jumping, and may need to rest after just a few steps. When a cat's body is not producing enough insulin, it will break down fat and protein stores and use them as alternative energy sources. Although the cat eats more, it loses weight and produces higher levels of sugar in the bloodstream, which is eliminated in its urine. Excessive sugar in the urine leads to excessive urination and thirst.
  
  

Treatment

• The best way to treat neuropathy in diabetic cats is with a prescription of B12, which should heal the nerve damage. The best thing to do is to get the cat's blood sugar under control, which will help improve all symptoms. Diabetes is most common in older, obese cats, so controlling their diets is crucial in the control of the disease. High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are best for these cats because they are more effectively metabolized. Sometimes controlling a cat's diet is all that you need to treat its diabetes, but in most cases, it will need insulin, usually injected.
  
  

Types

• Three types of diabetes are common in cats. Type I diabetic cats require insulin injections, usually daily. Cats with Type II diabetes, the most common type, produce insulin, but their bodies do not use it properly. They require insulin, but often orally. Seventy percent of all diabetic cats will need at least some insulin. Cats with transient diabetes, the third type, are Type II diabetic cats that present as diabetic, begin treatment and then can go off insulin when their system regulates.
  
  

Remission

• In most cats with Type II diabetes, remission in which a temporary or permanent freedom from insulin dependence occurs is possible. Most vets agree that a combination of a low-carb, high-protein diet, long-lasting insulin and well-chosen dosage plans can at least partially heal a damaged pancreas and allow a cat to be healthy for the rest of its life. Remission is realistic for 80 to 90 percent of all diabetic cats, especially for cats that are successfully treated in the first few months after diagnosis.