Diabetes mellitus, the clinical name for “sugar diabetes,” is a disease that affects the level of glucose, or sugar, in your cat’s blood. Diabetes results from a shortage of insulin or when the body has trouble properly using the insulin it has made.

Insulin affects the way your cat’s body uses food. When your cat eats, food is broken down into very small components that the body can use. One component, carbohydrate, is converted into several types of sugars, including glucose. Glucose is absorbed from the intestines into the blood. Once in the bloodstream, glucose travels to cells where it can be absorbed and used for fuel — if insulin is present. Without insulin, glucose can’t enter cells and builds up to potentially poisonous levels in the bloodstream. So your cat may act hungry all the time and eat constantly, but still be malnourished because its cells can’t absorb glucose.

The most common type of diabetes in cats is Type II diabetes, which is much like Type II diabetes in people. This form of diabetes occurs when a cat’s cells stop responding to insulin produced by the pancreas. Some cats with Type II diabetes must take insulin injections. Your veterinarian will recommend the most appropriate treatment for your cat’s diabetes type.