Your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes, but neither insulin injections nor weight management have been able to keep her blood sugar under control. Why not? Your pet may also have Cushing’s disease, a condition that causes an overproduction of the hormone cortisol. That, in turn, stimulates the production of sugar, working against efforts to keep down your cat’s blood sugar. Sometimes, in fact, Cushing’s disease causes diabetes.
If your cat’s diabetes is not being helped with dietary and drug management — and if perhaps she has developed a pot belly and a poor hair coat, talk to your vet about screening for Cushing’s. The inability to control diabetes alone is enough to suspect that disease.
