How diabetes mellitus affects cat quality of life and how evidence-based management can achieve remission and restore welfare.
Feline diabetes, while a chronic condition, is one of the most welfare-amenable medical challenges in cat medicine due to the real possibility of remission. Cats achieving remission no longer require insulin and can return to a normal quality of life indistinguishable from non-diabetic peers. Even in cats that do not achieve remission, good glycemic control dramatically reduces the welfare burden of the disease. The biggest welfare risk in diabetic cats is inadequate regulation leading to chronic hyperglycemia or iatrogenic hypoglycemia, both preventable with appropriate monitoring and owner education.