My diabetic cat's leg shakes. Is it from insulin, diabetes, or other causes?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Without seeing this firsthand, it is difficult for me to say for sure but based off of your description, it does sound like this could be a seizure. With Copper being diabetic and seeing that he is geriatric, I would highly recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. If he has not had his glucose levels checked in a while or his fructosamine level checked, I would highly recommend having these done. I hope this helps and that Copper gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Poor Hamm! It's common for diabetic cats to develop a condition called diabetic neuropathy, which is characterized by weakness and lack of coordination in the rear legs. Affected cats will also sometimes stand or walk with their entire hock (the lower part of the leg) flat on the ground, which is called a plantigrade stance. I would recommend calling your vet or taking Hamm in for a check-up to discuss this issue and confirm that it is due to diabetic neuropathy and not some other problem. If so, many cats with this problem improve once their high blood sugar is under control - so Hamm may need some testing to check his glucose levels and see if his insulin dose needs to be adjusted. Weekly vitamin B12 injections have also been shown to help with this condition in some cats, so this is something that you could discuss with your veterinarian as well.

It could be Shaky is in pain, either from his back or hips. Rest him tonight, keep him indoors if he's allowed outside, and watch him. If he's still acting this way in the morning, have him seen by a vet. Do not give him any human pain medications. Many are toxic to cats, and are fatal if given. Best of luck.

I'm so sorry to hear that Shady is not doing well. Diabetes can be difficult to regulate initially. I have attached a link to a good article for ideas on cats that are difficult to regulate below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=1605&SourceID= That may give you some ideas to discuss with your vet. I would also look at Shady's diet. I have a very difficult time controlling diabetic cats on a dry food diet and find that they do much better on a canned food diet with higher protein. Here is a link to a website that discusses that and gives lots of good information on managing diabetes in cats. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/index.html I know it can be difficult to get a diabetic cat regulated, but don't get discouraged. Everyone once in a while if I have made all the changes I can and the cat still isn't regulated, I will refer to an internal medicine specialist to make sure I'm not missing anything. You can find one at the following site. http://find.vetspecialists.com Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi. I would be concerned about a neuropathy and that Missy isn't regulated well enough. I would recommend calling your veterinarian in the morning for a recheck and to check the glucose and discuss further testing. Another option is to get a second opinion. If she is wobbly, and weak, I would recommend the ER to get the glucose checked.

Hello. It very well may just be that Simon is a bit of a nervous kitty. The only other plausible explanation might be some kind of neurological condition going on, but I would think your vet would have seen something else during the exam to corroborate this. A slight difference in pupil size or even a slight abnormal movement in the eyes, for example. Otherwise, I do not think I would be overly concerned about this, either. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry your dog isn't doing well at the moment! It's certainly not normal that she is having a loss of motor skills, and a lack of coordination can be caused by too much insulin. I recommend she sees a vet immediately for this. Do not adult her insulin dosage under recommended by a vet, as you could accidentally do great harm to her. The vet can adjust her dosage if needed.