Published: 03 Jul 2016 | Last Updated: 22 Nov 2016 13:58:54

New Open Access paper available in Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine describing the epidemiology of diabetes mellitus (DM) in cats attending primary-care practice in England.

By using clinical data collected via the VetCompass Programme, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for feline DM.

The period prevalence of DM in cats attending primary-care practice was 0.58%.  Increased odds of DM were observed in Tonkinese, Norwegian Forest and Burmese cats compared to crossbreds.  DM odds were also increased in cats with bodyweight greater than 4kg, those aged more than 6 years and in insured cats; sex was not significantly associated with odds of DM.

Diabetes mellitus is an important component of the primary-care practice caseload with approximately 1-in-200 cats affected. An increased risk of DM in certain cat breeds supports a genetic predisposition. These results can guide future research and preventative healthcare.

O'Neill DG, Gostelow R, Orme C, Church DB, Niessen SJM, Verheyen K, Brodbelt DC

Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus among 193,435 cats attending primary-care veterinary practices in England Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2016: n/a-n/a