We've lost two pure-bred cats (both rescues) to diseases on this list (diabetes and polycystic kidney disease). We were able to "treat" both diseases for a while. We gave insulin to our cat with diabetes and subcutaneous fluids to our cat with kidney disease. However, both became much more difficult to "treat" and soon the subcutaneous fluids simply weren't enough and we had to let our boy go. All too soon, the diabetes became more and more difficult to control and it was harder and harder to maintain a stable blood sugar level (it was either too high or too low). When our boy's blood sugar hit dangerous lows (he had a seizure), we decided it was time to let him go. Both were heartbreaking. However, I will say both cats were quite elderly--our "kidney boy" was 16, while our "diabetic boy" was somewhere between 18 and 21 (when we adopted him, his age was estimated to be 2 to 5 years). Losing a pet (dog or cat or other species) to a genetic disease can be devastating, particularly if it happens at a very young age.
We've lost two pure-bred cats (both rescues) to diseases on this list (diabetes and polycystic kidney disease). We were able to "treat" both diseases for a while. We gave insulin to our cat with diabetes and subcutaneous fluids to our cat with kidney disease. However, both became much more difficult to "treat" and soon the subcutaneous fluids simply weren't enough and we had to let our boy go. All too soon, the diabetes became more and more difficult to control and it was harder and harder to maintain a stable blood sugar level (it was either too high or too low). When our boy's blood sugar hit dangerous lows (he had a seizure), we decided it was time to let him go. Both were heartbreaking. However, I will say both cats were quite elderly--our "kidney boy" was 16, while our "diabetic boy" was somewhere between 18 and 21 (when we adopted him, his age was estimated to be 2 to 5 years). Losing a pet (dog or cat or other species) to a genetic disease can be devastating, particularly if it happens at a very young age.