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Objective: To determine the reference range for glucose tolerance, using a simplified glucose tolerance test (GTT), and to evaluate glucose tolerance status in cats., Design: Prospective study., Animals: 57 clinically normal cats., Procedure: 2 catheters were placed in the cephalic veins of nonsedated cats at least 3 hours before the test. Blood samples were obtained before (0 minutes) and 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after glucose (0.5 g/kg [0.23 g/lb] of body weight) was injected i.v. Blood glucose concentration was measured by a glucose meter. Glucose half-life (t1/2) and disappearance of glucose (Kglucose) were calculated., Results: Glucose tolerance in cats was considered normal when upper limits for glucose concentration were < or = 159 mg/dl at 0 minutes, < or = 322 mg/dl at 60 minutes, < or = 238 mg/dl at 90 minutes, or < or = 171 mg/dl at 120 minutes and glucose t1/2 was < or = 94.7 minutes or Kglucose was > or = 0.41%/min. Impaired glucose tolerance in cats was defined as a glucose concentration > or = 160 mg/dl at 0 minutes, > or = 323 mg/dl at 60 minutes, > or = 239 mg/dl at 90 minutes, or > or = 172 mg/dl at 120 minutes. The frequency of impaired glucose tolerance was 2%. Five cats had stress-affected GTT. Significant differences in glucose t1/2 or Kglucose between cats < 7 and > or = 7 years old were not found., Clinical Implications: The simplified GTT and measurement of glucose concentration by a glucose meter provides a simple and low-cost method of assessing glucose tolerance status in cats that are normoglycemic after food is withheld. Use of absolute glucose concentrations overcomes the need to calculate glucose t1/2 values. The high glucose concentration at 0 minutes found in this study may reflect a more realistic concentration to use in assessing client-owned cats in a hospital environment.

Objective: To determine if Burmese cats in Queensland have an increased risk of diabetes mellitus., Design: A retrospective study of diabetic and nondiabetic cats that had blood submitted to a veterinary clinical laboratory over a 22 month study period., Sample Population: 4402 cats, Procedure: Cats were considered diabetic if blood glucose concentration was > 11 mmol/L and fructosamine was > 406 mumol/L or hydroxybutyrate was > 1 mmol/L. Cats were grouped into Burmese and non-Burmese. Adjusted odds ratios of diabetes were calculated for breed, gender and age group amongst cats with blood glucose > 11 mmol/L., Results: Burmese cats comprised 20% of 45 diabetic cats of known breed, which was higher (P < 0.001) than among the normoglycemic reference population of 2203 cats (7% Burmese). There were more females among the diabetic Burmese (62%), but this did not differ (P > 0.05) from the Burmese reference population (45% females). In contrast, males seemed to predominate among diabetic non-Burmese (63%), although this also did not differ (P > 0.05) from the reference population (55%) of from diabetic Burmese (38% males). The majority (90%) of diabetic cats were older than 6 years, irrespective of breed (median age 12 years, interquartile range 10 to 13 years). This was higher (chi(2) = 8.13, P < 0.005) than among the normoglycaemic reference population, where 69% were older than 6 years., Conclusions: Burmese cats were significantly over represented among cats with diabetes mellitus. Irrespective of breed, the risk of diabetes in the study population increased with age.