Heart failure is common in diabetic cats: findings from a retrospective case-controlled study in first-opinion practice.

OBJECTIVES To study the prognosis and cause of death in cats with diabetes mellitus. METHODS Twenty consecutive cases of feline diabetes mellitus diagnosed in first-opinion practice were followed. Three control cats, without diabetes, were matched to each case of diabetes; these were also followed. RESULTS One Somali cat with diabetes could not be matched, so complete data analysis considered only 19 diabetics and 57 matched controls. Death occurred in 14 of 20 diabetics and 23 of 57 controls although one control cat was eventually lost to follow-up. Heart disease and heart failure led to death in six diabetic cats. One of these was the non-matched Somali; nevertheless, the death rate from heart disease in the diabetics was five of 19 compared with two of 57 in controls. The relative risk of heart failure in diabetic cats was 10.4 times that of the controls; this difference in rates was statistically significant. Survival amongst diabetics was significantly worse than for controls. For the control cats median survival was 718 days after the index visit, whereas for the diabetic cases median survival was 385 days after diagnosis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Heart disease and failure are common in diabetic cats. This observation deserves further attention.