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Article:
Mon, Mar 2 | By John McQuiston | 1503
Rare Cat Tests Diabetic for Low Blood Sugar: A deep sniff of his diabetic owner's breath and Elijah can tell if the blood sugar levels are normal. If not, Elijah meows an alert. It's a skill Elijah taught himself, albeit unheard of, medical professi… more ›
1125 results
Pmoake
6 months ago
my tortoiseshell cat does this. i had her 6 months before i was diagnosed and she never once sniffed my breath. she started putting her nose and mouth almost in mine and sniffing, several times a day. Took me awhile to figure it out, but she is alerting to my sugar. if very high or low she won't leave me alone! i knew dogs did this but never heard of a cat doing it!
DiabeticGrrrl
3 years ago
Just to point out... I think every time you said low blood sugar you meant high blood sugar. High blood sugars would cause a change in the odor of the breath... and also ketoacidosis.
"Low blood sugar can cause diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening situation first indicated by restlessness, drowsiness or difficulty waking up, which can lead to coma and death."
Low blood sugar does not cause this. High blood sugar does.
Furthermore, you mention specific numbers 195, when 120 is the top of the range. 195 is high not low. I don't know you made this mistake repeatedly, but every example you give is of the cat recognizing HIGH blood sugars, not low, yet you repeatedly say the cat is detecting low blood sugars.
JMcQuiston
2 years ago
According to the vet, the cat detected both high and low blood sugar levels. Anything outside the normal range either way caused odor changes that the cat could smell.
In the specific example of the office worker's test, 195 is not referred to as being too low. In the video version of the story, which is no longer available, unfortunately, it was specifically stated that 195 was too high.
Ocalapa
4 years ago
i've had type 1 diabetes for 48 years and now experience less symptoms of low blood sugar. i've been reading about the dogs that are being trained to detect the problem but they are very expensive(one quoted $7500). i've also spoken to several people whose dogs, just out of the blue, began barking when they sensed (smelled) a low blood sugar in the owner. i am a cat lover and now have 5 cats but none seem interested in my breath! and i've had many low blood sugars in their presence. i'm wondering if i should go to a shelter and walk around the dogs with a low sugar and see who's interested in me. well, i suppose i could pet the cats, also. i especially love that cat for its ability to detect high as well as the low sugars, because if mine is around 195, like that gentleman in the the video, i don't get any symptoms...well, maybe after several hours, perhaps. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Baxtersfeeder
4 years ago
I have heard of dogs being able to sniff out health problems in their owners. I am glad that a cat is capable of doing the same.
Tamara W.
4 years ago
Animals are amazing! My little man Tigger wakes me up when I am having hard times breathing, comes to me and fusses if I am sick, and even knows when I have anxiety or migraines. They are truly amazing, and I for one am going to start paying more attention to their signals. Way to go little kitty!
Carol
4 years ago
Animals are amazing. A couple of years ago I was in the waiting room of the local Jiffy Lube and there was a woman with her son and his service dog. The dog kept looking at me and trying to get my attention. The woman asked me if I was alright. I told her, yes, just a little tired. She said her son had a heart condition and the dog was trained to alert if there were any problems. A short time after that incident I was diagnosed with high blood pressure - the silent killer.
E G.
4 years ago
One of our shelter dogs, Maverick, had a similar ability. A front-page story, "Just Call Him Doc Maverick," resulted in his adoption by a diabetic. It was a perfect match. I hadn't heard of a cat with this skill, but no doubt others are out there. Kudos to all animals that have a special gift.
Colleen R.
4 years ago
Wow, I love reading about these gifted pets! It is so cool that they can find theses animals.
Catsgirlsillly
4 years ago
I am not surprised at this ability in cats. They do not know everything, but I always insist that they know much more about their little worlds than any of us know about ours. I never cease to be amazed at what associations they are able to make and what courses of action they take. Having many cats I have even become puzzled about definitions and understandings of intelligence.
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