WSU vets putcat back on track
A rare brain surgery performed by Washington State University veterinarians is giving one retired Japanese show cat a chance at a longer life, free of diabetes.
That cat is HoneyBee, a 10-year-old purebred Maine Coon. Some say she looks more like a miniature bobcat.
HoneyBee was admitted earlier this month at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a pituitary gland tumor at the base of her brain.
HoneyBee’s health troubles started in November when she was losing hair as well as peeing and drinking excessively.
She was later diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, a condition when blood sugar levels are high and not enough insulin is produced to regulate those blood sugar levels.
However, she required a dose of insulin more than 20 times the regular dose.
“Like many pituitary tumors, this tumor was secreting too much growth hormone, which was counteracting the insulin,” said Tina Owen, pituitary surgical specialist who leads WSU’s Pituitary Surgery Service. “With the tumor removed, we hope over time HoneyBee will require very little to no insulin and potentially be cured of her diabetes mellitus.”
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