Kitty helps owner Sniffing Out Diabetes Posted on 02/16/2009
LAKELAND (Bay News 9) -- Elijah is a 2-year-old cat that can sniff out sickness.
The first thing he does when he meets someone new is smell their breath. He is focused on sniffing out diabetes.
"He's an alert cat, and can smell whether your blood sugar is high -- or, I've discovered, even low," said Elijah's owner, Peter Shute, who is diabetic.
Shute is also a nurse, and knows how important it is to check his blood sugar levels.
Since he adopted Elijah from the SPCA of Polk County in January, Shute said he rarely feels the need to test anymore.
"Not now. I've got him to do it for me," Shute said. "I'm kind of relying on him."
Mark Wallace, the SPCA's medical director, called Elijah's intuition a medical phenomenon usually limited to specially trained dogs.
"It is very rare," Wallace said. "I've never seen it before. I've never seen it in a cat."
Researchers said a cat's sense of smell is 400 times as sensitive as humans, which likely lends to Elijah's unique ability.
"When it's a high blood glucose, your metabolism actually changes, and your body is throwing off ketones in the breath, and that has a certain scent the animal picks up," Wallace said.
When Elijah picks up a change in blood sugar, Shute said he meows loudly and will not leave him alone.
"I've gone to check my blood sugar when he's reacted the way he has, and I know a few times it was over 200," he said.
Shute calls Elijah "a gift from the universe."
The woman who dropped off Elijah at the SPCA told them he was special. She said her recently deceased mother was diabetic, and the cat would alert her when her blood sugar levels were off.
SPCA officials said they made sure to match him with someone who could benefit from his strong nose.
