Conference misery::feline

    I would have them check her stools for parasites..and possibly
    also have a thyroid test done.   I know both of these two things
    cause a cat to be starving all the time...
    
    
    Good luck...and keep us posted!!
    
    Sandy

    Do please have her thyroid level checked.  Its a blood test, no big
    deal.  Sounds like hyperactive thyroid to me, all else being equal -
    she's about the right age for it.
    
    Dana

    Hi David
    
    I agree with the others..  Also you might want to have her checked for
    Diabetes (sp?).   I had a siamese that was 19 and she started doing the
    same thing..  If I moved she was up and running crying to be fed.  No
    matter if I had only fed her 5 minutes before she would still cry...  
    
    Please keep us posted and my prayers go out to you...
    
    
    *joyce
    
    

    Thanks all for the suggestions.
    
    I'll suggest diabetes and thyroid to the vet (I had been thinking
    diabetes, thyroid was a new option - thank you!). Maybe with 1 blood 
    test we can get to the bottom of this. And last week the vet scraped
    her teeth!
    
    We're seeing the vet again next week, so  I won't have an update until
    after that. 
    
    Cheers,
    David
    
    -What would be really great is a 'family vet' CD for cats! 

    re:  -1
    
    >  -What would be really great is a 'family vet' CD for cats! 
    
    
    Well, Merck's puts their vet manual on CD for $29 ...
    
    Deb
    

    Two years ago my 12 yr. old cat began to lose the fur around her hind
    quarters, lose a significant amount of weight and eat much more.  I
    took her to the vet and found out that she has an enlarged thyroid. 
    I've had her on Tapazole (people thyroid medication) ever since.  She
    takes 2 pills a day.  Amazingly, her fur grew back and she gained
    weight nicely.  She still eats a lot, but the problem is under control. 
    My vet determined the problem by doing a blood test as well as feeling
    the thyroid.  If this is what's wrong with your kitty, it is
    controllable.
    
    

    Well, we got the vet results: Negative for diabetes, liver, kidney.
    Thyroid is not enlarged. 
    
    possibilities: worms (even though an indoor cat) or an underactive pancreas.
    The pancreas is suspected since she's eating more, but not gaining
    weight, and some stools are greyish. This could be malabsorbsion of
    protiens. The vet says he does not have a test for feline pancreas (in
    Switzerland), so he must see what helps.
    
    She's just finished the worm pills, and has started on a general
    digestive pill. The pancreas pills are on order.
    
    The good news is, Gwen is less hungry after 2 days of pills. Could be
    the worm medicine, could be the digestive, could  be the trauma from 
    the blood sample. 
    
    I've proposed to the vet that we wait a week before we start the
    prostate pills. At this point, if her hunger and behavior goes back to
    normal, I want to see if it was the worms or the digestive pills. 
    
    Thanks again,
    David
    
    - I'll try to order the CD!

    
    David - Thanks for the update...  We will keep our fingers and paws
    crossed that all works out for the best....
    
    *joyce,shilo,and oliver
    

I wanted to give another brief update on Gwen:

While taking the Metronedazole (sp) for anaerobic bacteria
in her stomache, she seemed somewhat less hungry but much more
than usual.
That medicine stopped on friday and by last night she was much worse.
She is wailing for food every couple of hours.  This
morning she seemed very agitated, running to her dish and
licking her food, then going to the waterdish and licking
the water and back and forth.  Her drinking has also increased
(including drinking from the Toilet, which she has NEVER done)
The vet does not seem concerned by the increased thirst as he
said this could just be a consequence of her eating more
and needing something to wash it down.

More alarming is she is losing weight, even though her
food intake is dramatically increased.   

The vet examined another stool sample and says it does
not have the characteristics of a pancreatic problem.
(though he says there is no definative test for a cat)

I have another appointment on saturday for an examination
and another bloodtest.  If these values come out negative
then he said they could do extensive (and expensive)
tests for the Hypothalmus.

I really feel he doesn't know what to do and is shooting
in the dark.  (try this, try that etc)

Does anyone know if there is a test for the pancreas function?
I would appreciate any other ideas of what to do.  
Gwen was such a sweet natured cat and now she is
quite miserable)

many thanks
David

    

    well, I was acting like that for months when I became hyperthyroid
    (except for drinking out of the toilet) . And even though blood tests would 
    have shown I was hyperthyroid (had they been done), my thyroid didn't seem
    enlarged for months (until I started having a thyroid storm and went into
    thyrotoxic crisis). I kept being told I had the flu and to rest.
    
    Did the vet do a T3/T4 uptake or a TSH, or did he just check the neck
    to see if he felt a goiter, and when he didn't feel anything, decided
    it couldn't have been the thyroid thus didn't do the tests? 
    
    Is there a vet school near where you live that you can get a referal
    to? Or is there another vet in the area that maybe you could bring your
    cat to for a "second opinion?
    
    Good luck,
    Deb

    For what it is worth, I had my 15 year old Zoe tested on Saturday. They
    did a  T3/T4 uptake. The T4 results were back today and she is
    definatly hyperthyroid. (9.0 on a normal range of 1.7-3.0).
    
    The vet is waiting until we get the T3 results to decide how to
    definatly treat it.
    
    Deb

	Well, we cured the KD of her pigginess. And we did it by accident. My
roomate took his cat to be fixed, and the vet said it might be better to feed
them dry food for their teeth. We switched to that and she doesn't run over,
gobble all of her food, and then gobble Isis' food as well. She eats a little
bit all through the day. She has lost some weight, but has stablized at 6.5 lbs
At one point she was up to 7.5 lbs. It's weird, just losing a lb and she is is
MUCH thinner. AND, when we feed her wet food on Sundays, she doesn't gobble it
all down. She makes it last all day. 


Glen