My old cat has undergone a blood test which has confirmed an overactive thyroid, supported also by the typical symptoms of dramatic weight loss and increase in thirst. She is currently taking feminole(I think that is how you spell it) 2.5mg daily but this doesn't seem to have had any effect on her ravenous appetite. She is eating 6 pouches of wet food daily and is persistantly worrying me for food. The vet has suggested another blood test in 3 weeks to check her levels again with the hope that her appetite will gradually reduce, but surely if her thyroid levels are ok with the tablets, her appetite should have returned to normal. He has mentioned that it could be an absorbtion problem - more tests perhaps. I don't have a bottomless money pit and she just seems to be wasting away. Can anyone help me? Many thanks

Hi, I went looking for a pet forum because of this very problem and found this one. My cat is 14 years old and was suffering similar symptoms. I struggled with medication for two months which for Kitty, didn't work so it ended up with her having her thyroid removed. It did involve a lot of vet visits which did cost a lot (I only work part time) which I managed to pay thanks to my mum and my particular vet allowing me to pay off the cost of the operation in installments.

It is distressing to see your cat lose so much weight and all I can suggest is you just keep feeding her as much as she wants with plenty of water. You could try kitten food as it has more nutrition than adult cat food. My cat actually lost her appetite completely on medication which only made her weight loss worse. There are two medications that Kitty was prescribed, Felimazole and another one I can't remember. Both of which did not work well so it was decided to operate. She came through it very well and is now a happy and healthy cat. It took about 2 months to get to the stage where it was decided they would operate on Kitty. Of course things are probably going to be different for your cat and because of this I can't really offer any other practical advice. It was a case of seeing the vet and waiting to see if the medication worked. Some cats react well to medication and go on to do very well with life long medication. Others, like Kitty, don't do well on medication and so the other alternative is to operate.

Hope some of this info helps.

__________________

Owned by Ratty girls Hera, Athena, Boomer and Kitty the Cat
RIP Apollo and Starbuck, together again at the Rainbow Bridge. Till we meet again.

Aww bless your pussycat.
Just like Jaxx my old cat had the same condition.
I could not make up my if i should go forward with the operation.
In the end i thought i would go forward and have it done.
My cat is now fully recovered and has put on lots of weight.
Good luck with your pussycat.

Hi there.
Thyroid problems are quite common in elderly cats.
My cat aged the same as yours had thyroid problems last may.
She was put on tablets to slow the heart rate down and she had a blood test too.
After a couple of weeks when the heart had slowed down to it's normal pace we decided to have the operation to remove the thyroid. If the thyroid is not removed we were told she would be on tablets for the rest of her life.
I didn't like the thought of giving her tablets everyday has she really hates them!!
After the operation we had to have another blood test to see if it worked and it did. She is now back to how she was and she has put weight on. The price of her operation was about £180.
Maybe ask the vet if an operation to remove the thyroid would be more beneficial for your cat.


Hope this helps.

__________________

You need to ask your vet about other options. Perhaps removal of the thyroid is an option, however it can also mean they will be on medication forever more.

In the meantime, what food is she on?

I would be tempted to put her on a good quality wet food. Something like, Natures Menu, forthglade, lillys kitchen, bozita, hilife, feline feyre etc. These are all good quality cat foods with high meat contents.

Cats really dont need all the fillers that go into many cat foods. Brands such as whiskas and felix contain as little as 4% meat!!!, you need to be aiming for 50% or higher.

A better quality meat will mean she gets more of the nutrients from her food, and so should help her weight in the long term. I wouldnt suggest giving a supermarket brand kitten food, as they tend to be higher protein and in an older cat this can have consequenses for kidney function. A good quality food of high meat content would be a much better option.

In the meantime, ask your vet for a prescription for her meds. Then you can buy her meds from an online pharmacy which should cut your costs quite a bit, particularly important if she is going to need them for life.

__________________
PETFORUMS CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER: http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/petforums

please donate if you can!

Thats why the vet is suggesting another blood test - it sounds like the dose she's on isnt controlling the symptoms, so they will do another test to determine this and then adjust the dose accordingly.