What's Wrong with my Cat, Snoopy?

[Shabby]

Hi Pet Lovers:

My 10 year-9 month old male, neutered, indoor cat (Snoopy) is ill or old?? I've had him to the vet THREE times, all to no avail. Snoopy was a 22lb. cat who, in the past 11 months has dropped to 10lbs. The odd thing is; since losing all this weight rapidly, he has an excessive appetite which he never had before he began losing weight.

He is now just 'bone', covered by skin but eats and eats and eats and eats but is still bone thin.

Anyone have any idea what could be wrong?

THANK YOU
Shabby

[krdahmer]

Has the vet checked his thyroid? And for diabetes?

[badger]

These are classic symptoms of hyperthyroidism, I can't believe the vet missed it. Did he draw any blood for testing? You need to take Snoopy back in tomorrow. Ask for a thyroid test. If that is what he has, it can be treated, don't worry.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Absolutely sounds like Hyperthyroidism - have his T3 and T4 thyroid levels checked and do it now!

[phoozles]

I agree - get the test done and then switch vets! Any vet that can't detect those major signs should not be getting your money.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by phoozles

I agree - get the test done and then switch vets! Any vet that can't detect those major signs should not be getting your money.

Or switch vets first and get the test. Phoozles right, if your vet didn't do blood work to find out what was wrong, then switch vets.

[kiara]

Did your cat have any health problems before? Your cat is getting old and he has lost a lot of weight in such a short time (which is very dangerous). And now has a huge appetite, but is not gaining weight? He needs to have a blood and urine test, also a thyroid test. Have you ever taken him to another vet? Yours does not sound good to me, I would switch if I was you. Let us know what happened.

[ancientgirl]

I'd take him to another vet. If your current vet has seen him 3 times and found nothing to explain his weight loss, then they don't seem to know what they're doing.

You aren't obligated to take him to the same vet, get a second opinion for your kitty.

[Shabby]

Hi Pet Lover Friends:

THANK YOU to all of you who responded so quickly! I have taken your advice and switched vets. A good friend of mine has a fantastic vet whom she has taken her 5 cats too for the past 6 years. Snoopy will be seeing him on Monday.

My husband is dropping Snoopy off at 8:00a.m. and my friend Kathy, will meet him there. She will speak to her vet with my husband, then Snoopy will spend the day there and hubby will pick him up on his way home from work at 5:30p.m. So...we should have an answer for you all by Monday evening.

When I spoke to the vet's office today, they said they'll do a complete blood work-up and specifically mentioned it could be: hyperthyroidism or diabetes. We'll see.

By the way, I can't take old Snoop in myself as I am recovering from a heart attack scare last Saturday.

I'll be back Monday to let you know what we find out!

THANK YOU dedicated Pet Friends!

Hugs from
Snoopy!

[FlynnMB]

I have a cat who went through the exact same, the cat was skin & bone, I gave worm tablets I fed mince steak etc. to no avail, until she showed me her hidden kittens which she was feeding.

Now I'm (seriously!) not saying that this is the case (judging by age etc.) but it would make your vet look, well, quare silly.

Hope he improves tho'. Cats are so sociable with each other that there is no knowing what other cat is around spreading flu or the likes. Ask the SPCA if they know a vet who is knowing about cats (some country vets pooh pooh at family pets & only want a horse or a cow).

[chico2]

I am glad you changed vets,both HT and diabetis can be managed.
My 12 yr old Rocky had the exact same symptoms and is doing quiet well on meds,he has Hyper Thyroidism.
Oh,and by the way a 10yr old kitty is far from old
Good Luck at the vets!!

[Shabby]

The new vet has said that Snoopy has diabetes and will require insulin injections twice daily. They are keeping him in the hospital until Wednesday to keep an eye on him and to get him started on the correct doses of insulin. Hubby and I are to be there at 4:45 on Wednesday to learn how to give Snoopy his injections.

The vet said there is no reason that Snoopy shouldn't keep on living a full life as long as we are diligent. On Wednesday he will explain to us what we need to watch for etc., and how to give the injections and then we can bring him home with us then.

I'm SOOOOOO happy that he is going to be okay. However, I've missed him so much today that I don't know how I'll get through Tuesday and most of Wednesday without him.

[phoozles]

Yay! I'm glad you finally got a diagnosis for poor Snoopy!

Diabetes in cats is very manageable, and there are a lot of members on this forum who have diabetic cats to help you along the way!

Can't wait to see pictures of your little guy when he gets back from the vet!

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by phoozles

Yay! I'm glad you finally got a diagnosis for poor Snoopy!

Diabetes in cats is very manageable, and there are a lot of members on this forum who have diabetic cats to help you along the way!

Can't wait to see pictures of your little guy when he gets back from the vet!

Thanks phoozles!!!! I'm also pleased to hear there are alot of other members with diabetic cats who can give me advice! I hope they see this message.

[ancientgirl]

I'm so glad you got a diagnosis for Snoopy. That was the most important thing, to find out what was wrong with him. And even though he is diabetic, it's something that is treatable.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I'm so glad you got a diagnosis for Snoopy. That was the most important thing, to find out what was wrong with him. And even though he is diabetic, it's something that is treatable.

Ancientgirl:

Thanks! We're very happy and relieved too. I'm amazed at the wealth of information and the willingness of folks to share on this forum!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Shabby

Thanks phoozles!!!! I'm also pleased to hear there are alot of other members with diabetic cats who can give me advice! I hope they see this message.

Hi Shabby, glad that Snoopy 'only' has diabetes (since weight loss can also be a sign of much worse conditions like cancer). Diabetes is absolutely manageable, although you may find a bit of a steep learning curve at first. My 15yr old cat, Aztec, has been diabetic for the last 5 years, and he's doing awesome. A really great site for info and support is this one: http://felinediabetes.com/. There's a ton to read so you may want to bookmark it and visit it frequently so that your brain doesn't go into overload.

What food are you currently feeding Snoopy? High carbohydrate dry food can play a large role in causing cats to develop diabetes, so you might want to seriously consider a diet change to low-carb, high-protein canned food. There's more info here about an appropriate feline diet: http://www.catinfo.org/felinediabetes.htm The vet may try to push a prescription diet on you but these are unnecessary. They have poor ingredients and are stupidly expensive.

Now, I realize Snoopy is at the vets supposedly to get "regulated" but this is another unnecessary expense. Cats cannot be regulated in a couple days under such stressful conditions, and unless there is something else wrong with him (ketoacidosis, for example) there is no reason that he can't come home today. In fact, the dose they come up with at the clinic could end up being too high once Snoopy is home since stress can artificially raise blood glucose levels. It's better just to start with a low dose (1 unit twice a day) at home, and go from there.

You can learn how to test Snoopy's blood glucose yourself (using a human glucometer from any pharmacy), taking blood from the edge of his ear. Most cats are very tolerant of this after a bit of practice (especially if treats are involved). There are links on the Feline Diabetes website above about how to do this.

One thing I must add, please do not make any diet changes unless you are home testing Snoopy's BG! Going from high carb dry food to low carb wet food can cause insulin needs to drop dramatically and Snoopy may end up with hypoglycemia. Many cats go off of exogenous insulin all together with an improved diet, so you need to be very careful.

Let me know what type and amount of insulin Snoopy has been prescribed when you find out.

[sugarcatmom]

Just wanted to add: shame on your previous vet for not catching this sooner! He absolutely should have screened for diabetes at some point in Snoopy's 3 previous visits. Any time an older cat loses weight like that and has a ravenous appetite, diabetes should be one of the top 3 things checked for. Grrrrr.

[catladytabby]

what i think you should do is ask the vet to check for FIV and thyroid and diabetes . hope you cat gets better

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by catladytabby

what i think you should do is ask the vet to check for FIV and thyroid and diabetes . hope you cat gets better

I realize 6 pages of posts is a lot to read, but if you had, you'd know that Snoopy was indeed diagnosed with diabetes and is currently doing great.


Go Snoopy!! And go Snoopy's mom!! (sorry to hear about your latest accident - I'm glad you can maintain a sense of humour about it all ).

[loopoo]

glad snoopy is feeling better.. hope you are too