Cat With Hyperthyroidism Won't Eat Or Drink

[New_Pulse]

My cat was tested, and has a bit of an overactive thyroid, but she won't eat OR drink. The vet thinks she doesn't have kidney problems, and my cat's mouth is in good shape. My cat was put on thyroid medicine, but it was making her liver overwork, so she's off it.

But ever since she was diagnosed, she just won't eat or drink. At first, when given dry food, she'd eat it, but if given to her again, she wouldn't eat it. Same thing happened to wet food and treats, such as greenies. Before my cat went off her medicine, not only her tests showed abnormality in her liver, but there was also the possibility of her having an infection, so she was given an antibiotic. Her appetite came back briefly, but after she finished her antibiotic, she wouldn't eat or drink again. Wet food, dry food, greenies, she just won't eat ANYTHING. She went back to the vet today, and they gave her some fluids, and did more tests on her regarding her liver (to see if it's going back to normal). I wonder if she does have kidney disease.

Another alarming thing is that she hides. She's not the social, loving cat who would cuddle with me anymore. All she does is hide under the beds

I'm worried sick. I fear that I may have to put her down. She's barely 11

 

[StefanZ]

Water fountain help sometimes with cats reluctanct to drink on their own.

Otherwise, you must probably forcefeed. At least till she get going again.

Can you get raw goats milk? Its good nourishment in itself, and sometimes makes a difference.

 

[babiesmom5]

I would have your Vet check to rule out Pancreatitis. Cats with Pancreatitis do not eat or drink. They are lethargic, they hide. It is a very elusive disease, sometimes hard to diagnose. It does not appear in a vacuum. There is usually an underlying disease present like IBD, diabetes hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) and cholangitis. Since your cat had elevated liver enzymes, pancreatitis is definitely a possibility.

There are two blood tests to detect this. One is the SNAP fPL which can be done at the Vet's office, but can be unreliable unless the pancreatitis is really bad.

The "gold standard" is the SPEC fPLI which must be sent out to Texas A & M lab and takes a couple of days to get back, but is definitely the more reliable.

I would call your vet ASAP and get her in. Pancreatitis can be fatal. It often requires hospitalization, IV fluids and force feeding...and takes time to quell the inflammation.

I have been down this road three times. Call your Vet!

 

[New_Pulse]

I got partial blood results back from the vet, and they think that my cat has fatty liver disease

 

[babiesmom5]

This stands to reason. I would imagine her ALT may be elevated as well as Bilirubin and also Alkaline Phosphate. Please follow your vet's advice carefully as it is quite serious when there is liver involvement. Your cat may need to be hospitalized to get her stable.

I wish all the best. Please keep us posted.

 

[weemomma]

Do not mess around with fatty liver. It can turn very, very quickly.

 

[New_Pulse]

She's being taken care of. Right now, she'll be in hospitalization till there's some type of improvement. Still, I'm worried about her...

 

[janev115]

I am sorry about your cat. I just joined this site because my cat was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I was going to get her the I-131 therapy despite the expense, but she failed a test! She has some cystic growths on her liver, and I was given very little guidance. She seems well aside from being thin. I've had cats with this before. The problem is, if you can't treat the hyper-T, it will progress. I hope that you get some answers.

 

[New_Pulse]

It's one problem after another. While my cat is eating a bit more, she's been drinking excessively since last night, and that's really worrying me. On the 13th, she was eating and drinking fine, but now she's not eating much again, but has been drinking so much. The vet says not to worry, since my cat seems fine in appearance, but I'm honestly not sure. To be more honest, despite being almost 11, she seems to be getting rather frail - slower movements, sad-sounding meows, so on.

She's going to see a specialist (I hope she will, anyway), but there's that thought in the back of my mind to put her down and end her suffering

 

[janev115]

I'm so sorry. 11 isn't even that old. If she's your only cat, the vet we saw mentioned a special food as a treatment. Of course, the cat has to be eating for this to work. So far my cat is tolerating the pills, it's been six days. But that doesn't erase the new issue of cysts on her liver, which will apparently kill her sooner or later and there's nothing to be done about them because they're so extensive. I hope the cat feels better. How do they treat fatty liver?

 

[Antonio65]

B babiesmom5 might be right!
My cat is/was hyperthyroid. She was diagnosed last year in September.
Unlikely other hyperthyroid cats she was not hungry or hyperactive. She was slower and often off food. The vets told me this is/was an apathetic form of hyper-T, I had opened a thread on this.
She was put under meds, both tablets and ear gel, but her appetite was going up and down.
We had a pancreatitis test done, the blood sample was sent to Texas (I live in Italy, just imagine!) and the test was positive. So the cat was put under antibiotics and the situation improved.
She was also diagnosed with liver disease, most likely as a result of her overactive thyroid. I started giving her supplements for her liver. To add more concern, she was foud with IBD, she has to eat only a certain type of food.
All these things while waiting for the I-131 therapy done 5 weeks ago.
Now the last blood works came out fine, kidney are fine, liver has much improved. I'm still waiting for the thyroid level report.

I'm saying this because your case sounds much like mine. I think you have to investigate more into her kidney and liver, have a pancreatitis test to rule out any issue and see whether IBD might be involved in all this.
A more effective approach to the hyper-T could help a lot. You're not writing the dosage your vet gave your cat, sometimes the vets tend to overdose the med.

All the best!

(P.S.: I had sent this post three hours ago, but didn't show up, had to re-write it)

 

[babiesmom5]

I think your cat has multiple issues going on simultaneously. One issue may impact and/or compound the others. I think you need to see a good Internal Medicine specialist to get a comprehensive examination of your cat. For sure, additional diagnostic testing is in order.

I would have a guarded opinion of any vet who told me "not to worry since my cat seems fine in appearance". You are the one who sees your cat on a daily basis and knows her best. If a vet is unable/unwilling to translate the symptoms you are describing into appropriate diagnostic testing, I would look elsewhere.

That being said, your cat at 11 years old still has a lot of life left in her. It is way too premature to be thinking of euthanasia . You don't even know at this point what all her issues are and what the treatment entails. I suggest you start there.

As Antonio65 so aptly related about his cat, you have to be proactive and be your cats advocate. More investigation is certainly needed here.

As for your cat drinking more, this could be nausea, it could be kidney, it could be hyper-T or other issues. The inappetence could be pancreatitis, kidney, liver disease, IBD or the apathetic form of hyper-T like Antonio65's cat.

I really believe a more assertive approach is needed. Just remember: YOU are your cat's BEST advocate! Please give her every chance to get better!

 

[New_Pulse]

And you were right about the multiple issues, babiesmom. Turned out my cat had a fluid-filled gallbladder, which would've been a rather expensive fix, then there was the mention of an enlarged liver, which made things a bit more complicated, but then the specialist said that my cat had intestinal cancer. I knew she had problems with her intestines, because the vet said they looked inflamed, but we had no idea it ended up being cancer. The gallbladder surgery, the chemo, the medication, all of that would've killed all the money, and there was no way I would've put my cat through that, so I had to make the hard decision on putting her down today, four days shy from her 11th birthday

 

[janev115]

New_Pulse, again, I am sorry :-( you obviously did everything that you could and made the right decision. I lost one of my best cats about two years ago to some strange cancer (we never quite figured out what - perhaps lymphoma) and it's heartbreaking. But when you see them waste away before your eyes, sometimes it's just the right thing to do.

 

[babiesmom5]

And you were right about the multiple issues, babiesmom. Turned out my cat had a fluid-filled gallbladder, which would've been a rather expensive fix, then there was the mention of an enlarged liver, which made things a bit more complicated, but then the specialist said that my cat had intestinal cancer. I knew she had problems with her intestines, because the vet said they looked inflamed, but we had no idea it ended up being cancer. The gallbladder surgery, the chemo, the medication, all of that would've killed all the money, and there was no way I would've put my cat through that, so I had to make the hard decision on putting her down today, four days shy from her 11th birthday

My heartfelt condolences to you on the loss of your dear kitty. For sure, this was a hard decision...but (in my opinion), the right one.

When there are multiple organ systems involved, there can be no good outcome. I can tell you from painful personal experience that things can get very ugly, very fast. It happens at the worse possible time too. Try Christmas Eve.

Knowing what you now know, I think you should at least have peace of mind. You did not prolong her suffering and you had a vet available to ease her passage..

I know you are grieving, and I can totally empathize, as can many here on this site that have traveled this difficult path. May you take comfort knowing that she was cared for and loved during her almost 11 years, and in the end, she did not needlessly suffer.

When you are stronger, perhaps you can share her story on the "Crossing the Bridge" forum.
May your dear kitty RIP. I wish you peace as well.

 

[Antonio65]

N New_Pulse , I'm very sorry for this sad ending and for your loss!
She was still young, I'm in pain for you
RIP beautiful angel.

 

[foxxycat]

I am so sorry to see that you had to have her put down-I didn't read the latest message=I am SO SORRY!!!

 

[valentine319]

And you were right about the multiple issues, babiesmom. Turned out my cat had a fluid-filled gallbladder, which would've been a rather expensive fix, then there was the mention of an enlarged liver, which made things a bit more complicated, but then the specialist said that my cat had intestinal cancer. I knew she had problems with her intestines, because the vet said they looked inflamed, but we had no idea it ended up being cancer. The gallbladder surgery, the chemo, the medication, all of that would've killed all the money, and there was no way I would've put my cat through that, so I had to make the hard decision on putting her down today, four days shy from her 11th birthday

I'm so sorry kitty went to the rainbow bridge. I can personally say I fought with knowning something was wrong with no blood tests telling us. My vet said he thought it was stomach cancer but refused any biopsy on a cat that was frail just to need to make the choice to let him go. Sometimes aside from the money we need to consider not letting them suffer. I'm so sorry for your loss.