Okay... so Khan (our f3 Bengal) is exhibiting what *I* think may be something to consider.. and I *think* that we should have him tested for hyperthyroidism but I wanted to get some opinions from others, perhaps from someone who has experience with these "symptoms" (and I'll make a notation here that they may or may not be symptoms..I might just be paranoid)...
Background: Khan is between 2 and 3 years old. The first year and a half we spent trying to get him to eat. This consisted of trying all wet and dry brands on the market, to which he'd eat a few mouthfuls (or gulp it all down one day and turn his nose up at it the next).. it was a constant course in haphazard guessing to get him to eat (and this cat spent that first year and a half hungry).. finally we ended up feeding him Gerber's Graduates Turkey Sticks because it was the only thing he'd eat consistently, mixed with some crushed dry food (so as to stop him from being able to pick it out of the food.. which mostly worked). He still didn't eat very much of this, but he at least ate it consistently.
When we brought in Joyeux, she came on a raw diet. Khan basically knocked her out of the way and gobbled it all down like there was no tomorrow and then screamed for more... so now Khan is on a raw diet. Since this point in time, he has gone from an 10-11 pound cat to a 13-14 pound cat (mind you, he could still fill out some more).
I've been told that he eats an unusually large amount a day.. I don't have an exact measurement, but I fill up one of those sandwich baggies from Ziploc 3/4 of the way with raw when I prepare it, and when I dish it out to them, he gets one half of that bag, twice a day, and the other *FOUR* cats get the other half of that bag, divided up into two plates and mixed with one or two packets of wet food, twice a day. In the category of "other four" cats is one kitten who eats us out of house and home, and another Bengal who spends the day bouncing off the wall with the Tonk kitten.. one laid back domestic cat who is overweight, and one Mau who is perfectly porportioned and not hyper but definitely active most days.
Effectively, Khan is eating as much in one day as the other four cats put together. Now, he's is slightly heavier than all but Noel, who is only about a pound lighter. Joyeux is about 9 pounds, Pogue just weighed in at 6, and Bagheera is 8-9.. so, he is heavier, but he's no where near as active as Pogue and Joyeux, and they eat like fiends. Personally, I think he's eating an excessive amount of food. My sister doesn't think there's anything wrong with the amount he eats. She thinks there's no reason to have him tested for hyperthyroidism. Personally, imo, it's better to be safe than sorry.
He's also become slightly aggressive, but he's *always* engaged in hunting behavior when he's hungry. He's always been slightly aggressive toward the Mau, but now he's exhibiting it to his "buddies" Joyeux and Pogue, and he and Noel have been grappling for top cat position lately. This is a seperate issue, but I thought it might tie in. It might also be that he's just redirecting his anger at them.
Another symptom? He didn't recognize Joyeux on the stairs last night (in the spot that Noel usually frequents when it's time for Khan to accompany my sister to bed.. she plays gargoyle and sits there to intimidate him). When he got close enough, he recognized her and then it was all fine, but he didn't recognize her until he got to about three steps away. It was dark, so I don't know if it's an indication that his eyesight is getting bad, or how good their eyes are at night..
He does exhibit quite a few wild traits, so maybe the massive amounts of raw he's eating has to do with his undomesticated side..
I just thought I"d run it by some other people for their opinions.
Background: Khan is between 2 and 3 years old. The first year and a half we spent trying to get him to eat. This consisted of trying all wet and dry brands on the market, to which he'd eat a few mouthfuls (or gulp it all down one day and turn his nose up at it the next).. it was a constant course in haphazard guessing to get him to eat (and this cat spent that first year and a half hungry).. finally we ended up feeding him Gerber's Graduates Turkey Sticks because it was the only thing he'd eat consistently, mixed with some crushed dry food (so as to stop him from being able to pick it out of the food.. which mostly worked). He still didn't eat very much of this, but he at least ate it consistently.
When we brought in Joyeux, she came on a raw diet. Khan basically knocked her out of the way and gobbled it all down like there was no tomorrow and then screamed for more... so now Khan is on a raw diet. Since this point in time, he has gone from an 10-11 pound cat to a 13-14 pound cat (mind you, he could still fill out some more).
I've been told that he eats an unusually large amount a day.. I don't have an exact measurement, but I fill up one of those sandwich baggies from Ziploc 3/4 of the way with raw when I prepare it, and when I dish it out to them, he gets one half of that bag, twice a day, and the other *FOUR* cats get the other half of that bag, divided up into two plates and mixed with one or two packets of wet food, twice a day. In the category of "other four" cats is one kitten who eats us out of house and home, and another Bengal who spends the day bouncing off the wall with the Tonk kitten.. one laid back domestic cat who is overweight, and one Mau who is perfectly porportioned and not hyper but definitely active most days.
Effectively, Khan is eating as much in one day as the other four cats put together. Now, he's is slightly heavier than all but Noel, who is only about a pound lighter. Joyeux is about 9 pounds, Pogue just weighed in at 6, and Bagheera is 8-9.. so, he is heavier, but he's no where near as active as Pogue and Joyeux, and they eat like fiends. Personally, I think he's eating an excessive amount of food. My sister doesn't think there's anything wrong with the amount he eats. She thinks there's no reason to have him tested for hyperthyroidism. Personally, imo, it's better to be safe than sorry.
He's also become slightly aggressive, but he's *always* engaged in hunting behavior when he's hungry. He's always been slightly aggressive toward the Mau, but now he's exhibiting it to his "buddies" Joyeux and Pogue, and he and Noel have been grappling for top cat position lately. This is a seperate issue, but I thought it might tie in. It might also be that he's just redirecting his anger at them.
Another symptom? He didn't recognize Joyeux on the stairs last night (in the spot that Noel usually frequents when it's time for Khan to accompany my sister to bed.. she plays gargoyle and sits there to intimidate him). When he got close enough, he recognized her and then it was all fine, but he didn't recognize her until he got to about three steps away. It was dark, so I don't know if it's an indication that his eyesight is getting bad, or how good their eyes are at night..
He does exhibit quite a few wild traits, so maybe the massive amounts of raw he's eating has to do with his undomesticated side..
I just thought I"d run it by some other people for their opinions.
