Triaditis cat with behaviour issues

[Zeus1971]

Hi everyone,
I have a 13 year old cat with Triaditis and a heart murmur. He gave up dry food and is super fussy with his wet food. He won’t eat any of the healthier foods or sensitive stomach ones that are clearly better for him. He’s on prednisone every second day for over a year and we have tried managing the illness with the other meds recommended but none help. In the last month he’s been waking me up at 3,4,5 and 6 in the morning until I get up and feed him. If I don’t get up he has begun wrecking things in the house. I shut all the bedroom doors and put away all bread and papers (he rips apart mail left out, cards and envelope) he will rip the paper off the plastic muffin container, rip up gift bags basically anything he can get his teeth or paws on. He will also meow very loudly if I don’t respond which wakes everyone up. I now shut all doors as he also jumps up on things and knocks things over if I don’t get up and feed him. I can’t shut my door as he scratches it and can’t put him downstairs as he will scratch the door and my son sleeps down there. The vet has zero options and isn’t giving me any direction. We can’t live like this but I feel like if I put him to sleep I’m doing it for bad behaviour but this is really impacting everything in our house. He is always hungry and doesn’t absorb what he eats. He does throw up ever couple of days and his litter box is quite foul I though about trying to crate him at night but wonder if that is more of a punishment than a solution. He’s lost quite a bit of weight and is fairly boney now but still loves to cuddle up with me which is making it really hard to figure out if I need to try more things or if this is just his time and I need to let him go.

I should add that the last thing we tried is gabapentin but he’s still the same.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I'm not a vet and am not recommending this since every cat is different, but based on your comment that he's not absorbing what he eats, you could possibly try pre-pro biotics to help his system begin to function better and start to absorb the nutrients. (Just probiotics by themselves aren't enough to help, the prebiotics are also necessary.) This may sound like I'm suggesting something because it's faddish, but I researched it and what I found made some sense, so I started it with my 17 year old boy and it seems to be helping.

What about Tomlyn nutrical? Have you tried Fancy Feast kitten food, or their Senior variety (there's not a lot of difference ingredient/nutrient wise between the two and I've noticed the kitten food seems easier to obtain in grocery stores etc).

Can you try an automatic feeder that opens at pre-set times for him?

knocks things over

Museum putty might help with this aspect of things.

 

[Zeus1971]

I thought about the auto food container but he only eats wet food and I thought those were only for dry food. I was able to get him to eat dry kitten food about 3 months ago but not anymore(also tried wet kitten food, he eats something 3 times then won’t touch it again) I give him fancy feast now but can’t give him the pate’s as they usually make him throw up or give him diarrhea. I tried just about every cat food out there even the super healthy fresh chicken. If I move he thinks he needs food. He is always hungry. We tried the probiotic from the vet (fortiflora) but it didn’t help. He ate through a bag the other night to get to my tortilla wraps . I can manage the days with all the issues but the nights are just crazy.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Fortiflora is a decent topper for food for some cats but it isn't all that great as a probiotic, possibly because it's just the probiotic. The prebiotic is necessary to help "feed" the probiotic.

You could try this one, and the second link has several options;
CAT MATE C300 Automatic Dog & Cat Feeder, 3-cup - Chewy.com

Top 10 Wet Cat Food Dispensers of 2022 - Best Reviews Guide

There's this pre & pro biotic that dustydiamond1 researched and I'm using;
FERA PET ORGANICS Probiotics with Organic Prebiotics for Dogs & Cats, 72-g - Chewy.com

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. What tests have been run on him, and what kind of treatments/meds/supplements is he on? Malabsorption often goes hand in hand with any digestive/intestinal issues, so has there been any discussion with the vet about giving him B-12 shots? Was he ever tested for a B-12 deficiency?

FortiFlora is a great appetite enhancer but is one of the weaker probiotics in terms of gut enzymes. I don't know a whole lot about any of them but maybe you could review these recommendations and see what you think? This is just another suggestion to the one Furballsmom made above.
11 Best Probiotics For Cats In 2022: Unbiased Review - All About Cats

As you now know, there are automatic feeders for wet food, so I do think it could be helpful to try one for overnight and see if that helps any. Won't provide options for that, as Furballsmom has already done that too!! Some of these feeders are motion activated so he could eat some when he wants.

 

[Zeus1971]

They tried Cerenia, Mirtazapine, Omeprazole. Been at the vet several times, did bloodwork, blood glucose, TT4 and SDMA (more bloodwork), blood count with chemis, urinalysis,cytocentisis.
I will look for the prebiotic, and also look into a feeding machine.
Is it common for cats with this illness to be so hungry and start acting out at night to be fed? He was always such a well behaved cat but the last year he seems to just be getting worse and it all seems to be food/hunger driven.

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know, but is he possibly looking for attention as well as food?

 

[Zeus1971]

As soon as I get up and give him food he leaves me alone. He eats then comes back to sleep for an hour then back to it. He scratches doors, bed, mirror anything to get me up and feed him. I have to clear counters, dressers and bathroom vanities before bed or he jumps up and locks things off till I get up and feed him. Toilet paper is his favourite but I hide that at night now.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't understand the correlation with so much hunger and triaditis - it sounds more like a nutritional deficiency or some sort of enzyme imbalance. Triaditis often brings on lack of appetite, diarrhea - and vomiting, just to name some common symptoms.

The other thing I will say, is that most vets look for blood test results (CBC, Super Chem, T-4, etc.) that are out of range - but numbers in range that are high are low should not be ignored. A good example is the T-4 (thyroid) test, being in range is not necessarily OK and some cats need to be treated before they actually get out of range. Most labs have ranges that apply to the entire realm of cats - kittens to elders. Another example, the phosphorus range includes what is appropriate for kittens, but is generally way too high for an older cat, especially one with CKD.

Try the feeders and probiotics, but I highly recommend you also ask about the B-12 test. If you aren't obtaining and tracking his blood test results, just so you know/understand details, I would highly recommend that as well.

His behavior is, IMO, related to his lack of proper nutrition - for whatever the reason is - and he is letting you know. You actually have a pretty smart cat - some cats wouldn't be so persistent in asking for (demanding) help and could easily waste away being 'well behaved'. Take that as a positive sign!!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Hi everyone,
I have a 13 year old cat with Triaditis and a heart murmur. ... He’s on prednisone every second day for over a year and we have tried managing the illness with the other meds recommended but none help. In the last month he’s been waking me up at 3,4,5 and 6 in the morning until I get up and feed him. If I don’t get up he has begun wrecking things in the house.... He will also meow very loudly if I don’t respond which wakes everyone up. I now shut all doors as he also jumps up on things and knocks things over if I don’t get up and feed him. I can’t shut my door as he scratches it and can’t put him downstairs as he will scratch the door and my son sleeps down there. The vet has zero options and isn’t giving me any direction. We can’t live like this but I feel like if I put him to sleep I’m doing it for bad behaviour but this is really impacting everything in our house. He is always hungry and doesn’t absorb what he eats. He does throw up ever couple of days and his litter box is quite foul I though about trying to crate him at night but wonder if that is more of a punishment than a solution. He’s lost quite a bit of weight and is fairly boney now but still loves to cuddle up with me which is making it really hard to figure out if I need to try more things or if this is just his time and I need to let him go.

I should add that the last thing we tried is gabapentin but he’s still the same.

How long has he had Triaditis? (When was he diagnosed?) Anything involving pancreatitis can be very painful for the cat; prednisolone can help with inflammation and a bit with the pain... yet you mention he is only on a dose every other day? Have you discussed with your vet about him being given daily pred? It might help, in his situation -- but I am not a vet and do not have your vet's insight into your cat's situation. Also, what time of the day do you give the pred? My vet recommended (1) always giving pred at the same time each day (or each 'every-other-day', as in your current case)-- e.g. within a window of the same hour or two time-frame each day; and (2) giving it in the evening. Also, to always give the pred with food (not on an empty stomach).

Anyway, it is not promising that he is vomiting so often and that his poo is pretty foul-smelling. This makes me wonder if he is too often dealing more with the pancreatitis part of triaditis -- as it can make the poo very foul-smelling and also give it a haylike coloring, when a pancreatitis bout is ongoing. Again, pancreatitis can be painful, and the cat could be 'acting out' both from being hungry, but also from feeling some pain. This is something to discuss with your vet, for sure!

I think if he is hungry at 3-6 am in the morning, just get up and feed him! Then you can hopefully get back to sleep and some of the behavior problems might resolve. But going over your cat's current symptoms with the vet might help you each re-evaluate what might help him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, I also forgot - I wanted to give you a link to some previous threads on this site about triaditis, in case you would find them helpful.
Search Results for Query: triaditis | TheCatSite

 

[Zeus1971]

He’s has triaditis for over a year. He can’t take more prednisone because of the heart murmur. I always give it to him at the same time at night and with food thankfully he takes it but he sure doesn’t like the gabapentin. I went to a couple pet stores but they didn’t have the times feeders or any of the pre probiotics. I will have to look online, I’m in Canada so not as much available but it seems Amazon does have some feeders.