What is wrong with my cat?

[MycatsaPirate]

Felix is 13 years old. He has a very high heart rate (180 instead of 100), constantly moving, losing weight and eats constantly.

His thyroid tests came back normal.

Both vets he has seen are flummoxed as he showed all the symptoms.

So now wondering what is wrong with him? or is he just an incredibly greedy cat with a very high metabolism?

If the vets don't know then we really haven't got a chance at making a diagnosis. It really does sound like thyroid though!

I hope they can get to the bottom of it for you. If he weren't losing weight I'd be inclined not to worry. But weight loss is always a bad sign.

He weighed in at 4.5kg this morning. Which isn't low for a cat but he is very slender and quite bony. His heart rate worries me more.

I just wondered if anyone had had a cat who had similar symptoms with another diagnosis.

Yes that would be useful to know. Bumping for you.

does he find the vets stressful?

180 isn't that abnormal for a stressed cat at the vets. Can you take it at home? You can probably feel it through his chest, just count how many beats in 15 seconds and times it by 4. All the symptoms do sound like hyperthyroidism, maybe redo bloods in a few weeks. Also is he wormed regularly? A car with worms is often ravenous.

He has been wormed. I will speak to the vet about possibly redoing it in case it's a severe case. The cat hasn't been with us long as he was living up the road but put out and locked out by the owner. She doesn't want him anymore.

Vet said that normal rate is 100, stressed is normally 130. However Felix wasn't really bothered. He was wandering about the room, sniffing things, jumping on and off the table, headbutting the vets hand for a fuss and wasn't overly bothered about getting back in the basket (my others can't wait to get back in).

I will get DP to see if he can check his heart rate, I am not good at doing things like that but I will ask him to do it when Felix comes back in (he's out in the garden with two of the others doing whatever it is they do in the evening). His heart rate does seem pretty fast even feeling it when he's asleep - I'm only going on how relaxed my others are when they are sleeping whereas Felix still seems to breathe quickly and his legs twitch constantly in sleep.

All bloods are being done on monday to check his kidneys, liver, blood count etc. I hope he's not got anything too serious, I've become very attached to him very quickly.

Ask the vet if they still have any blood left and get a T3 AND a T4 test done, sometimes the regular test doesn't show the thyroid problem and usually there is only one done, not both.

I have done that in the past and is still hasn't shown a problem but might with yours, and also have a cat that presents with thyroid issues and has a quite rare heart problem according to the Queen Mother hospital.

Thank you, I will make sure to mention that on Monday.

No advice Op, but that is one of the best paw photos I've ever seen. Cute little toe beans and scary claws!

I was def thinking hyperthyroidism