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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Sparklingcat. I can't help but have a bad feeling.

81 replies

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 18:10

I noticed recently that she seemed a bit lighter. She had her booster today and she's lost 400g in a year.
She's not underweight (last year she was deemed overweight) she is now ideal weight. Howevwer she is probably eating a bit more than she used to.

So i immediately think thyroid. But vet said her coat was too shiny/ good and she didn't seem to show any other signs like seeking out warm places or being always on the go.

I have to take her back in 4 weeks and if she has lost more weight the investigations/blood tests etc will start.

We got her in 2010 and Cats' Protection guessed she was 3 or 4 then so I guess she's in the right age bracket to have some issues. Doesn't make it any easier though, I have a feeling it won't be good.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 05/02/2018 18:23

One of my cats has just been diagnosed with thyroid problems. The ONLY symptom was weight loss. No behavioural changes. Still has a nice coat. I'm surprised they want to wait before doing bloods but my money would be on thyroid, which can be treated very effectively so if it is that it's not bad news at all really.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 18:29

Thanks thecatneuterer. I really hope so, I don't want it to be any of the other things it could be. Mum and Dad's cat had thyroid problems and looked very unkempt, greasy coat, all spiky and would over groom something terrible.
They gave me the option to have the bloods done today or whenever really, but they said 4 weeks would be fine. I might go back sooner.

If it is thyroid is it still one tablet a day? I guess her insurance won't cover it though.

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thecatneuterer · 05/02/2018 18:38

Well as I said the coat of my cat still looked lovely. Mine is on one tablet a day. There are different strengths of tablet though and dosage can vary according to how bad the thyroid is.

Pengweng · 05/02/2018 18:38

Our cat's thyroid issue was picked up by a dental consultant when they did bloods to rule out something else. No other issues. But between them doing bloods and her undergoing radio iodine treatment for it (approx 3 months) she lost 2kgs so a lot of weight very fast (luckily she was on the heavy side).

I would ask them to do bloods sooner rather than later though as it can be easily treated.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 18:40

Thanks. I will take her down again this week, when she's got over the jabs.

She is currently fast asleep on the bench outside and it's freezing out there.

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Pengweng · 05/02/2018 18:42

If it is a thyroid issue though i would recommend this place. Our cat went and stayed there for treatment. She was gone for a week and we have to use flushable litter as her wee and poo is still radioactive but it means she will be cured and won't have to take tablets.
She has her next blood test in 4 weeks but we are confident that it has worked as her weight loss has stopped and she has even gained some. Our insurance covered the full cost other than our £60 excess cost.

www.hyperthyroidcatcentre.co.uk/

Pengweng · 05/02/2018 18:43

Though you would obs have to be near it. I think there are a few other centres throughout the UK.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 18:45

Thanks for the link Pengweng, I will have a good read later. We are Worcestershire but there may be similar nearer.

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CanYouHearThePeopleSing · 05/02/2018 18:54

Our lovely old girl had thyroid problems - only symptom was weight loss alongside increased appetite, at the age of about 12. Her coat was still just the same (in lovely shiny condition), and no other changes in behaviour at all. We opted for surgery - she had the whole lot taken out - and was fine for the next 5 years (when her ill health was nothing to do with her thyroid, or lack thereof). We were offered the choice of giving medication instead, but the vet said her health was good enough to stand up to surgery and we thought better to deal with it.
Fingers crossed all goes well for the next few weeks.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 18:57

Thank you. I will have a look into all the options. Feel a bit sad,just hoping it is thyroid if it's anything.

She's always been healthy, just the odd dental needed.

I need to dig out the insurance and read the small print too.

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DuckOffAutocorrectYouShiv · 05/02/2018 19:08

My old boy’s thyroid went berserk when he was about 17. I was worried because i was convinced he was too old and frail for any invasive treatment. Not a bit of it. He had a thyroidectomy (surgery), I was worried about a GA on an old cat but the vet said it was an op that was generally done on elderly cats and the safety record was very good. His op was great and the recovery was really quick.

Feezles · 05/02/2018 19:39

My cat had thyroid problems at a similar age. The only symptom was desperate, apparently insatiable hunger, the vet only ordered the blood tests on a hunch. She hadn't even lost any weight - she was, and still is, a bit of a chubster.

She had tablets for a couple of weeks while we waited for a surgical slot, then they whipped the offending thyroid out and she's been fine since. No medication.

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/02/2018 19:41

I hope it's something simple Sparkling

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 19:52

Is the operation fairly straightforward? How long are they in for?

Thanks Fluffy, had a rough few weeks with all sorts of RL stuff, it seems never ending at the moment.

Believe it or not she has just brought us a mouse home.

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Weedsnseeds1 · 05/02/2018 21:06

Have you changed her food at all?
I assume you've ruled out the obvious, but sometimes panic does strange things to our thought processes.
Thyroid problems are often easily treatable, so I'd be going for blood test asap then take it from there.
Fingers crossed for sparklingcat

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 21:09

No, she still eats and only eats Felix as Good as it Looks fish pouches. She doesn't do treats and has never wanted any 'human' food. The vet gave her a Dreamie for being good and she didn't know what to do with it.

I will make an appointment for the blood test for this week, I kind of want it to be thyroid. Or nothing/ a blip. But I have a feeling it will be something.

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Feezles · 05/02/2018 21:10

The op was just done as a day case for us - she was home that night. She couldn't have a cone as the stitches were on her neck, and she pulled them out within 48 hours - but thankfully the wound held. All very quick and simple. I hope whatever is wrong with sparklingcat is a straightforward to fix.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 05/02/2018 21:12

If they have the Op do they have to have the tablets after?

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CanYouHearThePeopleSing · 05/02/2018 23:36

No tablets after the op. They just pick up where they left off. Apparently there are 2 thyroid glands, and sometimes if they only take one initially then the other sometimes has to go later. Ours had both taken at once.

I have a vague memory that she had tablets for a short while before the op, but I'm sure that was just something to do with getting her bloods sorted first. I seem to recall it's a drug that works pretty quickly.

Feezles · 06/02/2018 06:49

Yep - they only took one of our girl's thyroids during the op. The other one is still in there. After the op, we were told that it'll also probably start to malfunction as some point. So we have that to look forward to.

No tablets afterwards either. And the ones we took beforehand were definitely to regulate thyroid function before the op, but obviously circumstances are different for other animals.

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 06/02/2018 06:55

Thanks all. Feel a bit less gloomy about it all hearing about this. I going to go down to the vets this afternoon and book her in.
We have a plan with the vets (£10 a month) and it includes a 'Wellness Check' and some of the blood tests.

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Rudgie47 · 06/02/2018 12:57

If it is the cats thyroid you can get those tablets from Animed with a prescription from the vets.
My old cat had those tablets and the costing was as follows. £46.00 per month from the vet or £15.00 per month from Animed the prescription was less than £10.00 and I got a 6 month prescription.
Animed put this on file then you can buy the tablets monthly if you want , or get a few months worth.

ilovesooty · 06/02/2018 13:00

Good luck Sparkling

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 06/02/2018 13:03

Good luck, I hope she's OK

Original poster

Sparklingbrook · 06/02/2018 14:21

Thanks all. She's having her bloods done on Thursday afternoon.

Good tip re the tablets Rudgie, were the vets funny about you getting them elsewhere?

OP posts:

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