OK here is the deal "Zerox" has been in my life for almost 15 years. YES I NAMED HIM ZEROX! Because he looks EXACTLY like his mother. I adopted his mom at a Mark and Brian 1st annual Pet Adoption Day. (Local SoCal Radio station promotion) Well anyway I got this cat and little did I know she was a SIX PACK!!!

After a REAL BAD DAY AT WORK I come home to see momma cat giving birth. long story short, I kept Zerox and his sister (She is also still with us)

Well after vet visit after vet visit because we noticed "Z" was getting real thin they could not come up with anything wrong with him except an enlarged thyroid.

Well his muscle mass has been slowly deteriorating and he is real thin now. Pretty much skin and bones. He still eats like its going out of style, drinks normally and purrs. He is a little more little finicky about the litter box being cleaned more often than usual.

Yet you can see that getting up from a laying down position he struggles a little and shakes. But once he is up, he walks just fine.

"Z" has been with me since the day he was born 15 years ago in March. I really dont want him to go just yet.

If anything else it would be hard on my two daughters that knew him all THEIR lives. My youngest just loves him to no end.

Im Sorry.
I gotta stop now :-(

Sorry to hear that DrFrige.  Pets are so cool, they love us no matter what and it sucks to see them go.

Me, the wife and Ma-Ma Kitty wish Zerox well.
[img]www.vaq34.com/junk/mamakitty.jpg[/img]

KMET used to ROCK, KLSX used to rock, KNAC used to rock, KLOS STILL ROCKS!

Jim Ladd ROCKS!

Xerox or Zerox?

I'm more of a dog guy..but losing a beloved pet is horrible. I feel for you and I send you my best. We'll be praying for you and your family and Zerox(Xerox).

Signed,

The ever-sympathetic Kurt_Austin

Several years ago I had my little guy diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. A Radioactive iodine shot and a few days isolation was all it took. The little guy started gaining weight almost immediately.  I believe you get the T4 level checked.

Surgery is risky
pills are a PITA

I recommend the iodine.

BTW, we're talking about the SEC here.

God bless, and I pray you have good luck.....gfb

Sorry to hear it - my fingers are crossed that maybe it'll still be something that can be figured out.

Sorry to hear it.  I hope the little guy pulls through.

I think its time for another Vet to look at "Z"

$600.00 and no CONFIRMED diagnosis yet? Get this, they wanted another $400.00 to do some kind of test in addition to the $600.00 that we already paid and STILL have no answers. I asked, "If we do this $400.00 test, will we have an answer?"

Their reply was "I dont know"

I dont think in his condition "Z" can handle a surgery but I am DEFINITELY going to look into the hyperthyroidism.

I mean I can understand that if he was losing weight, and NO appetite, the end is near but his appetite is VORACIOUS. You feed him a can of food and an hour later, he wants food again.

At that rate he should be as big as our dog!!

[b]Confederate:[/b] Even though the copier company is spelled with an "X" that is ORIGINALLY how I spelled it. The ex-girlfriend when we got I.D. tags for the cats, she spelled it wrong so we just let it ride.

My ex had a very cool cat that dated from before her first marriage.  At about age 13 she came down with hyperthyroidism and exhibited symptoms similar to what you describe.

We had her thyroid taken out, and she lasted another three years in decent health before coming down with cancer.

Good luck, and enjoy the time you have left with him however it turns out.

I think a second opinion is definitely a good idea.  When one of our cats got really sick, our normal vet did not catch the huge tumor he had - because it was hard to see on x-ray and a really unusual type of tumor in a cat (more common in dogs).

It ended up costing a huge amount of money (and we were poor at the time) - and he unfortunately died on the operating table [:(] .But neither of us would hesitate to do it again.

Weight loss with a large appetite really is suggestive of hyperthyroidism. The other biggies (where I work) are diabetes, liver disease, and renal insuffuiciency... but appetite USUALLY decreases with those.

I figure that your vet has already done this, but for what it's worth... running a blood chemistry with CBC and T4 is probably the best way to cover the bases.

 I run into the occasional case that the standard tests just won't give you an answer for. In that case, I usually try a second round of diagnostics, a medication trial (if I have a hunch), or refer to a specialist.

 I hope everything works out well for you. Let us know how things work out.

-Hobbit

Did they check for diabetes?

I had a cat that was diabetic, and he thinned out pretty badly.

He lived for 6 years after being diagnosed, and for 18 years total.

Jay

DeFridge,  This T4 is part of a blood panel. A fairly simple, but thorough blood test is what you need to check the level.

Also, if there's anything else wrong, it will GENERALLY show up in a complete blood panel.

This $600 for no diagnosis sounds strange. Is the vet competent?A $100 at the most(we live in an affluent area) blood panel should do it. Even if it's not the thyroid, a blood panel will tell you SOMETHING!!!!!

Hope the little guy pulls through.......Good luck and God Bless.


BTW, the SEC is taking heart pills daily. When we found each other, he was already hyperthyroid and the damage to his heart was pretty much along. I know I'll lose him sometime, but I sure enjoy the time God gave us together.

Cal, I think what they did is operate on the thyriod to remove growths that screw it up and upset the rhythm. I think you HAVE to have a thyroid. Not a flame, Just a minor point.

Re: Piccolo's I 131 cat treatment:

 At the University where I went to school, I was in charge of a hyperthyroid cat as a senior student.
Hyperthyroidism alters an animal's personality in some cases... mine had become highly agressive and was difficult to work with. I showed up one night to to a check on him and give him medications. The cat was crouched in the back of the cage raising Cain when I got into the isolation room. We had a Geiger counter in the room to check yourself over after treating your animals. If you set it off, you had better figure out what the deal is, or the radiation Nazis go nuts.

Anyway, just at the point I hit the cage latch, the cat sprang at me and hit the cage door full force, shoving it open far enough to escape. The cat bolted past the Geiger counter (which started screaming) and out of the isolation ward into the main hall of the vet school.

So I finally chased down the radioactive cat and cornered it under a water fountain. It was returned to the cage without further incident. Fortunately, the school was shut down for the night, so nobody else was there to see the fiasco. I didn't tell anyone about the incident until long after that part of my education was finished. The cat recoveered completely, and I was able to laugh about things after a while.
Ahhh... the good old days...

 -Hobbit

I've had pets come and go, that is the sad part about life, everyone or thing dies...as the saying goes,  "All that lives is born to die."

Try to look at it in a positive way, "Z" had 15 good years with your family, perhaps it is time for him to go to a better place.

[:(]

Hope he pulls through ok...

man i feel for ya. my cat P.C. short for pussy cat left about a month and a half ago. i htink he left to die and not be around anybody.i had him for about 11.5 to 12 years .i cant remember for sure.i got him as a just weened kitten.best cat i ever had . i hope they find out what is wrong with your cat so you  can enjoy his company a little longer..good luck

Teaching university is where I have had to turn for help when the local vet was at a loss. 6 hour drive but worth it.

They figured it out, bone cancer and it was too late then. Toshiba was a great dog [:D]

Could be diabetes.  I had a friend who owned a cat that typically wieghed about 15-16 lbs.  Over the span of a few months, he shrank to 4 1/2.  He took him to the vet and diabetes was the diagnosis.

I feel for you, man.  I have two cats, and they are the sweetest animals I have ever known.  One is coming up on 5, one is 5 and half.  I love 'em both.

Best wishes for both of you.

Sorry to hear about your Cat.  I've got 2 as well as 2 dogs and a bunch of kids also.

Having said that, I think that I'll must reach out here for a moment and say what alot of members are afraid to.

15 years is a LONG time for a cat - yeah, I know that eveyone will pipe up and say that they had one that lived till it was 19, but realistically, 15 years is a decent life for a cat.

Also, you are going to have to face the pragmatic situation that is confronting you.  4 more tests at $600 and then exploratory surgery for another $800 then....????  

So, draw a line now that you feel comfortable with and realize that THE GREATEST INCOME SOURCE FOR A VERTERNARY DOCTORY IS THE EMOTIONAL PATIENT!   The cat wouldn't want you to blow the cost of a new car on it's waning months (not to speak to it's quality of life)

So before the $$$ get out of hand, consider your limits.

No disrespect intended, a soft heart for pets makes us easy prey for those that take advantage of it on a regular basis.  Just thank  God that someone hasn't figured out how to milk us of a few more grand for Pet funerals.

Oh please NO DISRESPECT TAKEN! You guys have been great and we are taking the initiative to take the "Z-Man" to another vet and we are going to bring up the Hyperthyroidism and Diabetes concern.

I was all torn up until this thread started filling up. You guys are great. For those cat haters out there that had an opportunity to take shots and didnt... thanks.

I will update as soon as I know.

Vets are human and do tend to make mistakes and like all other professions there are crooks as well. We too had a Siamese cat that at the age of 11 was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia and the vet suggested we put him down. Thank Heaven that my mom was strong willed to say "I think I want a second opinion" 2 days, 1 IV and $200.00 later the cat was fine and lived to 20 years of age.