Prader Willi Syndrome in Cats

I'm looking for any information on this. It's a genetic disorder affecting children, but there are cats who seem to at least have the incessant appetite problem that comes with this disorder. My mother has a cat, Mikey who is like this, Mikey is HUGE, but it is not becuase my mother deliberately over feeds him, none of her other cats are even close to obese, though they aren't slender.

I know other people here have cats like that. There is thinking that these cats who never seem to feel full, they are always hungry, are this way because of a genetic disorder.

I haven't been able to come up with much in a couple of searches, but I am not very good at searching.

I'd be happy to hear from anyone else.

isn't this the syndrome that the child on Extreme Home Makeover tonight had? My thought would be that Mikey might have eaten himself to death if he did have a syndrome like this like was the risk to Ethan. Was Mikey a stray before your mom got him? I have one kitty, Atlas, who is quite the large boy, and I think he eats like he does because he at one time didn't have food. Things like that can stick with a kitty's psyche for a lifetime but this is a very interesting line of thought

I actually want my kitties to be a bit on the bigger side because when they get ill they have more to sustain them, being fat saved Atlas's life a couple months ago but then I have FeLV cats so that's a whole different situation

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

Was Mikey a stray before your mom got him? I have one kitty, Atlas, who is quite the large boy, and I think he eats like he does because he at one time didn't have food. Things like that can stick with a kitty's psyche for a lifetime

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I wondered the same thing. I have seen both cats and dogs,very thin when rescued, that then went on to be chronic overeaters for the rest of their lives. It makes me wonder whether once that survival mechanism kicks in (telling them to eat as much as they can while they can), it ever switches off. This is all anecdotal though, obviously - I haven't asked a vet about this or read any literature on the subject.

Hmmm...I love a googling challenge, but couldn't find a lot about this. I found plenty of references to overeating in cats - one result pointed a person's blog, who had actually named her cat Prader after the disorder. Most of what I found related to overeating with either a medical or behavioral root cause, though.

This is the only article I found that mentioned genetic ties:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/feeding...ats/page1.aspx

It says:

Genetic factors appear to be involved. Compulsive eating behavior, including wool sucking/pica occurs most often in oriental breeds. Compulsive overeating may occur in any breed, resulting in obesity with all its associated health problems.

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The same article also mentions behavioral and possible other medical causes as well, though, and doesn't discuss the genetic angle in detail. I definitely didn't find any recognized, named disorder. They seem to be suggesting that some cats are simply more PRONE to come up with it based on their genetic makeup, not necessarily that it's a disorder in itself.

Thanks for your replies!

I don't watch Extreme Makeover, and my question is not related to anything from that show, it was a discussion in another thread that made me think of it.

No, Mikey was not a stray, his mother was feral, my mother trapped her the day before she gave birth (and she died a few months later, poor little scared thing).So Mikey was born in my mother's house and has lived with her all his life. Of his litter mates, one is a big calico cat, she's a big cat, they both are, but Cece is not obese. Katie, the third sibling of that litter is average size, but I never see her, she hides when anyone comes to the house.

Thanks for doing some searching Amanda. My mother says she remembers reading it in a Cat Fancier magazine, but I have not been able to come up with anything.

Very interesting thoughts on this. Otto is referring to my comments about my cat Tex who doesn't seem to have an "off" switch when it comes to food and will eat and eat - frantic-like - until he pukes - unless I control his food intake. He is NOT a fat cat. He is a little fellow and WAS a stray and is rather high strung and energetic.

It's more of an issue with wet food than dry... but it does happen with both. I have cleaned up lots of dry food puke in the last year. Elevating the dry food bowls helped a lot.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Very interesting thoughts on this. Otto is referring to my comments about my cat Tex who doesn't seem to have an "off" switch when it comes to food and will eat and eat - frantic-like - until he pukes - unless I control his food intake. He is NOT a fat cat. He is a little fellow and WAS a stray and is rather high strung and energetic.

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Addie, is it possible that Tex has hyperthyroidism? It was one of the things I came across while searching, and one of the main signs was compulsive overeating but with no weight gain.

From http://www.avmi.net/newfiles/hyperth...hyroidism.html:

The most commonly recognized signs of hyperthyroidism are weight loss, hyperactivity, and an increased appetite.

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My apologies in advance if this was already covered - it just sounds so much like what you're describing!

My Cleo 'blossomed' when I got Lola. My vet calls it "Third Cat Syndrome", although I've never been able to find any real information about it. It seems that when I added Lola to my household, Cleo (the alpha cat) became stressed over the challenge to the alpha position, and so controls the food dish in an attempt to maintain dominance. Seems logical to me. I've tried dieting her, but it's hard to do when the other two are struggling to maintain a healthy (8.5 pounds each) weight. Obviously this is a behavioral issue, and not a genetic one.

Attitude is fat and I can't seem to get her to lose weight, they want her to have a little extra weight on her due to the FeLV but she is about 1-2 lbs over weight. Need to talk to the vet again about a good diet to get her to lose her extra weight. She gets enough exercise so I need a good diet that doesn't involve diet food. Nuts is slim and trim just BIG body wise(he is a long and tall cat.) Both are Maine Coon mixes so Attitude is going to be heavier simply because of bone structure but she has a huge fat pad.

Taryn

Originally Posted by at129

Addie, is it possible that Tex has hyperthyroidism? It was one of the things I came across while searching, and one of the main signs was compulsive overeating but with no weight gain.

From http://www.avmi.net/newfiles/hyperth...hyroidism.html:

The most commonly recognized signs of hyperthyroidism are weight loss, hyperactivity, and an increased appetite.

Click to expand...

My apologies in advance if this was already covered - it just sounds so much like what you're describing!

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Well - he gained two pounds in my house the first few months he was here. His coat is good and he has calmed down a lot. This overeating really only pertains to wet food and treats. If he eats dry too quickly he will puke it up. His poo is normal. However- that said - he is due for an annual next month and I will bring it up with the vet!