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Question about Hyperthyroidism

post #1 of 10
1/24/11 at 12:05pm
Thread Starter 
I'm a relatively new cat owner, but I do a lot of reading. I adopted two 6 month old sibs (male and female) in December, and they're wonderful kitties, however, the female is tiny (about 5 lbs) and has a voracious appetite! I mean, she ALWAYS wants to eat - and I feed her a lot. Problem is, she doesn't gain weight, or grow - she just eats! I try to feed her wet food all the time, but she loves the kibble too, so I give her a little of that as a treat. I also give her boiled chicken, and turkey (soup stock). Anyway, long story short; I am worried that the little female may have HT. I've read that it usually occurs in older cats. Should I take her to the vet, or does this sound normal? Thanks for any advice...
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post #2 of 10
1/24/11 at 12:25pm
I have had 2 ht kitties. Right now Arthur has it. It did not appear until he was about 8 years old. The other cat, Baby K, also was diagnosed as a senior.

Wet cat food is lower in calories than kibble. When I put my cats on wet food, they lost weight.

But, don't take this as the answer. I think a vet visit is definately called for. There are so many reasons she could be lagging behind her brother. It will put your mind to rest, and, hopefully catch anything amis before it progresses.

So please take her in. You have a good heart to have adopted these two. When you get a chance, we would love to see pictures.

Let us know how you do at the vets. for your little friend.
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post #3 of 10
1/24/11 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Presto View Post
I'm a relatively new cat owner, but I do a lot of reading. I adopted two 6 month old sibs (male and female) in December, and they're wonderful kitties, however, the female is tiny (about 5 lbs) and has a voracious appetite! I mean, she ALWAYS wants to eat - and I feed her a lot. Problem is, she doesn't gain weight, or grow - she just eats! I try to feed her wet food all the time, but she loves the kibble too, so I give her a little of that as a treat. I also give her boiled chicken, and turkey (soup stock). Anyway, long story short; I am worried that the little female may have HT. I've read that it usually occurs in older cats. Should I take her to the vet, or does this sound normal? Thanks for any advice...
How much is a "Lot"? What are you feeding? are you feeding them kitten food or just regular food? Kittens eat a lot, usually almost double per pound than adults... She might not be getting enough food... For kittens, the rule here, is to feed as much as they want, especially if they are not gaining weight.
I would free feed dry, and have 2 wet meals, one in the am, and one in the pm, and see if that solves the matter.
But for now, what, and how much are they eating?
HT is extremely rare in kittens, I will bet that is not the case. Have you checked her for parasites?
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post #4 of 10
1/24/11 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies... I haven't had them to the vet at all yet. They seem very healthy, except for the female's appetite. I realize that kittens eat more than adults, but this little girl crys every time I get up and move toward the kitchen. Her brother eats about as much; but he never "asks" to eat - he just eats whatever I put down.

As I stated above - I am giving them real chicken (or turkey) almost every day. They'll eat as much as I put in front of them (I would estimate 3-4 oz/day each). Plus, I give them Fancy Feast (I know, no one thinks it's good), but that is what my adult eats, and it's always in the house). They go through about 2 cans of that per day - EACH. Then in between meals (when I can't believe she's still hungry), I give in and give them a little IAMS kibble - it's gone in five minutes. Everything about her seems healthy, except I just can't believe she always HAS TO eat!
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post #5 of 10
1/24/11 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Presto View Post
Thanks for the replies... I haven't had them to the vet at all yet. They seem very healthy, except for the female's appetite. I realize that kittens eat more than adults, but this little girl crys every time I get up and move toward the kitchen. Her brother eats about as much; but he never "asks" to eat - he just eats whatever I put down.

As I stated above - I am giving them real chicken (or turkey) almost every day. They'll eat as much as I put in front of them (I would estimate 3-4 oz/day each). Plus, I give them Fancy Feast (I know, no one thinks it's good), but that is what my adult eats, and it's always in the house). They go through about 2 cans of that per day - EACH. Then in between meals (when I can't believe she's still hungry), I give in and give them a little IAMS kibble - it's gone in five minutes. Everything about her seems healthy, except I just can't believe she always HAS TO eat!
IMHO that's not enough food... Read the FF label - it will probably say to feed more than that - for kittens.
Kittens need a lot of nutrition... Kitten food is packed with calories and far more nutritious than adult food... IMHO they are not getting enough food... She is just hungry...
I would leave the dry out - as much as they want, and feed the same two meals you are feeding, one in the am, and one in the PM. There is not need to restrict food from kittens. You can then adjust their intake when they are 1 yr old. Please consider feeding them kitten food...
Also, if they haven't been to the vet, are the spayed and neutered? If not, separate them ASAP, as they can mate and soon you can get kittens.
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post #6 of 10
1/24/11 at 1:44pm
I have no first hand experience with HT but I did a ton of reading when Plushy was suspected of having it. I do know that its rare in kittens. I would suspect parasites. I had a feral cat that I fed and he would eat and eat and eat...then beg for more. There was no end. I know he had parasites because he actually threw up whole worms a couple times but had no other symptoms of being sick. He would eat a lot of mice and birds even though we kept him stocked up... Thrill of the hunt I guess When the worms are so severe the cats body cannot absorb nutrients, the worms get to it first. This would explain why shes not growing. Take a stool sample to a vet. The tests and meds are pretty cheap. You will need to treat both cats otherwise they will just keep passing them back and forth.
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post #7 of 10
1/25/11 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetthang07 View Post
I had a feral cat that I fed and he would eat and eat and eat...then beg for more. There was no end. I know he had parasites because he actually threw up whole worms a couple times but had no other symptoms of being sick. He would eat a lot of mice and birds even though we kept him stocked up... Thrill of the hunt I guess When the worms are so severe the cats body cannot absorb nutrients, the worms get to it first. This would explain why shes not growing. Take a stool sample to a vet. The tests and meds are pretty cheap. You will need to treat both cats otherwise they will just keep passing them back and forth.
These are not ferals, and they never ate birds and mice, but if the parasites are so readily communicable, then why are my other two cats doing fine? I appreciate the response, but I think I'm just going to keep feeding her a lot, and reassess her in a couple of weeks.
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post #8 of 10
1/26/11 at 4:07pm
The soup stock doesn't have onion, does it? While that wouldn't contribute to her appetite, it can cause other issues (namely anemia). I would still get her tested for worms--if the other cats are larger, a small change in body size would take longer to notice, and they may be able to eat enough to compensate for the loss of nutrients.
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post #9 of 10
1/26/11 at 4:23pm
Are you feeding the KITTEN FF formulas ? If so 2 cans is enough for a 5 lb cat up to 7 actually as sole food

Please do take them to a vet ... One MOST cats are born with worms.....

Stock may or may not I have found it both ways in the stores lately
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post #10 of 10
1/26/11 at 5:56pm
I have kittens too. And they are little piggies. They are extremely healthy and in perfect weight. They have no parasites either. They want to eat alot too.

I feed Wellness Core. Each get a quarter cup dry three times a day plus mixed in is one-half can of wellness wet or FANCY FEAST wet (yes, they love it and even my IBD cat does great on this canned). If I leave the dry kibble out (wellness core) they eat and eat and eat. Then came the loose stools. Talked with my vet and we did more stool checks just in case. All negative. She said just stick to the smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. And now they are so satisfied and not constantly hungry. They eat like the Norwegian's and the Swede's: Lots of small meals throughout the day

I would definitely do another stool check on your kitten just to be sure.
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