Uncontrolable appetite... seemingly no cause?

kaisyd

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My cat is eleven and a half years old and an indoor kitty. Her name is Josie.


background info:We got her and her sister, Jem, from the same litter when they were old enough to leave their mom. They were both healthy, friendly kitties that loved to play with the other two cats we had. eventually, Jem got antisocial and hated being around other cats so we had to keep her in a separate part of the house from the other cats including Josie. She never had any weight problems, but had weird twitchy itchy fits. She was diagnosed with type 3 diabetes about two years ago and had to be put down.

Josie is like my daughter and I don't know what I would do without her. I'm always worried she will develop diabetes like her sister and also it will be too late to save her. about three years ago, Josie started eating the whole bowl of dry food we would set out for the cats to munch on when they got hungry. we've never had an obese cat, and Jo has never been obese, though eating dry food did make her a bit bloated. They get fed wet food for breakfast and dinner and dry food for snacks throughout the day.

So for the past 3 years we've been monitoring the amount of food the cats get (my two male cats get fed when they're hungry, but since Josie is hungry all the time, she gets fed every two hours.) last year, the vet told me it could be an allergy to the dry food. so for the past year, Jo has been given only wet food.

She will eat and eat and eat until she vomits. and then she'll want more food. She'll vomit immediately if she takes even one bite more than her tummy can hold. Once again, she's been like this for the past about 3 years.

Last year the vets checked her blood sugar and pressure, took x-rays, and took a urine sample. All came back looking normal and healthy. but the problem persisted, I'd even say got a bit worse.

Josie has the same kind of licky twitchy fits that her sister had, but not as violent or long as her sisters. Also just this past week, she's been itching her chin and ears, flicking her paws, and licking and rubbing her lips a lot. I took her into the vet yesterday and they checked her temperature, blood sugar level, took x-rays, and took a thyroid test. all of it was normal and healthy. though we noticed the gumline around one of her teeth was red and her tooth looked a little discoloured. The vet ended up giving her a depo medrol shot and told us to call back on tuesday to let her know how Josie is doing and that if she gets lethargic and vomits, to let them know and they'll give us an antibody to give her. Today she has seemed a bit more lethargic than usual, but she hasnt been as eager to get food either. could be just due to lack of energy, though. and she hasnt vomited. So I'm not sure if this is solving her problem, or just making her unnecessarily sleepy. The vet hasn't been able to diagnose her with anything and i don't think this shot is the right solution to her problem, though it could be the longer I wait.

If anyone else has had this problem, even if they havent found a solution or diagnosis, anything will help. thanks!
 

minka

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Hmm.. So she's been on wet food only for the past year and she still eats until she vomits if you don't watch how much you put down? Is that right?
What food are you feeding?
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Minka

Hmm.. So she's been on wet food only for the past year and she still eats until she vomits if you don't watch how much you put down? Is that right?
What food are you feeding?
yeah that's right. we give her a couple different brands, seeing as we aren't the richest. We give her and the boys Friskies Select Indoor canned food (we always get a variety of flavours seeing as they don't like to stick to one flavour for a while) and alternate between that and regular friskies canned food. also for just her meals we feed her regular friskies canned food and nine lives canned food.
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

yeah that's right. we give her a couple different brands, seeing as we aren't the richest. We give her and the boys Friskies Select Indoor canned food (we always get a variety of flavours seeing as they don't like to stick to one flavour for a while) and alternate between that and regular friskies canned food. also for just her meals we feed her regular friskies canned food and nine lives canned food.
If she Does have allergies, 1: she can't have such a wide variety of flavors since it sounds like you don't know what she's allergic too 2: Friskies and Nine Lives tend to be high in ingredients that cause allergic reactions.

It may be best for you to go back to the vet's office or get a second opinion at another vet to determine if it Is allergies. If it is and you can't afford the hypoallergenic food they will prescribe, a chicken & rice diet is what you will have to start her on. If she stops vomiting, then you know she is alright with those two ingredients. And then you would have to do trial and error with each ingredient (beef, turkey, corn, wheat, potatoes, etc) to figure out what she is allergic too.
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Minka

If she Does have allergies, 1: she can't have such a wide variety of flavors since it sounds like you don't know what she's allergic too 2: Friskies and Nine Lives tend to be high in ingredients that cause allergic reactions.

It may be best for you to go back to the vet's office or get a second opinion at another vet to determine if it Is allergies. If it is and you can't afford the hypoallergenic food they will prescribe, a chicken & rice diet is what you will have to start her on. If she stops vomiting, then you know she is alright with those two ingredients. And then you would have to do trial and error with each ingredient (beef, turkey, corn, wheat, potatoes, etc) to figure out what she is allergic too.
Alright thank you. I will try that. but would allergies be the cause of her uncontrollable appetite? her constant want for food? we had to put child locks on the cupboards under the sink because she would get into the trash to look for food. 24/7 she acts like she hasnt been fed in weeks even though she was fed ten minutes ago...
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

Alright thank you. I will try that. but would allergies be the cause of her uncontrollable appetite? her constant want for food? we had to put child locks on the cupboards under the sink because she would get into the trash to look for food. 24/7 she acts like she hasnt been fed in weeks even though she was fed ten minutes ago...
If you were hungry and ate food and then threw it all up, would you not be hungry again??
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

My cat is eleven and a half years old and an indoor kitty. Her name is Josie.


background info:We got her and her sister, Jem, from the same litter when they were old enough to leave their mom. They were both healthy, friendly kitties that loved to play with the other two cats we had. eventually, Jem got antisocial and hated being around other cats so we had to keep her in a separate part of the house from the other cats including Josie. She never had any weight problems, but had weird twitchy itchy fits. She was diagnosed with type 3 diabetes about two years ago and had to be put down.

Josie is like my daughter and I don't know what I would do without her. I'm always worried she will develop diabetes like her sister and also it will be too late to save her. about three years ago, Josie started eating the whole bowl of dry food we would set out for the cats to munch on when they got hungry. we've never had an obese cat, and Jo has never been obese, though eating dry food did make her a bit bloated. They get fed wet food for breakfast and dinner and dry food for snacks throughout the day.

So for the past 3 years we've been monitoring the amount of food the cats get (my two male cats get fed when they're hungry, but since Josie is hungry all the time, she gets fed every two hours.) last year, the vet told me it could be an allergy to the dry food. so for the past year, Jo has been given only wet food.

She will eat and eat and eat until she vomits. and then she'll want more food. She'll vomit immediately if she takes even one bite more than her tummy can hold. Once again, she's been like this for the past about 3 years.

Last year the vets checked her blood sugar and pressure, took x-rays, and took a urine sample. All came back looking normal and healthy. but the problem persisted, I'd even say got a bit worse.

Josie has the same kind of licky twitchy fits that her sister had, but not as violent or long as her sisters. Also just this past week, she's been itching her chin and ears, flicking her paws, and licking and rubbing her lips a lot. I took her into the vet yesterday and they checked her temperature, blood sugar level, took x-rays, and took a thyroid test. all of it was normal and healthy. though we noticed the gumline around one of her teeth was red and her tooth looked a little discoloured. The vet ended up giving her a depo medrol shot and told us to call back on tuesday to let her know how Josie is doing and that if she gets lethargic and vomits, to let them know and they'll give us an antibody to give her. Today she has seemed a bit more lethargic than usual, but she hasnt been as eager to get food either. could be just due to lack of energy, though. and she hasnt vomited. So I'm not sure if this is solving her problem, or just making her unnecessarily sleepy. The vet hasn't been able to diagnose her with anything and i don't think this shot is the right solution to her problem, though it could be the longer I wait.

If anyone else has had this problem, even if they havent found a solution or diagnosis, anything will help. thanks!
If the cat is 11 years old and suddenly has an uncontrollable appetite I would recommend a blood panel be done on the cat. It might have hyperthyroidism. Or a thyroid problem in general. Medication would definitely benefit the cat.

All the other issues you mentioned there are TOO many possible causes for me to list sorry
. I would recommend another general blood panel, another urine analysis, and such. A cat her age should be seen on a yearly basis if financially feasible.
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Minka

If you were hungry and ate food and then threw it all up, would you not be hungry again??
I guess I failed to mention that even when she keeps her food down, she still wants more. Always wants more. She's been better at keeping it down recently but thats because i know how much she can hold without vomitting and the other members in the house dont and im the one who's been feeding her. but she's litterally always hungry.
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Cat Person

If the cat is 11 years old and suddenly has an uncontrollable appetite I would recommend a blood panel be done on the cat. It might have hyperthyroidism. Or a thyroid problem in general. Medication would definitely benefit the cat.

All the other issues you mentioned there are TOO many possible causes for me to list sorry
. I would recommend another general blood panel, another urine analysis, and such. A cat her age should be seen on a yearly basis if financially feasible.
I agree and I'm doing everything i can to afford to take her in once a year. she went in last year this month and i just took her in two days ago this year. Thing is, they've done every test they can and everything comes back normal, even though there's obviously something wrong. =/

oh and also she just had her thyroid tested and that came back normal as well as her blood analysis, x-rays, and temperature.
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

I agree and I'm doing everything i can to afford to take her in once a year. she went in last year this month and i just took her in two days ago this year. Thing is, they've done every test they can and everything comes back normal, even though there's obviously something wrong. =/

oh and also she just had her thyroid tested and that came back normal as well as her blood analysis, x-rays, and temperature.
It came back normal a year ago? Or do you mean more recently? If you mean more recently, how much more recently? If it was normal a year ago that really does not matter. Since it sometimes takes an extended period of time for thyroid issues to show up on the blood work.

Also if you want to PM me your location I can try and find you a "low cost veterinarian". Aka a lower cost veterinarian
.
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Cat Person

It came back normal a year ago? Or do you mean more recently? If you mean more recently, how much more recently? If it was normal a year ago that really does not matter. Since it sometimes takes an extended period of time for thyroid issues to show up on the blood work.

Also if you want to PM me your location I can try and find you a "low cost veterinarian". Aka a lower cost veterinarian
.
last year and this year all of the tests came back normal. no tests ever done on her have come back with any problems. they just did the thyroid test two days ago along with blood work and x rays and temperature.
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

last year and this year all of the tests came back normal. no tests ever done on her have come back with any problems. they just did the thyroid test two days ago along with blood work and x rays and temperature.
Last years testing and as of two days ago testing all came back normal? If I am understanding that correctly, I am not sure what else to say other then get a second opinion. I agree something is wrong, but I do not know what.
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Cat Person

Last years testing and as of two days ago testing all came back normal? If I am understanding that correctly, I am not sure what else to say other then get a second opinion. I agree something is wrong, but I do not know what.
yes you're understanding that correctly. I appreciate your help even though the problem is still a mystery :s
 

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I can kinda relate to your situation my cat snowy use to do that. we use to leave the food out and let her eat when she was hungry. Well she did get fat too. So we went down to twice a day and also went to weight control. She does eat like a dog eats it's food when it's hungry. I know it was hard cause she would whine thinking we weren't going to feed her but after a while she got use to it.
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

yes you're understanding that correctly. I appreciate your help even though the problem is still a mystery :s
I wish I could be more help. My only suggestion is to try and contact your states veterinary college and see if they can recommend a veterinarian to you. I know that is NOT a cost affective solution
. But is the only one I have at this time
.
 

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I have one of these cats, and it's never really crossed my mind that something is wrong. Pepper has never gone without a meal, she was born right here in my home, but she loves to eat, anything and everything. We feed on a schedule here, 3x a day and she would eat everyones food if I let her, but I keep her locked in the bathroom for her meal.

Pepper is 2.5 and a perfect weight, nearly 12 lbs. She gets two dry meals and a wet meal a day, she eats too fast and regurgitates maybe once a week, so her bowl is now raised and she does better. But she'll also eat anything she can find: bread, rubberbands, trash if she can get the drawer open, cheese, toast or bagels right out of the toaster, not much she hasn't at least tried, brocolli, potatoes, nutri grain bars.

That's just Pepper!

Leslie
 

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With her chem panels, etc. all coming back clean, there's only one thing I can think of that may have any impact on your situation.

A cat's satiety sense (or "I'm full" sensation) is triggered by the presence of a certain level of protein in a meal. If there isn't enough real, meat-based protein in the food (or the cat's body isn't recognizing what is in there), the cat may never be given the message that she's full and should stop eating, leading to the scenario you describe.

Have you tried giving her just plain meat? As in fresh, raw chicken, beef, or turkey from your local grocery store?

If you haven't, and you're willing to give it a shot, don't use any ground or enhanced/marinated products and start with chicken (it's soft and a good meat for a beginner cat). Cut the meat in longish, thin strips (like fresh chicken tenders) so she can work down the strip to scissor off bite-sized pieces; having to work to eat her food will help get the right enzymes, etc., flowing and slow down her eating. Try maybe two ounces per meal, three meals per day for a couple of days and see how she does.

You won't be able to continue with that for very long, but even two days will tell you whether a fresh, real meat diet is the solution to your fur-kitty's problem. If it is, you can pop over to the raw feeding forum for the scoop on a full raw diet.

I sure hope this works for you! The way your cat is eating now can't be either healthy or comfortable for her!


AC
 
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kaisyd

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Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

With her chem panels, etc. all coming back clean, there's only one thing I can think of that may have any impact on your situation.

A cat's satiety sense (or "I'm full" sensation) is triggered by the presence of a certain level of protein in a meal. If there isn't enough real, meat-based protein in the food (or the cat's body isn't recognizing what is in there), the cat may never be given the message that she's full and should stop eating, leading to the scenario you describe.

Have you tried giving her just plain meat? As in fresh, raw chicken, beef, or turkey from your local grocery store?

If you haven't, and you're willing to give it a shot, don't use any ground or enhanced/marinated products and start with chicken (it's soft and a good meat for a beginner cat). Cut the meat in longish, thin strips (like fresh chicken tenders) so she can work down the strip to scissor off bite-sized pieces; having to work to eat her food will help get the right enzymes, etc., flowing and slow down her eating. Try maybe two ounces per meal, three meals per day for a couple of days and see how she does.

You won't be able to continue with that for very long, but even two days will tell you whether a fresh, real meat diet is the solution to your fur-kitty's problem. If it is, you can pop over to the raw feeding forum for the scoop on a full raw diet.

I sure hope this works for you! The way your cat is eating now can't be either healthy or comfortable for her!


AC
oh my gosh!!! thank you!!! that's very informative!! I will try this right away!!!!

and yes, I agree that it can't be healthy or comfortable. thats why I've been so worried. thank you so much!
 

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Originally Posted by Kaisyd

oh my gosh!!! thank you!!! that's very informative!! I will try this right away!!!!

and yes, I agree that it can't be healthy or comfortable. thats why I've been so worried. thank you so much!
I really want to know if what Auntie Crazy says is correct. As a veterinarian technician I have NEVER heard of such a thing or seen such a case. But they way Auntie Crazy explained it seems plausible.

However I would LOVE to see/hear if it is actually true.
 

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Originally Posted by Cat Person

I really want to know if what Auntie Crazy says is correct. As a veterinarian technician I have NEVER heard of such a thing or seen such a case. But they way Auntie Crazy explained it seems plausible.

However I would LOVE to see/hear if it is actually true.
Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, DVM, Esq., (who once worked for Hill's Pet Foods), author of the YourDiabeticCat.com and "Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life" talks about this in the article, "Diabetes and Obesity: Preventable Epidemics" on the Feline-Nutrition.org site under their Health section.

Here, she's quoted by Timothy J Govers, D.V.M., Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners:
"Another problem: in the same evolutionary process, the signal to the cat that it ate enough (satiety signal) was related to the amount of protein and fat consumed. Consumption of carbohydrates has minimal effect on the satiety signal. As a result, cats over eat dry food since the carbohydrates in the kibble don't satiate them, and constantly overload on sugars. The end result is fat cats, and worse, because the excess sugar causes repeated surges of insulin from pancreatic reserves, diabetic cats."
There are other references out there, but this is what I had to hand quickly.


AC
 
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