Possible Medical causes? for a 17yo female cat that drinks alot of water around the clock

I have another thread going for the same cat however i wanted to post this thread with a more direct question in the topic

My 17 year old female is drinking water around the clock,often sitting over the water bowl resting between drinking.

She does eat solid dry food and wet food,  but targets and favors the gravy part of the wet food.

She is definitely is  in the elderly ages of her life, although 10 months ago i started giving her daily vitamins and hip and joint supplements and her coat has come back to be shiny and not matted, and she is very much more mobile, she can reach and chew her back paw nails and scratching sofas again.  Playful again,not overly playful

She is gaining weight again and people that visit tell me that and that she looks much healthy alive...contrasted to the past 3 years of declining.

If i had the money i would bring her to the vet today...i should have money in a couple of weeks to do so.

If i thought she was in pain and or suffering now, i would bring her to the vet immediately  and  have her put to asleep

She sleeps right next to my pillow area every night so i am monitoring her that closely. We all know cats can have a sense of humor, she still has one. We all know cats can smile, she still smiles.

What i am looking for is like a list of the top 1,2 ,3, 4 or  5 medical causes that would explain why a elderly cat would want to drink water around the clock?

So i can research each possible condition and get ideas what treatment,tests may cost.

I Want to reiterate, i know cats can hide feelings of suffering. I wont hesitate to bring her to the vet if the condition or other conditions worsen,

If anyone wants to PM ,please do.

Especially given her age my top suspect would be CRF chronic renal failure.  It's gauged by stages and given numbers for the level of progression.  Many kitties in the latter stages are given subQ fluids at home.

The next concern would be diabetes.

Since she isn't also eating a lot I doubt that it is hyperthyroidism but it should be checked as well.

All three are diagnosed with blood tests.

My first thought as the other poster said is chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately it is the leading cause of death in cats and the first noticeable sign is usually increased thirst and urination. The good thing is that some cats can live many years with treatment if caught in the earlier stages.

Denice said:

 
Especially given her age my top suspect would be CRF chronic renal failure.  It's gauged by stages and given numbers for the level of progression.  Many kitties in the latter stages are given subQ fluids at home.

The next concern would be diabetes.

Since she isn't also eating a lot I doubt that it is hyperthyroidism but it should be checked as well.

All three are diagnosed with blood tests.

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with CRF and hyperthyroid diagnosis and treatment but I am famliar with diabetes. With diabetes, the vet runs a fructosamine test on a blood sample. The test is similar to a Human diabetic AC1, it gives the average blood glucose level over the past few weeks. An elevated level, generally over 200 mg/dl is considered diabetic. The best way to treat diabetes is with a low carb canned food only diet (there are many commerical brands you can feed instead of expesnive prescription junk) and a good insulin (the good one to use are expensive but well worth the cost if your cat goes into remission within a few weeks of treatment). FelineDiabetes.com is the best place to go to for more info and help.

Cost for a frucostamine test varies among vets but it shouldn't be more than $100. If the vet adds in another tests to rule out other conditions, the cost will go up.

Besides excessive drinking of water, common symptoms of diabetes include eating a lot of food but always hungry, losing weight, and sugary smelling sticky urine. If the breath smells like nail polish remover (a very unmistakable smell), you need to take your cat to a vet ASAP (not the next day or in a week) for immediate treatment. This is a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis which is extremely serious and can be fatal if not treated immediately. You cannot treat this at home with any home remedy or fluids.

I am reading every word of every post,looking into everything said,researching.  Thanks and it is giving me an education for my 17yo cat, and will come in handy later on in life for my now 2yo former shelter cat

I should have added my 17yo medical history in my initial post:

5 years ago, she was losing alot of weight, diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. went on daily meds to this day

15 months ago at 15 yo, we spent alot of $$$ for a evaluation of her,the vet said she was in fine condition [body organs]

6 months ago, the vet said she was doing fine[but we did no tests,etc were done .]

Also, i learned here, cats age quickly to the respect 6 months and 15 months can be a long time.ago to rely on those health reports.

Unfortunately, she probably now has symptoms of kidney disease (not the only thing it can be but I suspect it is the most likely). That is the progression my cat went through as well, hyperthyroid treated for a few years with meds, then CKD later when she was close to 17 years old. The prognosis varies fairly widely but sometimes can be even a few years after discovery of this. My cat also had a heart complication so that was the main problem. Without it I think she would have lived on somewhat longer.

The change in labs from 15 months ago to now would not be that surprising. We tried to check every 6 months I think during those hyperthyroid years, and we saw some slow progression in the kidney values actually (fairly common really in cats this old) until such point that they were something we treated her for.

Main treatments for CKD are the fluid given subcutaneously (which you can learn to give st home) and various things to treat the often present stomach upset. If she's still eating enough to maintain or gain weight that's actually good. Often enough that can be a big part of the battle.

Hope you can get to the vet soon so you can get her on the right treatment path whether it's CKD or something else. The sooner you get started on treatment the more quality time she will have left.

2bcat

Somewhere early on when she was first diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and began her daily med[tazpezole] regiment, i thought i read some where way back then and that tapezole does a good job however it takes a toll on kidneys [kidney disease] over time. That thought has stayed on the back of my mind.

Likely that,could be that and something else, could be something else. Tests would narrow down exactly. Going to a vet is getting so expensive. It would be nice in this day and age there would be  home tests cat owners could preform to avoid a $100 bill all the time

as others have replied, chronic kidney disease is a definite possibility. that 'drinking water around the clock,often sitting over the water bowl resting between drinking' is what my snick was doing when her CKD had progressed to the next stage, and an increase in her sub-q fluids was necessary.

i wanted to reply to let you know that with treatment (ie, sub-q fluids) a cat with CKD can indeed, as @JDollPrincess says, 'live many years with treatment if caught in the earlier stages'. this is the case with my snick, who has CKD. snick was originally diagnosed with 'the beginnings of kidney issues' about 4 years ago, and she was started on twice weekly sub-q's at that point. snick is currently at stage 2, gets sub-q's every other day, has a very good appetite, is pretty active (for a girl who'll be 15 years old in about one more month and has medical issues), and has mostly very good days. snick is now on at-home/hospice care (under the supervision of our vet), because she no longer tolerates vet appointments -- specifically the blood draws (to monitor her CKD, bun and creatinine levels).

an excellent website that gives all sorts of info about feline CKD, treatments, costs, how/where to obtain supplies cheaply, and more is http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm. this is my go-to website, when i need info about anything related to CKD.

I'm sure someone has probably covered this, but the top three medical causes of increased thirst in cats (especially elderly ones) are:

1. Chronic renal failure.  Cats can live a long time with this condition when it's being treated.

2. Hyperthyroidism. It is easy to treat.

3. Diabetes. It can also be managed successfully.

You will need blood tests to test for all three of these.  In the meantime, make sure your kitty has a lot of fresh water to drink and note any other changes you see in her before you're able to get her to a vet. 

thanks for helping. i am reading everyone's  posts although 'days may pass by'  before i post back anything.

I m going to try to post a pic of her, my 17yo cat, especially the moments when she amd myself are looking at each other eyes to eyes, and that trust bond. She knows i am helping her, after over 4000 times of giving her a pill she never gives me an issue.