Pebbles

Am really puzzled with this cat and wondering what i can do with her!! She has been a thin cat since I got her in Jan (apparently she was even thinner and in a bad way when taken from her previous owner). The vet did warn me that she had put on a lot of weight from her first seeing her, so I had to keep an eye on her weight - two months later she had put on half a kilo, so I altered her food intake to maintain her rather than let her continue to put weight on. Since then, she has lost weight, in two months she had gone down to her original weight (3.58kg) and the most she has gone up to since then is 3.75kg. She has been treated for an ear infection, had 4 teeth removed, treated for cystitis, and the last time she went to the weight clinic, the vet was concerned enough to run a full blood test (which i was pleased with). However, the blood test came back fine, although one vet said she could be starting with early kidney probs, my normal vet said she wouldn't thing that from her test results, and the urine sample taken after that suggested that everything was fine. She has always been a fussy eater, but we seem to have got that sorted - she seems to be eating more now that her cystitis has cleared up and she can have biscuits again. She does have to be supervised as she doesn't eat up in one go, and the foster will finish her food if I am not careful, so she gets smaller meals more often than the others. She is due to be weighed a week on Thurs, but she really does feel thin, and I didn't like the amount of fur that I got off her when I brushed her yesterday. I don't want to keep rushing her to the vets though, as generally when I do that there is nothing wrong with her!!

I would ask the vet for a specific blood test, called free T4. Even if the other panel tested for T4 levels, a free T4 test may be more accurate. How old is this kitty? The symptoms sound similar to those in hyperthyroidism, which is very treatable.

She is only 10. Have no idea what thyroid levels were tested, if I remember I will ask. The only prob if it is her thyroid is that she is a nightmare to get tablets down - the last lot I had to do, she bit my finger and it became infected, so even the vet didn't want to give her the last tablet!! Part of me is thinking there is nothing medical though, as she was putting weight on brilliantly till she was vaccinated, and since then she has had a dental, cystitis twice, so I think maybe it is just too much and she hasn't had chance to build up in between. Will talk to the vet next week when she is weighed to see if putting her on something like a/d for a short while will just be enough of a boost, or whether she thinks her thyroid should be retested.

I bought a thing from my vet which holds the pill in a little cup. Then you open the cats mouth and put it in that way. It protects fingers.
Hope you find the problem with your cat.

See if you can get a copy of those lab results, including the urine dilution (specific gravity). Sounds as if the vets didn't agree re whether or not she has early crf. I'd take a look at the numbers and read over this excellent site - click here - which you may have already, as I think I suggested it before. The point would be if her values are slightly up, you can adjust what she eats, add a phos binder ***IF her phosphorus levels are high(odorless powder that can be sprinkled atop her food), add potassium if needed, work to encourage water intake...simple steps that would help deal with an early case of crf.

I also agree...a free T4 would give good info re her thyroid, though if you treat for hyperthyroidism, and there is any beginning of crf, it can impact (actually worsen) the crf. It's a real balancing act, and something my vet and I discussed when we began treating Patrick for hypert, knowing he has crf.

The vet who disagreed is my usual vet, and seeing as the other vet told me off for saying Pebbles is only 10, I know which one I would go with. the reason my regular vet disagreed was cos she had cystitis at the time, so she would put it down to that. I think if a course of a/d or something similar doesnt help, I will have everything retested in 6 months, including the FIV/FeLV test as she does go outdoors, and I have heard bad reports on the FeLV test, so mine aren't done for it (plus the vet who wanted to vaccinate didn't even want to test them first - Pebbles was only tested in Jan, but Ginger has never been tested)

Do what you feel is best, but it never hurts to be as informed as possible (and I know you like to get into the nuts and bolts as much as I, I think!)..get the lab results, go to the site, read it over..I believe it may also address cystitis as an issue (wouldn't surprise me, the site is huge and quite extensive).

In any case? If the cystitis is now cleared up, good time to repeat those labs and see if the values (BUN and Creatinine, phosphorous levels, potassium and calcium levels, plus urine specific gravity are the important ones) are still off. That would be the simplest approach for now, I think.

As for medications, there are compounding pharmacies that can turn the pills into liquid or transdermal gels, which can be wonderful for the hard-to-pill kitty.

Well, the little sod is barely touching wet food, but is eating loads of dry!! She was on a dry food only diet when I first got her, which i have tried to change, but she does go through periods where wet food isnt good enough, despite it being gourmet food!!

I sympathize. Spot has gotten so picky, that he will only consistently eat his dry food with cat milk on top. If there's not enough milk, he gives me the look. Sometimes, he'll eat Friskies or Fancy Feast (only the flavors with lots of gravy), but sometimes he turns up his nose. He won't touch the higher quality foods at all.