Teddy Cat is acting weird!

[oesdog]

Our elderly cat Teds is acting quite strange. He is now licking coal dust ????
He is losing weight I fear too? Sometimes he looks very thin. When he came back from staying with the vet for a week he was very thin yet ate his food well? He has been dewormed and has all his shots up to date. He is over 16 yrs though.

Does anyone have an idea what might be wrong????? His tear ducts are blocked and he is on treatment for that but as soon as the eye drops are stopped it starts acting up again. The vet thinks he may need an op but he is old and they are reluctant to put him under again. Teds has been here forever ? He is drinking loads of water - but has been tested for kidney failure and diabetes and the results were negative for both?







Oes

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I'm not sure what would be wrong, but wishing you luck and hope for finding out what is wrong!

 

[Eggsoteric]

Have you had his thyroid checked?

 

[oesdog]

Have you had his thyroid checked?

Yes he got all those checks done before Christmas. Poor wee lad had to have surgery on his teeth and a lump removed from his back so the Vet did all of those tests before he went for the opp to make sure he was fit enough. So all those checks were done? This was him in September after the op. Poor boy had to wear a t shirt for ages over his back to protect the stitches. He has been in the wars lately .




Oes

 

[jaxchic]

How is your cat? Give him lots of snuggles and his favorite wet foods.

 

[oesdog]

How is your cat? Give him lots of snuggles and his favorite wet foods.

Just got Teddys thyroid checked again Monday - we had to insist it be done again! Though when the Vet looked up the "full bloods" he was supposed to have done in December I could not see Thyroid on the screen? I am wondering if it was actually done with the other bloods now? Anyhow we only had to wait 15 mins and it came back positive for Thyroid. The Vet also said his heart was not right as it was galloping which is apparently a sign of damage to the heart as a result of the thyroid? It is odd to think we have not long got him back from all that surgery etc in December when he stayed there for over a week and they never susspected anything else was wrong?

Anyhow the boy was eating like crazy but lossing weight like mad. Eating coal dust and drinking like crazy.
Once we got the results the Vet told us he would do more surgery and take the Thyroid out. - We said NO -!!!!!!
It doesn't seem fair on an elderly cat of 17 yrs with a dicky heart to put him through yet more surgery. Going back to December - he was very dehydrated when they did his op and they had to put him on a drip. Also his eyes were sunken in and the tear ducts were blocked up. We have been giving him eye drops for this but the eyes were so sunken that the eyelashes were inverting. Again the Vet gave us the option to do more surgery on the eyes. We said NO! to that in December.

When we checked Teddy on Friday when he started to get quite poorly this weekend - he was very annemic. (I thought it was because I had wormed him again and was worried I had done something wrong? But DH said he found a worm in his poo - last time he was done was for the cattery in December.) The gums and also inside of his normally pink ears where white. He started throwing up at the weekend and went off his food which he had been eating like mad up until then. When the Vet did the Thyroid test - After he returned the cat, he then offered another blood test for this? - How can he be so stupid not to have done that test the same time as the thyroid - I cannot see how an experienced Vet should "miss" such a basic thing?
We said NO - I think he just wanted more money and was not working in the cats best interest. We did not need to put the cat through getting more bloods taken just to tell us what was glarringly obvious!!!!!!

It seems to me that ALL the issues Teds has is a result of the failing Thyroid.
Anemia, Dehydration, Heart trouble, eating loads yet lossing weight, Drinking loads and yet being dehydrated? This would also account for the eyes being dry and sore etc.
I can't help be fell cross that this all could have been picked up months back when they had the cat staying with them and had done surgery on him then?

I am more convinced that the Vets today are NOT working to the best interest of the animals and owners now just for their own pockets. Whilst I appretiate they have a business to run - these are living breathing creatures that DO have needs and DO feel pain.

Anyhow Teds is now on tablets for the thyroid and at the moment has made a remarkable turn round in the last few days. We are for a review appointment 3rd of March to see if it is working.
We had said if he was still suffering and loosing weight at that point we would have to put him to sleep. We would be heartbroken of course but we cannot put the old boy through more surgery it would be cruel. If he was already weak from the weight loss and bad heart - he probably would not survive a surgery anyhow and the VET would just charge loads for killing him slowely!!!!!!
After that other VET killed my darling Murph slowely I vowed I would never let that happen again.

At the momment the boy is doing great and the tablets are far less money and far less invasive than surgery. He is 17 yrs old at least and so wont last that many years more with or without the tablets.

We love Teds dearly and we hope he does well on this treatment. He seems more like himself and more content! He is starting to get annoying which means he is feeling better! lol

- He is also eating again and the drinking is more normal.

Oes

 

[jaxchic]

I have had many many pets and been to many vets, honestly I think most of them forgot why they became vets in the first place. They remind me of the auto mechanic. Just throwing parts at the car and trying to get you in to the next service, without actually wanting to Fix the car.
I am glad you found medicine that works. I had a cat that was Exactly the same as yours and he actually lived for years and years skinny and thirsty. He was a happy old man and I could never put him down. I found him on the floor one day and put him in my bed. He layed there all day and was with me when I went to sleep...when I awoke he was gone. Letting him pass in my bed was the nicest thing I could do for him.
So keep your chin up, you sound like you are doing your best. Your a good cat mom. And don't ever feel bullied into staying with the same vet. Some definitely care more than others, and are more thorough than others .

 

[jaxchic]

Oh, and for a thirsty cat I definitely recommend a pet water fountain. Walmart has one reasonable price, my cats think it is he best thing ever.

 

[oesdog]

Oh, and for a thirsty cat I definitely recommend a pet water fountain. Walmart has one reasonable price, my cats think it is he best thing ever.

Thanks - We don;t have walmart. - lol We are in Ireland.
Also we are in the back end of beyond so Vets are a limited choice. We have a local one but he mostly does Cows. And he didn;t spot internal bleeding in my dog who had heart cancer not a chest infection which the Vet was treating him for. Consequently the dog had 11 days of agony before another Vet told us what was really wrong and we were able to have him put to sleep. I will never use the local vet again! We go up to the next available vet and at least they have all modern equipment and labs etc. Pay more but at least I got the Thyroid test results then and there. I still don;t trust any of them!

- cat is happy and eating better. I wish the weight would go on more. Not drinking so much and still trying to lick the fire! One day he will get burned to the side of the thing by the tongue! lol Oes

 

[oesdog]

Teddy passed away this morning



He was 17 yrs old.
Oes