I have a four year old female cat with Acromegaly.

PebblesOz

PebblesOz

New Member
Hello everyone and thank you for admitting me into your forum.
My cat Pebbles is a four year old female cat who has just been diagnosed with Acromegaly after a CT scan to investigate her loud snoring when sleeping.
Pebbles does not have diabetes yet but has an 'enlarged soft tissue palate' double the size of normal cats.
The vet has just started her on Cabergoline 0.7mls suspension every other day. We started the medication a week ago.
Pebbles is now sleeping alot and after her dose wants to be left alone for one or two hours. Every day she goes outside to eat grass.
My question is, am I being selfish to keep Pebbles with me and is she suffering.
My last cat, Minette lived for 21 years old and was never sick so I'm at a loss on how to do the best by Pebbles.
Any advice you have would be very appreciated.
Regards
Pat and Pebbles
 
PebblesOz said:
Hello everyone and thank you for admitting me into your forum.
My cat Pebbles is a four year old female cat who has just been diagnosed with Acromegaly after a CT scan to investigate her loud snoring when sleeping.
Pebbles does not have diabetes yet but has an 'enlarged soft tissue palate' double the size of normal cats.
The vet has just started her on Cabergoline 0.7mls suspension every other day. We started the medication a week ago.
Pebbles is now sleeping alot and after her dose wants to be left alone for one or two hours. Every day she goes outside to eat grass.
My question is, am I being selfish to keep Pebbles with me and is she suffering.
My last cat, Minette lived for 21 years old and was never sick so I'm at a loss on how to do the best by Pebbles.
Any advice you have would be very appreciated.
Regards
Pat and Pebbles
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@Wendy&Neko
 
Hello Pat and Pebbles, and welcome. Pebbles is very young to be diagnosed, and also in a very early stage if not diabetic yet. Though I have heard on one kitty at age 4 also a diabetic acro. We did have a member here post about a study in the UK about acromegalic but not diabetic yet cats trialling cabergoline. Sounds like your vet is up on the latest.

Can you tell me where you live? I'm guessing Australia?

There are some possible GI side effects from cabergoline. They can go away after time. In the mean time, she may need some anti nausea medications to help her feel better if that is what she is feeling. We've had kitties here on cabergoline for a number of years, but almost all of them diabetic so much further along in the acro disease progression. We do have one post from someone in Belgium who's kitty was acro but not diabetic and it talks about symptoms, including temporary sleepiness: Cabergoline treatment for acromegaly - side effects

Can you tell me how much Pebbles weighs, and what the strength of cabergoline is in the liquid? I'm looking for mg/ml numbers. The typical dose of cabergoline is a certain amount of micrograms per kg of cat weight.
 
I'm so sorry I haven't answered earlier. Yes you're right I live in Australia, Sydney CBD so I have access to wonderful vets. I take Pebbles to North Shore Veternary specialists in Artarmon. I'm very lucky as they were my pets vet - Pipo my dog who lived until 17 and Minette my cat who lived until 21 under their care.
My Dad and I have decided we don't want to put Pebbles through surgery nor radiation so we are giving her Capergoline -.Cabergoline 100mcg/ml suspension - 30ml
Pebbles is almost 7kg so I have been told by the vet I should give her 0.7ml every second day. The vet has asked if he can use videos of Pebble when she snores. From what I understand is that cats are usually diagnosed when they have diabetes which is difficult to control. Pebble was diagnosed because of her very loud snoring because her soft palate is double the size of what is normal.
I love my Pebbles and will do whatever I can to keep her with me. I'm lucky as I took pet insurance out when I got Pebbles. I got her when she was 18 months and had lived on the street and had had a litter. I write this as I'm next to her and although she snores loudly I'll do what ever I can to keep her.
Any advice would be appreciate.
Thank you
Pat
 
Pebbles has her medicine every second day in her favourite treat - Dine Creamy Treats. She is alot less active and doesn't seem interested in going outside even though she has access whenever she wants. When I got her two years ago she was much more an outdoor cat but since I've started her on the medication she's not interested so much in going outside but loves to sleep inside. I'm happy whatever she wants to do - she's my gorgeous girl and I think she feels the same way about me.
 
I'd love to see a picture of Pebbles sometime. You can see that many of us have a picture of our kitty as our avatar. Pebbles is very lucky to have found you.

Cabergoline is a popular treatment here too. You don't have to travel (easier on you and the cat) and more cost effective. The dose sound right. Did you ever get a blood test for IGF-1 done for Pebbles? That is the normal way cats are diagnosed, it is much cheaper than a CT scan and a useful screening tool.

Acro cats really differ in how they present. The vast majority are diagnosed after becoming diabetic, which is a later stage condition. You are lucky Pebbles was diagnosed earlier. Neko never really snored, even at the end 5 years after diagnosis she had a slightly airy sound on breath inhale, but that's it. Her diagnosis came about due to her increasing insulin dose needs and out of this world appetite (think teenage boys with a growth spurt). She didn't have the pot belly that is also a common symptom. Later on she did get kidney disease and heart disease, two other unfortunately common conditions. Just make sure you do regular vet visits to keep on top of any other conditions that might appear. With starting cabergoline earlier than most people do with their cats, we don't have a lot of data on it. Hopefully it'll prevent some of the other side effects from appearing. The earlier you can limit the excess growth hormone output, the better.
 
Hi Wendy, after some obstacles I think I've uploaded Pebbels as my Avatar.
I've been reading your message and yes Pebbles has a pot belly and is losing lots of fur although she still looks beatiful to me.
I'd love to hear more about your cat Neko.
The internal medicine vet wants to see Pebbles in two weeks to see how her belly is going and if she has diabetes. I think she does as she drinks constantly and is always peeing.
The vet told me that in three months he will send her tests off again to see if her Growth Hormone is diminishing. I'm just hoping she does not have diabetes.
I have to be honest, I'm scared I won't be able to take care of Pebbles if she ends up with diabetes, acromegaly, hypothryoidism and addisons disease.
But so far she's happy and does zoomies up and down the apartment. She goes out and sits in the sun in the flower bed which I think means she doesn't know what's wrong with her which is a blessing.
Thanks so much for responding and caring.
Pat
 
It's unusual for a cat with acromegaly to lose fur. Is the fur loss one part of her body, or everywhere? Neko was part Maine Coon, and kept her beautiful coat. I have more pics of her in my tribute video.
PebblesOz said:
he will send her tests off again to see if her Growth Hormone is diminishing
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As far as I know, there is no test available anywhere for feline growth hormone. What can be tested is the IGF-1 (insulin growth factor-1) which is a byproduct of the growth hormone. That blood test is what is currently used to screen for acromegaly. Cabergoline doesn't seem to have much of an impact on IGF-1 values. But does seem to impact growth hormone, not that it can be measured but you can see clinical signs showing it is going down.
PebblesOz said:
m scared I won't be able to take care of Pebbles if she ends up with diabetes, acromegaly, hypothryoidism and addisons disease.
Click to expand...
Why do you think hypothyroidism or addisons disease is a possibility? Hypothyroidism is uncommon in cats, though cats that have had radiation therapy can get it as a side effect of the treatment. Even then, it's the minority of those cats. Addisons is also uncommon, and more likely to be as a result of treatment for Cushings. At least where I've seen it occur.

To treat with diabetes, one of the most important skill sets is learning how to test Pebble's blood sugars. We have lots of videos in this post showing you how it's done: Hometesting Links and Tips. Should this be necessary of course. As a yes/no test, you can also get urine test strips, like Ketodiastix, that show whether sugars are present in the urine. That'll give you a quick test to tell you if diabetes ia more likely.

The fact that Pebbles is still getting zoomies and enjoying life is a great sign!
 
Hi Wendy.

Maybe my research is wrong but this is what I've found if you remove the pituatory gland Surgical Treatment

"Surgically removing the pituitary tumor (adenectomy) is the treatment of choice in people with acromegaly. The procedure can be performed in cats and dogs but typically results in the complete removal of the pituitary gland (hypophysectomy). Complications associated with the surgery include hemorrhage and incision dehiscence. After surgery, patients require treatment with cortisone, L-thyroxine, +/- desmopressin to compensate for the loss of pituitary function. Because of this, only patients that are easily medicated should be considered for this procedure."

I also found this on loss of fur for Acromegaly cats with acromegaly can be associated with fur loss due to the condition itself or as a side effect of its treatment, with symptoms such as a poor or unkempt coat, patchy hair loss, and skin fragility sometimes seen in affected cats. Radiation therapy, a common treatment for the underlying pituitary tumor, can also cause fur loss and skin changes. Additionally, the disease often leads to secondary hypothyroidism, which can result in a dull coat and hair matting.

I'm hoping with all my might that Pebbles will respond to cabergoline. Also, I'm very lucky to live in Sydney where the pioneer of removal of pituatory gland lives. Pebbles is still enjoying life although her appetite is still enormous. My next date with the internal medicine vet is on 02oct'25 where he wants to test Pebbles blood sugar and her belly which is very big.

Thank you so much Wendy, I'll check back in after I've taken Pebbles to the vet.

Px
 
I'm interested in hearing where you found your quotes.

There is a difference between linear radiation and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT). The former to be avoided if possible. Who lives is Sydney that is the "pioneer of pituitary gland removal"? Again for my notes, for subsequent cats who might need that help.
 
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