? Co-worker's elderly kitty...any help or suggestions? [Update 4/26 went to vet!]

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Hendrick Cuddleclaw

Hendrick Cuddleclaw

Member Since 2022
A co-worker that is not doing great financially mentioned her 15-17 year-old Siamese lady was super skinny and raggy looking lately and for some reason she is just convinced that is it some sort of parasite. I told her take her in to the vet for bloodwork ASAP and she insisted on dosing her with Revolution first and giving it a 'few weeks.'

*eyeroll*

I got her to allow me to come over and do a BG test...I used my AT2 and did two tests back to back with different pokes:

119
59

So weird to get such different results but regardless, she is not diabetic. So therefore I feel it is kidneys, acromalegy, thyroid....something probably not uncommon in an older kitty. Other than a vet trip and bloodwork (which she is STILL resisting...I have offered to not only drive but pay...sigh) does anyone have any suggestions?

The old girl looks up at you with these big pleading eyes as if to say PLEASE HELP ME


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How is here appetite? How much food is she eating and what kind?
A lot of time with kidney problems the cat has a poor appetite.
With hyperthyroidism a cat typically have a ravenous appetite similar to diabetes. Also their gets scraggly like show in the photo.
 
Likely not acromegaly (think growth hormone secreting tumour), but I'd add a possible GI condition to the list which is causing her not to be able to process her food properly. Cats with small cell lymphoma (or IBD) might be hungry all the time because they can't process their food. How are her poops? How about her water consumption and pee amounts?

Have you tried convincing your co-worker that if hyperT, it can be managed with a simple medication, perhaps even just rubbing in the ears. Revolution doesn't take weeks to work.
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
Other than a vet trip and bloodwork (which she is STILL resisting...I have offered to not only drive but pay...sigh) does anyone have any suggestions?

The old girl looks up at you with these big pleading eyes as if to say PLEASE HELP ME
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Hi Kyle that is so nice of you to want to help her kitty, poor baby looks so skinny and those eyes just break my heart. I hope she takes her to the vet :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: You have a big heart
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Likely not acromegaly (think growth hormone secreting tumour), but I'd add a possible GI condition to the list which is causing her not to be able to process her food properly. Cats with small cell lymphoma (or IBD) might be hungry all the time because they can't process their food. How are her poops? How about her water consumption and pee amounts?

Have you tried convincing your co-worker that if hyperT, it can be managed with a simple medication, perhaps even just rubbing in the ears. Revolution doesn't take weeks to work.
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Good questions and yes I mentioned if it's the thyroid there are meds that can help the cat lead a fairly healthy life for maybe a few more years

any thoughts on the weird AT2 results? 119 then 59. Like what the heck
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Is there any vet clinic that would give seniors a break?

Famous last words.
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dont know about senior discounts I will check -- good idea.

you nailed it -- exactly what I told her. I said don't wait on this. This cat is skin and bones at this point and I think without treatment is not going to be around much longer.

I reminded her about the contract, the deal we make with our fur buddies, gotta hold up our end of the bargain :)

Last thing I said before I left was call the vet right now. Make an appt. It is likely going to be a week or more anyway before they can see her all the vets around here are jammed up.
 
On the AT, maybe a too small blood drop on the first one? When I got conflicting numbers like that, I'd to a third test to break the tie.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
On the AT, maybe a too small blood drop on the first one? When I got conflicting numbers like that, I'd to a third test to break the tie.
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I think you got it, because the first one WAS a super small drop in fact I didn't even see the strip suck up any blood but it beeped and started metering, and i looked closer and there was just the tiniest hint of a drop on the strip

second time, I got a much bigger blood droplet from kitty and on the strip
 
Could most definitely be thyroid, and with a siamese you wouldn't notice the extra yowling and restlessness that often comes with HT.
EASILY treated with medication, we used the transdermal cream in the ear. No fighting to get pills down, no nausea, twist the pen to get the dose, rub it in the ear. Alternate ears with each dose, and wipe out the "off" ear with a damp paper towel each time to keep the cream base from building up. (example: morning-cream in left ear, wipe right ear clean, evening, cream in right ear, wipe left ear clean; do same thing every day.)
Easy-peasy. Assure her of this from someone who knows. All it takes is a blood test to diagnose, and then an occasional follow-up blood test to check levels.
And tell her not to stress if other tests (liver, kidneys, etc) look a bit off, if thyroid is found, they often come back into line when the thyroid is corrected.
 
how long can a cat live with a hyperthyroid condition?

This cat still has not been seen by a vet, is still active and vocal, and is even skinnier now. Although according to my co-worker the kitty's voice has changed in the past few days and now sounds like she has gravel in her throat

I honestly cannot believe she hasn't passed yet she looks on death's door to me but that is just appearance. Behavior-wise, she seems ok to be honest.
 
My cat (not the one with diabetes) was diagnosed hyperthyroid in 2019 and she’s still going strong. Honestly like your neighbor I just thought she was getting old and her skinny back end was just a sign of aging, she had probably been hyperthyroid for a year before I got her diagnosed, I felt terrible when I found out. We do oral meds I have them compounded and just drop them on her food twice a day. She’s a difficult kitty and needs to be sedated for the vet so I manage her dosing by doing regular weight checks, monitoring for symptoms and adjusting her dose when she’s losing weight. This would also save your neighbor cost if her vet would work with a similar plan.
 
griffinsmom said:
My cat (not the one with diabetes) was diagnosed hyperthyroid in 2019 and she’s still going strong. Honestly like your neighbor I just thought she was getting old and her skinny back end was just a sign of aging, she had probably been hyperthyroid for a year before I got her diagnosed, I felt terrible when I found out. We do oral meds I have them compounded and just drop them on her food twice a day. She’s a difficult kitty and needs to be sedated for the vet so I manage her dosing by doing regular weight checks, monitoring for symptoms and adjusting her dose when she’s losing weight. This would also save your neighbor cost if her vet would work with a similar plan.
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First of all, thank you for the response.

Curious, did you ever hear the gravel-like, hoarse meow that has been reported as a recent development?
 
Yes, she does that on and off. It really does sound like hyperthyroidism, it’s very common, and easy to treat. Ear meds, pills, or liquid oral meds are all options depending on what works best for owner and cat. I’m my case my cat won’t let anyone but me touch her so we needed something that a cat sitter could do and went with the compounded oral meds added to her food. She’s 17 now and still going strong despite CKD and hyperthyroidism and not being perfectly managed.
 
well I called every vet in the area, on the phone all morning and nobody would see her. My only option looked to be the local pet ER, they said sure bring her in, we'll do bloodwork/senior profile but just so you know it's $500 to start off

that seems insane so I gave up. Then i called ONE more place and they said they could see her on Monday at 7pm! I had to pay a mere $57 upfront fee to schedule appt.

yay!
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
well I called every vet in the area, on the phone all morning and nobody would see her. My only option looked to be the local pet ER, they said sure bring her in, we'll do bloodwork/senior profile but just so you know it's $500 to start off

that seems insane so I gave up. Then i called ONE more place and they said they could see her on Monday at 7pm! I had to pay a mere $57 upfront fee to schedule appt.

yay!
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You are a saint Kyle for helping this kitty, let us know what happens :bighug::cat:
 
That sweet little hungry looking doll. I would guess Hyper T also. I take care of a Siamese boy recently diagnosed, and I led the owners to the answer from their vet. They started with the ear cream, and the next time I went to pet sit, no meds were around. Come to find out, the people thought the cat would be fine after the first tube of cream was used:( it is hard to tell people you work for, they are mistaken!
 
Vet appt for Patty Paws last night (that's her name, if I didn't mention it before)

Saw vet tech first as per usual, vet tech asked a few questions, looked at Patty from a few feet away didn't even get her out of the carrier, and quickly was suggesting it is Hy-T

I said ok, so bloodwoork then, 48 hours later we'll know?

And that is when the vet tech surprised the hell out of me by saying "48 hours!?!? What, no. We do the test right here in-house. We'll know if it is her thyroid in 15 minutes!"

To which I was pleasantly surprised. Well they took Patty away and after a longer-than-usual-time-to-get-blood the actual Vet returned with Patty. We never saw that vet tech again. They had trouble getting blood which doesn't surprise me the kitty weighed in at 3.8 pounds! Skin and bones. The vet mentioned she "got super stressed during the blood draw and vomited twice" - poor kitty.

Then the vet said:

"I think I feel a mass on the spleen. Could be Lymphoma.
She has a upper respiratory infection, I'm prescribing an Azithromycin liquid 7 day course for that.
Bloodwork to check for Hy-T, Liver function, Kidneys, evidence of the lymphoma will take 24 hours, we'll call you tomorrow."

I didn't bother to ask why the vet tech said we would know in 15 minutes, I figured the vet was telling us 24 hours it is 24 hours and the vet tech was mistaken (maybe thinking of some other on-site instant blood test???)

I will update everyone further once I get that phone call today. Total came to $281 + the $57 I had pre-paid, so $338 all in plus about 2 hours of driving.
 
Bless you and Patty Paws!
Really look forward to the blood results.
I can wait about twenty minutes, and have in-house blood test results; however they prefer to send to IDEXX, which takes at least 24 hours.
So glad you care Kyle;)
 
I hate waiting for that call all day.

So I went ahead and called a few minutes ago, labs are in BUT the receptionist said I still have to wait for a call from the vet to discuss the results "sometime this afternoon" :banghead: :mad: :rolleyes:
 
well poop. Thyroid is fine

super high white cell count, mass on spleen and some swelling on the intestines so they are saying she is dying, it's cancer

BG was 180 but they consider that stress elevated not diabetic. And I tested her myself the other day and she was under 100 (AT)

so, they offered a prescription of prednisone as a palliative care option, not sure how it helps with terminal cancer exactly but for $30, I'll hook her up.
 
I am sad along with you. Your kindness should help Patty Paws feel better. The prednisone will reduce inflammation, in turn reducing pain, hopefully. Maybe she will eat a bit better. Still, this hurts when that bit of hope gets shoved down.
I adore Siamese kitties and I know you do too. Sending sweet thoughts your way.
 
So sad. Maybe ask them about some pain relief, too? Kitty cannot feel very good with all that going on. Even just something mild?

Just an FYI, at a regular human pharmacy, a bottle of prednisone pills cost less than $2, typically. If you need a refill, ask them to give you a prescription to take to a local pharmacy. Then also check GoodRx, they do coupons for pet meds as well, to bring the cost down. (note--not all pharmacies are equal when it comes to GoodRx, we've found that almost any pharmacy EXCEPT CVS has low prices through them, CVS will charge up to 4 times more.)
Pills from the vet always cost a ridiculous amount more, and most vets will try not to let you get your pills elsewhere. My vet was charging us $1.35 PER PILL for his thyroid medicine, when if I order it online or go to a local pharmacy, it's only 5 CENTS per pill. So she wanted $135.00 for a bottle of pills that I can get for $5.00 elsewhere.
If there is a human equivalent pill, it always pays to go to a regular human pharmacy.
 
Gracie85 said:
So sad. Maybe ask them about some pain relief, too? Kitty cannot feel very good with all that going on. Even just something mild?

Just an FYI, at a regular human pharmacy, a bottle of prednisone pills cost less than $2, typically. If you need a refill, ask them to give you a prescription to take to a local pharmacy. Then also check GoodRx, they do coupons for pet meds as well, to bring the cost down. (note--not all pharmacies are equal when it comes to GoodRx, we've found that almost any pharmacy EXCEPT CVS has low prices through them, CVS will charge up to 4 times more.)
Pills from the vet always cost a ridiculous amount more, and most vets will try not to let you get your pills elsewhere. My vet was charging us $1.35 PER PILL for his thyroid medicine, when if I order it online or go to a local pharmacy, it's only 5 CENTS per pill. So she wanted $135.00 for a bottle of pills that I can get for $5.00 elsewhere.
If there is a human equivalent pill, it always pays to go to a regular human pharmacy.
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re: pain management, thank you for the suggestion. It occurs to me that when my best friend Jake was dying of cancer he was on very strong painkillers (two patches of fentanyl at a time iirc)

I will bring it up to the vet. And thank you also for the tip about the pred cost. A the vet said it is only $30 for a one-month supply I will probably just pay that, not likely kitty makes it another month so one month's supply will most likely suffice.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
they offered a prescription of prednisone as a palliative care option, not sure how it helps with terminal cancer exactly but for $30, I'll hook her up.
Click to expand...
Gracie85 said:
Just an FYI, at a regular human pharmacy, a bottle of prednisone pills cost less than $2, typically. If you need a refill, ask them to give you a prescription to take to a local pharmacy.
Click to expand...

Did the vet say prednisone?
Or prednisolone?
Cats use prednisolone since prednisone if poorly absorbed. In GoodRx all I could find was liquid prednisolone.
 
old Patty Paws has crossed the rainbow bridge, she passed peacefully in her sleep on Monday night. Her last couple of months were a bit better with the prednisolone I think.

cat_wings>o
 
Oh Kyle, I am so sorry to read this. I was just reading through the thread. You are wonderful to have helped your friend and Patty Paws.. I’m sure her last months were more comfortable.
:rb_icon:cat_wings>o Fly free Patty Paws
 
I am sorry to read that she passed. Thank you for helping her during her last few months.

Fly free sweet Patty Paws and watch over everyone who loves you.
cat_wings>o
 
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