[scottinky]

hello all, I am new here. my 13yo bobtailed cat was diagnosed last year with IBD, and has been taking prednisone every other day. he has lost
10lbs in the last 18 months. Used to be 24lbs, now is 14. I took him to the vet yesterday, where he had bloodwork done, and xrays. I do not have the results of the bloodwork yet,
but the xrays looked good. his heart was slightly enlarged, as it was last year, no change. the vet mentioned no lumps. cat doesn't have flev, at least to
my knowledge. he has been vaccinated every year, and rarely leaves the house, only to roam our fenced in back yard. I have one other cat, who stays inside,
and is 9. Jake has a voracious appetite, is not vomitting, is not lethargic, doesnt have diarrhea. He seems pretty active, and loves to eat treats. I suspect
hyperthyroid, but the vet said yesterday she would guess lymphoma. WTF!!! if he had lymphoma and had gone thislong without going to the vet, he would
be dead by now. she says if the bloodwork comes back normal, we should do an ultrasound and/or endoscope. just not really sure what to think at this point.

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[Heather Sharada]

I'm sorry that your fellow is possibly not well.......we obviously can't really say whether he has cancer or not.....I take it he has no visible lumps.

Why not wait for the vet report. You will only be second guessing if you try to work it out. Some cats can be diagnosed to have cancer that had not been detected before. If the cancer was vaccine induced it would probably be where the injections are given and I think you would notice it.

Good luck - 13 years is getting on bit - perhaps his kidneys are beginning to underfunction.....just random guessing.

BTW welcome to CW

[scottinky]

the vet did not indicate any lumps, or she would have mentioned it. he does have IBD. I miss him at 24lbs,
although he is probably much better off without all that weight.

[CatsRU]

Good luck with the results and keep us updated.

[burmeselover]

Lymphoma is a cancer that is not always visible to the naked eye meaning that external lumps aren't necessarily present when a pet has lymphoma. Lymphoma is cancer of the lymph system which extends throughout the body and the actual symptoms will depend upon the location of the cancer.

I sincerely hope that your cat does not have cancer. Hyperthyroidism is a much better disease to have because it can be controlled with tablets. Let us know what Jake's blood tests reveal and how he goes.

[scottinky]

the blood results came back, and Jake does have Hyperthyroidism. he had elevated liver, elevated T4 and his kidney function was normal. the vet is
going to come up with a plan of treatment and workup, so I can take him to Radiocat. I am still concerned about lymphoma, and probably will opt for
an ultrasound just to be safe. i would hate to get my hopes up that he can be easily cured only to find out he may be suffering from both.

[vengeancethecat]

Sorry to hear about your Jake, I hope things turn out good for him. It must be a very stressful situation for you to be in.

[aboutTaya]

I can understand your ongoing concern and really do hope it is just the hyperthyroidism and easily controlled. Sending Jake some

[catsofamarin]

I hate to say this - but my specialist vet (internal medicine) told me recently that current thinking may be that IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) is actually a slow-growing, low-grade form of lymphosarcoma in the gut... I don't know that this is something that has been confirmed across the board, but it is worth thinking about while you're doing investigations... OTOH, a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is highly consistent with his weight loss too; the voracious appetite however could be explained by either the hyperthyroidism or the taking of prednisone. Prednisone also would have delayed progression if he does have a low-grade lymphoma (lymphosarcoma). My guy told me that when they are looking at diagnosing cancer in cats they think of lympho first and second as it is the most common cancer seen in cats.

Still, it is unusual for a cat to have 2 major things go wrong at the same time - so I really hope hyperthyroidism is the issue - it's highly treatable so that would be good news.

Good luck!
Cheers,
Catherine

[scottinky]

it saddens me to type this, but jake has started to go downhill. He has last more weight since his vet visit last tuesday. He acts interested in food,
but will not eat himself, not even treats, like he was just a couple days ago. I have been syringe feeding him. He doesn't act sick, he still acts alert,
he even used the litter box yesterday. but, he doesnt fight me like he used to when I tried to feed and medicate him. If this was just hyperthyroid on its
own, I wouldnt have a problem. but he is slowly succumbing to cancer, and i now face the unfortunate decision of having to decide when to let him cross
the bridge. I really want to try that ES clear product, but I dont think I will get enough time using it to make a difference. I took him to the ER vet
saturday to arrange to do an ultrasound and a bunch of other mega expensive tests, but they couldnt do them till today, so rather thank knock him out
twice I brought him home. I have decided I am not going to pursue doing those because I dont think there is any way he can recover.

my main vet said she didnt think he was at that point on saturday. I just don't know. He will be 13 in December. i am going to miss the King of the house.

[oriental cats]

I am so sorry, it is a very hard thing to face the mortality of our loved furkids.
Just be advised if you have a vet you know and trust, it maybe best to stick with him or her rather than seeking lots of other opinions and following different paths.
I do understand how hard it is to be at the place you are.
When I faced this with my girl several years ago, I was really depending on my vet to advise and guide me and as always he did.

[scottinky]

i just left her a message to call me back. i cant watch him deteriorate, while I force food and medicine down him. He still
holds his head high and is sitting up for me when I come down stairs. I wish he could tell me how he feels.

[Peekablue]

I was so sad to read this. My thoughts are with you during this awful time.

[scottinky]

well, I spoke with my vet, and he may currently be suffering from fatty liver. but whats causing him not to eat is the big question. He met me at the door when i went home to feed him.
seemed in good spirits. I can get this fatty liver reversed, but he may still need to undego the testing to see exactly what the problem is.

[fleabag]

If it's fatty liver the not eating is part of the problem ..so cruel as you feel ..force feeding small amounts is the way to go.
Vegemite sometimes stimulates appetite..egg yolk is full of good stuff for a cat ( it does grow a whole bird afterall)