we are going to delve into the mystery of Tevie and her
is a 12-year-old cat and lives indoors with Mindy in
what Mindy describes as a relative life of luxury. Tevie’s
routine is well established – or at least had been
until about two months ago. That was the point when she
began waking Mindy at wee hours of the morning with
highly audible vocalizations that Mindy finally
determined to be howling for food.
was normal for Tevie to be fed twice daily, first around
7 a.m. before Mindy went to work and then again around
6:30 p.m. This had been the feeding routine for all of
Tevie’s 12 years until now.
are a couple of diseases that immediately come to my
mind when I hear a scenario such as Tevie’s. The first
is diabetes mellitus and the second is feline
hyperthyroidism. Neither entirely fits with Mandy’s
description of Tevie’s symptoms but it may be because
she has left something out of that description.
diabetes in cats, caretakers will commonly note a huge
increase in appetite. Ironically, along with the
appetite increase, there is weight loss in the patient.
Another common symptom is a massive increase in water
consumption and thus urination. Other than ravenous
appetite, these symptoms were not described by Mindy in
reference to Tevie.
in cats is commonly associated with a tremendous
increase in appetite and over time, weight loss as well.
This is because the excess thyroid hormone being
produced by a tumor in one or both of the thyroid glands
in an affected cat causes an increase in the metabolic
rate, thus the increased appetite.
increase in metabolism however is greater than the cat’s
ability to eat enough to keep up its weight, hence the
weight loss over the course of the disease.
diabetes and hyperthyroidism are fatal in cats if left
untreated. Treatment however is available for both. Cats
with diabetes are usually managed with insulin therapy
as this disease is caused by a lack of insulin
production from the pancreas. Therapy is usually a
with hyperthyroidism can be completely cured. There are
two accepted methods toward that goal. One is surgical
removal of the thyroid tumor or tumors. In the hands of
an experienced veterinary surgeon, this procedure is an
excellent choice as the cats can usually go home the
same day of the surgery and be cured.
method of cure involves the use of radioactive iodine,
I-131, which is given by injection. The iodine is
selectively taken up by the active thyroid tumor, which
is destroyed as a result. This procedure has to be done
in a special facility and the cats are required to stay
several days post treatment to allow the radiation
levels to drop.
Tevie’s case, I am betting on hyperthyroidism as the
cause for her tremendous appetite. This is primarily
because Mindy did not mention the increased thirst or
increased urination associated with diabetes. These are
both such profound symptoms that I have to believe Mindy
would have mentioned if they were occurring.
the mystery solved? It will be once Mindy takes Tevie to
her veterinarian for a physical exam and some blood
work. Both diabetes and hyperthyroidism can be diagnosed
with simple blood work.