O/T I think my cat has hyperthyroidism

He is 13 years old and has lost a lot of weight and I think muscle too. He is ravenously hungry ALL THE TIME! He is driving me nuts, sorry I love him to death but he wants to eat all the time. He has always been a very loud cat and now he "meows" which is more like wailing, all the time. He wakes me up. He also drinks a ton of water and is always using the litter box. I go through the biggest box of kitty litter weekly! I do have another cat too but I am sure most of this is from him. He has loose stools several times a day (which he does not cover up) and will poop on the floor. I know I sound like a I am complaining (I guess I am) but I am at my wits end. I have a very busy schedule and am not home all day. This has never been a problem before because my 2 cats have always kept each other company. I am planning to take him to the vets as soon as I get my student loan refund. I am just worried about what they will find and what the treatment will be. Has anyone else experienced this with their cat? If so, what did you do? What can I expect at the vets as far as treatment and cost?

I'm a huge cat person - could be hyperthyroidism, could be diabetes, could be cushings - among others.  Kitty will need blood work for these.  All are treatable.  Vet in PA will run about $400. for exam and bloodwork.  Meds are cheap once you know what he has.  If there is a Humane society vet near you - go to them, they should be less expensive.  Hopefully, you will treat him like the little soul that he is and get his proper treatment.  So many treat animals like they are disposable when there are costs involved.  It is very disappointing to me.  I'm sure you will care for him.  Keep us posted.

Yes I want the best for him. I love him very much. I have had him since he was 5 weeks old (his mother and litter mates died). He is now 13 years old, as is my other cat. They both are developing health problems. I am only working part-time because I am going to school and doing an internship. They just opened a humane society veterinary hospital near me but I thought it was just for the humane society. I will have to give them a call. I just assumed it would be hyperthyroidism (after I looked online) because he also has a rapid heart beat and he is looking all scraggly. He is pure white and used to have such beautiful long white hair. It now looks dirty, grayish, like he was outside (he is an indoor cat). His fur is matting and it feels dirty. I had taken him to a groomer but now that it has grown back it has done the same thing.

So glad to hear it.  I do a fair amount of cat rescue get so frustrated with people that treat animals like they are just 'things' that they can toss out when they are not convenient anymore.  There is a network on www.bestfriends.org that is good too.  They have local and worldwide networks.

Hope your kitty gets better soon.   Also if you do need to give pills - try cheesewiz - mine love it and it covers up the pill.

Thanks Zeigled! I feel the same way about people that "dispose" of their pets. To me, my pets are my furbabies.

Yeah, it is not easy to give pills to cats. My other cat had a UTI a few years ago and he would spit the medicine back at me! When he wasn't getting better, the vet changed his med to a pill and I had to hide it in some canned food. I could only give him like a spoonful, just enough to hide the pill or he wouldn't eat it all and of course he didn't eat the part that had the pill hidden in it! LOL Gotta luv cats. I'll have to try the cheezewiz.

Hey!  I'm a vet tech and from what you describe it does sound like hyperthyroid.  They will probably want to do a bunch of bloodwork to make sure it is thyroid and not kidneys or diabetes or something else.  They will do a CBC, Chemistry, and thyroid test.  As far as thyroid medication, it is relatively inexpensive but you do need to recheck the thyroid every 6 months to yearly.  We also have a specialist that does radiation to the thyroid and it basically takes care of it completely without medication but it's fairly expensive.  I want to say at our clinic the exam and bloodwork would probably be about $200 at most.  They may also want to do xrays to rule out other things.....but I would start with bloodwork and go from there.  Good luck with your kitty :)

Thanks for the info Steffie. I just talked to my Mom who said I can use her care credit  and pay her back when I get my money. She loves my cat too. It's funny because she was never really a "cat person" before but Mishka is such a friendly, loveable "in your face give me attention" kitty! lol Before he lost so much weight, he was a 20 lb. lap cat. Thanks again.

Check for lymphoma as well.

Sorry about your cat. I had to put my cat down last year becuase he ws very sick with lymphoma and had lost weight.

Cheryl, so sorry to hear about your kitty.  I will have my vet check for everything. Besides losing weight, what other symptoms did your cat have?

My cat Mischa was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 9 months ago.  The initial bloodwork and exam was about $250.  After starting medication, i had to take her back a month later for about $100 more blood work (to make sure the dose was correct and bringing her levels into the normal range).  Her levels were fine then, so she doesn't need blood work again until 6 months.  The treatment options were radioactive iodine (several thousand dollars and not in my budget) or medication.  Since she did not take pills well, i first went with a transdermal ointment i rubbed in her ear, but she developed an allergy to that, so she is on pills now.  The pills are only about $35 for a bottle of 100.  If you go the pill route, i HIGHLY recommend trying Greenie's Pill Pockets.  You can get them at any pet store... or much cheaper on amazon.com.  It is a tiny cup-shaped treat that you put the pill in and squi**** closed.  SHE LOVES THEM!!!  Now i just shake the pill bottle and get out the pill pockets, and she comes running for her "treat".  i didn't know how i would ever get her to take a pill daily, but these were a lifesaver!!!!   Good luck!