Last week I took Zelda in her for annual exam. I withheld food from her in the morning so she could have blood tests done. Zelda then puked in the car and puked when we got into the exam room, so it was a no good, very bad day for the poor thing. (She regularly pukes because she finds the car/vet's office very stressful.) But I was all chipper talking about how she's a vocal cat and she plays with toys and runs when the dog is chasing her and she jumps on to her cat trees and (sadly) the counters and table. She's so healthy, I bragged to the vet tech.
You all know where this story is going, don't you? *cue ominous music*
At one point, Zelda was over twelve pounds. We put her on a diet because she was fat shamed by a vet after a surgery she had to remove bladder stones and she plateaued at a healthy 8.5 pounds. We were all pleased with her at this weight. But when she went to the vet last year, it was closer to 8 pounds and then earlier this year it was just under 8 pounds and then last week it was just over 7 pounds and that is a lot of weight to lose if you're a kitty and you're not trying to lose weight.
And let's just say this kitty is always hungry and always up for food.
So it was no surprise to anyone when the blood panel came back and it was determined that she has hyperthyroidism. It's not super uncommon in older cats and it's treatable, but WHY DO I GET ALL THE PETS WITH NICHE DISEASES?
We will, obviously, be treating her with radioactive iodine and I refuse to tell you what this will cost us, but the majority of cats treated with radioactive iodine have normal hormone levels within one to two weeks of treatment and I swear to all that is holy to everyone around the world that if Zelda does not react like "the majority of cats" to this treatment, I will curl into a ball and sob and give my pets to someone else who is not cursed.
She is, obviously, still a queen.
ANYWAY. On Saturday our vet stopped by our house to give us more information about the cat's treatment plan and give us some donated medicine that might provide her with some temporary relief until we can get an appointment for the fancy treatment that will hopefully provide more permanent relief. AND. Hannah had some GI distress Saturday morning*, too, so the vet also brought us some medication and said if this THIRD round didn't stop the liquid poops, we're going to have to do more testing. We also discussed getting the dog some anxiety medicine, although I had to laugh because Hannah just laid there the whole time ACTING LIKE A GOOD, NON-NEUROTIC DOG.
I gave the vet some freshly baked cookies and can't wait to get the bill in the mail for this.
*I suspect Hannah realized Zelda was getting a bunch of attention and just had to join in on the not feeling good parade so that she would also get attention.
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Anyone want to adopt a loud cat who has a penchant for yowling when she's playing with her brown ball, jumping on counters, and getting thyroid disease?
Oh Zelda!!!! I am so sorry you are all going through this, and also relieved (?) that it is "just" hyperthyroidism, because it sounds like it's treatable. UGH. Engie, you are the most patient and loving pet owner slash pet nurse and I hope this is IT. Tell Hannah that anxiety medication can work wonders.
ReplyDeleteI mean, it is such good news that's it treatable! We should all be celebrating that for sure!
DeleteOh wow, Engie, the very first thought that went through my head is "how much is that going to cost?" Because eeeeeee that is going to be $$$$. I mean, of course, it's worth it to have healthy pets (I hope you have insurance?). Poor Zelda. Poor Hannah and her tummy. POOR YOU FOR HAVING TO DEAL WITH ALL THIS. Fingers crossed the treatment works and she's back to her usual self in the 1-2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha ha ha! No, we do not have insurance on either of them. I have regrets and if I got a new pet now I would get insurance the exact same time I was filling my information on the microchip. *sigh* New pet owners, GET INSURANCE!
DeleteOur old girl does not puke or run, TG. You do have your hands full and wallets empty with your pets.
ReplyDeleteWe really do. But they're cute, so I'll keep them.
DeleteOh poor Zelda. And poor you. You have had so much to deal with lately and I hope this treatment works perfectly and she's back to her normal self in no time <3
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she'll be fine. She's the majority of most cats, right?!
DeleteOh, ugh. For Zelda, for Hannah (sympathy GI distress?) and for you. No on taking the cat (achoo), but yes on I am absolutely treating you to lunch Saturday. No arguments. Don't even try.
ReplyDeleteLOLOLOL. I'm looking forward to a break on Saturday.
DeleteOh, poor Zelda! Now that you mention it, she does look kind of skinny (underneath her fluffiness.) I'm glad there's a medication for this, and sorry that it's going to be expensive. You do seem to have bad luck with that sort of thing! I hope Zelda and Hannah both feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's recently come to my attention that "mobile vets" are a thing. I might try it for our cats, because taking them to the vet is so, so traumatic.
Yes, Jenny, now that it's pointed out, I realize that I can feel every one of her bones. EVERY ONE. I feel terrible for not noticing before, but in my defense, she's still very active and playful! Other than constant hunger, she's a very normal cat!
DeleteIt is so nice if you can get a vet to come to your house. We're so lucky our vet stops by sometimes!
Oh, NG. Oh, Zelda. Oh, Hannah. Oh, for heaven's sake.
ReplyDeleteListen, I have a granddog who is on Prozac. I completely understand. And my grandcat Prince George lost almost 3 pounds and exhibited regressive bad behaviours due to jealousy when my grandson Theo was born. George is now back to his normal weight and cuddles with Theo in bed and hangs out with him, too. And Zydrunas no longer thinks he has to guard all his loved ones all the time against All Threats, Real Or Perceived.
All of this is to say that Pets have complex feelings and brains and bodies. They react to so many things. I hope Zelda starts feeling better once she gets her treatments, and I hope you can budget for them without too much panic. I know Hannah is getting what she needs from you, too. Thank goodness you have such a great vet who you trust. Hang in there. Thank goodness these sweet girls have you to take care of them!
They certainly are complex! I feel lucky that they let me take care of them and that we have such a great vet! I don't know what we'd do without her.
DeleteZelda, you little floofball of expense! What a story about a beautiful diva who has all of your attention now. No wonder Hannah is so, shall we say, intrigued by the situation.
ReplyDeleteHannah is being a bit of a pill, but I'm sure she'll be okay when things settle down.
DeleteOh no! Poor Zelda! I hope she responds well to the medicine. I can see why your pet spending was a high % last month! I wish for some boring months of health for your girls! But I can relate to them. :(
ReplyDeletePhil tried to bring our cat back to our house a few weeks ago so he could take her to her annual vet appt but he could not get her in the carrier. We kind of knew this day was coming because it's been increasingly hard to get her in the carrier. She's just much happier at my MIL's where it's very quiet (except when our kids visit which prompts lots of hissing/growling from her and she typically throws up, too). So now they are trying to find a vet that will come to MIL's house which is proving to be difficult.
Good mobile vets are really hard to find. I wish you luck because it's no fun fighting a cat to get into a carrier!
DeleteAlright, Zelda is going to join Team Majority of Cats and take to treatment right away. And we're just not going to think about how much it costs - well someday in the distant future you and I can trade your girls' vet bills with how much we spent on the puppy and laugh about it but right now we're not doing that.
ReplyDeleteSending hugs to you and cuddles to your love bugs.
You can't take money with you, right? I'll do what it takes to get her healthy because she's worth every cent!
DeleteOh Zelda! Is radioactive iodine as alarming as it sounds?
ReplyDeleteYour story of fat shaming Zelda reminds me of how whenever someone tells me the Husband should lose weight, I think, "Well the last time he lost a significant chunk of weight he was having emergency gallbladder surgery and couldn't eat for five days... So maybe thinness is not a virtue."
Zelda is lucky to have you for her human. Hannah too. I hope they show their gratitude with fewer messes for you to clean up.
It's sort of alarming? As in, for about a month she's going to be radioactive and we're supposed to only touch her and her waste with gloves? I mean...that's weird, right?
DeleteMy FIL is a retired family physician and he was doing house calls until the day he retired in 2014! Crazy. No doctor has ever treated me at my house!
ReplyDeleteOh, Engie!! Zelda looks just so perfect and poised in the lead picture, it's difficult to wrap my head around how much weight she's lost. I am hoping and wishing and praying that the radioactive treatment is the thing and that you can go back to a healthy Zelda again.
ReplyDeleteThis is the sort of magical thinking that is scoff-worthy... but sometimes I see people with challenging kids or fur babies and they seem to have been given to the people who will do the work to help them, you know? I think you are one of those people--it's not that you're unlucky for your pets--it's just that they are so, so lucky to have found you.
Sending the healing energies your way.
Yeah, maybe we just weren't meant to be their humans and that's the end of it. We're lucky to have the resources to care for them and we will do so. I just wish they were always healthy and didn't need medical interventions.
DeleteUg, so sorry to hear that but I guess the silver lining is that at least it's treatable. I was very, very worried that you were going to say the C word, so yay for hyperthyroidism? I hope that the treatment works on her and quick smart too!
ReplyDeleteThe yowling I can do without. My cat used to do it when he was mad at me for closing the bedroom door, which was, well, every night! I was not about to let him sleep with me and he was not at all happy with that! However, he got over it eventually and I stopped having to wear earplugs to bed.
I was very worried when the vet called instead of sending an email. This is treatable and she'll be fine and she'll go back to being her glorious self.
DeleteZelda yowls all the time. LOL. It's even worse now that she plays with toys at night. I love it.
Oh, Engie, I’m sorry! How worrying. Pets are so wonderful and yet so stressful and also so expensive! I hope everything settles down soon.
ReplyDeleteShe's going to be fine! I just feel kind of silly for not realizing how much weight she was losing and how quickly. We bought a scale, though, and now we're going to weigh her regularly.
DeleteYou are a wonderful pet mom, and they are very lucky to have been adopted by you! ❤️Radioactive Cat sounds like a great name for a band or a book title! Sending you good thoughts and wishes!
ReplyDeleteRadioactive Cat will obviously be her nickname for the rest of her life. LOL.
DeleteGlad to hear thyroidism responds just as well to treatment in pets as it does humans. Zelda's just a fluffy ball of cute! Laverne weighed 16 lbs. when we took her in a few months ago, but we've been diligent about cutting back on her food, and she is noticeably slimmer now. Shirley's always been skinny, but it's not like we feed one more than the other. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteDifferent cats have different nutritional needs. Genetics are crazy in humans and animals!
DeleteOh goodness, I'm so sorry. These treatments are scary and expensive, and without her thyroid she will be on medication for the rest of her life. Thankfully, most thyroid medication is pretty inexpensive, though she may need to be monitored more often than right now. Sending healing thoughts for all of you. This is the stressful part of pets
ReplyDeleteShe's going to be fine and I'm so grateful it turned out to be something easily treatable.
DeleteMe too! What a relief.
DeleteDang. I'm sorry Zelda has hyperthyroidism! But I'm glad it's a treatable condition and I dearly hope she takes to it quickly. Vet stuff can get SO expensive SO fast, gah.
ReplyDeleteShe's going to be fine and that's the only part I really care about. (Don't tell Dr. BB I said that, though.)
Delete