Recently, I noticed my cat having some issues (painful urination, weight loss) so I took her to the vet. She was diagnosed with a mild bladder infection and later she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I originally was supposed to give her Clavamox, but she had a really bad reaction to it so I had to stop that immediately.
After that I took her into the vet again last Thursday and they gave me a new medication for her bladder infection, plus hyperthyroid pills and some prescription cat food. She also received a fluid injection because she seemed a little dehydrated from her reaction to the Clavamox.
I was gone over the weekend but I informed my roommate on the exact stuff to give her while I was out (it’s really my roommate’s cat, but she likes me better). My roommate told me that she wouldn’t eat when we gave her the medicine, which was recommended by the vet to keep her from feeling ill from the medicine in her stomach. Apparently she just left her food. I got back home last night and gave her the prescription food after her medicine and mixed in a little tuna and she picked at it a bit but left most of it there.
Overall, she seems in good spirits right now, but seems even skinnier and that’s extremely worrisome to me. I also awoke to find her wretching this morning. It sounded really wet when she was wretching but she did not vomit up anything. On the plus side, she did use the litterbox last night so I know that something is at least moving through her system.
Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this? Does this sound like a normal reaction to medications? I have to go back to the vet tonight anyway to drop off the fecal sample I got from the litterbox this morning so I’m going to ask them. However I was also interested in hearing some anecdotal evidence from people who have dealt with situations like this.
I hate to not be of any help, but when a cat is not eating it is “take her back to the vet time”. As long as mine are eating and eliminating I try not to rush them in (in most cases) because it is so stressful for them, but if they’re not eating all bets are off.
My cat was diagnosed hyperthyroid and he had about the same reaction to the methimazole (is that what you got?) puke puke puke. he did not have any other meds at the same time, so maybe it is just the fact she is getting so many pills?
Get her to the vet again. Especially if she’s only been picking at her food all weekend. Cats can put themselves into liver failure (hepatic lipidosis) if they stop eating suddenly. Also, there are hydrations issues because cats who aren’t eating often aren’t drinking enough either.
Your vet can help modify the medications to make them more palitable. Some medications are available in transdermal forms. Worth asking about for hyperthyroid kitties who don’t want to eat their medicine. They can also set you up with different versions of the medicated food.
When one of my cats had thyroid problems, my vet explained 3 different options, the pill being one of them. You might ask your vet for other choices if this one isn’t working.
My cat had bad reactions (namely vomiting) to certain antibiotics, as well, so just ask the vet to try a different family of meds until you find one that works. And although we weren’t dealing with hyperthyroidism, we did treat her for chronic renal failure for 5 years, and part of her twice-daily regimen was 1/4 pepcid AC pill to alleviate stomach acid so her appetite would improve, which it did, tremendously. So you might ask if some pepcid would help her upset stomach. Good luck and I hope your kitty gets well soon!
Luckily, I looked and she has been drinking a bit and has used the litterbox a bit, as well. She’s eaten maybe half of the food I gave her last night so it’s a start. I’m going to try giving her some food a couple of hours before the meds tonight to see if she reacts better to that option. Then I’ll try the vet again tomorrow.
Also, the medication is methimazole. She’s also taking Cefadroxil for the bladder infection. So hopefully it’s just the result of those that are killing her appetite. I’m going to try and fill the vet in on all of this just to get their opinions on how to approach this.
Methimazole has some known side effects. I ended up going with radioiodine for the hypothyroidism because of those side effects, but others have cats that have done fine for years on it.
I’m glad she’s eating and drinking something. Poor kitty.
I just gave her some food a few minutes ago and once again she denies the prescription stuff, even mixed with her favorite (tuna). I gave her the usual stuff that I give her (Friskies special diet) and she ate up a bit of that right away. Didn’t eat much, but ate.
I have 25 days worth of Methimazole pills and an appt next thursday to check on her progress. If possible, we want to get the radioiodine treatment as soon as we can for her. I’d rather have a week of really traumatizing situations followed up by a cure than force-feeding her pills everyday for the next few years.
The problem with radioIodine is that it destroys thyroid tissue, which drops the hormone levels, but eventually your cat may require replacement therapy…something like a feline form of synthroid.
Somewhat of an update: I talked to the vet last night and they want to see her again sigh This is why I’d like a housecall vet.
Anyway, last night she was her old self again, only minutes after I made the appt. I gave her the usual wet food (not prescription) and she ate the usual amount, plus a decent sized portion of tuna, and I heard her crunching away on her dry food. She also jumped around a little with a milk jug ring so she was being playful. I’m really hoping this trend continues!
