If the cat stops eating because his/her teeth hurt too much, that is definitely an issue. And yes, in cats that condition is common, and what is done is for the most part is exactly that, removing the teeth before the body takes them out.
Well, crap. I posted a couple days ago but it looks like the board ate my post.
Anyway. To be clear, the dental disease and the hyperthyroid are unrelated. Hyperthyroidism is apparently fairly common in older cats, once they get past 7 or 8.
I don’t know about the cat’s immune system attacking the teeth (our vet never mentioned it), but with bad dental disease it is a hotbed of bacteria, so the cat’s immune system is certainly on the attack. Púca’s white count was on the high end of normal prior to his cleaning, and his gums were inflamed. There is a non-zero chance that the infection can become systemic, or otherwise impact his overall health, too. So it’s a good idea to take care of it, and especially so if it’s causing him pain or affecting his ability to eat.
Cats are mammals, so I don’t think there would be a whole lot of difference between what’s necessary for a cat with dental disease and what’s necessary for a human. If your teeth were rotting out of your skull, you’d probably want them pulled and cleaned.
My Cookiecat had very severe dental infections which in turn caused other systemic issues. From out experience, I’d say have ALL the teeth extracted and in a few days, your kitty will be fine and the other issues will likely improve too. Good luck to your kitty.
I thought about this thread last week and thought I should give an update. He’s been fine… once he healed from the dental surgery, he went back to eating normally. And he’s had almost no side effects from the thyroid medication, and there’s been no more panting or fevers, and it even solved his over-grooming problem and his belly fur as grown back.
Except now something else is wrong. We got home from a holiday party Thursday night and he refused his tuna (our clever disguise for his pills), and he LOVES his tuna. I got him to take the pill by hiding it in a little bit of cheese (not ideal, but what are you gonna do). Friday he wasn’t too interested in food, though he ate a little when I brought his bowl to him. Saturday, we got him some canned food, which he was briefly delighted with, then refused that too. Today we’re resorting to smearing wet food on his face to make him lick it off.
Tomorrow we’re calling in the hopes of getting an emergency appointment at his vet before they close for Christmas.
I am stressed out and worried because I’m 300 miles away not able to enjoy my holiday with family. It was just that sudden – Thursday up til we left around 6pm he was eating normally. He’s still acting like he feels fine, except for not eating. There’s been no work for the last two months, either, so we’re borrowing money for rent and the vet bill will have to go on a credit card.
My elder cat became suddenly ill over the holidays two years ago and passed away by New Years, so it’s hard not to draw parallels.
I don’t know how we’re going to pull this off. And the last thing I want is for our extreme lack of money to be the determining factor in whether he gets better.
You don’t need to hide pills in anything.
If it’s a coated pill (like an M&M), just moisten the pill with water. Then one person holds the cat, the other one shoves the pill down his/her throat. WATCH for the cat to swallow. Some cats are very talented at holding the pill until you put them down, then they PTTTH the pill out.
If it’s a dry pill, coat it with a bit of butter, or bacon grease, or whatever you’ve got handy. Same technique to shove a pill down the throat. You can buy a gizmo at the vet’s called a “pill pusher,” but your index finger can do the same thing.
Good luck with your cat!
~VOW
You don’t know my cat. I’ve pilled his elder buddy in just that way, so I’m familiar with how it works. Disguising the pills makes everyone happier. Puca is very wriggly.
The bad news is suspected intestinal blockage, although the Xrays were not conclusive and we may need to do another to see if things are moving along. The good news is his kidneys are fine. The great news is that after some sub-q fluids and medications, he was eating tonight. This probably means we won’t need to take him to the emergency vet tomorrow for the second xray, and can wait until Wednesday to call his regular vet to see if he needs one.
We’re not so worried about his pills at the moment, since this business with his digestive tract is a bigger deal at this point.
Waiting and seeing.
How is kitty doing?
We were allowed to offer food 5 hours after he was medicated at the vet’s office (IV meds to ensure that he’d get correct dosages even if he vomited, which he didn’t). He started eating that night, and has been eating kibble since then fairly regularly. We also got pee in the box yesterday, and poop today, so it seems things are moving through him.
The SO will be calling the vet today to figure out next steps. Since things seem to be moving I’m not sure the second xray will be necessary, but we still don’t know why he stopped eating in the first place, other than his abdomen was tender to the touch when the vet examined him.
But yeah, he’s doing a lot better. Made it easier to relax yesterday during the family shindig, knowing that we was eating.
Well, that’s positive. Thanks for the updates!
Talked to the vet on the phone and they think he should be all right now, just call if he stops eating again. He eating his kibble, but still refusing tuna, so we may need to ease him back into that again.
Phew. Glad he is doing better.
Me too. Great Christmas present. 
Intestinal blockage-do you mean he was constipated?
Forgot to add that I’m so glad he’s better! We’re not well-off by any means either, and we’d do the same for our kitties.
The direct quote was, “The gas patterns in his intestines are not what I’d expect, I can’t rule out a foreign object.” Though we couldn’t see one either.
In any case, whatever-it-was remains a mystery. He’s eating, pooping, peeing, all normally now. He acts like nothing happened. He’s eating his tuna (and pills) as before, too. Don’t think there was a foreign object; he’s not really one for getting into and chewing on things he shouldn’t to begin with, and nothing has come out, but he’s pooping fine.
So… really bad gas? That lasted for four days? I dunno.