Last week, I saw Michia for the first time. Michia, her owners informed me, was an elderly cat that had gone extremely thin. I could see from the way they spoke and looked at her that they had dreaded this moment.

It was also clear that they had delayed taking her to a vet because they were afraid of what the prognosis might be. But because they so clearly loved her, the day came when they knew that they had to do the right thing even if it meant putting her down to end her suffering.

In fact, Michia was truly a sorrowful sight. Where an average-sized cat would possibly weigh anything between four and five kilos, Michia weighed barely one- and-a-half kilos. She was, quite literally, skin and bones, her eyeballs bulged piteously from her scrawny skull and her coat was very rough and unkempt. I understood why her owners felt that this was the end of the road for her.

Pets are unable to communicate their symptoms, so veterinarians rely heavily on the information pet owners are able to provide. This information forms an integral part of the clinical examination of animals. The more observant and objective the owner is when conveying information about the pet’s symptoms and behavioural changes, the more useful and helpful they are to the examining veterinarian. In this respect, Michia was very lucky.

One of the key symptoms Michia had increasingly exhibited was that she was eating very well, always seemed to be ravenous, but no matter how much food she was given, the weight continued to drop off her tiny body until there was almost nothing left. Among all the minutiae of information concerning her medical history, both remote and recent, this last bit of information about her ravenous appetite was the most important.

The first two most likely medical conditions to suspect in an old cat which is losing weight but has an increased appetite are hyperthyroidism and diabetes. Blood tests were performed, which revealed that Michia was suffering from the former rather than the latter.

Hyperthyroidism is the medical term for overactive thyroid glands. It is a very common disorder in both male and female cats older than seven years and rarely occurs in cats younger than that. It also happens to be a condition that humans suffer from when the thyroid glands become overactive.

Just as with humans, in cats the source of hyperthyroidism is the thyroid glands, which are situated in the neck area. When they become overactive, they start to produce an increased amount of the thyroid hormone.

Among other functions, the thyroid hormone helps to control the metabolic rate of the body. When the thyroid starts to malfunction, it can either increase or decrease its activity relative to the normal levels of activity. A decrease in activity is referred to as hypothyroidism and tends to occur in dogs rather than cats. An increase in activity, that is, hyperthyroidism, such as in Michia’s case,which occurs in cats rather than in dogs. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can have dramatic effects upon the sufferer.

Initially, cats suffering from hyperthyroidism will exhibit a confused variety of symptoms but specific signs will develop over time and become increasingly severe.

As the condition worsens, cats will burn up energy at a very fast rate. Apart from the aforementioned increased appetite (polyphagia), weight loss and unkempt fur, all of which are classic symptoms of hyperthyroidism, there could also be increased thirst (polydipsia).

The cat’s heart rate will increase considerably and, if left untreated, could result in heart failure. Many other complications, such as high blood pressure and kidney or liver disease, could develop as well.

Pets suffering from hyperthyroidism will also become increasingly excitable and restless, and possibly irritable. Irrespective, the cause of hypo- or hyperthyroidism is a growth on the thyroid glands. This growth is not necessarily detectable by palpation or ultrasound, but it can be very well diagnosed by specific blood tests that measure the hormone levels.

Like most four-legged creatures, cats have paired thyroid glands to the right and left of the neck. In over 70 per cent of cases, hyperthyroidism is caused by a non-cancerous growth of both sides called nodular hyperplasia.

It is very similar to the hyperthyroidism in humans which causes goitre. In rare cases, the cause of hyperthyroidism is a malignant growth on the thyroid glands but, thankfully, this was not the case with poor Michia. The good news is that there exist various forms of management which comprise both medical treatment, as well as a specific diet, which control the amount of thyroid hormone secreted by the body by keeping iodine at strictly essential levels.

Since iodine is essential for the formation of the thyroid hormone, the diet achieves this by limiting the amount of iodine consumed. With insufficient amounts of iodine available in the body, the thyroid gland is subtly regulated to its normal levels of activity. The fact that a veterinary pet nutrition company undertook the research and development of just such a diet confirms the prevalence of this condition among the feline population. This type of diet is available from your veterinarian since it is, essentially, a medicated food that is available only upon prescription.

Old age is not a disease, but it is a fact that in older age the body has increased probability of malfunctioning. Luckily for Michia and other cats like her, there are viable solutions that could either resolve or control the ailment to the extent that it considerably improves their quality of life in their final years.

Michia has of course already started her treatment and is now on a strictly controlled medicated diet. I look forward to reviewing her progress, which I hope shall have a positive outcome, both for her sake, as well as her loving owners.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.