Accepted Answer

You've provided an excellent description and while it might seem your cat is bi-polar, chances are that this is thyroid disease and yes, it can be treated.


At this age he might respond to a nutritional modification to change it, but if not, thyroid meds are available once your vet does a blood test and confirms presence of disease.

There are a few things that may be wrong with a cat’s thyroid, causing different symptoms that vary from behavior changes like you've described, to vocal impairments.

Typical symptoms for hyperthyroidism is weight loss and hyperactivity, but sometimes it’s more subtle. There could be changes in fur condition (often matted or oily), increased thirst, becoming aggressive or seemingly frightened of everything. You might also feel a lump at the lower throat area of your cat’s neck.

Some cats, rather than becoming hyperactive lose their energy or teeter between being overly active and then lethargic.

Hypothyroidism is a lesser seen thyroid disease in cats, where the gland is underactive. With this type of thyroid disorder the animal is often overweight, sluggish, lethargic and may eat constantly.

The thing I'm wondering about is how accurate the other family might be about his age. There have no been virtually no cases of feline hyperthyroidism in cats under 6-7 years old.

http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/FAQ/Endocrinology/Thyroid_Feline.php

treatments are available and must be determined by your vet after a hands on exam. Blood tests should include T3 and T4 blood chemistries. Be forewarned though, more than 40% of cats with T3/T4 chemistries within normal ranges will still have hyperthyroidism.

You might want to print this link out and share it with your vet. Unless they’re feline specialists or have seen a lot of feline thyroid disease, it’s very easy to take the blood results at face value

http://www.gcvs.com/imaging/feline_hyperthyroidism.htm

There are remissions in anywhere from 20 to 80% of cats when they are treated appropriately.

While many commercial diets are available and your decision, along with recommendations by your vet, this site is very innovative and informed about diet needs as well. See here for more

Other conditions may mimic thyroid disease, including diabetes, so you really shouldn’t put off a vet visit in order to insure your companions health

There's a product on the market called "Feliway" – it’s a plug in, like an air freshener, but of pheromones that humans can't detect/smell.

 

It helps calm cats, reduces acting out, aggression and if it's ever a problem, inappropriate urination/marking.

 

It’s important to continue through at least 3 refills (each refill lasts about 3 months) – and be very sure you don’t let the device go dry between refills.

 

It can be supplemented with a room spray, but the room spray won’t work by itself since the animal needs more long-term exposure to it.

 

It's available in PetSmart and other stores, plus of course online.

 

 

Between a screening for health problems and nutritional modification combined with pheromone treatment - I believe you'll find a big difference

Expert:	S. August Abbott, CAS
Pos. Feedback:	99.7 %
Accepts:	1605
Answered:	3/20/2009

Own Animal Care/Rescue Org.

Up to 300 cats saved each year; Animal Care author; Behavior & Nutrition Consults