A Stray Cat Story - A cat named George. Part One.

In mid April 2014, I shared the following story with my animalclinic family members on the Russell Vale Animal Clinic Facebook page.

It was just to share that we had a new cat with us at our vet hospital, and to share the story of how he came to be with us.  It was also hoped to remind cat owners to check their cat's nails, and that good appetite does not mean good health.

The  response that followed was overwhelming, and unexpected.  The response oozed love and compassion for George.

(Please note, there are some graphic photos near the end)

Here is what I wrote...

Here is George

"Introducing George. If you have been in to see us in the past few weeks, you might have seen this old gentleman walking around the place. Well, he has a sad story.

 He came in a few weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon found on the side of the road all skin and bone. Some Good Samaritans found him on the side of the road in the gutter, not moving. He looked so bad that they thought he should be euthenased.

 Well, I had to examine him first. I looked at his eyes, and he wasn't ready to go yet - he had severely overgrown nails (they were digging into his feet), and he was skin and bone. We trimmed his nails and started him on antibiotics. The beautiful boy was so happy afterwards he rubbed his head against us - it made us cry. We know we made the right decision then.

 We scanned him for a microchip - he doesn't have one. We fed him, wormed and gave him flea treatments. He ate so well, we thought he was sure to put on weight.

 He looks a lot better than he did, but he still isn't putting on much weight. So we did blood tests on the weekend, and sadly, confirmed that he had hyperthyroidism.

 Hyperthyroidism is a common hormonal condition of cats older than 12 years of age, and means that he is producing too much thyroid hormone, so he can never fill himself up. It is the reason why we recommend blood testing of all cats who are older than 12 years of age.

 Now comes our dilemma - should we euthenase him or treat him. The ideal treatment is radioactive iodine therapy (only 4 centres offer this in NSW) and this costs around $1100, the next best option is tablets twice a day which will cost around $40/month. And the third option is to euthenase him - and we can't bring ourselves to do that quite yet.

 Well, the tablets have been ordered from the compounding pharmacist, and hopefully we will be able to start him on medication before Easter.

 Please send good wishes to George, and when you are next in, come and give him a pat." 

I shared the story with everyone because I wanted everyone to know share George's beauty, and to also make them aware that as cats get older, they are unable to care for their nails as they used to.  George's nails had grown so long, that they had dug into his feet so he was unable to walk. (graphic picture below)

Nails do not belong in footpads!  These were infected and very very painful for him.

I also wanted to share that older cats will eat extraordinarily well - but this does not mean that they are healthy.  In fact, it can mean the opposite.  George weighed 2.8 kg when he came in, and he ate so well, that he went up to 3.1 kg - and there he stayed.  At that point, we then ordered blood tests for him, and found that he had some liver enzyme increases, but that he also had hyperthyroidism.  This meant that he would never be able to fill himself up - his body is running on overdrive.

As I said earlier, the response on Facebook was overwhelming  - to answer some of the questions asked.

How old is he?  

Well, his age is hard to determine because the hyperthyroidism makes him look alot older than he probably is.  He would have to be at least 12 years of age, as we know that hyperthyroidism is an old cat disease.  His joints are too mobile too, as a result of his overgrown nails - he had to try to move somehow, which again makes him look older than he probably is.  But at a rough guess, we think he is around 15 years old. 

Where was he found? 

He was found in Woonona.  We have gone through our Lost/Found book and also online, and there are no cats that matches his description.  This means that either he is a true "community cat" which everyone feeds but no one takes responsibility for, or some other horrible thought (his owners did not care). 

What are your plans for him? 

His care falls under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, where we are only required to give him emergency first aid and also the authority to euthenase if required.  Obviously we didn't euthenase him, and we have done more than basic first aid too. 

Our immediate plan is to keep him happy, and safe.  Give warmth, food and shelter (and lots of love too). We have ordered medication to treat his hyperthyroidism, and will assess his response to that in a months time with blood work. In other words, we will do whatever is necessary to keep George happy, healthy and pain free.

We know that we will have to make a decision to euthenase him at some point, but we hope it will be later, not sooner.  It all depends on how he responds to the medication, and how he is in himself.  

Finally...

If you are in our neck of the woods, why not drop in to meet George (although he does sleep alot, like any cat).  He is a friendly, gentle cat despite his thyroid condition.  We hope that we can give him some happy memories in the twilight of his life.  He certainly is bemused by the interest in his little life - what a true gentleman.

I am Dr Liz, the mad vet in Bellambi Lane.  I promise to keep you updated on George's progress here, on Facebook and Instagram. 

Can I ask you all a big favour?  If you have a cat that is older than 12, eating well - then ask your vet for a thyroid test for them.  Cats should be tested for this each 12 months.  Dogs should be tested annually no matter how old they are.