My cat's coat looks greasy and unkempt. Is he sick or hyperthyroid?

Hello sorry to hear about Norman. The behavioral changes, the weight loss, and unkempt coat are all signs of hyperthyroidism. If you are also seeing a ravenous appetite (hence the hunting) and increased drinking and urination they may also fit with hyperthyroidism. The only way to know is to test his blood and measure the levels of thyroid hormone. In the mean time, ensure he has adequate access to water and food until you are able to take him to your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Unregulated hyperthyroidism can increase metabolism, making it more difficult to gain weight. This can also lead to less grooming and an unthrifty coat in some cases. Your vet should be able to track Grace's T4 (thyroid hormone) level and regulate the dose of her medication accordingly. I typically recheck a T4 and kidney values 2 weeks after changing methimazole doses. Grace may have been a bit stressed from her grooming, causing her uneasiness. Unfortunately, once cats are fully grown there is not definitive way of determining age. Most cats that develop hyperthyroidism are older (usually 10-12 at time of diagnosis), so this might give you a very rough way of estimating Grace's age.

Older cats like your kitty often get an overactive thyroid which will show weight loss, a really fast heart rate, sometimes vomiting, and more vocalisation than usual. Some cats get skittish as well. Hyperthyroidism can actually cause heart problems and mask kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is easily diagnosed with a clinical exam and a little blood test and there are various treatments available, varying from Methimazole transdermal ointment or tablets to slow down thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy. If your kitty is suffering from hyperthyroidism your vet will discuss the various options. I suggest you make an appointment tomorrow.

I think you are correct with your suspicion, kidney or thyroid disease are a possibility and a simple blood test (including T4 for thyroid) will be able to detect those diseases and hopefully it will come back negative so you can have peace of mind.

If he seems to be losing weight, I would make sure her thyroid level was tested. If so, the skin could be due to an allergy or other skin condition. Thyroid level being high can cause skin and hair changes so I would first get this level checked out. As for the skin, you can use Douxo PS calm shampoo and mousse, both of which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. It is very common for the coat to become a little more brittle as pets age. Tony is probably grooming a little less, too, so the oils in the coat are not being distributed as well as in a younger animal. all of this is very normal. If you suspect that Tony may have a bit of arthritis, talk to your vet about starting him on a glucosamine supplement, Adequan injections, or even some more directed analgesic medications. He may groom a bit more with this. But otherwise, I would not be too concerned. You have done a great job keeping him so healthy for all these years! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would recommend getting her in sooner than February. Weight loss usually means something more than just not liking a new food, such as intestinal parasites, endocrine disorder (such as hyperthyroidism), kidney disease, etc. The greasy coat could be from the lack of grooming (either because she doesn't feel well or it is too painful to do so - oral pain or arthritis), but could also be cause by hyperthyroidism. Here is some helpful info on hyperthryoidism in cats: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=516