I like to write non-book posts every now and then. I posted a photo of Lucy on my last Wordless Wednesday post and today I thought I’d write a post specifically about her.
Lucy has always been a small cat and at first we weren’t worried when she started to lose weight because she is 15 and older cats do lose weight and she was still very active. But when she got so thin that I could feel each vertebra and she was always wanting food, but not eating it we took her to the vet. She has hyperthyroidism, which is apparently common in older cats causing high energy, as well as weight loss. She has also become much more vocal than ever before.
We have to give her one tablet a day and she seems to be responding well and has put on a bit of weight, but the drawback is that she’ll have to take them every day for the rest of her life. It is not easy giving them to her! She is very strong and determined that she does not want them. It’s a struggle just to get her to open her mouth. The vet has given us a pill popper, which does make it a bit easier.
Here are some more photos.
She was a tiny, tiny kitten who fitted easily into the palm of my hand – a bundle of energy who climbed up my legs, using her claws like crampons.
Here she is in the garden demonstrating the perfect cat stretch! I wish I could do Pose of a Cat like that!
In the next photo I’m not sure what you call this jump – maybe “Let Me Out”. She was actually on her way down and had reached the handle, maybe she was trying to look out of the window! She is, like other cats, fearless of heights. Somewhere I have a photo of her walking on the scaffolding when we had an extension built on the house and whilst she was still a very tiny kitten she jumped out of an upstairs bedroom window.
This is a good Scratching Post:
And this is her favourite tree – on the lookout for birds:
BooksPlease 
Lucy’s a beautiful cat – and obviously very talented. Our cat Rose had the same problem with hyperthyroidism and I know how hard it can be to get Lucy to take that pill! But Rose lived to a fine old age – she was 23 when she died and had lived with the thyroid problem for over ten of those years. Wish I had known about “pill poppers” – we definitely could have used one!
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Thank you, JLS that is so comforting! We had a dog, who was diabetic and we had to give him an injection every day – that was easier than giving Lucy a pill, but I hated doing it.
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I love these photos! Lucy is just adorable. I’m glad she is responding to the medication, but I know how hard it is giving pills to an animal. The dog I had growing up was named Lucy, too.
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posts about animals is always welcome! indeed it’s not always easy on our pets as it isn’t easy for ourselves getting older. I had a cat that turned diabetic and I had to give her insulin shots twice a day.. she “rulled” my life for 6 yrs never able to be away from my apt past 6 pm when her nightly shot was due..but what a great cat she was, and well worth the inconvience!!
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Lucy is lovely!
Our cat Jack will not take pills at all. I give him two shots a day for his diabetes, and that is no problem at all. But pills? Forget it. He fights, scratches and bites. I have to crush them to a powder and mix them with a small amount of canned food, then not feed him again until he eats it. My brother wraps his cat’s thyroid meds in some kind of soft cat treat and she will eat that right up. Maybe one of those methods would work? I also had an epileptic dog for eight years that needed meds twice a day, and Max has meds I mix with his food for his hip dysplasia. I’m all kinds of familiar with extended pet care. :-) And I agree with Deslily. They are worth every inconvenience! And I know you already know that. :-)
Lezlie
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She is a cute old girl. We have one that is 84 in human years and does not look it, but she is always hungry and chubby too :)
Giving a cat a pill is just awful. My friend had to give her cat thyroid pills and this worked. Bury the pills in tiny cheese balls, steak pieces and pork. Might be worth a shot? Good luck to both of you. LOL
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Lucy is adorable. You are such a good owner. I know it’s hard to get pills down a cat’s throat, I’ve tried. I think it was much easier giving a former cat a twice a day insulin injection because he was diabetic then when we’d have to give him a pill for some reason. Maybe like Diane suggested, hiding the pill in something tasty will work. Good luck!
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What a sweet cat. Best of luck with the pills – I developed a grab and swaddle technique which kept legs out of the way, but our Maddie was a crafty little one and would do her utmost not to swallow. She survived to 20 which is good for a Burmese. Two years on I still miss her though …
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Lucy is lovely–her kitten picture is adorable, of course, but I love the one in the trees, peeking out. Good luck with dispensing the pills–it’s not easy but you can get them down her…for her own good :)
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I’ve never had cats but I know how tricky it can be to get the dogs to take tablets – we must resort to subterfuge, disguising the pill in all manner of tasty foodstuffs. Good luck with Lucy!
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Lucy is beautiful. My oldest cat (Maia) is also hyperthyroid and takes 1.5 pills a day – we use these little treats especially designed to give pills (there is a hollow center where you shove the pill in and then squeeze it shut). She LOVES them and gobbles them right down, no problem.
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Oh my goodness, it sounds like you’ve just diagnosed my cat! Our 17-year-old cat has lost a lot of weight, always wants food, and is much more vocal than she used to be. I’m taking her to the vet asap! Could be hyperthyroidism…
Thanks! And Lucy is lovely :)
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She’s such a sweet cat! I have a calico cat and she’s also a very petite little girl. She recently had to have her teeth cleaned and in the end had to have three extracted. I knew she was having gum issues, but I had no idea that they would have to take any out. I felt terrible. And she felt worse as we had to give her antibiotics, which were in a liquid form–I had a stopper to use to squirt it into her mouth, and boy did she not want to take it! It took two of us to get it in and she squirmed incessantly during the procedure. I can only imagine having to give her a daily pill, so I’m sympathetic to what you have to go through!! :)
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I have a cat with hyperthyroidism as well. She underwent expensive radiation therapy, but now I’m afraid the problem is back as she’s starting to lose weight again. How does a pill popper work?
I love the photos of your Lucy!
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My Lucy is also 15 and hyperthyroid – still doing well after nearly three years on tapazole. My vet recommended we use a compound to deliver Lucy’s medicine and it has worked like a charm! The tapazole is made into a cream that is rubbed into the inner ear. Ask your vet to recommend a pharmacist certified in compounds (they make them for humans too). I am convinced this has contributed to Lucy’s long life — rubbing the compound in her ear each day has become an easy (and usually enjoyable) chore. Good luck!
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Good luck with Lucy :-)
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