Max Update
It turns out that Max (my cat, for those of yo who have not been following) has feline hyperthyroidism. A "high normal" thyroid hormone count is 46; Max's is currently at 143. Holy shit.
The good news is, this is a very common disease for cats, and thus much is known about it, and it is treatable. The bad news is that Max is getting at least one pill every day for the rest of his life. The oh-thank-God news is that the pills are relatively cheap: $40 for 100 tablets. Even if he ends up on the rare "needs high dosage" level of 2 tablets a day, that's still only $40 every month-and-a-half. Cakewalk.
One of the big warning signs that this disease is in progress is "pees a lot". Well, Max pees a lot. He's supposed to: he has had urinary tract infections in the past, and is now on a special diet that, among other things, makes him very thirsty, so that he will drink a lot, and thus pee a lot, in order to make sure he's properly flushed out. Awesome that this disease managed to hide as the successful symptoms from the treatment for his other disease (not to be confused with his other other disease, Feline Immunoperitonitis/FIPS).
So, to sum up: he's not healthy now, but he will be. We know what's wrong, and we know what to do about it, so all will be well.
Poor Maxxie. Pills forever. What an awesome morning ritual we will have. (And will I remember to wear pants this time? Oh, mais oui.)
The good news is, this is a very common disease for cats, and thus much is known about it, and it is treatable. The bad news is that Max is getting at least one pill every day for the rest of his life. The oh-thank-God news is that the pills are relatively cheap: $40 for 100 tablets. Even if he ends up on the rare "needs high dosage" level of 2 tablets a day, that's still only $40 every month-and-a-half. Cakewalk.
One of the big warning signs that this disease is in progress is "pees a lot". Well, Max pees a lot. He's supposed to: he has had urinary tract infections in the past, and is now on a special diet that, among other things, makes him very thirsty, so that he will drink a lot, and thus pee a lot, in order to make sure he's properly flushed out. Awesome that this disease managed to hide as the successful symptoms from the treatment for his other disease (not to be confused with his other other disease, Feline Immunoperitonitis/FIPS).
So, to sum up: he's not healthy now, but he will be. We know what's wrong, and we know what to do about it, so all will be well.
Poor Maxxie. Pills forever. What an awesome morning ritual we will have. (And will I remember to wear pants this time? Oh, mais oui.)