the cats meow

Re: the cats meow

Kate Richardson — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:35:14 GMT

With voice loss in cats I usually think laryngitis first, and treat as such; I usually find corticosteroids more effective than NSAIDs., sometimes antibiotics as well, usually use doxycycline Then if no better, think other laryngeal disease such as neoplasia and paralysis- apparently voice loss is one of the most common signs of laryngeal paralysis in cats! Have never diagnosed one I have to say, but it may also fit with pressure from a growth? In fact I think all cats I have seen with voice loss have resolved with anti-inflammatories.

Re: the cats meow

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:35:08 GMT

[quote user="Gareth C."]Might need to man up and open him up . Usually enjoy thyroidectomies but different in your own cat[/quote]Indeed grow some!

My cat was eating a lot more and losing weight so he came in for some blood tests, I found a unilateral goitre so I just removed it even before I had the T4 result (which was incidentally high). I actually wouldn't have been as cavalier with a clients at but I couldn't be arsed having him again.

He is now doing well and T4 remains normal but although it didn't change he never had a very good meow to start with!!

Re: the cats meow

Gareth C. — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:13:19 GMT

Thanks martin. Might need to man up and open him up . Usually enjoy thyroidectomies but different in your own cat

Re: the cats meow

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:32:10 GMT

Not quite, but we did have a cat recently that had a parathyroid tumour associated with a large cyst although it was euthyroid. I performed a thyroid/parathyroiedectomy and his voice has returned. I assumed it was something to do with the size of the cyst pressing on the larynx or affecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve and I wasn't sure I hadn't caused iatrogenic damage during surgery because unlike with a normal thyroidectomy I never identified it. All was well in the end though.