Update on butched-up cat.....

[antiguru]

For any of you who were intrigued by the butched-up cat question I posted last month�..

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Animals-and-Nat ure/Question484017.html

Vet says testosterone levels are suspiciously high and so there is something wrong. Because he was 11 years old before he started to show any of this behaviour one of the more likely theories is that he is developing testicular cancer. They tell me a surgical investigation is the only way to know for sure. It sounds like a minor procedure, so we'll do that

Meanwhile a mild dose of painkiller is making him less aggressive and he's more chilled around the house.

[Noweia]

I missed your first question but I'm intrigued! Other than the behaviour changes and him bulking up, is he drinking and urinating more than he used to? Is his appetite still the same or has it changed?

And when he was neutered, did they get both testicles out?

[antiguru]

Actually drinking less and at risk of dehydration. We have to make sure he drinks watered down evaporated milk everyday. Appetite about the same, but hard to tell as he�s had to become an indoor cat due to the taking-on-the-neighbours thing.

The vet treating him now is not the one who did his �nads in 1997, but we did consider this explanation. Doesn�t explain what happened for the last 11 years though� they wondered if one hadn�t developed enough to be taken out in �97, but you�d think the first vet would have mentioned it.

[Kleiber]

Thanks for keeping us updated, antiguru. I do hope it's nothing too serious. K xx

[Noweia]

It's a stumper!

Sometimes an animal can be cryptorchid, with one testicle remaining in the abdminal cavity or on it's way to the scrotum, and may not be removed during a normal castration. An abdominal testis may be more at risk to developing tumours.

Another thing I thought of was acromegaly, which makes the facial features grow bigger and courser - it can make a Siamese look like a backyard tom! It's often associated with diabetes, hence my asking about eating and drinking.