Question:
I've been worried about Miranda lately - my female kitty (spayed) of 7yrs.

She's appeared to be losing weight despite a good diet and a healthy appetite. And, her pretty coat has been looking lack-lustre, sparse and bedraggled. Cats do sleep a lot, but I wondered if it was my imagination..or was she sleeping more?

I brought her to the vet yesterday, where he found her weight down only 5 ozs in the past year, and a basic check of her showed all ok. Her kidneys were small, he said, but then offered as she is a tiny cat (5.4 lbs) this wasnt so unusual.

He had no explanation for her poor coat condition, and didnt think she appeared too thin.. which to me she does.
I know what she "should" look like. I really felt something was different.. and wrong.
He offered to do a blood panel if I wanted one, which I did.
Today he called to say this came back with high calcium levels.

He wants to redo these again in 2 weeks, in case they are a false reading.
If accurate, further tests will be done.

I've read through all the conditions that "might" be the cause of high calcium levels in cat and dogs. cancer, kidney failure, hyperparathyroidism, getting myself all stressed.

Now I am just hoping that this elevated level is wrong.
Are incorrect lab readings a very common thing for basic blood work results?

I wondered if others had experience with high calcium levels in their cats, and if so, what the cause and treatments were?

Answer:
I've read through all the conditions that "might" be the cause of high calcium levels in cat and dogs. cancer, kidney failure, hyperparathyroidism, getting myself all stressed.
Are those caused by high calcium or do those cause high calcium?

The blood tests would have shown kidney issues right away, IMO, if there were any. For cancer, there would probably be elevated white blood cells, too, I would imagine.

What is she eating right now?

Answer:
Originally Posted by Prin
Are those caused by high calcium or do those cause high calcium?

The blood tests would have shown kidney issues right away, IMO, if there were any. For cancer, there would probably be elevated white blood cells, too, I would imagine.

What is she eating right now?

Prin, those are some of the conditions that "might" be present with high calcium levels... from what I have read so far
one link:
http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cblood.html#Hypercalcemia in cats and elevation in the alanine


Miranda eats Felidae dry and until recently Innova tinned.

I switched to Felidae tinned few weeks ago, after recall info indicated Innova tinned was using Menu Food plant.)

Answer:
Did the vet do a thyroid check? I believe the thyroid is instrumental in the body processing calcium.

Answer:
From your link:
Rechecking the blood work is a good first step, because calcium levels are probably the least reliable of the blood chemistry tests, at least from our lab. It isn't unusual at all for us to find a high calcium level that is never repeated on subsequent testing. It is best, when possible, to test for ionized calcium levels when hypercalcemia is present, because this is the active form of calcium in the body and it helps to know if it is being regulated properly even though total calcium is high.
So the tests, according to them, are not reliable.

And this from the link, too:
Low serum phosphorous levels are also expected with primary hyperparathyroidism, although they also occur when malignant cancers are the cause of the high calcium levels.
So for cancers and hyperparathyroidism, the phosphorus should be low too.

And this:
Kidney failure in cats is another common cause of high blood calcium
levels. Usually, the lab work would have clear signs of kidney failure,
such as increases in the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine
levels. Since that doesn't seem like the case, this is less likely to be the
problem.
So IMO, because it was just the calcium that was high, it's very likely that they were inaccurate blood test results.

Answer:
Originally Posted by TeriM
Did the vet do a thyroid check? I believe the thyroid is instrumental in the body processing calcium.

That's a great idea! If she's hyperthyroid, she might not be making bone well, and her weight would be dropping too.

Answer:
In this link it states that high calcium levels in cats could be " indicators of certain types of tumors, parthyroid , or kidney disease. It may also indicate poor metabalism of fats and protein.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/labreports.html

Based on the other symptoms I would guess a thyroid issue. I would think if it was a tumor or kidney issue that other indicators would be present from the blood tests.

Answer:
Thanks Terri and Prin!
I missed that accuracy info in that link, Prin. I've bookmarked so many. That makes me feel better.
I only found out about this after dinner tonight.. I will get a copy of the report tomorrow.
The vet did not indicate any other of her blood work results were abnormal.. so they must be ok.
He said if it comes up again the same will order a parathyroid test, and take it from there..

Answer: