Our 14 year old female cat, who has been completely healthy to this point, began having increased water intake a few months ago. Last week she became very lethargic (even her meow and hiss were lacking normal energy), very needy (always wanting to cuddle, which is not typical for her personality), and had a very decreased appetite (she was eating, but only about 1/4 of what she would normally eat). A visit to the vet resulted in blood tests, urinalysis, and xray. We don't have specifics but can get them if needed. Vet said he would be looking at these possibilities: kidney disease/function problems, diabetes, and cancer, based on her symptoms. Well, she had a "slightly elevated blood calcium" (vet's words) level, and her urine has oxyalate crystals. Xrays were normal. Vet said no sign of kidney dysfunction or diabetes from these tests. Vet suspects cancer. Vet wants to run a 2nd fasting blood test but suspects it will only show higher elevated calcium levels than the non-fasting blood test already done. Our questions are: 1.) Could these symptoms and test results so far be indicative of anything else other than a cancer (or are we in denial here?), and 2.) What is the purpose of a 2nd blood test in which cat fasts for 12 hours prior? Would this just confirm the level of calcium in blood or could it lead to another diagnosis instead? 3.) Is there further testing that should be done to confirm that this really is a cancer (given that we cannot proceed to treating cancer at this point) or to rule out other possible causes/illnesses? Intersting to note that a week later, her appetite improved slightly to eating about 1/2 of what she'd normally eat, but her lethargy and water intake remains unchanged from when she first showed signs of this illness.
