Blood tests were run and his Calcuim came back elevated (11.8) - everything else was within levels. I am having a Free T4 done on him (his T4 was 2.8) to rule out any thyroid issues. She kept mentioning Albumin (3.6). I was just leaving work when she called and it was raining and I was kind of overwhelmed. Does anyone have any experience with a cat who has elevated Calcium?

There seem to be alarm bells sounding here when there is no fire. If you're really concerned about the slightly elevated Ca, have an ionized calcium test run. If the iCa comes back normal, then your cat has no calcium problem.

You can read more about hypercalcaemia at the link below.

Laurie

I think my Vet is concerned because of the weight loss and because my other elderly, hyperthyroid cat was actually able to gain weight while Ernie who has always been chubby has lost what she calls a dramatic amount (over a pound) in less that a year. I think she is ruling out thyroid because of the weight loss - she did state he has no obvious clinical signs but she wanted be be absolutely certain because they don't always manifest. I caught Jack's hyperthyroidism very early on and he has been doing very well for years and still has no problems with his kidneys. She knows that I am on top of my animal's heath and the fact that I brought Ernie in early with concerns raised a red flag.

She told me the next step would be to wait and retest his calcium - I don't know if she meant the ionized calcium test or not but I will request it. She also told me that she has seen older cats with higher calciums levels with no underlying cause and she has also seen cats with higher calcium levels who had lymphoma. She said she wanted me to be prepared for all scenarios.

These are Ernie's officual results:

T4 = 2.8 (range is 0.8-4.0)

Calcium = 11.8 (range is 8.2-10.8)

Albumin = 3.6 (range is 2.5-3.9)

Would you consider 11.8 Calcium slightly elevated or high?

Were any of Ernie's other blood values out of normal range? How about his phosphorus. Typically when calcium rises, phos does also.

Laurie

I'd run just an ionized calcium because 1) that's the one that matters to the body and 2) I doubt anything is wrong with the calcium. I am very familiar with the MSU test and it costs $200. Most regular labs run an ionized calcium for much less money.

Hypercalcemia can be indicative of primary hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia of malignancy, acute or chronic renal failure (most cats will also have high phosphorus), granulamtous diseases (eosinophilic granuloma complex, etc), Addison's disease (extremely rare in cats), vitamin D toxicosis, osteolytic disease (destruction of bone), and the ever-popular idiopathic hypercalcemia of cats.

But the first step is to confirm hypercalcemia. I'd run an iCa and go from there. At that total calcium level, I'd be surprised if there was a real hypercalcemia problem. I'd not even check a fT4 in a cat with a TT4 of 2.8.

How are his teeth? In my patients, the single most common cause of weight loss in a cat is dental disease.

Laurie

laurief and meghane - I would like to thank you both very much for all of your input. I have had other kitty health issues and your both have been very informative and helpful. I appreciate that you both take the time to respond very quickly. Your knowledge throughout the years has been invaluable to me.

I was told by my vet the elevated Calcium levels can either mean thyroid disease is present, or Cancer is present somewhere in the body.

I lost my elderly cat Jack who was diagnosed as hyperthyroid in 2004 earlier this year.

I would like to thank laurief, meghane and countless others who have been a great source of information and comfort throughout the years. My two girls are fairly healthy - one has resorptive lesions (she had a tooth pulled last year) and the other has some mild allergy issues (she is double clawed - I think it is called horned paws) and this forum is the first place I go when I need someone to "talk" to.