I also meant to post a little update on the cat with thyroid issues (for those few of you who are interested). This is the cat that my parents suspected had IBS.

Well, the doctor said it was possible, but she wanted to try something else first - that old cats sometimes lose a bit of "gut motility." So she suggested a daily dose of kitty laxative (basically it's a long chain polysaccharide - it's called Lactulose*) and a cat probiotic. (Yes, the same kind of thing that the Natren company sells - beneficial bacteria and all that). The vet's thought was that some of the waste products would be better metabolized with more bacteria in there (also reducing the strain on her kidneys, which I'm not sure I buy, but then I'm not a vet).

It seems to have worked. The cat is eating better, she's...um...having the expected 4-6 hour after-effect of having eaten better, she seems "brighter" (according to my mom), and she's not having the howling and apparent pain she had earlier.

so yay, kitty probiotics and lactulose.

(*It does say on there that flatulence is a side effect. Uh-oh. I don't know if any of you have had an experience with a flatulent kitty, but let's just say it's surprising and not pleasant. I suppose it's the mostly-protein diet. You have to learn to pick them up VERY gingerly lest you trigger something...)