Case summary This case report describes a 9-year-old neutered male cat with a functional adrenal tumor showing aggression toward other cats in the household, excessive meowing and urine spraying. The diagnosis was made based on the clinical signs, an enlarged right adrenal gland on ultrasound, penile spines and elevated sex hormones on an adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. The cat was submitted to celiotomy and adrenalectomy. Histopathological examination confirmed the adrenocortical adenoma. Three months after surgery the penile spines disappeared and urine spraying, as well as excessive meowing, had greatly decreased; however, aggressive behavior took much longer to stop and required behavior therapy. Relevance and novel information Functional adrenal tumors producing only sex hormones and behavioral changes are uncommon. The cat reported herein started showing behavioral changes before spines appeared on the penis, and structural alterations in the adrenal gland at the abdominal ultrasonography were detected. Considering all the possible implications resulting from severe behavior problems such as cat–cat aggression, from a permanent separation of the cats to relinquishment, a detailed investigation of underlying medical mechanisms in these animals is crucial from the start. Examinations may need to be repeated later in the course.
Primary hyperaldosteronism is a disease in which tumors or hyperplasias in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland induce hypersecretion of aldosterone. Effects are thus consistent with the actions of aldosterone in the body: increased sodium retention, increase of blood volume and increased renal excretion of potassium. Clinical signs are systemic hypertension and hypokalemic myopathy with generalized muscle weakness and even paresis. The most common biochemical findings are hypokalemia, elevated urea and creatinine concentration, hypomagnesemia, hypochloremia, and hypophosphatemia. Image of adrenals establishes the unilateral or bilateral involvement and the appropriate treatment for each patient. Medical treatment is symptomatic and consists of potassium supplementation, use of spironolactone and calcium channel blockers. Unilateral adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice, because it is curative and offers good prognosis.
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