My 18 year old cat started this a year ago. I didn't want to go to the vet and get a rx for special cat food, I just wanted to figure out why the rx food was different and diy. Finally figured out, it's iodide in the cat food. I must have googled my brains out. I didn't see iodide is bad! Anywhere! Like it's wiped from the internet. It was a chance comment I researched. IT'S literally in all stupid canned / dry cat food. YES my mom and me read almost every cat food can in the Petstore. So I stopped feeding her cat food. Within 3 days she went back to eating every 12 hours, stopped the incessant meowing and hunger/thirst and her coat was better and she gained weight. I couldn't f Word BELIEVE it! Frigging cat food was the problem. I actually do get the frozen cat food from the fridge in the pet store now because, No Iodide. It's packed with nutrition and is more pricey but you can control portion size. She gets that once a day and anything but CAT FOOD once a day. Usually raw chicken or whatever meat is in the fridge. I'll even give her turkey lunch meat but I prefer raw meat chopped up with a dash of coconut oil. The one that is netural so it doesn't taste like coconut. PH balanced water and a couple drops of diluted ACV 3 or 4 times a week. I've also treated her with food grade hydrogen peroxide drops in her water. She was a damn kitten again after 2 weeks. She had like 3 paws in the pet cemetery and that was 6 years ago.