Thyroid problem in my cat

[bobbotie]

My 12 year old female tabby has just been diagnosed with a thryroid problem. Vet has recommended tablets, which won't be easy. Anyone had previous experience with cat with thyroid. What am I in for?

[jules77]

I havnt had personal experience, but believe it is quite common in cats........has your cat had blood tests, and has an operation been mentioned once she is stabalised?

Sometimes a diet high in iodine is also recommended.

[Lil'Lucy]

I found this for you on my vets website. Still not sure how to post a link so got to www.biltonvets.co.uk, follow the advice link and look at hyperthyroidism. Hope this helps

xxx Lucy

[Rosetta]

Good luck in getting her to take the medication. Can be real trial and error, my cat can detect a tablet at 200 paces lol

[stonekicker]

rosetta - same as mine. i have to wrap her up in a towel (to fend off the pointy toes!) and force feed her with one of those tablet dispenser thingys. it usually takes abut 50 attempts before the sludge is (mostly) i her mouth and then when i let her go, she gives me the most disgusted look and ignores me for days. cats - love 'em!

[Rosetta]

I hate those dispenser things, as does VIC (very important cat) As she has daily medication it can be a real battle of wills. At the moment we give her half a tin of the gourmet food with her pills crushed up in it. She then has her normal food. THere are days when she just ignores the whole thing.
Dont you just love them!!!

[Houdi]

My cat had an overactive thyroid. I had him on tablets for a while on the advice of the vet. They kept taking his bloods in order to monitor the effects of the tablets and we were told that they were working. My cat hates taking tablets so I opted for a more permanent solution to his problem and sent him for radioactive iodine treatment at the Royal Veterinary College in London. It turned out that our vet had been conning us. The Royal College explained that the type of equipment our vet was using to monitor our cat's thyroid level couldn't possibly have detected any changes because the levels were "astronomical". Once the levels get higher than a certain point, specialist equipment is needed. The Royal college said that the tablets couldn't possibly have had any effect on a cat that was so unwell. I had to leave my cat at the Royal College for a month which was very difficult but it was worth it. He was distressed on the journey there and back but was a popular and happy cat during his stay and was a changed cat when he came home. He had been skinny, fidgety and miserable before he went but he came back happy and relaxed. It's been a few years since the treatment and he's still OK. I would recommend radioactive iodene treatment if it's appropriate but be aware that it's not cheap - I paid over �1000 (most of which is the boarding costs for a month). Good luck, I hope your kitty feels better soon. Here's a video of my cat after he returned from the Royal College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIiSFs2F7UQ

[Rosetta]

LOL @ houdi. Glad he moved, was starting to wonder!!

[bensmum]

I was very interested to read Houdi's answer. I have an 18 year old cat with thyroid problems. This was first diagnosed when she was 13 and she was on tablets for a while before having part of her thyroid removed. The operation was a success for about 3 years but last year she started to lose weight again and tests showed that the problem had recurred. She is now on medication which keeps her weight reasonably controlled but she also has steroid injections to help her appetite and to improve muscle mass. Another operation is not an option as the remaining thyroid is in a difficult position and her heart rate is very high so she is on tablets again. Fortunately she is easy to medicate. If she were younger and in better health I would seriously consider the iodine treatment. You might wish to consider surgery if the iodine therapy is too expensive. Surgery and after care cost me about �180.

[Noweia]

Cats with hyperthyroidism can be treated in 4 ways: do nothing, surgically remove the thyroid, radioactive iodine and anti-thyroid tablets. Most people opt for tablets as they are cheaper than referral for surgery or for the radioactive treatment.

Unfortunately hyperthyroid cats are known for being grumpy, which doesn't make giving them tablets any easier! If they can be ground up, you could try mixing the ground tablet into butter and smearing it on your cats paw - as she licks it off she ingests the tablet. Hiding the tablets in food works if she doesn't poke around in it too much. You can also buy pill poppers from some places - you put the tablet at the end and it allows you to place the tablet at the back of the cats throat without you getting your fingers knawed ff in the process!

[kauaigirl]

i just took my 18 year old cat in and my vet said she has a thyroid problem and we will know for sure on Saturday. He said one of our options is a cream you rub on the inside of the ear daily and you can do that forever. You may want to ask your vet about the cream. I know there's no way my cat would take a pill. Good luck and aloha