Experience With Hyperthyroidism in Cats?

Yuban3 · ‎03-10-2010

I just found out that my dad's 10 year old cat has hyperthyroidism. The vet recommended that we start him on meds, twice daily, and to recheck in three weeks.

Has anybody here gone through this with their cat(s)?

What can I expect?

What started off as a routine teeth cleaning, has discovered this. So, I guess it was good that I scheduled to have his teeth cleaned, otherwise, who knows how long this would have gone undetected. Needless to say, the teeth cleaning is now off. The vet also said that the hyperthyroidism may be contributing to his heart murmur.

Any advice, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Smile

Was Yuban, then changed to Plaid Pants due to forum upgrade, and apparently, I'm back to being Yuban.

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

My kitty, Rick, has it. He lost a considerable amount of weight before he was diagnosed a couple years ago. It took forever to get the right level of pills. He takes 3 pills a day. I bought prescription insurance at Walgreens, which helps alot with the cost of the pills.

Rick has a hearty appetite. He's always been a piggy, but it's a tad worse. He takes his pills alright. It's hard to tell if his behaviors changing are because of it or because he's soon to be 17. He's very perky and alert, but he sleeps more. Every couple months he goes through a day or two where he eats little.

The vet is happy with his blood work and says feed him whatever he wants. I take him in 3x a year for a blood test. Every other visit, he has a checkup. He hates riding in the car, so that's been my biggest struggle. He gets so nervous that he poops in his carrier. It's a successful outing if nobody has any on them.

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

Yes, I had a geriatric cat with borderline hyperT. He had a heart murmur that advanced to HCM and then heart failure, but he did very well. He also had kidney disease then failure eventually, but our vet kept him pretty well balanced

The delicate balance of hyperT is that treatment for it can mask worsening kidneys (always a problem with cats as they age), so you need a vigilant vet who will regularly check blood values. The medicine is a tough balance; most vets start too high and then tweak the doses.

The pill form is also bitter; you might want to put it in a pill pocket, or ask your doctor to have a compounding pharmacy mix it in the gel form, which you just rub in their ears.

Ask where your cat is in the range of it....if he's just over the border, the meds can start out lower instead of the "typical" starting dose. The medicine can cause vomiting, stomach upset or lethargy if it's started out too heavy-handed, FYI.

It's important to treat hyperT because if unchecked and/or as it advances, it does cause heart damage.

Here's a link to some good info on it as a starter: http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm

Good luck -- hope this helps!

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

I did the pills for a few days, but they turned my Coon into a zombie and she was puking a lot. Once I stopped the pills, she was "normal" again and I booked with Radiocat for the radioactive iodine treatment. It bought us another year and a half, but ultimately she succombed to kidney failure. I would do it again, if I had another kitty who was hyperthyroid.

okBlonde · ‎09-23-2013

I would do what lolakimono did with hers. Radiocat. My cat Snowbell became hyperthyroid at around age 16. Numerous bloodworks stressed her out, as well as daily pilling. In the end, her TSH level skyrocketed almost overnight and we couldn't get it under control. Radiocat costs around $1500.00 around here, but if I added up all the lab work and pills it probably cost about the same.

mousiegirl · ‎03-09-2010

A friend was going to another state, and she and her SO were going to live on a boat, so I took her 14 year old cat which had this condition. She was on meds, then began to decline. Surgery was performed to remove the thyroid, and then was on meds for a few years before she passed. I would where she was sent to recover after surgery, she couldn't breathe, so back we went to discover her potassium was too low. I then had to admionister drops to her several times a day for a few weeks, not pleasant.

okBlonde · ‎09-23-2013

On 4/12/2014 mousiegirl said:
A friend was going to another state, and she and her SO were going to live on a boat, so I took her 14 year old cat which had this condition. She was on meds, then began to decline. Surgery was performed to remove the thyroid, and then was on meds for a few years before she passed. I would where she was sent to recover after surgery, she couldn't breathe, so back we went to discover her potassium was too low. I then had to admionister drops to her several times a day for a few weeks, not pleasant.

Most vets won't even suggest surgery to remove the thyroid gland, it's too risky.

mousiegirl · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/12/2014 Indy-Blonde2 said:
On 4/12/2014 mousiegirl said:
A friend was going to another state, and she and her SO were going to live on a boat, so I took her 14 year old cat which had this condition. She was on meds, then began to decline. Surgery was performed to remove the thyroid, and then was on meds for a few years before she passed. I would where she was sent to recover after surgery, she couldn't breathe, so back we went to discover her potassium was too low. I then had to admionister drops to her several times a day for a few weeks, not pleasant.

Most vets won't even suggest surgery to remove the thyroid gland, it's too risky.

This was many years ago, and she did well for another two years, but still, unless it were a young animal, I wouldn't do it again.

midwestgal · ‎12-27-2011

My cat Sami was diagnosed at 12 yrs old with hyperthyroidism and I used the ear gel successfully for 5 years before I lost her at age 17. I tried pills for about a week and realized how stressful it was for her and treatment would be for the rest of her life. I felt that even though the pills would probably be better absorbed, the ear gel kept me from having to fight her every single day.

sue52 · ‎04-12-2010

Agree with lolakimono and indyblonde2. The radioactive treatment is the best way to go. At ten, your kitty is fairly young. My first cat, Homer was diagnosed with hyper-T at about 17-18 years old. I pilled him twice a day. He did have a heart murmur. Towards the end his kidneys were beginning to fail. I count myself fortunate that I had him for as long as I did. He passed at 24 years old. So you see, there is no predicting how long they will live with this disease. If you add up all the pills and doctors visits and lab work over the years, it would far exceed the cost of Radiocat. Hope this helps.