My cat's health issues

Finally, after probably 6-7 years may have a real answer to her eating issues. I took her to our new vet (we moved a couple months ago) as she is not getting better as fast as she has in the past and just wanted to check on things. Had picked up her meds from her old vet a month ago when we had gone back there to get some things out of storage to bring here. Anyway new vet did full blood panel on her (she is 13-14) years old. Of course a couple of things being off that were expected and one that is not from the meds or her not eating. Her thyroid is way off. So she has a thyroid problem and this very well could be the entire cause of everything. We never even thought of that due her not eating as typically it causes excessive eating. She does have an overactive thyroid which should cause excessive eating. Also my vet likened it to Graves disease as to why it's only at times she has the issues. So now we have two options, radioactive iodine treatment or pills. The iodine treatment truly is the better option, but we have to come up with the money for that (which we are hoping to do in the next month or two). Then she also has a bad tooth, but we can't do anything with that until we get the thyroid fixed. It is just so good to finally have a real answer.

My dog has thyroid issues too. He was really low, but skinny as could be despite being fed a lot...which is very atypical. He has been on thyroid pills for six years now and doing very well...although it is probably easier to give pills to a 100 lb dog than a little kitty, all I do is toss it in his food.

I'm sorry your kitty isn't feeling well. I went through this with my cat, Sophie, last December. We opted for the radioactive thyroid treatment. Minus missing her for a few days and then not being able to pet her much when she came home, it was a painless procedure.

Talk to your vet, if you haven't already, about your cat's kidneys. Thyroid disease can mask kidney problems and also sort of keep them in check because of the increased blood volume that it causes. If your cat's kidneys are already failing, then pills or a transdermal application might be the better option. With careful monitoring, the vet can find a balance in treating both diseases.

Good luck with your kitty. I hope she feels better soon.

I'm glad you have some answers. My mom had a cat with similar problems. She decided against the radioactive iodine treatment due to the cat's age and temperament. He continued on the medication and did very well.

Good luck with your decision and your kitty.

Thanks gals for your experiences. I will talk with my vet about possible kidney issues as well.

Giving a cat a pill is not easy. What we've found is that if we get the pill to dissolve in water and then force feed it to her, she gets it, otherwise forget trying to pill her.

My Bonnie has been hanging in there with hyperthyroid disease for almost 3 years now (she's 17). I pill her twice a day, and she takes it well. I think she likes the attention. :o

The 4 am wake up calls, if I forget to give her a bedtime snack are rather rude. She IS hungry. :mad:

Don't let the tooth get out of control, bad teeth can cause other problems, like not eating, and a hyper-T cat needs to eat.

Don't worry, as soon as we get the thyroid under control the next step is getting the tooth fixed.

Koronin, those Greenies Pill Poppers things are a lifesaver. I had to use them for my sick cat before she died, and they must taste amazing. It's all she wanted to eat.

So sorry to hear about your poorly cat, sounds like it is a relief to finally know what has been wrong.

As they say, "keep taking the tablets little ol' puss".


Mind you, easier said than done.

Good luck to her anyway.

Talked with my vet about going with the radiation iodine (my grandmother is going to help us with the costs). My vet wants Tiger brought in tomorrow to get a urine sample and she said as long as that comes back good that she'll get me in touch with the clinic she'll be referring us to to get this treatment done.

Koronin, I have two cats which have had the radioactive iodine treatment for their hyperthyroidism. The clinic administering the treatment should require a complete blood panel, a urinalysis and possible x-rays before they approve the treatment. Once cleared for the treatment the clinic administering the radioactive iodine should, as part of the price for the treatment, complete a full body ultrasound. If the ultrasound does not reveal any issues they should administer the iodine. Once your cat comes home you will also have some special instructions to follow for a week or so given your cat will still be shedding radioactive particles. After the treatment you should be required to return to your vet for additional lab work (typically a month and three months post treatment). Kidney function needs to be closely monitored as hyperthyroidism actually does the kidneys a favor and once corrected can reveal kidney issues post treatment. Be sure to follow their directions to the letter regarding post lab work. Best of luck and keep us posted.

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Originally Posted by Koronin

Talked with my vet about going with the radiation iodine (my grandmother is going to help us with the costs). My vet wants Tiger brought in tomorrow to get a urine sample and she said as long as that comes back good that she'll get me in touch with the clinic she'll be referring us to to get this treatment done.

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PM me if you want - I'm close to your area and have some experience (I had a kitty go through it as did my mom at 2 different clinics). The vet hospital at NC State is really great - if your vet will work with them.

Thanks. My vet had the lab she sends stuff to do a full blood panel on Monday and is going to do the urinalysis tomorrow. (Don't know if the place doing the treatment will need to redo these two things as she will be sending the paperwork to them). I'll ask about the X-rays and ultrasound. My vet did say that she knew they would be sending her home with specific instructions and a specific type of litter she'll have to use. One thing I will have the ask the adminstering vet is if I need to make sure to keep her separated from our other cats? I'm thinking that would probably be a good idea anyway? I'll make sure to keep up with making sure she gets follow up blood panels done.

Thank you. I appreciate everyone who's dealt with this issue letting me know what to ask and what to look for/expect with things.

You do not need to keep your other pets separated, but you do need to limit the contact you and your family have with her for a week or two. You can pet her, but you shouldn't let her sit on your lap. You'll get really specific instructions with respect to that. Your other pets aren't at risk because, given their life span, the amount of radiation they're exposed to isn't as big of an issue.

Blueberry, it's a vet clinic in Wilmington that she works with that she is planning on sending me to. She told me, but I don't remember the name of it. I'll let you know when I find out the name again. I'm sure I'll be talking to you more as we get closer to getting this done and afterwards. It's nice to know there is someone close by (sort of) that I can rely on a bit as having been through this. Thank you.

Indysteel, that makes sense, plus with their ages it really wouldn't be an issue. Tiger is 13-14, Ariel is around 10-11 and Arwen is around 8 yrs old. I guess this is going to be one of those times it's a good thing my husband and I don't have kids. It's just the two of us and our three cats.

Update:
Tiger is at the vet right now for the radiation iodine treatment. Uranalysis done, ultra sound done today before admitting her. Kidneys look good. Her liver has some damage, which we figured. The vet told us there is a medication that can help to repair the damage to the liver which she is going to be putting Tiger on, and she is changing the antibiotic she is on for her bladder infection to what she considers a better medication (I do not remember what it is), but it also won't interact with the medication with for the liver. She said Tiger is a really good candidate for this as well as for the liver treatment. So overall we have some very hopeful news. They gave us a bag of the special litter to bring home. I'll be picking her up on Monday.

That all sounds great. We'll send you good energy and healing thoughts and hope all continues to go well.

Thank you.

Hope Tiger gets well soon!!

Hope the weekend goes well for her and the treatment is successful!

Hope Tiger is feeling better soon.

we had this done to Enza this summer. After the dr told me that the radiation emitted from my cat after 2 days in the vet hospital was equivalent to what i got on an international flight we decided we were NOT going to quarantine her in any way. She got better so fast. She's a happy relaxed cat now. it was worth it. I'm glad we were able to afford it !

That exactly what our vet told us about the flight and radiation.

I called today to see how she was doing, they told me she was actually sleeping when I called, but that she is doing well and no signs of any side effects. I'm glad we were able to get this done for her.

for a few weeks afterwards, Enza occasionally coughed and choked a little while eating or drinking, like something was swollen. then she healed up and ah, right now she's on my lap sleeping. It was worth it.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiances and for the warm wishes. They all mean a great deal to me.

I just had my 11 year old cat go through the radioactive iodine treatment in July. I tried the pills for a couple of months but he reacted horribly by having uncontrollable vomiting, so I had no choice but to do the iodine. I don't regret it, even though it cost an arm and a leg. His 3 month blood test showed his T4 level at the low range of normal - I just hope he hasn't swung the other way to becoming hypothyroid!!

And I guess it's an age issue, but my cat also needed dental work (for him before the treatment as it was pustulating). My neighbour's cat also needed both dental and hyperthyroid treatment, too.

Good luck!! I found the post-treatment the most difficult, not being able to cuddle or sleep with him for 10 days.

Esp the dental part very well may be an age thing. We are actually thinking the thyroid has been going on much longer, but no one before our new vet knew to look for it because she has the opposite reaction to the majority of cats with it. The not being able to sleep with or cuddle her is going to be difficult esp since she likes to sleep above our heads at night.
I'm picking her up tomorrow afternoon. So I've actually waited to change out the litter and will be doing that tomorrow morning. Figured I was best to wait until the last possible moment to change the litter.

we slept with our cat the first night! Human beings get a much higher dose than pets and they are not quarantined or told to sleep alone.
I'm way beyond child bearing age and I figured 2 days at the vet's was enough trauma for her.

2 days?? my cat stayed at the clinic for a week (by law in Canada), then was told I could have limited exposure to him for the following 10 days. I was to change his litter immediately after he did his business and to throw EVERYTHING out while wearing gloves.

wow, Badger, talk about overkill! how traumatic.

Tiger is home. Picked her up later afternoon today.

Badger, wow is that overkill.

Our vet said that she can sleep with us if she wants to. The guidelines do say to have her sleep alone at night, but my vet said that that really applies more if there are children around and since we don't have children that she does not have to be closed off at night. My vet also told me that I do not have to wear gloves to scoop the litterbox, but to wash my hands throughly after scooping if not using gloves. (Heck, I do that anyway).

Glad you got your kitty back!

Thank you. We're really happy to have her back home.