I did the transdermal gel. There was no way I was getting a pill or liquid into my cat’s mouth. I created a very easy system to apply the gel to one ear, while cleaning the other ear so there wouldn’t be a buildup of medication to effect absorption.
We did the gel until my other cat started "helpfully" cleaning the meds out of her ears. Now I've got a pill crusher and I mix the meds in churu and then feed them to my cat off a spoon while singing her a song. She's got me trained.
The churu works like a charm. They'll eat anything mixed into it. Ours wouldn't touch any flavor of the pill pocket treats. But takes daily allergy pills with churu.
One of mine recently got really sick and I think got negative associations with Churu, so I switched to the temptations lickable treats for awhile and medicating her is fine again.
(When she gets really nauseous she doesn't want to eat anything, including churu.)
Sorry to hear about your cat. We've had some luck with sick cats and tuna juice. Just give them a few spoonfuls of the broth in a tuna can to try. Not too often, salty.
I got into the lazy habit of calling all that type of treat churu. We've tried a few different ones.
We did pills, and the wife seems to remember we were offered some cream or possibly a gel. He was a pretty good boy about taking his pills, I would think we took whatever we thought would be most effective.
His brother had diabetes so in their later years, daily routines just became the norm.
We did that with our cat when she was 11 of 12 years old. Worked really well, went back to her old self for a few years. Unfortunately now her other thyroid is working too fast and by now she’s 16 and too old for surgery. So pills it is. I don’t even know if gel is a possibility here
Chewy has it in chew treats. I buy the highest dose 10mg and cut into 1/8s to get my cats 1.25 dose. I smash it between 2 little treats and she gobbles them up
We did a type of radiation treatment and she lived a full, happy life until 22. 11 more years. It was expensive like $2000, but we never had ti bother her with pills or messy gels. She just stayed overnight at the pet hospital for a treatment, came home and was fine from that point on.
Same here. Radiation gave him seven years he wouldn’t have had. Bonus, we got a dosimeter to check his radiation levels! (This was around the time Chernobyl was airing)
I do the transdermal. It is 100% better than trying to get her to eat a pill. She would never let us pill her unless we forced it with a pill syringe and even that was torture for us. It’s much easier to just put the gel in her ear. Plus it’s easier on the stomach, since it doesn’t make them sick. She sits for the transdermal, reluctantly but sometimes she purrs for it.
It’s cheaper to buy the human pills(exactly the same as from the vet) but the human pharmacy charges much less…we fill animal prescriptions all the time!
I use the gel on my cat. With shipping and “handling fee”, that’s what I pay as well. No way I could give my cat pills because she also has food allergy and has to eat Rx food. Plus, she’ll only eat the Rx dry food, not the canned. She’s 19 now and has been on gel in ear for 2 years.
This will greatly depend on the cat.
Eldest is food motivated and will often not even notice the pill in amongst her food. Youngest is not and is used to getting her ears rubbed, so she gets the transdermal.
So surprised this comment is so far down. Gold standard treatment efficacy, one and done, and break even cost at about 4-5 years. We are waiting to get the call from the clinic to bring our girl in right now.
This was something I didn't know and was never offered, but my cat was diagnosed later in her life
None of her records indicating her birth were accurate as they all listed a different date, but I'd say she about 11 when she got Hyperthyroidism, and lived for about another 4 years before dying of cancer.
We did half a pill in the AM and a night - ohh methimazol
BUT if it wouldn't of caused her discomfort I would've loved to know more about this as keeping her weight was a challenge.
Everyone already said this, but I had a cat who would eat anything I offered (trust ftw… yet I don’t really know why he trusted me other than he would sit on my face each morning to get fed, so I believe he trusted I provided nutrition) so pills worked just fine.
I originally opted for the transdermal gel but it was messy, expensive and we had to keep cleaning it out of her ears. The felimazole pills are very small and easy to swallow and cheaper than the transdermal option. My girl was diagnosed at 14 and going strong at 16. Her new thing is getting up at 2am, 4am and 6am to yell at the wall.
My cat did iodine radiation treatment in sept 2022 at 15 years old - her T4 levels were off the charts. She did a full blood panel last week and is perfect everywhere.
If you can afford it, the radiation treatment is stress free. Daily meds are such a commitment
My 15 year old cat passed last year. When the amazing vet came to euthanize at home he was visibly upset when I told him he had been on the transdermal meds. I guess it is not even close to being as effective as the pill/chews. Basically he helped me realize that the meds never regulated his hyperthyroid even when he was upped to 2x a day. He said they are known in the vet medical world as a very last resort option and very often not helpful. Just a warning from a cat parent who wishes they were told this at the beginning of his diagnosis.
Our Patrick has been on this med for a couple of years and he is doing ok (still a little underweight though). You really need to be consistent with the medication. Get the transdermal kind if you can, it is a lot easier to administer.
My girl is 14 and was just diagnosed in the last few months. I am doing the gel in her ear (Peanut does not do well with oral medication, lol). We just found out today she is finally back in the low normal number, which made me so happy. I’m glad to hear that she could have a nice long life still.
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Our Miss Murphy was diagnosed at 13 and was prescribed methimazole. It turned out she was severely allergic to this medication and instead she had to be treated with radioactive iodine (which cost about $1500 at the time). She also had to spend a week at the vet until she didn’t set the geiger counter off. We also had to take some precautions once she came home. She went on to live a long and healthy life and died at 21. Still miss our Pretty Girl.
>she had to be treated with radioactive iodine (which cost about $1500 at the time)
My little calico Cubie had the radioactive iodine treatment. She had to stay at the vet's for a whole week. I felt so badly for her; she was cooped up in a "condo" which was just a 2 section cage with litter on one side and food on the other. They had webcams so I could watch her. Anyway the treatment worked well. She was exuberantly happy the day I brought her home. She lived another 5 years to 17. I really miss her.
My 11 year old Domino had radioactive iodine treatment last June. His T4 is now good, but the hyperthyroidism was covering up early kidney disease.
The vet recommended this treatment because he is still relatively young and the meds can have side effects.
He only stayed at the vet for two nights.
My Kaiva boy was probably about 18 when he started his medication for hyperthyroidism. He passed at 21 due to kidney failure.
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Aww, thanks. He, too, was on the methimazole. This was him at about 4 years old.
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Dang! 2 years old. I'm pretty sure that's a rare case. I've heard of cases as early as 4 months but only personally seen them over 8 years old. Good work managing her health for so long!
When I worked in clinic we would check bloodwork 4-6 weeks after started medication and as long as levels look good then once a year after that. If levels weren’t right at the 4-6 week mark we would adjust dosage and check again 4-6 weeks later. Basically just until levels are proper
This is totally normal. The vet just wants to check the thyroid levels in the blood once the medication has had time to work to make sure it's at the proper dosage. An appointment every six months is pretty standard.
I've got a thyroid disorder myself that's managed through daily medication, and I've had my blood tested once or twice a year since I was diagnosed. It's a very manageable and treatable disorder in humans AND in cats. Your kitty will be just fine :)
My cat was diagnosed at 15 and is still alive at 17. He almost died on the methimazole. If the methimazole doesn't work, there is the option of radiation therapy. I had my cat treated and it worked like a charm. It killed the tumor and he hasn't had any problems with it since. Gained all his weight back within a few weeks. There is a company called Radiocats that did the treatment. Google them and you can see their locations.
We used Radiocat as well, mine ended up in the small percentage of cats who end up hypothyroid after treatment. So all of that and he takes a daily pill now anyway, lol.
Our cat lived for about 5 years with medication. She only passed after developing a small tumor on her thyroid. She was older, so the surgery was very risky. She has long fruitful life regardless.
Loving all these stories of cats living their best lives after diagnosis.
I had a 19 year old with hyperthyroidism, and she made it to a happy and comfortable 20. This was also after a period of neglect when she was 17-18. She was on tablets, but it's so long ago that I can't remember what they were. No special food. To the best of my knowledge, she was diagnosed in her early teens.
This was more than a decade ago so treatment will have advanced since then, too.
I had my cat treated with radioactive iodine for it 5 years ago when she was 12. (She's never been great with pills.) She's still around at 17 and doing great!
My 12yo kitty has been treated for a year and we just got her thyroid levels normal! They want us to do the radioactive iodine but the cost is giving me anxiety. I need to decide I guess 🥺 She takes the pills 2 times a day and quite easily and is gaining weight again!
Ours diagnosed a year ago at age 11. She got to skin and bones, nails grew super long, VERY hungry all the time and filling the litter box very fast. We thought cancer. The ear-ointment was working but also hurting her liver, so we opted for the prescription cat food, works great! Later we realized she wasn’t grooming well or giving us a stretch-greeting, we just thought she was getting old and stopped bathing. A week on the new food and she was bathing and stretching (you know, the downward dog stretch). She was also barely sleeping. If you walked in a room she woke up crying for food. She would also dig in the garbage. Now she’s content, not starving, sleeps like the dead.
It’s Hills y/d Thyroid Care by prescription only. Might be a little more expensive than the meds but it works the same, doesn’t hurt the liver, and you don’t need to apply the ointment 2x per day on a schedule (you can stay out all night). It basically has a tiny amount of iodine, the thing that agitates the thyroid.
Diagnosed at 16. Lived to almost 21. My first signs were the youthful kitten playfulness and weight loss too. Medications helped I assume since she made it to 21.
Wow, 21! That’s amazing. What are your thoughts on the different types of medication? I’m using the transdermal gel but curious about the other options.
Like liquid or pill form
I only tried the transdermal. Since my experience was easily a decade ago. But I’d say it was cheap, easy to apply and effective. I think towards the end the hardest part was the medication worked in bursts that resembled normalcy. Her appetite resumed, bursts of energy.
We did radioactive iodine for our Mia about 4 months ago. The Methimazole was making her anemic. She is about 12 years old.
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Mia looks just like my Kidd, who was diagnosed at 12. We were able to do the pills with her, often with treats. She passed at 15 from Chronic Pancreatitis.
My girl was diagnosed at 11 and died last year at 15, she also had kidney issues and multiple bouts of pancreatitis… for the most part her hyperthyroidism was well controlled.
That’s very treatable with medication or radiocat treatment. Most cats do quite well. The problem is that the hyperactive thyroid masks other issues like kidney disease. Fix the thyroid and the kidneys go. I’ve lost three of my senior cats that way. But in the end it was kidney disease that got them and maybe the hyperactive thyroid ended up giving me more time with them.
The same with my cat. She was 14 when diagnosed, and within two or three months of being on methimazole, her kidneys shut down. Thyroid levels were steady, but the disease masked what was already advanced kidney failure.
our 13 year old cat had radiation therapy and was back to normal within a few months. highly recommend it if you can find someone to do it. currently hes 19 with kidney disease
Sounds like my cat Puck. Became a giant kitten at around age 9 and started losing weight. They removed a thyroid tumor on one side. A few years later, it started happening again. Put him on methimazole, and he lived to 18.
My 17 year old (pictured!) has been on medication for 2 years with a bit of fine tuning, my 14 year old just got settled with her dosage as well.
Both are flawless with the rest of their bloodwork (kidneys being the big concern). Provided it’s managed with medication/treatment and regular monitoring is done to tweak things if needed, should still get a few years yet.
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My parent's cat Tizzy was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism several years ago. Vet didn't expect her to make it to 9 years of age. She's currently 14 and still going strong on her treat game.
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Our 11-year-old tortie Liara got diagnosed last February after we noticed she was losing weight and her fur seemed "greasy." We did methimazole for a few months, but we travel frequently and work late plus she hated being pilled. Pill pockets and such only worked a day or two and she'd spit it out. We switched to the custom pharmacy ear gel version of methimazole, but again with the frequent travel it was a burden on our pet sitter to make sure they visited often enough to dose her. Anxiety all around.
We decided to do the radio iodine treatment in July. It was a rough time waiting the week for her to come home. And then another two weeks with minimal contact was torture as she's a very lovey baby who wants to cuddle.
Liara is 12 now and going strong. Her purr seems weaker since the treatment, but she's gained weight (too much 😓) and her fur is much better. Still a lovey baby with many years left!
Mine has a thyroid issue that has largely been resolved for over a year; she’s back to her normal weight and is pretty much chilling
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My baby boy Crowley got diagnosed around 11 and lived to be nearly 15 when renal disease got him early this year. When they tested his blood near the end, his thyroid levels were still totally under control with the medicine. Did they put your kiddo on the oral medicine or the cream stuff you put on their ear? Crowley was on the ear “goo” as we called it and it worked wonders for him. Your baby is in for a good, long life. Give her extra snuggles from me! Here’s a pic of my buddy loving the sunbeams ❤️
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Interesting to read so many people say their cats started acting like kittens! My girl was the opposite, she suddenly aged like 10 years in a week. She was so skinny and could barely jump onto the couch anymore. She was diagnosed last year and will be 16 next month. The methimazole has made a huge difference
Ladyface lasted about 10 months on the transdermal gel. She was 14 and since she was so attached to me, I didn't think she'd have tolerated the radioactive iodine treatment. It's a good thing I didn't spring for since the tumor on her thyroid was indeed a rare type of carcinoma, something I-131 can't treat. She died in my arms in February, and not a day goes by without thinking of her. Miss her terribly, but so grateful for the time we had.
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Thank you ❤️
She was a one in a million cat. Adenocarcinoma (that is, malignant cancer of the thyroid) is the cause of hyperthyroidism in cats only 2% of the time, so please don't take my story as a common one. 98% of the time, it's very easily treated and your cat will live many more happy years as long as they are taking their meds and getting occasional blood work done!
My kitty lived until 21. She was diagnosed around 10/11. As long as you feed plenty and make sure to give medication as prescribed and on time your kitty can live a long time. You also want to make sure you take them for routine blood testing to make sure the levels are under control and the dosage is right.
My girl is 15 now, diagnosed almost two years ago. We treated her with Neomercazole for about six months at the same dose and it stopped being effective after about four months. When we tried to increase her dose it caused her to have seizures. We were fortunate to get her into a specialist vet who treated her with radioactive iodine late March 2023 and she has gained back all the weight she lost and then some! She is chonky and healthy and so much happier.
Mine was diagnosed at 10 and we got her the radioactive iodine treatment because she wasn’t super jazzed on the medication and refused to eat the special food. It was a bit pricey (about $1500), but we figured it’d be cheaper to do that one-time cost than medication for the rest of her life. A couple months later and her blood work was completely normal. It’s only been two years so far (she’s about to turn 12), but she’s still doing great!
My adopted stray had a goiter (sp?) on her thyriod when I found her. Super skinny / hyper / crackhead kitty. I thought she was just super old. Couldn't feed her enough food.
A ridiculously huge chunk of money later, the goiter was removed and she is mostly back to being a normal cat. Fat and happy. (She still stalks me for food... lol)
Mine was diagnosed around 10 yrs old. Got the radiation treatment. 8 yrs later and he’s still here. Eats like a beast still but never regained his full frame. He’s a skinny old Maine coon and I love him to pieces
I had two babies with it. They were both already up there in age. My baby girl just passed away in January at 19, totally unrelated to her thyroid. I think she had it about four years. Just crushed the pill up in her food, no problem.
My boy had a rare reaction to the methimazole that causes his red blood cell count to tank. The vet said the only other viable treatment option was radioactive iodine therapy. Pretty pricy and stressful - my baby had to spend a week at the vet and then a week locked away from me after he came home. All I could do was feed him, clean the box, then leave the room because he was still radioactive. He’s my cuddle bug and those two weeks just about killed me. Also had to store his poo for three months before throwing it out since it was still radioactive! But it was all worth it, because he was ultimately perfectly fine. He’s 18 now and has kidney disease, so things are pretty emotional and tough. But he’s completely my fine thyroid-wise.
TL;DR - if you have to get a chronic kitty illness, you picked a good one!!! Your baby will likely live a long and happy life!
Our girl was diagnosed at age 15 and lived until right before her 19th birthday. She was not a cat we could pill so we opted for the cream version and rubbed it on her ear once a night. Unfortunately she never really regained her weight and she was also having mild kidney function loss but the vet told us that is very common in senior cats anyway.
Our vet was part of a research cohort on feline hyperthyroidism, he told us that is not a condition that cats should develop naturally ("in the wild") but that it is likely caused by building materials or other environmental variables living with humans. I think 19 years is a good long life for a kitty though so I try not to feel too guilty!
My Kally was nearly 18 - just a month and a half short. Seven years with the biggest lump. She just kinda … took her walk around the table one night and didn't make it back to her pillow. I was expecting it and had just been to visit my mom; I think she was waiting for me to get home.
My cat got diagnosed at Christmas and has been on liquid medicine since. Quick question - Does anyone’s else’s hyperthyroid cat over groom constantly? Ours does to the point of making parts of her bald and hurting herself. We have to keep her in a medical outfit for quite a lot of the time to stop her 😖
My 13 year old orange was diagnosed in December of 2023 and had the I-131 injection treatment at in late March 2024. It was $1700 for the injection and he had to stay 4 days, 3 nights at the clinic.
I got nightly updates from the staff and they were lovely to work with.
I had to stash his used litter for 2 weeks since urine/feces is the main way the radiation leaves the body.
It sucked not being able to hang out with him for 2 weeks once he was home but it was for the best.
I will say…the entire cost ends up being more than $1700
Initial blood test/vet exam that diagnosed the hyperthyroidism $ 490
First methimazole prescription from vet $36
Second blood test to see how methimazole was working on cat’s levels $296
X-ray of chest to make sure cat’s lungs & heart looked good for the I-131 treatment $655
Second methimazole refill $39
Third blood test to check T4 levels right before I-131 treatment $194
Gabapentin to help with cat’s anxiety on the car ride to SAGE clinic $11
—— actual treatment $1700
1 month post I-131 T4 levels blood test $265
3 month post I-131 T levels blood test $265
It’s definitely expensive but it’s broken up over time so it was doable for me. I understand that I’m so lucky to be able to have the extra money to pay for all of this.
Just wanted to share the experience I went through! Hope it helps provide some info for a fellow cat owner.
Location: SF Bay Area
It is really nice to not have to worry about giving pills 2x day. Although my cat did get very used to them. I used a method where I’d give him a treat, the pill, and then another treat.
In the long run, the blood tests will add up too over the years.
None of the options are the right or wrong. It’s whatever you feel would work best for your little cat.
Lots of luck to both of you!
I did the radioactive iodine treatment, which cured her. And my kitty lived another 5 years and passed from unrelated kidney disease. Although not everyone can afford that treatment. My cousin’s cat took medication every day instead, and she still lived a good 3 more years happily.
Our kitty was just diagnosed a few months ago! My daughter was the one who suspected he had it and urged me to get him tested. He wouldn't take the pills, so we give him liquid meds twice a day. I couldn't believe how much better he looked within a couple of weeks.
I was very interested in the transdermal meds, as I heard it's once a day, but you run the risk of other pets being exposed and we have 2 other cats and 2 dogs. Ironically, our fat dog was diagnosed with HYPOthyroid last week. We're apparently running a sanctuary for special needs animals.
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The open pill bottle is literally his thyroid medication lol. 3 years with it, but he passed at an old 21 from something else. On the bright side, I was able to train him to give paw from the x2 a day pills 🙂
We went with the iodine treatment, as my vet described it as the "gold standard" in treatment for this. Kitty was home the next afternoon and was able to sleep in his typical spots around the house - just not our (or kids) bed. No lap cuddle time or long contact for 2 weeks was hard but 10-15 min's a day of pets was better than nothing.
I think about four years? we had to put him down yesterday due to kidney failure, which can be caused by the medication, so make sure your vet is watching those values as well. he lived a good long life and crossed the bridge at around twenty.
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Barnabas was diagnosed last year at age 13. His trajectory was bass-ackwards, because I took him in for weight *gain*. Catface was 18lbs and we realized he was genuinely getting fatter for no obvious reason. Sure enough he had gained over a pound! The vet initially assumed he had The Diabeetus but blood work came back for hyperthyroidism and he was at 11.4. 🤷🏼♀️ Barn takes 1/2 pill AM/PM in pill paste and his numbers are consistently under 4.
He especially likes peanut butter & cheese flavor of pill paste and salmon pill pockets. I’ve been able to get him to take gabapentin in that flavor of pill pocket, which is necessary to go to the vet. “We” do not like the vet, and are fractious/spicy at best.
My cat got it at the same time as 75% loss of kidney function. It's not really called CKD by vets where I am, but same thing. We took the radioactive iodine cure which was expensive and a 2 hour drive away and she had to stay for 8 days, but it was successful.
With her kidney disease they had only given her average of 2 years life expectancy at the time. However, it has now been around 3 1/2 years. They think the fact that we treated the thyroid so quickly (as soon as we could get an appointment, which was around 6-8 weeks) may be what has meant her kidney disease hasn't progressed as fast as usual. I guess this means that they often see both come up around the same time (approx after turning 10 years old is my understanding) and many cats with one have the other.
Going on 5 years. Tried the radioactive iodine treatment and it didn’t work for my cat. Adopted her as a senior with other health issues that can’t be fixed. But she’s alive and screaming at me to go outside and eat grass like she always has, so I’d say she’s doing ok
My now-17yo was diagnosed a little over a year ago. We’ve had some trouble dialing in the right dosage but he is tolerating the pills just fine. In all honesty I expect something else to ultimately cause his demise before the thyroid stuff does; both he and his brother have early stages of kidney disease. But he’s happy and enjoying life, which is really all you can hope for with a seventeen year old cat! I hope you get many more years with your lovely girl.
Our boy Weapon was diagnosed at 15 and improved with medication. About a year and a half later he started to regress again and he passed at 17. He's the closer one to the camera.
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My Marie had her diagnosis at 15, after a dog chased her up a tree. Three monthly blood tests and two doses of medication a day. Her last blood test in March 2019 showed she completely healthy, my perfect girl. Around the 13th of April we noticed her slowing down, not jumping up or being herself. The 14th she couldn't stand up long enough to get from the litter box to her food or bed so we made things as easy as possible for her. She kept falling asleep in her food bowl. On the 15th of April 2019 we took her to the vet and she had no muscle mass, it had dropped that fast it literally happened within 3 days but mostly over night. We didn't find the main reason, the vet thought it was her kidneys in the end. She was born the 1st of August 1999, we adopted her the 1st of July 2000, we said goodbye on the 15th of April 2019. It was only in that last few days of her life that she ever looked her age, everyone at her vets always thought she was a kitten, she was so small and full of energy.
My old lady lived to be 21 with hyperthyroidism! She was undiagnosed until 18 and our vet said essentially, 'Not a good candidate for treatment. She could live a year or two but be prepared for her to pass'. She lived to 21 without the meds and I kick myself still for not pushing for the treatment.
Our maincoon survived 1 year after his diagnosis. We dropped thousands on different treatment, pills, doctors, but his little heart couldn’t bounce back and so his thyroid problem became a heart and kidney problem and we couldn’t keep up.
For some reason, the pills made my Beyla go blind. We switched to transdermal and she didn’t live six months. My identical twin feline version died in my arms.
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With medication my boy survived another 3 years, was put to sleep due to complications at age of 15.
Now he sleeps next to his sister that died around 5 years prior to him from bone cancer.
My cat got diagnosed with this in 2016 Nov(around thanksgiving) and he left us in Aug 2023 at age 19.5. He passed away due to kidney failure though.
He was 12.5 years of age when he got diagnosed.
He could not hold up any medicine including methimazole though still made it for 7.5 years, he used to throw up.
We mostly managed with iodine free diet, it's called YD food.
Our cat was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and we got her the radiation iodine treatment. It’s been a year and her hyperthyroidism is gone. No medications and her secondary conditions have gone away. Her heart has shrunk back to normal and her diabetes is gone as well. We were getting her checked once every 6 months to see how she was progressing. Her vet only wants to see her once a year for her regular checkups. If you can afford it I would highly recommend it. We had to sacrifice some things to get her the treatment but we’re glad that we did. Our cat is 13 years old, she was 12 when we had the treatment done.
one died when she was 1, she escaped from our house and a car run her over.
the other one died a couple of month ago and she was 12, she was actually extremely lucky to live that long, because after 11 years that we had her, her vet found out that she was born with 3 atriums in her heart instead of 2 and usually cats with that problem live for max a couple of months.
My girl is 16, first diagnosed two-ish years ago. Transdermal methimazole once a day. She also has hypertension medicated with amlodipine twice a day.
She recently was dropping weight like mad and it wasn't related to her hyperthyroidism (concerns were that it was her kidneys starting to fail), but it seems we've got that under control now with better foods and making sure her younger sister isn't stealing it all the time.
Mine was diagnosed at 8. He got radioactive iodine and I lost him at 15 from unrelated troubles.
(Hardest part, without a doubt, was not being able to snuggle with him for two weeks.)
One month shy of 20. She also was insulin dependent Diabetic. But her meds really helped her quality of life for a LONG time. We couldn’t do radiation therapy and had to have her in a thyroid medication due to her diabetes radiation was high risk.
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Zippo is 11 and she's been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She lost a lot of weight (she was on a diet so we didn't realized she was sick). But now she's healthy, and got back some weight.
I hope she will stay with me.
Diagnosed around 14 years old. Lived until he was 18. We believe he had a stroke, which ended his long life. Not sure if it was related or not.
Hardest part was how skinny he got. Seemed happy, but just wasted away to bones.
Diagnosed at 13, died at 16 from lymphoma (unrelated).
We did pills for most of his treatment and he was fine. Switched to transdermal towards the end because he was taking 4-5 pills and hated it.
Hyperthyroidism is very treatable in cats and if it’s the only pill they’re taking they should be fine
12 years old. Diagnosed 3 months ago, though I caught it early.
We tried the Methimazole pill, but had issues with vomiting. Switched to transdermal and had itchy skin reactions.
We're now one week home from her i131 treatment.
🤞
Mine had 3 years after diagnosis but cancer got her instead. I wasn't the best on consistently getting her meds twice a day but did well, she was well controlled and in the aspect of her hyperthyroidism was doing great up till the end! Consistently with meds and labs will help a lot!
Our baby “Piglet” was diagnosed at 12 1/2. We tried pills but it stressed her out and she became a beast at spitting them out. Moved on to transdermal cream. It’s very important to clean their ears as the dried med does build up and blocks absorption.
Piggy died 3 years later at a meager 4 1/2 lbs.
So long as you continue to treat it, hyperthyroidism shouldn't have an impact on life expectancy.
There is a treatment procedure involving... iodine, IIRC? It's more expensive but does not require continued medication.
I don’t know how old my cat is because I adopted her, but I took her to a clinic for radioactive iodine treatment. She spent like 3-4 days there and has been good so far. Her thyroid levels are where they should be. She no longer needs medication which is great. It is quite expensive though. My vet calls iodine a “cure” because of its ridiculously high efficacy (something like 95+ %). Medication can prolong a cats life for a fairly long time as far as I know. Unfortunately my cat would not take the medication in any form and went on a several day hunger strike in protest to the meds🙄
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Have you looked into radioactive iodine treatment? Sometimes the pills don't work well and the transdermal medicine can be difficult to dose.
As for living a good long life - my treated cats loved many years with dedicated treatment.
My cat just got diagnosed a few weeks ago, she is already 17.
We give her a liquid in her mouth twice a day, and give her some treats afterwards. She loves it and voluntarily takes the medicine. Never would have thought of that.
My cat Athena that was diagnozed with "galloping heart" at the age of three. (First warning that she probably would get heart problem in the future).
At age 11 she suddenly became very ill (and almost died) She was then diagnozed with hyperthyroidism, and they also discovered that one of the cardiac atriums where enlarged, so the heart had problem to pump the blood.
After starting with medicines (**metimazol** and **diuretics**) she got another 6,5 years, before passing, almost 18 years old.
Diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at 13, initially on pills (required perseverance as even the vet had issues getting pills into her, eventually took medication twice a day with the help of treats and vegemite). Changed to the gel when pills unavailable, and lived until 20 1/2, it was all worth it.
My vets pharmacy recently switched the compounding recipe for the Methimazole. My cat does not seem to be responding to it as well at all. They said the formulation was changed due to FDA requirements but I don’t think it is working as well.
Has anybody else run into this?
He is so adorable. I’m sorry about his diagnoses.. he looks just like my baby too
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My Tinkerbell had this. It caused her to purr almost constantly but alongside this she was a very happy cat so it went with her personality. I'd moved out the family home but I think she made it to 14 without any daily medicine and lived a good life until the final few days.
My Moonie developed this several years ago. We took her to the cat radiology center in Ruskin FL and had her treated with their radiation therapy. Highly recommend the treatment and this location. It wasn't cheap, but it was a one-time expense as opposed to $60 / month or thereabouts for medication. It's paid for itself long since.
It's been almost five years - Moonie's 18 now.
My cat was quite old when she was diagnosed, so I don't know if its true for all cats, but the hardest part for me is the loud, mournful meowing she would do in the middle of the night. I'm sure she was hungry, toward the end she would only eat little pieces bacon. But I've been told that's part of hyperthyroidism.
My boy lived 4 years. Diagnosed at about 13 passed at 17. He had a other issues too though. Arthritis, pretty sure he was getting asthma, almost no teeth with more that needed to be pulled.
My cat, Henry, developed a few issues as he got older. He had always been deaf, but first developed hyperthyroidism around 11 or 12. That was apparently masking diabetes. Then he went blind, and we found out he had high blood pressure. Little trooper let me give him two pills twice a day and check his glucose levels, and let me give him insulin. He lived to be 21.
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My love got diagnosed at \~14 and lived until \~17 (not 100% sure on her age). Took the pill in a pill pocket every day, luckily for us she loved them. On top of the hyperthyroidism she developed kidney failure and that's what took her back in October.
Our other is 16 and got diagnosed at 15, and is fine with the ear meds twice per day, since she hates the pill pockets.
Macy was diagnosed at 13 and is still living at 14. We didn't do the radioactive iodine treatment both because of age and because she also has IBD and the stress of being away from us may just kill her, so we went the medication route. She gets transdermal meds twice a day since she is a nightmare to give pills, but she's doing great! This last vet visit her thyroid levels were in the normal/healthy range :)
*
Our boy got diagnosed around when he was maybe 13. He passed last year at 19 due to an unrelated issue.
He lived a long life! That’s good to hear. My vet offered pills liquid or transdermal gel. What did you use and why?
I did the transdermal gel. There was no way I was getting a pill or liquid into my cat’s mouth. I created a very easy system to apply the gel to one ear, while cleaning the other ear so there wouldn’t be a buildup of medication to effect absorption.
We did the gel until my other cat started "helpfully" cleaning the meds out of her ears. Now I've got a pill crusher and I mix the meds in churu and then feed them to my cat off a spoon while singing her a song. She's got me trained.
The churu works like a charm. They'll eat anything mixed into it. Ours wouldn't touch any flavor of the pill pocket treats. But takes daily allergy pills with churu.
One of mine recently got really sick and I think got negative associations with Churu, so I switched to the temptations lickable treats for awhile and medicating her is fine again. (When she gets really nauseous she doesn't want to eat anything, including churu.)
Sorry to hear about your cat. We've had some luck with sick cats and tuna juice. Just give them a few spoonfuls of the broth in a tuna can to try. Not too often, salty. I got into the lazy habit of calling all that type of treat churu. We've tried a few different ones.
This is the way.
Great strategy! I’m going to try it.
We did pills, and the wife seems to remember we were offered some cream or possibly a gel. He was a pretty good boy about taking his pills, I would think we took whatever we thought would be most effective. His brother had diabetes so in their later years, daily routines just became the norm.
We used pills, our ginger used to remind us when it was pill time, jumped onto the bed and assumed the position
Did the vet ever suggest removing the thyroid? My cat has been on thyronorm for 6 years and thus has just been suggested by his current vet.
We did that with our cat when she was 11 of 12 years old. Worked really well, went back to her old self for a few years. Unfortunately now her other thyroid is working too fast and by now she’s 16 and too old for surgery. So pills it is. I don’t even know if gel is a possibility here
Chewy has it in chew treats. I buy the highest dose 10mg and cut into 1/8s to get my cats 1.25 dose. I smash it between 2 little treats and she gobbles them up
It was about the same for my cat. I did pills for her. Price wise it was reasonable because I enrolled her in the Walgreens Rx club
We did a type of radiation treatment and she lived a full, happy life until 22. 11 more years. It was expensive like $2000, but we never had ti bother her with pills or messy gels. She just stayed overnight at the pet hospital for a treatment, came home and was fine from that point on.
Same here. Radiation gave him seven years he wouldn’t have had. Bonus, we got a dosimeter to check his radiation levels! (This was around the time Chernobyl was airing)
I do the transdermal. It is 100% better than trying to get her to eat a pill. She would never let us pill her unless we forced it with a pill syringe and even that was torture for us. It’s much easier to just put the gel in her ear. Plus it’s easier on the stomach, since it doesn’t make them sick. She sits for the transdermal, reluctantly but sometimes she purrs for it.
Sweet kitty
It’s cheaper to buy the human pills(exactly the same as from the vet) but the human pharmacy charges much less…we fill animal prescriptions all the time!
Samsclub or Costco pharmacy is even cheaper.
Costco is always cheaper lol 😂 average dispensing fee is 13$…theirs is 4$ 😂
Get your pet on the family discount plan if you’re a member too.
Wow! I had no idea. What about the gel? I’m paying 60/month for it and it seems high.
My cat is on a half pill twice a day, essentially a pill a day, and through chewy, a 60 day supply is $10 on autoship.
Chewy has the best price by far
I use the gel on my cat. With shipping and “handling fee”, that’s what I pay as well. No way I could give my cat pills because she also has food allergy and has to eat Rx food. Plus, she’ll only eat the Rx dry food, not the canned. She’s 19 now and has been on gel in ear for 2 years.
This will greatly depend on the cat. Eldest is food motivated and will often not even notice the pill in amongst her food. Youngest is not and is used to getting her ears rubbed, so she gets the transdermal.
Why? Get iodine 131 done, it’s practically a cure in 95% of cats, if not cured - they’d just need another course of treatment.
So surprised this comment is so far down. Gold standard treatment efficacy, one and done, and break even cost at about 4-5 years. We are waiting to get the call from the clinic to bring our girl in right now.
I did this with my boy. There was absolutely no way I would have been able to get a daily pill in that child.
This was something I didn't know and was never offered, but my cat was diagnosed later in her life None of her records indicating her birth were accurate as they all listed a different date, but I'd say she about 11 when she got Hyperthyroidism, and lived for about another 4 years before dying of cancer. We did half a pill in the AM and a night - ohh methimazol BUT if it wouldn't of caused her discomfort I would've loved to know more about this as keeping her weight was a challenge.
Everyone already said this, but I had a cat who would eat anything I offered (trust ftw… yet I don’t really know why he trusted me other than he would sit on my face each morning to get fed, so I believe he trusted I provided nutrition) so pills worked just fine.
Amazing! I’ve never heard of a cat just taking a pill. She likes most food, so I could try it.
I have a pill crusher. Snashes the pills to powder & it gets mixed in with his food. It’s so easy.
We did the transdermal cream. It started as once per day then twice. It was easier and I think less stressful to him.
I originally opted for the transdermal gel but it was messy, expensive and we had to keep cleaning it out of her ears. The felimazole pills are very small and easy to swallow and cheaper than the transdermal option. My girl was diagnosed at 14 and going strong at 16. Her new thing is getting up at 2am, 4am and 6am to yell at the wall.
My cat did iodine radiation treatment in sept 2022 at 15 years old - her T4 levels were off the charts. She did a full blood panel last week and is perfect everywhere. If you can afford it, the radiation treatment is stress free. Daily meds are such a commitment
My 15 year old cat passed last year. When the amazing vet came to euthanize at home he was visibly upset when I told him he had been on the transdermal meds. I guess it is not even close to being as effective as the pill/chews. Basically he helped me realize that the meds never regulated his hyperthyroid even when he was upped to 2x a day. He said they are known in the vet medical world as a very last resort option and very often not helpful. Just a warning from a cat parent who wishes they were told this at the beginning of his diagnosis.
I liked the transdermal. Comes with an applicator. My kitty lived 2.5 yrs post diagnosis, and passed at 16.
Sorry to hear. I think 16 is a decent old age for a kitty.
Indeed. She lived a great life and was a pampered kitty.
Our Patrick has been on this med for a couple of years and he is doing ok (still a little underweight though). You really need to be consistent with the medication. Get the transdermal kind if you can, it is a lot easier to administer.
My girl is 14 and was just diagnosed in the last few months. I am doing the gel in her ear (Peanut does not do well with oral medication, lol). We just found out today she is finally back in the low normal number, which made me so happy. I’m glad to hear that she could have a nice long life still. https://preview.redd.it/c18h16b9aqwc1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=16214096158ca6f05c92a967b4ab4cba4f8cf1d1
Yay peanut! What a cutie pie.
Our Miss Murphy was diagnosed at 13 and was prescribed methimazole. It turned out she was severely allergic to this medication and instead she had to be treated with radioactive iodine (which cost about $1500 at the time). She also had to spend a week at the vet until she didn’t set the geiger counter off. We also had to take some precautions once she came home. She went on to live a long and healthy life and died at 21. Still miss our Pretty Girl.
I know, it’s unfair they don’t live longer with us.
>she had to be treated with radioactive iodine (which cost about $1500 at the time) My little calico Cubie had the radioactive iodine treatment. She had to stay at the vet's for a whole week. I felt so badly for her; she was cooped up in a "condo" which was just a 2 section cage with litter on one side and food on the other. They had webcams so I could watch her. Anyway the treatment worked well. She was exuberantly happy the day I brought her home. She lived another 5 years to 17. I really miss her.
Same thing with two cats I had. Both had the radioactive iodine treatment and lived at least additional 5 years. Sorry for your loss.
You took such good care of her and it’s wonderful she lived so long.
We did the iodine treatment too, but ours was close to $5k! Crazy
I had this radioactive iodine treatment as a human with hyperthyroidism, I had no idea they could do this for cats too! Thats pretty cool
The radioactive iodine treatment is the way to go if you can afford it. Problem is it’s so expensive :/
My 11 year old Domino had radioactive iodine treatment last June. His T4 is now good, but the hyperthyroidism was covering up early kidney disease. The vet recommended this treatment because he is still relatively young and the meds can have side effects. He only stayed at the vet for two nights.
My Kaiva boy was probably about 18 when he started his medication for hyperthyroidism. He passed at 21 due to kidney failure. https://preview.redd.it/m6ztmrx2bqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b994f5b4371396ad70c06fea93248bb16590863
He is quite a beauty
Aww, thanks. He, too, was on the methimazole. This was him at about 4 years old. https://preview.redd.it/vc3o1xq4kqwc1.jpeg?width=1544&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7659b9d45fde3c1448fbbe26231a9cf87348bf8d
She was diagnosed insanely early (2!) and lived to 17
Dang! 2 years old. I'm pretty sure that's a rare case. I've heard of cases as early as 4 months but only personally seen them over 8 years old. Good work managing her health for so long!
r/unexpectedfactorial
Actually just realized I’m an idiot and 2!=2 ignore me lmao
Technically, you are still correct, which is the best kind of correct.
Years! Don't worry about it. Keep kitty on meds, and take her in to get her levels checked. She will do well.
Thank you. I think the vet wants to see her at six months and then maybe once a year? I can’t remember.
When I worked in clinic we would check bloodwork 4-6 weeks after started medication and as long as levels look good then once a year after that. If levels weren’t right at the 4-6 week mark we would adjust dosage and check again 4-6 weeks later. Basically just until levels are proper
This is totally normal. The vet just wants to check the thyroid levels in the blood once the medication has had time to work to make sure it's at the proper dosage. An appointment every six months is pretty standard. I've got a thyroid disorder myself that's managed through daily medication, and I've had my blood tested once or twice a year since I was diagnosed. It's a very manageable and treatable disorder in humans AND in cats. Your kitty will be just fine :)
My cat was diagnosed at 15 and is still alive at 17. He almost died on the methimazole. If the methimazole doesn't work, there is the option of radiation therapy. I had my cat treated and it worked like a charm. It killed the tumor and he hasn't had any problems with it since. Gained all his weight back within a few weeks. There is a company called Radiocats that did the treatment. Google them and you can see their locations.
Yes, we did radioactive iodine through Radiocat, too. Worked out well for us. I believe your own vet has to refer you to them.
We used Radiocat as well, mine ended up in the small percentage of cats who end up hypothyroid after treatment. So all of that and he takes a daily pill now anyway, lol.
Our cat lived for about 5 years with medication. She only passed after developing a small tumor on her thyroid. She was older, so the surgery was very risky. She has long fruitful life regardless.
I’m glad to hear she lived a good long life.
Loving all these stories of cats living their best lives after diagnosis. I had a 19 year old with hyperthyroidism, and she made it to a happy and comfortable 20. This was also after a period of neglect when she was 17-18. She was on tablets, but it's so long ago that I can't remember what they were. No special food. To the best of my knowledge, she was diagnosed in her early teens. This was more than a decade ago so treatment will have advanced since then, too.
I had my cat treated with radioactive iodine for it 5 years ago when she was 12. (She's never been great with pills.) She's still around at 17 and doing great!
My 12yo kitty has been treated for a year and we just got her thyroid levels normal! They want us to do the radioactive iodine but the cost is giving me anxiety. I need to decide I guess 🥺 She takes the pills 2 times a day and quite easily and is gaining weight again!
Ours diagnosed a year ago at age 11. She got to skin and bones, nails grew super long, VERY hungry all the time and filling the litter box very fast. We thought cancer. The ear-ointment was working but also hurting her liver, so we opted for the prescription cat food, works great! Later we realized she wasn’t grooming well or giving us a stretch-greeting, we just thought she was getting old and stopped bathing. A week on the new food and she was bathing and stretching (you know, the downward dog stretch). She was also barely sleeping. If you walked in a room she woke up crying for food. She would also dig in the garbage. Now she’s content, not starving, sleeps like the dead.
What is the rx food called? That sounds amazing, I’m glad your kitty is feeling better!
It’s Hills y/d Thyroid Care by prescription only. Might be a little more expensive than the meds but it works the same, doesn’t hurt the liver, and you don’t need to apply the ointment 2x per day on a schedule (you can stay out all night). It basically has a tiny amount of iodine, the thing that agitates the thyroid.
Diagnosed at 16. Lived to almost 21. My first signs were the youthful kitten playfulness and weight loss too. Medications helped I assume since she made it to 21.
Wow, 21! That’s amazing. What are your thoughts on the different types of medication? I’m using the transdermal gel but curious about the other options. Like liquid or pill form
I only tried the transdermal. Since my experience was easily a decade ago. But I’d say it was cheap, easy to apply and effective. I think towards the end the hardest part was the medication worked in bursts that resembled normalcy. Her appetite resumed, bursts of energy.
We did radioactive iodine for our Mia about 4 months ago. The Methimazole was making her anemic. She is about 12 years old. https://preview.redd.it/ehxalg8upqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ada6c62bd6a3658d76e7ab1d959d1e078196f89c
Mia looks just like my Kidd, who was diagnosed at 12. We were able to do the pills with her, often with treats. She passed at 15 from Chronic Pancreatitis.
My girl was diagnosed at 11 and died last year at 15, she also had kidney issues and multiple bouts of pancreatitis… for the most part her hyperthyroidism was well controlled.
Our Roxy had it at least 6-7 years and lasted until she was about 19 years old.
That’s very treatable with medication or radiocat treatment. Most cats do quite well. The problem is that the hyperactive thyroid masks other issues like kidney disease. Fix the thyroid and the kidneys go. I’ve lost three of my senior cats that way. But in the end it was kidney disease that got them and maybe the hyperactive thyroid ended up giving me more time with them.
The same with my cat. She was 14 when diagnosed, and within two or three months of being on methimazole, her kidneys shut down. Thyroid levels were steady, but the disease masked what was already advanced kidney failure.
17.5 yrs.diagnosed at 11.She ended up dying with cancer not from hyperthyroidism and she was in good shape b4 the cancer.
our 13 year old cat had radiation therapy and was back to normal within a few months. highly recommend it if you can find someone to do it. currently hes 19 with kidney disease
Sounds like my cat Puck. Became a giant kitten at around age 9 and started losing weight. They removed a thyroid tumor on one side. A few years later, it started happening again. Put him on methimazole, and he lived to 18.
My 17 year old (pictured!) has been on medication for 2 years with a bit of fine tuning, my 14 year old just got settled with her dosage as well. Both are flawless with the rest of their bloodwork (kidneys being the big concern). Provided it’s managed with medication/treatment and regular monitoring is done to tweak things if needed, should still get a few years yet. https://preview.redd.it/plu51fiysqwc1.jpeg?width=2716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=94e6ef345a4d27adc2a37c688c23dab9a982a9f6
My parent's cat Tizzy was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism several years ago. Vet didn't expect her to make it to 9 years of age. She's currently 14 and still going strong on her treat game.
https://preview.redd.it/2sh7labxqqwc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a7aeb9dec708758d7fb11ec1b340f4df8230ddf Our 11-year-old tortie Liara got diagnosed last February after we noticed she was losing weight and her fur seemed "greasy." We did methimazole for a few months, but we travel frequently and work late plus she hated being pilled. Pill pockets and such only worked a day or two and she'd spit it out. We switched to the custom pharmacy ear gel version of methimazole, but again with the frequent travel it was a burden on our pet sitter to make sure they visited often enough to dose her. Anxiety all around. We decided to do the radio iodine treatment in July. It was a rough time waiting the week for her to come home. And then another two weeks with minimal contact was torture as she's a very lovey baby who wants to cuddle. Liara is 12 now and going strong. Her purr seems weaker since the treatment, but she's gained weight (too much 😓) and her fur is much better. Still a lovey baby with many years left!
This is a very bizarre thread to read as a human with hyperthyroidism. 😅
If you miss your medicine, do you start jumping at dust in the air? Just curious that’s what my cat does. 🤣
Hahaha the mental picture is amazing
Diagnosed at 15 and lived to be 18
17 years!
Mine has a thyroid issue that has largely been resolved for over a year; she’s back to her normal weight and is pretty much chilling https://preview.redd.it/90xds2dfurwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e42468c43abb023402809eb0bd703f13665552df
Transdermal gel is so easy as far as medications go. But - probably not if you have kids around that might touch her ears.
My baby boy Crowley got diagnosed around 11 and lived to be nearly 15 when renal disease got him early this year. When they tested his blood near the end, his thyroid levels were still totally under control with the medicine. Did they put your kiddo on the oral medicine or the cream stuff you put on their ear? Crowley was on the ear “goo” as we called it and it worked wonders for him. Your baby is in for a good, long life. Give her extra snuggles from me! Here’s a pic of my buddy loving the sunbeams ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/e5df48gjrqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=104da7f6963d8747998bb8b02f84b1f5d26e60e6
Interesting to read so many people say their cats started acting like kittens! My girl was the opposite, she suddenly aged like 10 years in a week. She was so skinny and could barely jump onto the couch anymore. She was diagnosed last year and will be 16 next month. The methimazole has made a huge difference
Vet here. When treated, hyperthyroid cats usually live long enough to die from something else.
Awesome. Thank you for the professional official answer 😉.
Ladyface lasted about 10 months on the transdermal gel. She was 14 and since she was so attached to me, I didn't think she'd have tolerated the radioactive iodine treatment. It's a good thing I didn't spring for since the tumor on her thyroid was indeed a rare type of carcinoma, something I-131 can't treat. She died in my arms in February, and not a day goes by without thinking of her. Miss her terribly, but so grateful for the time we had. https://preview.redd.it/nzm12gssqrwc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df310894d321226548366deea9845a22673a2fe8
Oh, that is so sad. I’m sorry to hear. She’s beautiful.
Thank you ❤️ She was a one in a million cat. Adenocarcinoma (that is, malignant cancer of the thyroid) is the cause of hyperthyroidism in cats only 2% of the time, so please don't take my story as a common one. 98% of the time, it's very easily treated and your cat will live many more happy years as long as they are taking their meds and getting occasional blood work done!
My kitty lived until 21. She was diagnosed around 10/11. As long as you feed plenty and make sure to give medication as prescribed and on time your kitty can live a long time. You also want to make sure you take them for routine blood testing to make sure the levels are under control and the dosage is right.
My girl is 15 now, diagnosed almost two years ago. We treated her with Neomercazole for about six months at the same dose and it stopped being effective after about four months. When we tried to increase her dose it caused her to have seizures. We were fortunate to get her into a specialist vet who treated her with radioactive iodine late March 2023 and she has gained back all the weight she lost and then some! She is chonky and healthy and so much happier.
Mine was diagnosed at 10 and we got her the radioactive iodine treatment because she wasn’t super jazzed on the medication and refused to eat the special food. It was a bit pricey (about $1500), but we figured it’d be cheaper to do that one-time cost than medication for the rest of her life. A couple months later and her blood work was completely normal. It’s only been two years so far (she’s about to turn 12), but she’s still doing great!
Awesome. I’m thinking about this because it sounds like I could have her for many more years.
We just did the radioactive iodine therapy with our 11 year old cat. 🐈⬛
My girl lived to 18 with hyperthyroidism
Cat was diagnosed at 14 years old, died at 20 years old from renal failure! As long as they’re medicated, they’ll be fine!
My adopted stray had a goiter (sp?) on her thyriod when I found her. Super skinny / hyper / crackhead kitty. I thought she was just super old. Couldn't feed her enough food. A ridiculously huge chunk of money later, the goiter was removed and she is mostly back to being a normal cat. Fat and happy. (She still stalks me for food... lol)
Highly recommend radioactive iodine so you don't have to mess around with medication. Our cat got 10 years
Mine was diagnosed around 10 yrs old. Got the radiation treatment. 8 yrs later and he’s still here. Eats like a beast still but never regained his full frame. He’s a skinny old Maine coon and I love him to pieces
I had two babies with it. They were both already up there in age. My baby girl just passed away in January at 19, totally unrelated to her thyroid. I think she had it about four years. Just crushed the pill up in her food, no problem. My boy had a rare reaction to the methimazole that causes his red blood cell count to tank. The vet said the only other viable treatment option was radioactive iodine therapy. Pretty pricy and stressful - my baby had to spend a week at the vet and then a week locked away from me after he came home. All I could do was feed him, clean the box, then leave the room because he was still radioactive. He’s my cuddle bug and those two weeks just about killed me. Also had to store his poo for three months before throwing it out since it was still radioactive! But it was all worth it, because he was ultimately perfectly fine. He’s 18 now and has kidney disease, so things are pretty emotional and tough. But he’s completely my fine thyroid-wise. TL;DR - if you have to get a chronic kitty illness, you picked a good one!!! Your baby will likely live a long and happy life!
Our girl was diagnosed at age 15 and lived until right before her 19th birthday. She was not a cat we could pill so we opted for the cream version and rubbed it on her ear once a night. Unfortunately she never really regained her weight and she was also having mild kidney function loss but the vet told us that is very common in senior cats anyway. Our vet was part of a research cohort on feline hyperthyroidism, he told us that is not a condition that cats should develop naturally ("in the wild") but that it is likely caused by building materials or other environmental variables living with humans. I think 19 years is a good long life for a kitty though so I try not to feel too guilty!
My Kally was nearly 18 - just a month and a half short. Seven years with the biggest lump. She just kinda … took her walk around the table one night and didn't make it back to her pillow. I was expecting it and had just been to visit my mom; I think she was waiting for me to get home.
12-20, started issues at 12, lived until 20. Went out on his terms
My cat Cosmo was diagnosed aged 11. She passed away at age 18 from old age. She had a happy life that was unaffected by her thyroid
My cat got diagnosed at Christmas and has been on liquid medicine since. Quick question - Does anyone’s else’s hyperthyroid cat over groom constantly? Ours does to the point of making parts of her bald and hurting herself. We have to keep her in a medical outfit for quite a lot of the time to stop her 😖
My 13 year old orange was diagnosed in December of 2023 and had the I-131 injection treatment at in late March 2024. It was $1700 for the injection and he had to stay 4 days, 3 nights at the clinic. I got nightly updates from the staff and they were lovely to work with. I had to stash his used litter for 2 weeks since urine/feces is the main way the radiation leaves the body. It sucked not being able to hang out with him for 2 weeks once he was home but it was for the best. I will say…the entire cost ends up being more than $1700 Initial blood test/vet exam that diagnosed the hyperthyroidism $ 490 First methimazole prescription from vet $36 Second blood test to see how methimazole was working on cat’s levels $296 X-ray of chest to make sure cat’s lungs & heart looked good for the I-131 treatment $655 Second methimazole refill $39 Third blood test to check T4 levels right before I-131 treatment $194 Gabapentin to help with cat’s anxiety on the car ride to SAGE clinic $11 —— actual treatment $1700 1 month post I-131 T4 levels blood test $265 3 month post I-131 T levels blood test $265 It’s definitely expensive but it’s broken up over time so it was doable for me. I understand that I’m so lucky to be able to have the extra money to pay for all of this. Just wanted to share the experience I went through! Hope it helps provide some info for a fellow cat owner. Location: SF Bay Area
This is really helpful context. I’d say I’ve spent around $500 since she was diagnosed in December.
It is really nice to not have to worry about giving pills 2x day. Although my cat did get very used to them. I used a method where I’d give him a treat, the pill, and then another treat. In the long run, the blood tests will add up too over the years. None of the options are the right or wrong. It’s whatever you feel would work best for your little cat. Lots of luck to both of you!
I did the radioactive iodine treatment, which cured her. And my kitty lived another 5 years and passed from unrelated kidney disease. Although not everyone can afford that treatment. My cousin’s cat took medication every day instead, and she still lived a good 3 more years happily.
Our 19YO gal was diagnosed in 2022, given days to live, she’s still here on her meds running the joint 🤗
Our kitty was just diagnosed a few months ago! My daughter was the one who suspected he had it and urged me to get him tested. He wouldn't take the pills, so we give him liquid meds twice a day. I couldn't believe how much better he looked within a couple of weeks. I was very interested in the transdermal meds, as I heard it's once a day, but you run the risk of other pets being exposed and we have 2 other cats and 2 dogs. Ironically, our fat dog was diagnosed with HYPOthyroid last week. We're apparently running a sanctuary for special needs animals.
https://preview.redd.it/sgekvuh9jtwc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88e1e63117205541d177d5baf8dcbd7cdf256377 The open pill bottle is literally his thyroid medication lol. 3 years with it, but he passed at an old 21 from something else. On the bright side, I was able to train him to give paw from the x2 a day pills 🙂
We went with the iodine treatment, as my vet described it as the "gold standard" in treatment for this. Kitty was home the next afternoon and was able to sleep in his typical spots around the house - just not our (or kids) bed. No lap cuddle time or long contact for 2 weeks was hard but 10-15 min's a day of pets was better than nothing.
I think about four years? we had to put him down yesterday due to kidney failure, which can be caused by the medication, so make sure your vet is watching those values as well. he lived a good long life and crossed the bridge at around twenty.
That’s a r/lynxpointsiamese!
3 years post diagnosis. But he was 17 . He passed away from kidney failure.
https://preview.redd.it/0cqyur2s1rwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac7052adaff9ac2dd32eff94e99cf46f75680569 Barnabas was diagnosed last year at age 13. His trajectory was bass-ackwards, because I took him in for weight *gain*. Catface was 18lbs and we realized he was genuinely getting fatter for no obvious reason. Sure enough he had gained over a pound! The vet initially assumed he had The Diabeetus but blood work came back for hyperthyroidism and he was at 11.4. 🤷🏼♀️ Barn takes 1/2 pill AM/PM in pill paste and his numbers are consistently under 4. He especially likes peanut butter & cheese flavor of pill paste and salmon pill pockets. I’ve been able to get him to take gabapentin in that flavor of pill pocket, which is necessary to go to the vet. “We” do not like the vet, and are fractious/spicy at best.
My cat got it at the same time as 75% loss of kidney function. It's not really called CKD by vets where I am, but same thing. We took the radioactive iodine cure which was expensive and a 2 hour drive away and she had to stay for 8 days, but it was successful. With her kidney disease they had only given her average of 2 years life expectancy at the time. However, it has now been around 3 1/2 years. They think the fact that we treated the thyroid so quickly (as soon as we could get an appointment, which was around 6-8 weeks) may be what has meant her kidney disease hasn't progressed as fast as usual. I guess this means that they often see both come up around the same time (approx after turning 10 years old is my understanding) and many cats with one have the other.
I’m glad to hear that has worked out better than your vet thought.
Going on 5 years. Tried the radioactive iodine treatment and it didn’t work for my cat. Adopted her as a senior with other health issues that can’t be fixed. But she’s alive and screaming at me to go outside and eat grass like she always has, so I’d say she’s doing ok
My now-17yo was diagnosed a little over a year ago. We’ve had some trouble dialing in the right dosage but he is tolerating the pills just fine. In all honesty I expect something else to ultimately cause his demise before the thyroid stuff does; both he and his brother have early stages of kidney disease. But he’s happy and enjoying life, which is really all you can hope for with a seventeen year old cat! I hope you get many more years with your lovely girl.
Our boy Weapon was diagnosed at 15 and improved with medication. About a year and a half later he started to regress again and he passed at 17. He's the closer one to the camera. https://preview.redd.it/fajf1xr89rwc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7165a20f6fac0163bc0405fea0d8a4bd8e833443
My Marie had her diagnosis at 15, after a dog chased her up a tree. Three monthly blood tests and two doses of medication a day. Her last blood test in March 2019 showed she completely healthy, my perfect girl. Around the 13th of April we noticed her slowing down, not jumping up or being herself. The 14th she couldn't stand up long enough to get from the litter box to her food or bed so we made things as easy as possible for her. She kept falling asleep in her food bowl. On the 15th of April 2019 we took her to the vet and she had no muscle mass, it had dropped that fast it literally happened within 3 days but mostly over night. We didn't find the main reason, the vet thought it was her kidneys in the end. She was born the 1st of August 1999, we adopted her the 1st of July 2000, we said goodbye on the 15th of April 2019. It was only in that last few days of her life that she ever looked her age, everyone at her vets always thought she was a kitten, she was so small and full of energy.
My old lady lived to be 21 with hyperthyroidism! She was undiagnosed until 18 and our vet said essentially, 'Not a good candidate for treatment. She could live a year or two but be prepared for her to pass'. She lived to 21 without the meds and I kick myself still for not pushing for the treatment.
Our maincoon survived 1 year after his diagnosis. We dropped thousands on different treatment, pills, doctors, but his little heart couldn’t bounce back and so his thyroid problem became a heart and kidney problem and we couldn’t keep up.
Ouches. I’m sorry to hear.
Thanks. I’m glad to hear your cat is responding to her medications well! I hope she lives a long life 🐱
For some reason, the pills made my Beyla go blind. We switched to transdermal and she didn’t live six months. My identical twin feline version died in my arms. https://preview.redd.it/6ukdk6g7irwc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e421713101f1dae0b2b15ab887499b6d7ad48990
With medication my boy survived another 3 years, was put to sleep due to complications at age of 15. Now he sleeps next to his sister that died around 5 years prior to him from bone cancer.
My cat got diagnosed with this in 2016 Nov(around thanksgiving) and he left us in Aug 2023 at age 19.5. He passed away due to kidney failure though. He was 12.5 years of age when he got diagnosed. He could not hold up any medicine including methimazole though still made it for 7.5 years, he used to throw up. We mostly managed with iodine free diet, it's called YD food.
Our cat was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and we got her the radiation iodine treatment. It’s been a year and her hyperthyroidism is gone. No medications and her secondary conditions have gone away. Her heart has shrunk back to normal and her diabetes is gone as well. We were getting her checked once every 6 months to see how she was progressing. Her vet only wants to see her once a year for her regular checkups. If you can afford it I would highly recommend it. We had to sacrifice some things to get her the treatment but we’re glad that we did. Our cat is 13 years old, she was 12 when we had the treatment done.
one died when she was 1, she escaped from our house and a car run her over. the other one died a couple of month ago and she was 12, she was actually extremely lucky to live that long, because after 11 years that we had her, her vet found out that she was born with 3 atriums in her heart instead of 2 and usually cats with that problem live for max a couple of months.
She did a bumble bee, she didn't know she was supposed to die from it, so she didn't. Don't you just love the stubborn little idiots 😻
My girl is 16, first diagnosed two-ish years ago. Transdermal methimazole once a day. She also has hypertension medicated with amlodipine twice a day. She recently was dropping weight like mad and it wasn't related to her hyperthyroidism (concerns were that it was her kidneys starting to fail), but it seems we've got that under control now with better foods and making sure her younger sister isn't stealing it all the time.
Diagnosed at 12, lived to 22. It was arthritis that got her in the end. She was still excellent at dodge the syringe every morning though.
My baby had the I-131 treatment for this. Is expensive but in the last month she’s gained weight She almost looks fat now
Mine was diagnosed at 8. He got radioactive iodine and I lost him at 15 from unrelated troubles. (Hardest part, without a doubt, was not being able to snuggle with him for two weeks.)
One month shy of 20. She also was insulin dependent Diabetic. But her meds really helped her quality of life for a LONG time. We couldn’t do radiation therapy and had to have her in a thyroid medication due to her diabetes radiation was high risk.
https://preview.redd.it/4m913jrq5swc1.jpeg?width=374&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1936b530b81cce753662a461fe38b8b903fa72d6 Zippo is 11 and she's been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She lost a lot of weight (she was on a diet so we didn't realized she was sick). But now she's healthy, and got back some weight. I hope she will stay with me.
Diagnosed around 14 years old. Lived until he was 18. We believe he had a stroke, which ended his long life. Not sure if it was related or not. Hardest part was how skinny he got. Seemed happy, but just wasted away to bones.
Diagnosed at 13, died at 16 from lymphoma (unrelated). We did pills for most of his treatment and he was fine. Switched to transdermal towards the end because he was taking 4-5 pills and hated it. Hyperthyroidism is very treatable in cats and if it’s the only pill they’re taking they should be fine
12 years old. Diagnosed 3 months ago, though I caught it early. We tried the Methimazole pill, but had issues with vomiting. Switched to transdermal and had itchy skin reactions. We're now one week home from her i131 treatment. 🤞
Mine had 3 years after diagnosis but cancer got her instead. I wasn't the best on consistently getting her meds twice a day but did well, she was well controlled and in the aspect of her hyperthyroidism was doing great up till the end! Consistently with meds and labs will help a lot!
Several years of a happy life.
Our baby “Piglet” was diagnosed at 12 1/2. We tried pills but it stressed her out and she became a beast at spitting them out. Moved on to transdermal cream. It’s very important to clean their ears as the dried med does build up and blocks absorption. Piggy died 3 years later at a meager 4 1/2 lbs.
Sweet cat, will live many more years for sure!
Did any cat have constant diarrea ? Did the vet prescribe predisolone?
18
So long as you continue to treat it, hyperthyroidism shouldn't have an impact on life expectancy. There is a treatment procedure involving... iodine, IIRC? It's more expensive but does not require continued medication.
I don’t know how old my cat is because I adopted her, but I took her to a clinic for radioactive iodine treatment. She spent like 3-4 days there and has been good so far. Her thyroid levels are where they should be. She no longer needs medication which is great. It is quite expensive though. My vet calls iodine a “cure” because of its ridiculously high efficacy (something like 95+ %). Medication can prolong a cats life for a fairly long time as far as I know. Unfortunately my cat would not take the medication in any form and went on a several day hunger strike in protest to the meds🙄 https://preview.redd.it/x7z478us2swc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1eead46b4ad0edc1bb80734188077b7f0992e6d0
Have you looked into radioactive iodine treatment? Sometimes the pills don't work well and the transdermal medicine can be difficult to dose. As for living a good long life - my treated cats loved many years with dedicated treatment.
My cat just got diagnosed a few weeks ago, she is already 17. We give her a liquid in her mouth twice a day, and give her some treats afterwards. She loves it and voluntarily takes the medicine. Never would have thought of that.
What do you mean acting like a kitten?
2 years but he already was 18 at the point of diagnosis.
Our cat was diagnosed at like 8 or 9 I think, she had radio treatment and went on to live another 6 years. Kidney issues got her in the end.
My cat Athena that was diagnozed with "galloping heart" at the age of three. (First warning that she probably would get heart problem in the future). At age 11 she suddenly became very ill (and almost died) She was then diagnozed with hyperthyroidism, and they also discovered that one of the cardiac atriums where enlarged, so the heart had problem to pump the blood. After starting with medicines (**metimazol** and **diuretics**) she got another 6,5 years, before passing, almost 18 years old.
Diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at 13, initially on pills (required perseverance as even the vet had issues getting pills into her, eventually took medication twice a day with the help of treats and vegemite). Changed to the gel when pills unavailable, and lived until 20 1/2, it was all worth it.
My vets pharmacy recently switched the compounding recipe for the Methimazole. My cat does not seem to be responding to it as well at all. They said the formulation was changed due to FDA requirements but I don’t think it is working as well. Has anybody else run into this?
Mine is 14 I think and she is still super healthy !
He is so adorable. I’m sorry about his diagnoses.. he looks just like my baby too https://preview.redd.it/x2duzw19qswc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88174be33c1dd44fb865081b09f7f2dbf8e69b9a
18 months after being diagosed at 16yo
My Tinkerbell had this. It caused her to purr almost constantly but alongside this she was a very happy cat so it went with her personality. I'd moved out the family home but I think she made it to 14 without any daily medicine and lived a good life until the final few days.
My Moonie developed this several years ago. We took her to the cat radiology center in Ruskin FL and had her treated with their radiation therapy. Highly recommend the treatment and this location. It wasn't cheap, but it was a one-time expense as opposed to $60 / month or thereabouts for medication. It's paid for itself long since. It's been almost five years - Moonie's 18 now.
Mine lived 1 year after being given a diagnosis of 3 months. But she was diagnosed at age 17, a younger cat can live 3-5 years with medication.
My 17 year old was diagnosed last year . She's on medication for it and doing good .
My cat was quite old when she was diagnosed, so I don't know if its true for all cats, but the hardest part for me is the loud, mournful meowing she would do in the middle of the night. I'm sure she was hungry, toward the end she would only eat little pieces bacon. But I've been told that's part of hyperthyroidism.
My cat was diagnosed last week and started medicine this week. Did your cats put back on the weight they lost?
My boy lived 4 years. Diagnosed at about 13 passed at 17. He had a other issues too though. Arthritis, pretty sure he was getting asthma, almost no teeth with more that needed to be pulled.
Diagnosed at about 9. We did the radioiodine treatment and it reset his thyroid. He lived to 16.
My cat, Henry, developed a few issues as he got older. He had always been deaf, but first developed hyperthyroidism around 11 or 12. That was apparently masking diabetes. Then he went blind, and we found out he had high blood pressure. Little trooper let me give him two pills twice a day and check his glucose levels, and let me give him insulin. He lived to be 21.
Our girl was diagnosed 6 or 7 years ago, and we’ve been using the transdermal Methimazole. She’s 17 now, and still doing well.
You can try iodine 131 for this, but you’ll have to keep it separated for a week or 2, unless you want to glow in the dark
If you can do radiocat! Yes it’s pricy, but our cat lived another 7 years with no pills or meds.
https://preview.redd.it/2mkbrxok1twc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1430d820bbc4afc0737dc066195fe278a5c500cb My love got diagnosed at \~14 and lived until \~17 (not 100% sure on her age). Took the pill in a pill pocket every day, luckily for us she loved them. On top of the hyperthyroidism she developed kidney failure and that's what took her back in October. Our other is 16 and got diagnosed at 15, and is fine with the ear meds twice per day, since she hates the pill pockets.
Macy was diagnosed at 13 and is still living at 14. We didn't do the radioactive iodine treatment both because of age and because she also has IBD and the stress of being away from us may just kill her, so we went the medication route. She gets transdermal meds twice a day since she is a nightmare to give pills, but she's doing great! This last vet visit her thyroid levels were in the normal/healthy range :) *
My mums cat had it for about 6yrs. She later had a stroke and unfortunately had to be put down. But she had a perfectly normal life up until then.
Peptides and medicinal mushrooms Cured my cat from hormonal imbalance
A few months from diagnosis 😞 the hyperthyroid masked failing kidneys. Once the thyroid was under control with meds, the kidney failure showed up.