Food advice for hyperthyroidism cat

I have a 17 year old disagnosed with hyperthyroidism. His weight plummeted in a matter of months, I mean he lost pounds. At first I thought it was just his old age but then I picked him up and he was as light as a feather.

The vet put him on half a table a day and he lost a further 13 ounces in a month. We upped his dose to 1 tablet a day and then for 2 weeks he put back 3 ounces a week. Then on the last check he had lost 2 ounces again.

This cat used to be the sort that would grab stuff off your plate, whilst you were eating, but now he will not look at his favourites. He wont touch tuna in veg oil, he wouldnt touch the other treats like ham or turkey or whatever. If i give him a food that is soaking in broth he will lap the broth and leave the rest. He will eat soft pate food but only in the initial 5 minutes of putting it down.

I am looking for 'sure fire' food suggestions that other people have discovered their cats will eat even when ill and off their food. Something thats not too rich or likely to cause diarrhea, and will also help gain weight.

If anyone has any brands they tried, or treats, whatever. I need to get this poor guy to get some weight back before organs start failing and the vet starts talking 'quality of life'

Baby food in the meat flavors can be tempting.  Avoid any with onion and garlic as they can cause anemia.  Fancy Feast, while not the recommended food, is usually a hit with the cats (AKA as kitty crack).

Has your vet run a blood test recently?  You may need to adjust medication.

I have been taking him in to the vet every Monday for subcutanious fluid injections and weighings, and every few weeks the vet re-does the testing.

He actually has another one on Monday.

It seems that the thyroid score is going down (was originally off the scale as it only went to 8, last time it was down to 5.5 so we upped the doesage to 1 per day instead of half a day) but the liver score (think it was liver) is slowly going up which worries me.

Hi, Bluff! Welcome to TCS.

Along with offering the cat probiotics, like Forti Flora, to help improve his digestive tract health, I would feed your boy any of the commercially produced raw diets. Rad Cat, Feline's Pride and Nature's Variety are very good choices and widely available.

All the reasons are highlighted in this endocrinologist's posts: The Best Diet to Feed Hyperthyroid Cats and Should High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets Be Fed to All Cats? but what it boils down to is that your cat needs as much meat-based protein, in the most digestible form, as you can get into him.

The Forti Flora will also help entice him to eat, but you can also try any of the following (if you need to - sometimes cats latch onto raw foods immediately, instinctively):

Warm the food by mixing it with warm water (don't microwave it), or sprinkle catnip, Parmesan Cheese, fish food flakes (weird, but it works), or some crumbled up freeze-dried meat treats (Whole Life's chicken works wonderfully on my kitties!) over the food.

You can also drip a bit of tuna juice or sprinkle crushed up Temptation treats over it, but be careful to drip/sprinkle as minimally as possible and wean the kitty off as soon as possible - both are unhealthy in anything but small amounts and are very addictive.

The very best of luck to you and your boy, Bluff!! 

AC

P.S. If you aren't already, you can increase your kitty's meals from three (the minimum) to four times a day. That should help bring his weight up, too.

The fish flakes I can attest to as I used to own an aquarium and he would sit on top of it and lick all the flakes that didnt make it into the tank.

Don't worry too much about it. The cat probably became a bit hypothyroid from the anti-thyroid meds and lost his appetite. When cats have hypothyroidism, they lose their appetite, but despite that, they still gain weight.  On the other hand, when the cat was hyperthyroid, it was very hungry all the time, eating things the way you described... yet it still lost weight... so what I'm saying is that you should just give the cat the food it likes, such as fancy feast as someone mentioned, which is a huge hit for all cats. And expect his appetite to wax and wane as his meds get adjusted. 

As for what he eats, it doesnt really matter much. Unlike diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease and pancreatitis or gallbladder problems, thyroid disease doesnt need a particular diet. 

Same goes with probiotics, which don't do hardly anything at all because the bacteria in them are rapidly outcompeted in the gut by the cats usual bacterial flora.

TCS is made up of many intelligent, caring members who take the time to reach out to other cat owners with help and advice. We come from quite a variety of backgrounds and embody a very wide range of experiences and expertise... I don't think this site can be accused of propagating anything besides loving cats, and certainly not voodoo information.

As for my recommendation to Bluff, I think you may have misunderstood some part of the conversation, as the food wasn't recommended as a method of controlling HyperT, but in response to Bluff's specific question. He is rightfully concerned about his cat's weight and everything I suggested was in support of getting as much protein into the cat as possible, in the highest-quality, most-digestible form.

You may find this blog post by Dr. Peterson helpful in understanding my suggestions: Optimal Protein Requirements for Older Cats and Cats with Hyperthyroidism.

Best regards.

AC

Does anyone think Nature's Variety's freeze dried would be healthy for Bluff's cat?  That is my cat's favorite.  He goes crazy about it.   Anything else just pales comparing with NV freeze dried. (I mean in my cat's eyes)

Hi there.....
Do be careful with those liver enzymes, especially if ALKP is elevated. ALT can be elevated with Methimazole.... But both can be a red flag.... ALKP should neverbe elevated in a cat. More than the diet, try to control the Thyroid numbers very very well, because if gone out of control long term, your kitty can suffer dire consequences. Heart failure is one of them. I just lost a kitty because of it - uncontrolled thryroid disease led to Congestive heart failure, and ultimately, to a massive heart attack She also had liver failure as a side effect of Methimazole
I will suggest you something, that I wish I had done way before, when Gracie came to me - Do take some x-rays of her chest in different angles - that will allow you to check her heart and her liver..... I know I might be going far here.... But this is something that can help you quite a bit - it can show you if her liver and her heart are enlarged for example - and guide you on how to proceed on the best and safest treatment options for your baby :heart3:
It can take a while to get the thyroid numbers in check, and you are on the right path. There is another drug, if you want to discuss with your vet, Called Carbimazole - that has less side effects on the liver.... It is widely used in Europe, but not so much here in the US, as it is more expensive than Methimazole. It has some of the same side effects on the bone marrow as Methimazole, but it is easier on the liver - discuss with your vet if this is an option for your baby.....
Last but not least, with the guidance of your vet, I would definitely discuss the possibility of controlling this with a diet - being Raw, or Hills y/d.... Discuss with you vet, and you both do your research and discuss your options together - your baby has specific needs, and to me, it is a well worthwhile discussion....
Many vibes for you baby, and hugs to you

space1101 said:

Does anyone think Nature's Variety's freeze dried would be healthy for Bluff's cat?  That is my cat's favorite.  He goes crazy about it.   Anything else just pales comparing with NV freeze dried. (I mean in my cat's eyes)

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Excellent commercially made raw diet, Nature's Variety's freeze dried diet's. ALSO Stella and Chewey's raw freeze-dried cubes. My cat's absolutely LOVE those raw cubes... I wet them down before I feed them though. My cat's just can't wait to get his paw's on those cubes. I highly recommend both Nature's Variety and Stella/Chewey's raw foods....BUT not sure for a hyperthyroid kitty :dk:...

I think Bluff is from the UK. I hope some of those brands are available there!

I was originally from the UK but I am now stateside.

It is with great sadness that I announce that we lost Thomas on Friday evening.

He developed trouble breathing; he was open mouthed, breathing heavily, his gums were grey/blue. His weight ballooned from 6lbs to 8lb 7 ounces in 4 days (I am still convinced that 6obs weighing was wrong) The vet believed his lungs filled with fluid.

I wanted him to die quietly in his sleep of old age but instead he was in too much pain and we had to be kind, though it hurt us so much.

He was my dear friend for 17 years and I will miss him so much.

Thank you for your help with food suggestions folks. I will remember them as I have another 17 year old cat that once in a while exhibits hyper-t as well.

I am so sorry for your loss hun..... Sound like congestive heart failure
Many hugs for you in this moment of great pain
RIP Thomas

I am so sorry for your loss.  I will close this thread and when you are ready, I invite you to post something about your dear one in the Crossing the Bridge forum.