hyperthyroid in my oldest cat

What's the best food, and thing to do for Hyperthyroid in my 12 y.o. male cat?

my other cat, that was 10, we diagnosed it very late, she got on those pills and it killed her. she died a month or so later, and got a blood disease from it?

my vet (of 21 years) says if its detected soon enough, which we're pretty much in early stages of it.. we can start him on the pills and then have him come in for blood work every month to make sure everythings ok.

i'm scarred the pills will do what they did to my other cat.. !

did you guys ever have a cat that had this in the early stages and got them on the pill ? did it work?

Originally Posted by DJ BLACK MAMBA

What's the best food, and thing to do for Hyperthyroid in my 12 y.o. male cat?

my other cat, that was 10, we diagnosed it very late, she got on those pills and it killed her. she died a month or so later, and got a blood disease from it?

my vet (of 21 years) says if its detected soon enough, which we're pretty much in early stages of it.. we can start him on the pills and then have him come in for blood work every month to make sure everythings ok.

i'm scarred the pills will do what they did to my other cat.. !

did you guys ever have a cat that had this in the early stages and got them on the pill ? did it work?

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what pills?
PJ (11ish years old) takes methimazole as a compounded gel that we put in her ears. She's very hesitant about having hands near her face from some previous abuse, we think, so she is very difficult to pill, so we had the gel made. She's done well on that for almost a year now - we just had to increase her dose, though, since her thyroid went nuts again.

There are few cats who have bad reactions to methimazole (brand name: Tapazole) but most tolerate it very well. Usually reactions show up as itching around the face, vomiting or diarrhea. Starting with a low dose and increasing it if need can help prevent bad reactions.

I don't know how long Spot had had hyperthyroidism because he had it when I found him, but he does very well on the methimazole pill. We sometimes have to adjust the dose as his body chemistry changes. I've learned to read some of the signs to know when it's time go back to the vet to check his T4 levels and change the dose. With Spot, his ears get really warm if the dose is too low and really cold if it's too high. He hasn't had any bad reactions to the pills, which he gets twice per day.

Not treating your kitty is the worst thing you can do, in my opinion. Hyperthyroidism speeds up the metabolism, meaning they need more food to sustain their bodies. It also causes the heart to work a lot harder, which can damage it over time. If they can't take in enough food, they begin breaking down fat and muscle to get the energy to live off of. Hyperthyroid cats in the later stages are often very thin and frail.

I understand your fear. Can you ask your vet for a better explanation of what happened to your other cat? It sounds like she may have been anemic? talking to your vet may help you to not feel so afraid for your current kitty. You might also want to join the Yahoo group for people and kitties with hyperthyroidism: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-hyperT/.

You have already had an excellent response or two, but I wanted to share that I've had two cats, now passed on, who were on methithimazole for several years each and died of causes unrelated to this medication.

Patrick and Tyler are now both on methimazole, and tolerating it well.

I also had a cat that was on methithimazole for 3 years and died from an unrelated cause.

Same here as the two above.

The meds increased her life by 4 extra precious years.

My cat Jazz took tapazole for a couple of weeks then starting throwing up all over the house. THe end result was to get her the radioactive iodine shot. I did this in June and she is as good as new. It was the best thing I could do for her. She is 10 years old.

Jazz is 10 years old.

rhar is the medicine i put in my cats ears much easier than pills. She was down to 5 lbs and she has started eating again. Callie hadnt easten for three days. If your cat stops eating and drinking ans starts howling at different times of the day have it checked for this disease . She is finally gaining back her weight , hasnt stopped the howling yet thogh