Cats with hyperthyroidism - options?

Do you know if it is the non-freshness or the cold he dislikes? I find that mixing in a tablespoon or two of hot water helps. I avoid microwaving the food because it heats very unevenly and I don’t want him to burn his mouth.

I had to hold mine (I put it in the garage) in those plastic kitty litter containers, for three weeks. Then it was OK for the garbage.

I’m jealous of all you who got their cats back faster. The 11 days mine was in treatment were some long days…I missed having him around.

RadioCat dispenses a bag of flushable litter (yes, with instructions to flush it), a scoop, and gloves, along with detailed instructions about handling the cat, and dirty linens and such. The duration of instructions is 2 weeks, then back to totally normal. The amount of radiation left in the cat for those 2 weeks is extremely small, or they wouldn’t be allowed to release the cat back to the owner. If you don’t want to flush it (like with a septic tank), you’ll need to hold it for three weeks or so. The radioactivity does disperse over that time.

For the food, depending on how much time you have, you could put the leftover can in a hot water bath to warm up gently and evenly, or you can add a little water and then microwave it for 10 seconds or so, stir well and test with a finger that it’s only lukewarm.

I use just cheapo ceramic bowls I found for $2 each at Walgreens as cat food bowls. At mealtime, I just take up the bowls, scrape out any leftovers, then stack them in the sink with hot water running over them and let them soak while scooping litter boxes or sweeping. If I have a half-can of leftovers, I’ll put the can into the top bowl in the sink to warm up (it has a plastic lid on it). I make sure what’s in the can is pushed down and spread evenly across the bottom with a spoon, for even heating and this way the can also floats. By the time I’m done sweeping or scooping and washing my hands, the bowls are thoroughly soaked and just need to be swished out, and the leftovers are warmed enough to be appealing to Mr. Picky.

(I have twice-a-day feeding time, canned food for 4 cats with a tiny bit of kibble dropped in, down to about 8 minutes including medication for the one who needs it. I have a thing for efficiency!)

Thanks for your advice, y’all! I saw Motorgirl’s post last night on my phone and couldn’t answer the question; I didn’t know if it’s a coldness issue or a freshness issue.

So I use ceramic bowls for kitty. Last night, I put a little water in his bowl and nuked it for about half a minute. Decided I had too much water, poured some of it out and then mixed in the cold leftovers. He walked away as soon as he saw me putting leftovers in his bowl (the horror! the insult!), but came back around as I was mixing it in with the water. The warm water makes it super extra smelly and he couldn’t resist! Ate all his supper!

And still begged for cheese later. :smiley:

Thanks, Dopers! Mr. Kitty loves you!

On the atomic cat waste, I bag it all up-I use regular scoopable litter- and place those bags into a big garbage can outside lined with a big lawn trash bag. I collect it that way for 2 weeks. Then it’s going to sit there until 90 days after her treatment. That’s what they told us to do. It barely registers on the Geiger counter, but we will hold it as instructed.

Does anybody know how soon you will see the results after the 131-I treatment? My cat has lost 0.2 lbs. since her treatment and that’s not the direction we want to go.

does anyone have a cat with ht that vomits if (s)he eats more than a tbsp. at a time? i have a 15 year old who’s been on methimazole gel for 18 mos. her initial thyroid level was 13.2. then it dropped to 2.6, then started to climb so it’s 3.9 now. i got her to gain 6 oz. but i have to feed her six times a day and i’m considering the radioactive iodine.

the gel isn’t that expensive ($34 a month) but with the frequent blood panels and vet check-ups (3x a year @135.00), it would all even out in two years anyway. plus it would free me up a little.

I currently give my cat 6 pills a day including one for hyperthyroidism. I alternate cat treats and pills, and I notice which treats he likes, stock a variety, never give the same kind of treat twice in a row, and pass the treats on to the other 9 cats when he grows tired of them. I also feed him a special diet and give him spring water, believe it or not. But the spring water is just the grocery store brand, not a name brand. I mean, sheesh, he’s a cat!

Two years ago, I had a hyperthyroid cat die from cardiomyopathy brought on by the hyperthyroidism. I eschewed the radioiodide for tapazole pills and I now regret that. I think BB might still be alive if I had done the radiation treatment.

Update on Mr. Kitty: The special Hills Science Diet food experiment was a bust. After six weeks on that stuff, his thyroid levels were through the roof! He’d lost like 3 pounds – which he needed to lose, but that was too much, too fast – and clearly felt like poo. :frowning: Poor fella. I put him back on the liquid compounded methimazole and told the vet I wasn’t going to fuss around anymore experimenting with different meds. After another six weeks of being back on the methimazole, his levels are right where they should be and he’s right as rain. Only a little more svelte than he used to be. I’m not messing around with the radiation thing, nor the ear gel, nor the special diet. I found what works for him and I’m not fucking around with it anymore.

From the conversations I’ve had with my vet about it, I’m thinking it’s a little different for every cat, so you just have to play around with the different ways of delivering meds/treatments and see what works for your furball.

Our experiment with special diet food was okay, but not fantastic. My cat is pretty bored with the food, I think (and I think it’s making her constipated, too). She was only borderline high-normal, so I think if she gets mostly the special food, it should make enough of a difference for her, rather than going full food-Nazi on her.