# Vet wants my cat on steroids.  Risks?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 16, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804 "2005-03-16T14:03:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804/21 "2005-03-17T17:43:41Z")

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One risk I see is having to rename the cat either Hans, Franz, or Arnold.

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**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804/22 "2005-03-17T17:43:41Z")

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> [@vetbridge](#):
>
> Actually, although _some_ veterinarians supplement thyroid hormone post thyroidectomy, I never have. Cats are very different than dogs and humans. Cats do very well in a hypothyroid state as long as they are mature. (Congenital hypothyroidism leads to cretinism.)

My cat seems to be the exception, when initially overmedicated with methimazole he was hours from death. He spent 3 days at the Michigan Veterinary Clinic and 2 weeks down and out at home recovering from the effects. (Not disagreeing with you **Vetbridge** , my parents kitty also suffers from hyperthyroid and he too became extememly ill from a hypothyroid state) I wonder if the fact that both these cats had a rough start, (both were strays that had reached near starvation until we rescued them. ) could contribute to their difficulties in adult life.

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**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804/23 "2005-03-17T17:45:33Z")

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> [@Abbie Carmichael](#):
>
> One risk I see is having to rename the cat either Hans, Franz, or Arnold.

He had his first shot yesterday. Already this morning I caught him in the basement benching 220.

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**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804/24 "2005-03-17T18:44:15Z")

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Just picturing an all-cat baseball game makes my day!

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**Author:** ![mattmorgan64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@mattmorgan64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattmorgan64)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vet-wants-my-cat-on-steroids-risks/294804/25 "2005-03-17T18:54:31Z")

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It’s no fair. You bastards take all the good jokes before I get a chance to try!

Anyway, Mark McGuire was actually born a siamese kitten.

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