My cat is 12 years old and just since it was taken to vet and he said it had Thyroidism I have noticed she is very thin in the waistline although she is fat underneath she looks thinner than before, is this normal with this illness, which he said she wont ever be cured of and will have to be on Vildata tablets rest of her life,he told me she will be ok as long as gets the pills,doesnt matter how much she eats she never seems to be full, has anyone else had a cat with this illness, Im often wondering if she is suffering pain Id rather put her to sleep if she was I love her very much like all pet owners and dont want her to suffer, she tends to sleep a lot under my sideboard.|I have no cat friends to asked their opinion.can anyone help.

My cat Abby had a thyroid trouble just over a couple of years ago unfortuately her quality of life went down so I had to make that final decision.
With your cat it is early days and if you are able to give your cat their daily tablets and she/he is still happy with life I cannot see why you should have to PTS.
It is all to do with quality of life in my opinion and only you can observe and make that call. Please give the tablets a go and see if she/he responds.

Yes, I think that pattern of weight loss is typical with HT. The cat tends to lose muscle mass and often shows with a 'scraggy' back end, while the belly area may still seem fuller. You should quickly see this resolve once the medication kicks in and her T4 stabilises. HT does not mean the cat is in pain, although they will be constantly ravenous. My cat Nellie has been on meds for around 3 years and is doing fine so don't give up on your cat yet!
Has your vet mentioned the possibility of operating to remove the thyroid once the cat is more stable?

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

12-13yrs is the average age for a cat to develop HT. My old boy Sluggie did. The vet offered the route of daily, on-going, medication for him but, Sluggie did not DO tablets very well, and I knew that wouldn't be an option. So we got him stabilised and then the vet operated. Only one half of the thyroid was kaput so the vet removed that & left the other side. Sluggie lived for another 4+ years, quite happliy, without meds. He was 17 when the other half packed up and we couldn't get him stabilised & that was when he left us.

Your cat has still got lots of years still her and certainly will not be in pain.

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Hyperthyroid cats are not in any kind of pain though it's extremely important to treat this condition owing to the potential damage to other organs. Once under control and the metabolism is slowed down, the ravenous appetite will descrease and the cat will gain weight! Many people have hyperT cats who they're successfully treating and most go on to live normal lives for years!

I am glad you have opted to try the treatment rather than getting her put to sleep!

As others have said there is no suffering so on the meds she will live for a few more happy years!

Thanks to everyone for your replies, she does tend to sleep more than ever before, and does a lot of murmering in sleep, not the usual purring, and started being sick as well each day,I feel so at a loss I cant assure her its ok dont mind if she is sick on carpet soap and water can cure that,,just I feel so depressed wish I could do more for her,I will continue with these vidalta pills pity they werent a bit cheaper,,being on the state pension doesnt cater for all these extras, I hate the fact that this country cares more for welfare of foriegners and drug addidcts with various grants and yet nothing for pets,then Im told we have PDSA, and although they collect in my county with shops etc the PDSA places are over 50miles from me both north and south.would have thought they would have been nearer.

Scotty, if she's being sick it may be that the tablets arent agreeing with her, there are other hyperthyroid meds which may suit her better - Felimazole is another hyperT med. It would be worth mentioning to your vet that she's being sick, he might want to change the doseage/brand. You can buy her meds from online vets much cheaper than from your own vet (your vet will make a prescription charge though, but it still usually works out cheaper).

Lets keep the Daily Mail off the forum...

I hope your cat continues to do well on her medication. If you feel its the medication making her ill, speak to your vet.

My cat had the op as she hates Tablets and that was 3 years ago. She will celebrate her 17th birthday on Wednesday.
The op in the end will probably work out cheaper than the prescriptions.
We have never had any problems with her since.

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