I have just read how many cats get this overactive Thyroidism, it started in 1979 when they started making cat food from whalemeat and dolphins they started to line cans with some chemical that is harmful to cats,,thats why the cats have an overactive thyroid,,I dont think that should be allowed to go on , thats why many cats wont eat cat food, there is also a high amount of this poison in tinned salmon and other tinned white fish and sardines,tuna etc,the chemical they lace cans with is so dolphin and whale meat doesnt rot to fast, all that rubbish about cat food being chicken isnt chicken its just whalemeat and dolphins 80% and 10% chicken and rest man made chemicals,
these cat food makers dont really give a hoot what our animals are being fed on,it was also mentioned dog food cans are also laced with same chemical in every can that meat is put in.

Info found on this site .....http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm

Two of my cats ( 16 and 17 years old ) are Hyperthyroid, and yet never ate tinned food till 18 months ago.

__________________

Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

Why Did Our Cats Develop Hyperthyroidism ?

We are not certain yet. But here are some things we do know:

House cats did not start developing hyperthyroidism in numbers until after 1979. Curiously, that was about the time that whales and herring gulls in the St. Laurence Seaway, and cormorants in Tokyo Bay began developing similar thyroid problems. Both these areas are highly polluted with industrial chemicals. There are two chemicals that have been suspected as being the root of this problem. The most recent ones are called Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Since the 1970s they have widely contaminated our environment. PBDEs are flame retardants used in building materials, electronics, furnishing, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams and textiles. PBDEs are found in particularly high concentrations in fish that are high up the food chain and, therefore, in sea food flavor cat foods.

The second possible culprit is a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) which is used to coat the inside of cat food cans. We know from a 2000 EPA study that cats that eat canned foods – particularly those that have fish flavor, are more susceptible to hyperthyroidism. The authors theorized that it might be the BPA can lining that accounted for this - but at the time the article was written, we did not appreciate the link between fish, high PBDE levels and hyperthyroidism.

It may be that, with time, pet foods will be screened for PBDEs and similar toxic substances. But for now, do not feed your cats canned or dry, fish-flavored cat foods. If you feed your cats fish, avoid fish like salmon and whitefish that are known to concentrate this chemical. Not all cats that develop hyperthyroidism eat fish products. The EPA veterinarians who conducted the study pointed out that PBDE's have become so common in our homes that it is impossible to avoid some exposure to them.

It may also turn out ,at it often does, that a combination of environmental exposure and unique sensitivity, rather than a single factor are involved. Some veterinary scientists have explored the role that iodine levels in cat food might have in contributing to hyperthyroidism and thyroid function and even soy protein in cat food has been examined .

Strangely... somehow...accounts/expenditure on my cats would suggest £25 tins of dolphin. Yet it does say chicken on the cans. I'll be looking into this.

I was going to keep sitting on my fingers and not reply to this but

ScottyJock, does your cat use the litter tray? Walk on the floor? Eat more than one flavour cat food? Do you own electrical equipment? Carpet? Do you flea treat your cat? Does the food that you feed contain enough iodine? These are just some of the things that have been correlated with feline hyperthyroidism. Some of them are more strongly correlated than others but all of them have been significant in one study or another.

However, these are all retrospective, correlational studies. Cats that have FHT and those who do no are compared on a number of variables. Whether any of these than actually CAUSE FHT is a completely different matter. To my knowledge, that data doesn't currently exist as we would need to have a longitudinal study that follows cats - ideally from kittenhood till their death and documents every single thing that happens in their life. Not a mean feat.

If you are at all concerned about the level of BPA in the food -- that you eat yourself because BPA also appears in human food stuff - or your pet, then I suggest you phone the manufacturer to find out whether they use BPA coated tins. A lot of pet food manufacturers, particularly in the US where the outcry and scaremongering has been bigger, already do. However, there is also the (alleged) issue with the chemical that is being used to seal the tins and if you feed pouches, then you apparently have potentially yet another problem (which now escapes me).

So, what do you do if you are not buying the claim that any levels of BPA are too small to have an impact (an both the human or the pet consuming them)? Do you feed dry food? Well, then you have the problem of the lack of moisture that is inherent in that food stuff and the health issues that can cause. You also have the issue of the huge amount of grains that are being used, which bumps up the carb content in cat food to undesirable levels, which in turn can lead to health issues, such as obesity but it can also contribute to urinary issues by changing the ph level of the food. And let us not forget the use of preservatives to keep the dry food edible for an extended period of time.

So, tinned wet food and possible those in pouches as well as dry food is out of the equation because either can lead to potential health problems either. So, what now? Homemade raw or cooked food, perhaps? Well, then you have the issue of bacterial contamination, e.g. salmonella, ecoli etc that are more of an issue for humans than for pets but hey, we hear that all the time. And then there is the issue of being clued up enough to provide a nutritious meal for our pets that we make ourselves. And then there is the issue of bones, which need to be fed to get calcium in to their diet, which can lead to perforations or blockages.

So, now what do you do? Best not to get a pet if you are susceptible to believing all the scaremongering about additives, preservatives, colourants, certain meats and fish, the manufacturing process, the materials used etc etc.

Yes it uses the litter tray, when she is able to keep her balance,, she staggers all over place when walking otherwise I dont really mind where she has to do it after all she is my baby, only since she took ill a few weeks ago has she had great difficulty doing anything,I thought that when she started staggering it was that disease cats and dogs get when rear ends just give in and they cant walk about as normal but the vet I took her to last week tested her gave her injections etc and then said it was overactive Thyroidism and charged me £194, and stated she would also need Vidalta pills each month, another twenty odd pound,and other tests ,, I told him I cant keep that up Im only on state pension,Ive had her 10 years its not some cat for christmas here then he started to get sarcastic stating people like me shouldnt have cats,because I wont give him my cash,

Of course I have electrical equipment, what house doesnt,although this is my first year in a house we generally stayed in a caravan in countryside, but since the council banned living in caravans I was given this sheltered housing
I never liked and neither does my cat,this isnt a great life no matter what town people think..

My cat never had fleas she had injection at vets fleas didnt bother her then
occascional worming. and thats all her problems..

well as Tescos is only store in this area ,I started buying "whiskas" for my cat but not that kind with jelly as that makes her sick,I have tasted it myself it taste fishy although says chicken,or rabbit plus its not that great as many cat owners stopped buying it, Fresh rabbits ,pheasants and chickens harder to come by in a council estate..we were never short in countryside, my cat was born in countryside,was a great shock to her to find that in a house garden is concrete paths etc,

I just know that I hate to see my cat being in pain when being sick or just totally frustrated she cant jump up on window or get down even the lowest stool, now she has started being sick and having diarhea , this I will be honest I cant cope with,,cant honestly see any difference in her taking these tablets other than her sleeping all day and night and meowing , not purring,
sometimes he wakes up looks around as if not knowing where she is,I may have to PTS although it will break my heart,..was going to phone vet but all her ever says is bring cat down and he will treat for more cash.thats all he is interested in.money grabbing bactard,know that by his attitude..

So change your vet, or do you expect them to treat your pet for free. I would spend every last penny I have to make my cats well but I like and trust my vet.

£20 a month is too much? Doesn't seem to bad.

I think Hobbs is saying all those things he listed 'could' cause hyperthyroidism. Like the billion and one carcinogens in the world (including baby talc etc)

Your first thread was saying you wanted your cat pts cos it had arthritis and your 'money grabbing' vet was saying it was hyperthyroid. Now you've accepted it's hypertheoid and you still want to pts cos of money. Saying your cat food tastes fishy does not mean it's full of whale and making your cat sick...

You can't say the cat is your baby, and that you want it pts cos of £20 a month.
If it comes to it, give her to a shelter or new home which can buy her the pills she needs, not pts for the sake of £20 a month!