Happy to learn of this forum. Hoping someone can give words of wisdom here. Bella is approx 17 years old, has high thyroid, and for about a year now, on and off she'll cry at night (only at night), and vomit 3-4 times/day. She acts likes she's starving (going through trash now) but then doesn't show a lot of interest in food. Wondering when you know that it's time to say goodbye. Vet won't really bring this up, but I feel like we're living with a newborn who's keeping us up at night. I love Bella so much but just wondering when you know it's time to let a cat go. Thank you.

I can't speak to the letting go part, but you say she's hyper-t. Is the on medication for it? If she isn't, this could be the issue, or if she hasn't had blood work done for a while, she could just need a change in dosage. My cat was just diagnosed about a month ago, so I've had the crash course. Hyper-T is caused by a tumor pressing on the thyroid gland. The meds only suppress the thyroid's function; they don't get rid of the tumor. So, over time, as the tumor grows, the thyroid is pressed to secrete more and more T4 hormone. The weight loss and crying are classic symptoms.

It may very well be time to say goodbye to your baby, but from talking to people on the hyper-t forum I've joined, 17 isn't necessarily the end. People have taken their 17 and 18 yo cats for I131 treatments. This is radioactive iodine, which targets the tumor and destroys it, leaving the cat, usually, with normal thyroid function. So long as she doesn't have other issues, like kidney or heart problems, your cat might very well have several good years ahead of her if her thyroid is brought under control.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best with your cat and that you make the most of the time you have left, however long it may be.

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My babies
Aber, Ragnar, Kelso (the corgi trio), Daisy (our rescue mystery-mix puppy), Ellie, Henry, Gwennie, Jezebel (the kitty quartet), Blake, Chaucer, Molly and Milton (the kittens), and Bingo the African Grey parrot

Over the Bridge:
Pippin: 1/6/08-17/5/11
Freja: 11/8/10-30/10/10
Kirby: 11/8/10-1/11/10

"Praise liberty/The freedom to obey/It's a song that strangles me/Well, don't cross the line" Billie Joe Armstrong

Thank you so much for your kind words. I got her hyper-t medication renewed so hopefully this will help a bit. She's currently on a very low dosage because the vet said it's not good for her kidneys (which are currently in fine shape). She only weighs 5.7 pounds (2.6 kilos). The vet says she is "dangerously thin" and we should feed her anything she wants. The problem is she doesn't really seem like eating. In any case, we'll give her lots of snuggles and of course her medication. Thanks for listening.

Obviously you are guided by your vet and what he says. I think you should take into consideration your cats quality of life i.e is she enjoying life still? If you think the answer is no then I think you have an important decision to make. I think sometimes vets wont say anything as some people tend to bury their heads in the sand. I think I would not take my cat but go and see the vet and get all the facts and you will be able to base your decision on that. Remember a good slave will know when your pet has had enough.
My Abby was like this with the same illness and was younger than your cat so I arranged for the vet to come to our house and have Abby pts. Funny thing is I found that final decision easy to make all due to quality of life.
Good luck in what you decide and remember we are here if you need advice.

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Black with white around his private area



Black Tortoiseshell




R.I.P Patch my well behaved boy dog
R.I.P. Abby and Rebel my beautifull litter sister cats

Her kidneys aside, the dangers of being undermedicated for the thyroid issue are huge. Join this forum--post your and Bella's story.

feline-hyperT : A support list for people whose cats have been diagnosed as hyperthyroid (hypothyroid also welcome).

They are amazingly well-informed and caring and will get back to you with suggestions immediately. Vets really don't know a whole lot about this problem, I'm discovering, as odd as it seems, and I just had my own vet tell me things that were completely wrong because he really didn't know and didn't want to admit it.

Looking forward to seeing you on the hyper-T forum

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My babies
Aber, Ragnar, Kelso (the corgi trio), Daisy (our rescue mystery-mix puppy), Ellie, Henry, Gwennie, Jezebel (the kitty quartet), Blake, Chaucer, Molly and Milton (the kittens), and Bingo the African Grey parrot

Over the Bridge:
Pippin: 1/6/08-17/5/11
Freja: 11/8/10-30/10/10
Kirby: 11/8/10-1/11/10

"Praise liberty/The freedom to obey/It's a song that strangles me/Well, don't cross the line" Billie Joe Armstrong

I just learned some new information that might be of help to you. You say her kidneys are in good shape, which is fantastic. So many older cats develop kidney issues. So this is good news. So, with that in mind, it's important your doctor treat her hyper-t adequately, as undertreating can cause liver and heart issues. The methimazole does NOT hurt kidneys. Because most vets are new at this, some of the blood results might indicate this is the case, but it's a metabolic issue--once her metabolism slows a little with adequate meds, then the kidneys are working a little harder for a while. But most experts agree it's actually better long term on the kidneys and other organ systems to have the hyper-t under control. You will also see a change in her appetite when that happens.

Keep snuggling her and with a little nudging of your vet, hopefully you can get a few more good years of love with your kitty.

__________________
My babies
Aber, Ragnar, Kelso (the corgi trio), Daisy (our rescue mystery-mix puppy), Ellie, Henry, Gwennie, Jezebel (the kitty quartet), Blake, Chaucer, Molly and Milton (the kittens), and Bingo the African Grey parrot

Over the Bridge:
Pippin: 1/6/08-17/5/11
Freja: 11/8/10-30/10/10
Kirby: 11/8/10-1/11/10

"Praise liberty/The freedom to obey/It's a song that strangles me/Well, don't cross the line" Billie Joe Armstrong