Hi everyone

Just joined this forum - My 15 year old (today!) cat Jake has just been diagnosed as being hyperthyroid - we have discussed treatment with the vet and as Jake is an absolute nightmare to tablet (he honks them up after giving them to him) the vet has recommended he has radioactive iodine treatment.

Having looked at what this entails and the length of time he will be away from home (4 weeks) I'm not sure if this would be the right thing to do to him - has anyone had a cat that has gone through this treatment? Our nearest centre is a 2hr drive away in Canterbury.

Would love some advice from anyone as don't know what to do for the best.

Many thanks!

Four weeks????? That's insane! I'd look further for a more updated facility.

The I-131 treatment is now a 3 day treatment. Cat comes home on the fourth day.

As long as there are no kidney problems, I highly recommend it.

There is a transdermal method for giving the medicine instead of pills. It's a cream rubbed into the ear. But for a cat in good health I'd take the Radioactive-iodine treatment.

<edit> I forgot you are in the UK, I've just done a little research and saw one facility that says 3-6 weeks hospital stay. Perhaps things aren't as advanced there? In the USA the I-131 treatment is a 3 day treatment. Cat is safe to go home on the fourth day. I would not want my 15 year old cat away from home that long either.

Look into the transdermal method. Of course, there is also surgery, to remove the thyroid gland.

How interesting! Considering that the same radioactive iodine compound (I 131) seems to be given and considering that there are no physiological differences between US and UK born cats, I guess the difference must be/could be due to differences in laws re acceptable exposure to radiation. Does anyone know? Or is the blunt implication that centres over here are cashing in?

Lorilu, how long do cats who have had this treatment need to stay in a separate room from their owner and how long until they are allowed out or are allowed to mingle with other cats?

It used to be 2-3 weeks, a cat was kept. But now, 3-4 days.

Cats are allowed to mingle immediately upon coming home. The only special requirements is the cat's used litter has to be specially disposed of for two weeks. That's all.

One treatment center:

Radiocat - Frequently Asked Questions

The differences really baffle me Lorilu. Even for humans undergoing radioactive iodine treatment (and according to the quote, the regulations over in the US are stricter for animals than humans), the guideline over here is to stay about 1 metre away from other human beings and pets for about 2 weeks and to remain away from pregnant women for longer (well it was about 2 years ago).

thanks guys I've been reading up on this and laws are totally different in the US to UK. Still unsure how he will cope being shut away for that length of time - he also has to undergo tests beforehand to make sure he can be in isolation which will involve a general anaesthetic - might think about trying the tableting - but kind of know how he's going to react to taking these - not well - if I had his thyroid removed he would have to take tablets before the op.

Very difficult call to make! I wonder how long he would survive without any medication? He'd be happier as he hates the vets but probably wouldn't be around long if we left him - so need to do something to help - if he had the iodine there is a 98% chance of full recovery. Want to do the best for Jake as I love him to bits.

Quality of life certainly has to be considered. Yes, treating hyper-t requires frequent vet visits, especially at first. But what cat doesn't 'hate the vet'? There's "hate the vet" and then there's "extreme trauma and distress over going to the vet".

If you don't want to do the surgery or the I-131 and pills do turn out to cause him too much stress, you can look into the transdermal method.

What happens if you let it go is he will get sicker and sicker. He will want to eat voraciously, but will continue to loose weight. He will not feel good. He will have high blood pressure and his risk of stroke will be higher each day. It would not be a happy life for long. He's only 15, and otherwise healthy, right?

You can at least try the pills. Many cats adjust to daily medication. I can give you what I consider a fail-safe pillling method, for ANY cat or you can try dissolving the pill in a tasty liquid and tip it down his throat.

Or you can do the transdermal method.

The only way I would let a hyperthyroid condition go untreated is if the cat could not tolerate the medicine at all, in any form, and was too sick to go through the I-131 or surgery.

That was my experience, by the way. My 17 year old kitty had CRF, so she was not a candidate for the radioactive iodine treatment or surgery. She was accustomed to taking pills as she had been taking medication for megacolon for many years already.

When she developed hyperthyroid and high blood pressure we put her on methimazole (thiamazole). It made her so sick she could not keep any food down. We stopped the pills for a while, and tried treating at least the high blood pressure. The norvasc gave her fainting spells, so had to stop that. She had one stroke, so we decided to try liquid methimazole. I thought it was working, but after a couple weeks the nausea came back, so off the medicine again.

She had another stroke. This time we tried the transdermal methimazole. It caused ulcers in her ears. My poor little girlie, her body just could not tolerate the medicine in any form.

So all I could do was take care of her best I could, keeping her quality of life as high as I could. She did end up having a third stroke, and this one was severe enough that I knew she didn't want me to wait and see if she would recover. So I sent her to the Bridge. Ironically it was exactly 2 years ago today.

Her reaction to the methimazole (thiamazole) is not all that common. Most cats tolerate it very well, or, if they don't at first, are able to adjust to it with a little time. My girlie was very fragile to begin with and was on other medications which may have caused some interaction problems.

I'm not trying to talk you into anything. Just relating my experiences in an effort to help you think things through.

Please do keep us posted on your Jake.

Thats what my Mum had a few years back and yes no close contact for a fortnight.

I thought that some places would allow the cat out after two weeks as long as you follow strict guidelines when they are home.

The London centre will allow the cat home after 2 weeks but advise no close contact for another 2 weeks after that....no good for Nellie as she shares my pillow.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

Thanks Lorilu, this helps a lot. Will chat through with the vet this week and let you know which treatment we opt for. Jake is a healthy cat apart from the hyperthyroid problem and hopefully we have caught this early as I took him to the vet as soon as I noticed his increased thirst and appetite.