Hi there

My 11 year old puss Ishmael was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is now on 2 x Felimazole tablets a day. The main change I've noticed is that he is permanently hungry and consequently a lot more whiny!

He used to always sleep on my bed at night and wake me up at the crack of dawn, stomping about and patting my face!

Now he stays downstairs - to be near his food bowl?! - and in the morning sits at the foot of the stairs crying incessantly to be fed.

I'm just wondering if any others out there have cats with hyperthyroidism and if so, what their experiences have been.

It did occur to me that Ishy's increased appetite/ changes in behaviour might just partly be because of the cold weather coming in, but I don't know.

I've only had him since April and he's my first cat so I'm still learning...

Thanks! x

Iam sorry i cant help you but welldone for giving him a home, iam sure someone here will give you some advice

I found this link for you, hope it helps. Thyroid problems can cause increased appitite ect, hopefully the medication will help to calm it down in time

www.yourpetshealth.co.uk - Hyperthyroidism in Cats

is he under weight or average weight? have you spoken to your vets about putting him on a special diet to help him feel a bit better? there are a lot of options. as said before the Felimazole will help with it with time, but the problem won't go away i'm afraid and the side effects will start as well. you have to think about the quality of life for him over the shorter than it would have been with out his illness. Did your vet discuss the options of removal of the thyroid? or are they just going to keep him on the tablets for life? sometimes vets will put the cat on Felimazole for 2 or 3 weeks and then assess to see if the cat would be up for removal surgery. As most cases are elderly cats it really depends on the results and recovery of the 2-3wk period with the meds. then once the surgery is done there have been some great recoveries and cats have lived much happier lives. it's a fairly common disease in older cats and there are lots of people i'm sure that you could discuss your concerns with, your vet should be very familiar with it as well because it's so common. Felimazole is usually the first or only step depending on the way to cat responds. I really hope for all the best with you it's not going to be easy at first for either of you. but be strong

Hi Seapink,
I originally posted this on this forum on the 17th April...i appreciate that some of it is not relevant (...yet and I pray that it never will be) but I want to give you the full story (just in case you have further symptoms/issues in the future...I will also update you and anyone else reading this....(Dated 17th April 2008) "Our cat has had a horrible eighteen months. It got to the point where we had to pick her up as her back legs had gone. The vet was unsure as to her condition initally then discovered she had hyperthyroidism (diagnosis came to late...I only wish she'd have had a regular blood test on reflection now). She didn't respond to medication (felimazole 2.5mg) and the tablet giving was a nightmare. The vet decided that the only course of action, despite her weakness was to have one of her thyroid glands removed ( a very risky procedure for a cat who also had a very weak heart through hypertension...another symptom) She had the operation but still got thinner and thinner and weaker and weaker but eventually there was light at the end of the tunnel...she started to respond to the medication (she went from 2.5mg per day...to 7.0 mg per (1x5mg in the morning and 1x2.5mg in the evening). After a couple of months she finally responded to the felimazole to become the same cat that we love so much. Then this Saturday 12th April 08 our world was turned upside down as i realised she wasn't looking at me as I moved around the bedroom. She then went down the stairs one step at a time...by this time the penny had dropped..she had gone blind. We phoned up the vets and got her straight in. He flashed the light in both eyes and confirmed that she had complete retinal detachment in both eyes and was completely blind probably due to the thyroid problems.As he wasn't our normal vet he wanted our usual vet to phone us back 3 to 4 days later. We were heartbroken. When we got back I went straight onto the internet and looked up retinal detachment in cats. There were lots of forums and advice but one piece of advice that I am very thankful for is the piece of advice that said if the blindness is caught soon enough and medication is given promptly (1 to 2 days) there is the possibilty that some sight may be restored with retinal reattachment. I was back on the phone to the vets straight away demanding these tablets (novasc 1/4 of a tablet...apparently this is a human tablet but the vet gave me some due to not having the feline equivalent in stock). Fortunately a reply came promptly and I rushed down to the vets so that I could give her the first dose. Today, Thursday 17th April we took her to the vets for a check-up. Our normal vet looked into both eyes for the first time since she went blind. He looked in both eyes for a lot longer than the previous vet... then ripped a piece of cotton wool off a bud. He dropped it on the table and Seargy (our cat) watched it fall to the table!!! I was gobsmacked...The vet then went on to say that her retinas had completely reattached and that he had never seen this happen before. He now wants to see her next week to see how she is doing ...for free as well! I suppose what I want to say is NEVER give up hope regardless of the predicament and always check the internet forums and websites for any info available."

Since I posted this originally Seargy was then diagnosed with CRF (chronic renal failure) and was prescribed Fortekor (this tablet is bigger and much more difficult to administer as its difficult to give with a pill giver syringe and can't be hidden easily with a tasty tit bit). She has a tendancy to lick the tit bit first to see if there is anything inside!!!


Unfortunately, on 29th September @16:40 we had to have Seargy put to sleep. She was diagnosed with a broken back leg. The vet informed us that due to her very weak heart they could not anaethsetise her enough to carry out the operation without her heart failing. It was with great sadness that we decided to have her put to sleep. Our house still feels empty...and probably always will....R.I.P Seargy.
I have attached our best picture of Seargy...she used to love posing for the camera.

With regards to the felimazole seapink...if your vet advises that your cat will have to stay on felimazole I have some tablets that I will gladly send you (5mg and/or 2.5mg...and if anyone has a cat on fortekor reading this then I have appox 5 weeks of this as well). Please send me a private message if you would like these tablets. Good Luck for the future and I hope you have many more happy years with your feline companion.

Attached Images

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I've read that Iodine-131 treatment is by far the best for cats with hyperthyroidism, it cures most cases completely. Isn't it available in the UK? I presume it's rather pricey so perhaps that's why not many owners go for it.

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it's very expensive and your cat will have to be taken to a specialised clinic and kept there for the treatment. but it is the best of the best at the moment bar a recovered thyroid removal patient. some people feel the outcome of the treatment is worth the money paid for it. it really just depend on the owner and what they are willing to do.

Thank you everyone, for your thoughtful responses. Ishmael's been on the Felimazole for a month now. I took him back to the vet's yesterday and am now awaiting the results of his blood test, but she said he looks really well and his heart rate has relaxed a little. He's eating more (though fussy as ever!) and just generally seems to be slower and less buzzy, but she said that's par for the course.

Little does he know he's the subject of so much concern - he just gets on with being a cat!

I was so sorry to read about your beloved Seargy, Phil - at least you know she was in the best possible hands til the very end.

We have had 22 cats during the past 40 years, at the moment we have 3, all of our cats have been rescued over the years. our 15 year old LULU recently developed what we thought was CRF, cronic renal failure, as we have lost 6 cats in the past with this problem, we though we knew exactly how to treat her, diet wise,with a special diet, and an increased of certain vitamins, and minerals. 6 weeks passed no improvement, and she was at deaths door, so we had to take her to our vet, dreading the cost. Diagnosis...Feline Hyperthyoidism, we left the vets £200 poorer, but Oh! so relieved, 3 days on she has improved dramatically, getting back to being our dear old LULU.

At present she has 1 2.5mg Fortekor daily, and 1 10mg of Vidalta daily, those 2 little pills have reversed the problem for LULU. Is there a moral to this story,YES! YES! YES! Always seek advice from a vet, do not make the mistake we did, thinking we knew what the problem was, WE nearly killed our Dear LULU...Ray Ingram