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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Hyperthyroid cat

35 replies

GrandmaW · 14/12/2012 16:07

My lovely cat Thomas, age 14, has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and has to start on medication - one tablet a day.
I'm dreading having to dose him. The vet has recommended just putting the tablet in his food ( whole, not crushed) and seeing if he will take it that way - because of his problem he has a good appetite so I'm hoping that will work.

Otherwise, its a case of holding him and trying to get it in his mouth and making him swallow.
Any one with experience of a hyperthyroid cat who can give me some tips please?

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 14/12/2012 16:17

Oh Lordy, GrandmaW

The thought of having to give a cat a tablet a day fills me with horror. (Seniorboy has daily meds but luckily they're liquid and he's accepting them in his wet food.) I'll have to defer to those who can manage to get tablets down and have a technique - I always fail spectacularly.

Try the 'in his food' first and see if that works. Is there no way the vet can give you a liquid?

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 14/12/2012 16:20

we have an 18 year old lady with an overactive thyroid (not sure if that is Hyper orHypo)
She willingly has her tablet in her dry biscuits in the morning.
She has one each day. I think you will find it ok. However, should he refuse we are always on a winner if we dip it in marmite first.

Good luck It is quite common in older cats Smile

MoreFrontThanBrighton · 14/12/2012 16:24

Our aged cat has to have a tablet everyday too. What we found worked was wrapping it in a piece of ham and he would take the ham from our hand and eat it. It used to be a two man job with a tea towel and the sustaining of at least 3 minor injuries to get a tablet down him.
Now he's so used to the tablet we just put it in his pouch of food, squash the pouch out into his bowl and he wolfs it down.

Pacific · 14/12/2012 16:24

My cat started on the same tablets a week ago.

Try wrapping the cat tightly in a towel then sit the cat on your knee facing right. Grasp the cat's jaw between your left finger and thumb at the angle of the jaw and bend his head gently back. With your right hand, prise his teeth open and drop the pill to the very back of the throat.

Good luck!!

cozietoesie · 14/12/2012 16:24

Now that's promising - must be a nice tasting tablet.

cozietoesie · 14/12/2012 16:25

Ah - crossed posts. I meant Never's post.

Original poster
GrandmaW · 14/12/2012 18:23

thank you for your replies. Have checked the cupboards and have a Jar of marmite so can try that if I get desperate! I've also read somewhere that putting the tablet in a squeeze of Primula cheese spread also works!
How quickly do you notice an effect from the tablets - did your cats put their weight back on?
I'm picking the tablets up from the vets tomorrow. Will let you know how the first dosing goes!

OP posts:
LunaticFringe · 14/12/2012 18:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nipersvest · 14/12/2012 18:34

we've got a 14 year old also with thyroid problems. we've just done 2 tablets a day. got them in him by using the stick cat treats, braking about an inch off, split it open and hide the tablet inside then squashing it back together. cat was just wolfing them down.

only problem is, 3 weeks into treatment, he started vomiting. so we stopped the tablets, gave him a rest, then started again but the same thing happened, and another 3 weeks later, he was vomiting again. we've given up on the tablets now due to the side effects.

when he was on them, he did put some weight back on, but with the vomiting spells he also seemed not himself at all.

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 14/12/2012 18:39

It's a really common problem in older cats, and most of the things I would recommend have been said!

nipersvest- I've had some hyperthyroid cats like this and I've put them onto really smal doses to begin with- sometimes it's better to start with a smaller, once a day, dose and work up if you need to- ask your vet

TheseGoToEleven · 14/12/2012 19:39

I used to have a hyperthyroid cat, sadly passed on now, but she would not take the tablets, she became a frothing hissing mass of claws if I tried to hold her and she wouldn't take the treats. (I am in Canada so this next bit might not be an option btw) We were given a methimazole ointment to rub on her ear, so I would feed her, she would eat her food and as she was eating I rubbed the ointment on her ear. Much much better than getting scratched to heck every day!

GoingGoingGoth · 14/12/2012 20:02

I had a hyperthyroid cat, he lasted 3 years on the tablets. He would not take them wholesome we had to grind them up in his food, I 'm never sure if he got a full dose, but it was less stressful for him, and I felt his quality of life was still good.
On the other hand my Mum's cat would eat tablets like treats, she would just hand feed the treats, and sneak a tablet in.

TheNebulousBoojum · 14/12/2012 20:07

Yup, mine has high blood pressure tabs.
Towel wrapped tightly round cat as if he's in a barber's chair.
Put cat between your legs, use thighs to control the thrashing.
Tilt head of cat back until it is glaring at you with hate-filled eyes.
Stick finger in mouth, behind feline teeth.
Flip tablet to back of throat and continue holding on until it has swallowed the tablet.
Watch out for conniving little sod spitting out expensive medication when you let go.

Yddraigoldragon · 14/12/2012 20:08

The tablets can be ground up (between two spoons or buy a pill crusher) and added to the first spoonful of food. Once that is gone, feed the rest. It helps if the cat is hungry....

Wrapping up in a towel also works, but is stressful to do every day. A syringe of water is useful to make sure the pill goes down.

Lonecatwithkitten · 14/12/2012 20:08

I am a vet. I am not proud of what I am about to confess and I refuse to admit how desperate I was to tablet my own cat to resort to these methods.
Right at the top of the list is a smal chunk of really strong cheddar it takes the thyroid tablets really well. Then there is the teaspoon of Philly (supermarket own brand is too thin) put it on the teaspoon poke tablet in let cat lick of teaspoon.
Ah now for the cheesy wotsit (cats adore them) it is possible to pop the thyroid in the top without damaging the tablet or the wotsit.
Finally the fresh cold water prawn you pop the thyroid tablet into the head end of the prawn.
These tricks also work with prilactone and frusemide tablets too.
The beautiful moggy girl was conned into living another 18 months beyond what she would have done by using these methods.
Here ends my confession.

Jux · 14/12/2012 20:09

We had to do this for one of our old cats (she died 5 years ago).

She would eat around her pill when we put it in her food.

We then tried to give her pills. She would appear to swallow it and we would find it later spat out somewhere else, so she was either pretending to swallow it, not swallowing it properly or regurgitating it. It took two of us to get it in her mouth every day.

So I am of no help whatsoever, I'm afraid.

Lonecatwithkitten · 14/12/2012 20:10

Oh yes the moggy girl did really well on the meds obviously. It was renal failure that ended her life not the hypothyroidism or mediastinal tumour.

Lonecatwithkitten · 14/12/2012 20:17

Tablets for hyperthyroidism should never be crushed as there is quite a significant risk if humans inhale or gets the active substance on their skin. The data sheets are very very clear about this.

pepperrabbitanddesultorytinsel · 14/12/2012 20:21

My cat is on 2 a day now - the first tablets brought her out in a horrid skin disorder with bleeding sores Shock, she has been soooo much better on the new ones.
To start with she took it in her wet food, then, as jux said she began sneaking them round the house - I'd find them in the oddest places!
Now I squish up a pouch of wet food, hide the tablet in it and sprinkle dried food on top. She doesn't seem to detect it in the mix of consistencies.
Twice a day, DH looks at me like this Hmm

cozietoesie · 14/12/2012 21:31

Thank goodness seniorboy doesn't have to take tablets. He has no teeth apart from incisors so won't eat anything crunchy including treats, dislikes prawns........ I think I would be doomed.

Original poster
GrandmaW · 15/12/2012 08:22

Just checked in again this morning and found more suggestions - thank you..
Marmite - check
Cream cheese -check
Ham - buy
Prawns - buy
Stick cat treats =buy

Nipersvest - how is your cat managing without tablets?

As well as the obvious loss of weight from this problem, do cats get any other symptoms? I did mention to the vet that Thomas seems to be a bit nervy and 'on edge' and he did say there can be some changes in their behaviour.

Collecting tablets this morning so bracing myself for the first dosing!

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/12/2012 08:37

Best of luck, GrandmaW. I'm sure it will go well. ()

TheNebulousBoojum · 15/12/2012 08:39

Have you considered him having an operation to remove the affected gland?

Kormachameleon · 15/12/2012 08:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

marriedandwreathedinholly · 15/12/2012 08:50

Then he'll go underactive and need tablets to correct that. I did Xmas Smile but it's more stable to correct.