Hyperthyroidism

[thecatlikesmebest]

My 14 year old cat has just been diagnosed. He's lost weight and been eating more and very vocal and grumpy. He's always been grumpy so that's not new but the constant complaining was new.
Getting some liquid drug next week to give twice daily. Then blood tests in a few weeks.
I gather this is common in older cats but treatment can be very effective.
Any tips?

@Melon2312i do this too with my almost 16yo Maine Coon and he’s doing grand.

Interesting. Our vet said very much not fine! I wonder which one was correct? I wish health care professionals (for humans AND cats) could all sing from the same hymn sheet!

My vet said if you give with food you should always give with food not chop and change. This makes some sense as it's consistent.

Oh god. I hope this isn't my cat. He's not lost weight and looks well, but yowls a lot. He is 15 and an utter arse to try to do anything to.

It's been a slow process. He started eating more about a year ago but only lost weight in the last 3 months. Also he never used to make any sound, never really meowed until he was 12. Then over recent months stated complaining loudly all the time over food. He's not a friendly cat..

Update.
He's been on the drug a week now. Taking it surprisingly well. I have to corner him to even do spot on wormer but he actually comes for this, admittedly I give him half a lick e lix afterwards.
He's definitely complaining less but appetite the same. I think he's had some diarrhoea, though he did occasionally before. Not due to see the vet again for four weeks.

How's he doing now, @thecatlikesmebest ? My 14 year old boy has just been diagnosed, I did his first thyronorm dose this evening. Lots to learn!

@probablyabadidea he's like a different cat. Coat is better, eating more normal amount, not yelling at me all the time.

We went back to the vet for the 3 week check and his bloods are all normal and he's gained weight. I had to give him a sedative because the first time she did bloods he fought the vet. This time he was calmer and the vet thought it was as much down to the thyroid levels as the sedation.
He definitely likes the thyronorm because he just lets me put it in his mouth.

@thecatlikesmebest Oh I'm so pleased he's doing well, that's great to hear! Really interesting that it might have affected how he behaved with the vet too - when I took mine in for bloods this week he savaged the vet (so embarrassing!) when normally he's the most docile cat ever, so maybe that will improve now he's on meds. We're two doses in and no side effects yet so fingers crossed.

Hope your boy continues to do really well and thank you so much for the update, it's very reassuring.

MILs cat started meds about 6 months ago. She's like a new cat, put on weight and sprightly.

I took my previous cat for radioactive iodine at 17 and she lived until she was 21. Also my current cat when she was 12. She's now 16 and going strong.

@Gettingbysomehow I've considered it. It seems like a good solution but the cost is around £3500 and he's 14.
We are not short of money but it seems a ridiculous amount to spend on a cat. If he lived another 10 years it would still cost less for the drugs and blood tests.

It would be no brainer if we had insurance but I never bothered with it and really it was a good decision because he's had 14 years without any vet fees other than annual check up and vaccines.

My cat has just been diagnosed; he's 11 and we have insurance so I'm leaning towards getting the radioactive iodine treatment for him.

He's lost weight and has been miaowing at me a lot over the last few months - which I hadn't realised was a sign until I read this thread! He seems fine in himself apart from that, but he does have a heart murmur.

How is your cat now @thecatlikesmebest ?

Oh and our insurance has a compulsory "copay" (because of his age) which is 20% so we'll need to pay £700 for the radioactive iodine treatment... I can't work out if that's cheaper overall than medicating him for the rest of his life, but I think it's probably worth it?

My girl was diagnosed in 2021. She's on levothyroxine tablets and doing so well. She's 17 this year.
I used Pet Drugs online for prescriptions and its so much cheaper than getting via the vet.

She's definitely more grumpy and likes things her way, but I think she's allowed as she's an old lady now 🙂

Ive always had insurance ever since one of my cats had an accident on the stairs and the resulting treament cost me 5k. The cat wasnt even outside!!

You can get thyroid medication that you rub into their ear. My feral was having that before the radioactive iodine. Giving her a pill would have been a total nightmare.

He's absolutely fine.
It's interesting how a change in behaviour creeps up so you scarcely notice it. I hadn't realised just how much he was yelling at me and how much more he was eating. He used to eat about a pouch of wet food and a bowl of dry each day but it had increased to four pouches of wet. And he lost weight.
He's back to being very quiet and his eating pattern is back to normal. So some of the cost of drugs has been offset by the reduced food consumption.
The medicine is so easy to give because he loves it. I could never get a pill down this cat and he's very fussy about food but I just shout medicine time and he comes over and opens his mouth 🤣.
I was concerned about cat sitter but she says lots of cats have this medicine and is happy to give it.
I would recommend you try it first. I don't think I would pay for the radiotherapy even if he was younger.

It’s absolutely worth it! It will be a lot cheaper than lifelong medication. We would’ve done it but circumstances meant we couldn’t, unfortunately.
Since I last posted in February, our cat has had to have two more lots of blood tests and will have another one this month, they’re just trying to get his dose right as his behaviour has changed and he’s losing weight. So blood tests here are £118 each time. Four lots of tests in 3 months and actually one of those was full blood panel so more expensive!
£22 for a prescription that lasts about three months, and VetMedi currently has 100ml Thyronorm for £43 and free postage. Getting through a bottle just over every month now. There has unfortunately been a mistake with our insurance renewal and he is no longer covered for hyperthyroidism so we are paying it all every time.

So Yes, if you can afford the iodine treatment, do it. Much much cheaper in the long run if you only have to pay £700.

Pills did not stabilise my girl and she got sicker and sicker so she had to have the iodine. I paid the 20% as she was older. She was stable almost immediately.
With the second cat I just took her straight away. Uncontrolled hyperthyroidism quickly causes blindness and kidney damage from high blood pressure.

The vet will want the cat stabilised before they consider radiotherapy. After three weeks she did full bloods which is more expensive than just thyroid, plus he needed a sedative. However he was stable after three weeks and had gained weight. She will then do bloods annually unless he loses weight.

I worked out the annual cost for vet, bloods, prescription and drugs to be around £230 and the cat is 15 now.
This will vary for other cats obviously, depending on vet fees and dosage.

@thecatlikesmebest it’s great that you can forecast spending only £230 a year, but please do heed my warning: two years after diagnosis, my 15yr old cat has suddenly destabilised and costs just this year, 2026, are so far up to £967 (consults, multiple blood tests, meds and written prescriptions)
I don’t want anyone to think Hyperthyroidism is a condition that is not expensive and I highly recommend insurance if you can get one that will cover it (they don’t all!)

Our 17 yr old was diagnosed last year. There’s no way she would tolerate the syringe so we have always given it with her food. We discussed this with the vet and ad others have said it’s doing it the same way that’s the important thing. This has not affected control, in fact we’ve been able to drop her dose. I have been really clear with the vet that at 17 we are balancing comfort with longevity. I am not taking her for blood tests constantly and when I do (she’s had 3 in the last 7 months) I will only allow two attempts. No bloods now till June.

@catownerofthenorth my vet said she was happy to do one blood test a year as long as he's well and not losing weight. They also gave a sedative for it.
I'm relieved he takes it well, just sits and opens his mouth, and this is not a gentle cat! He does get a lickilix afterwards though.