Hyper cats

Ok, one more big disease in older cats to discuss and that is the hyper cat. Ok, I know everyone has a hyper cat at some time during the day. Mine loves dusk when she goes chasing around the house, bouncing off the furniture and egging the dog into chasing after her. It is hilarious to watch and certainly burns some good calories. But that is not the type of hyper we are concerned about here. I am talking about hyperthyroidism in cats.

The thyroid is a small gland in our neck that produces a hormone that helps to regulate metabolism. When too little hormone is produced we feel sluggish and tired and often gain weight easily. But when the thyroid is too active, producing too much hormone, the metabolism speeds up. Cats loose weight despite a good appetite and will often seem increasingly active and frisky. But too much hormone for too long can be damaging to the heart, leading to heart murmurs and eventually heart failure. The liver can also be affected and while many cats can afford to loose a little weight few can afford to loose half their body weight.

Thyroid disease is diagnosed with a blood test, often included in the standard wellness testing given to senior cats. Your veterinarian may also suggest testing for it if they identify a new heart murmur on exam or are concerned about sudden and dramatic weight loss in a kitty that has no other changes. You may have also noticed that your cat was vomiting more often, a common symptom of early hyperthyroidism.

The good news if your kitty is diagnosed: uncomplicated hyperthyroid diagnoses have multiple options to pursue for treatment and the treatment is very successful.

The preferred method of treatment is radioactive iodine. This is administered by a veterinarian specially trained and set up to handle the radioactive material. Your kitty will probably need to stay at the clinic for a few days to a week depending on the specific rules in your location. But once the treatment is complete there is no risk to you, your family or your kitty from the radioactivity as it goes away very quickly and only effects the thyroid gland. The great thing about this treatment? It is usually a single treatment with a 90-95% cure rate. Yes, I said cure which is often a rare thing when treating geriatric animals for anything. But other than an occasional repeat test your kitty will need no further medication, treatment or monitoring.

If radioactive iodine is not available in your location or is too expensive, surgery is another option. The thyroid gland can be surgically removed by most competent surgeons. There are some risks to this surgery beyond the obvious risks of any anesthetic and surgical procedure. If too much of the surrounding tissue is removed (and this can be difficult to tell) your cat may experience problems with calcium regulation. And since calcium is intimately involved in the contraction of every muscle in the body, including the heart muscle, this can be big problem. It can be managed and does not happen in every surgical case. But it is a risk that should be discussed with your vet before surgical treatment for hyperthyroidism.

And finally, medication. Sometimes this is the only option if there is no surgical or radioactive iodine available or affordable. Or your kitty may have a concurrent disease, like kidney failure, that would make the other two options not recommended. There is a medication that will control the production of thyroid hormone. It must be given every day and regular monitoring with blood tests must be done to be sure that your kitty is fully controlled. If your cat is impossible to give a pill to, the medication can be compounded into a liquid form that can be given orally. Or in some cases it can be compounded into a formulation that is painted on the inside of your kitty's ear to be absorbed through the skin.

Of all the big three older age diseases we diagnose in cats, this is probably the simplest to manage and treat. But don't ignore the possible symptoms: lazy old kitty that suddenly becomes a kitten, sudden unexplained weight loss with no attempts at causing weight loss. While these may appear on the surface to be great things they can be early signs of a serious disease. Keep up with your regular exams with your veterinarian. Make sure they get a thorough physical exam at least once if not twice a year. Be ready to talk about how much your cat eats, how much your cat drinks and uses the litter box, how often they vomit and what their general activity and energy level has been like. Be sure to make a note of changes and mention them to your vet. Cats can be difficult to identify symptoms in and good communication and observation is invaluable to your vet when making recommendations or diagnosing problems.