Hyperthyroidism - Your Cat's Worst Enemy

My cats, Sparkey and Puff, were rapidly losing weight. To make matters worse Sparkey was also suffering from constant vomiting and diarrhea. Both calico cats lost the sparkle in their eyes as well as the gloss to their coats. Our once beautiful healthy cats were mere shadows of themselves.

The reason?

Hyperthyroidism, the deadly thyroid disease that had also taken the life of my little orange cat, Bart. If I had been more attentive I would have seen his skinniness or the way he couldn't keep his meals down as signs of something much more serious. Unfortunately I lost him two years ago this August. He had died of an enlarged heart due to the disease Let this be a warning to all cat parents. Catch the disease early enough with proper diagnosis and blood tests as my vet did with Sparkey and Puff.

To start with hyperthyroidism is the most common hormonal disease affecting older cats and dogs today. It starts showing up in felines ten years or older. It affects males and females, neutereds and un neutereds equally. All animals (including us) have thyroid glands. They consist of two brain like lobes located at the base of the neck. Both lobes are affected in hyperthyroidism. These glands produce the hormone thyroxine that governs the rate of the cat's metabolism. The more this is produced, the higher the animal's metabolism rate. The cat will burn off more calories thus causing the dramatic weigh loss. Excess thyroxine affects every organ in the feline body. It can cause heart enlargement (as with my cat, Bart), high blood pressure , kidney damage and internal problems. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is the presence of hormone producing hyper functional nodules. A rarer cause is tumors in the glands themselves.

If your cat is showing these symptoms, don't despair. A routine visit to the vet plus a series of blood tests will show the disease. Then a proper prescription is given out. Both my cats are now on twice daily small doses of the drug methimazole (Tapazole) It's a dermal application crème that's applied to the ear's interior (not too deep, it's lightly smeared on the outermost part.) Done this way, there's little resistance and there's no hysteria as there is with pill popping. For more extreme cases vets will operate to remove the gland or put the cat on radioactive iodine therapy. The last is done by injecting the chemical, a radioactive element. This is a very expensive method and recommended if you can either afford it or have pet insurance. I have to admit that the methimazole crème worked wonders for Sparkey and Puff. Both have their weight up to par as well as beautiful, glossy coats.

Be a diligent cat parent. Be concerned if your kitty isn't keeping down his or her food, has loose bowels or just simply losing weight. It could very well be hyperthyroidism. Nip it in the bud by a visit to the vet and blood work. You'll save your cat's life and enjoy many more years together.