15 yr old cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism yesterday

[GingerFish]

We took our 15 year old boy Rambo to the vet yesterday for his dental surgery - 3 teeth removed and scale and polish. His blood work came back fine apart from his thyroid levels. In his last blood test 6 months ago, he was fine. I think the levels were 50 odd and yesterday they were 80 odd! So he's now on Thyronorm twice a day and has a review with the vet in 3 weeks. We've been told his options are meds for life, surgery or radioactive iodine treatment.

I'm just looking to talk to fellow cat parents who have been through this please. I'm absolutely devastated. I know on the grand scheme of things, he's lucky. He could have been diagnosed with worse things but I'm just so shocked. He showed no symptoms (other than being hyper but he's always been a hyper cat so I didn't notice much of a change if any tbh) and even the vet was surprised.

Any success stories of treating a cat with hyperthyroidism would be most appreciated. I haven't slept well with worry and could just do with some friendly words and advice please.

Hope you and your kitties are all doing well

[pulisa]

Yes I've had a lot of success with treating hyperthyroidism in cats. If the meds don't control the levels sufficiently surgery is always an option to remove half of the thyroid and this is a straightforward op. It's a common condition in older cats but needs to be treated as otherwise weight loss and overwhelming hunger will put a strain on your cat's system.

You're obviously a devoted owner and you'll get to grips with the meds regime and the frequent blood tests to monitor levels. It's been caught before the condition became obvious which is good. It's also reasuring that his kidneys are functioning well. This can also be an issue with senior cats and your boy is fine!

[meltedchic]

This is my 1st time to actual know that cats are getting ill with hyperthyroidism (I thought only humans can have it).

Im sorry to know about your cat. How is he now?