Help Grumpy Hyper-T Kitty!!

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martine & daisy

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Hi Everyone,

I posted a while back about my girl Daisy. She has hyperthyroidism and is currently on methimazole 5mg 1/4 tablet twice a day. So far her numbers are good but according to my vet she is no longer a candidate for the radioactive iodine treatment. So we are keeping her on the "meth".
I have noticed some of the typical side effects, face scratching (not to bad) and lethargy. But I've also noticed that she has become very irritable and grumpy with the other cats. She is also urinating everywhere. We have tried all of the no-go and calming sprays for this but nothing seems to be working. (my husband is at his wits end; although I know it's the drugs talking here!) I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what they have done? My vet told me it's just behavioral and to clean the litterbox! Hello! I clean it ALL the time....she has never done this and she has only started this since she's been on the methimazole.
Any suggestions (other than a new vet which I am considering at this point!)
Also, I did have her urine checked 2 weeks ago for any sort of kidney infections and the test came back negative. ( I know they can be masked with the hyper -t)
Thanks for your help!
Martine and Daisy
 
No suggestions but I may know how you feel. My diabetic Bailey is also hyperthyroid, has intestinal problems, has as eye problem and chin acne
 
Ifind it hard to believe your cat would suddenly develop a behavioral problem at the same time she went on the medication! You could try adding another litter box or a hormone based spray called Feliway. Cats can also be put on prozac or buspar.the thyroid levels can also effect serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood.sounds also like you need a second opinion on your kitty's treatment options.good luck!
 
Jan,
I find it strange too. I currently have Feliway plugged into wall next to one of the areas where she likes to urinate. It helped for about 3 days and now she is urinating there again. My vet recommended an additional litterbox in that area; she used it for one day and then urinated right next to it the following 2 days. That's when I took her in to make sure she didn't have a kidney infection. Plus having a litterbox in our kitchen/familyroom area is not the best idea.
I have been looking into the prozac, buspar and clomipramine for anti anxiety but I haven't had the chance to research their side effects on cats with hyper-t.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Larry,
Sorry about Bailey. Wish I could offer you some advice. But thanks for listening. Hugs to you and Bailey :)
 
It is possible to have a non-infectious cystitis, where there is inflammation with pain when urinating.

It is possible to have kidney stones which may cause intermittent pain that, if associated with the litterbox, prompts the cat to avoid the painful location. Did the vet do a cystoscopy? An x-ray or ultrasound?
 
I have actually heard that cats can have an allergic reaction to the methimazole--one of the symptoms being itchiness. So, I think that's definitely something to look into.

And can I ask the reason your vet gave when he/she said your kitty was no longer a candidate for the iodine treatment?
 
BJM...The vet just performed a urinalysis. But I will have her check for cystitis.
She does use the litterbox at most of the time but sometimes will urinate in her 2 new spots. I haven't noticed that she seems to be in any pain (usually cats will walk around their litter box squat and not be able to go; or sometimes cry when they have an infection) so I don't think it's kidney stones or an inflamation but it is worth looking into. Thanks.

Weebie,
We had Daisy on methimazole for about 3 weeks. Her T numbers were better. I told the vet we were opting for the I-131 treatment. She took Daisy off of her pills for a week and retested her blood and urine and said she was no longer a candidate due to her kidneys. I don't have the results in front of me. However, Daisy was treated with antibiotics for what appeared to be a kidney problem prior to being diagnosed with hyper-t. Then we discovered through all of the t3 and 4 blood tests that she had hyperthyroidism which could be masked by kidney problems.
On her last visit she had a urinalysis and no infection...(although I will be checking into what BJM suggested).
This behavior just isn't like her. She has always been good about using the litterbox. I'm just wondering if the methizamole is really the culprit (one article did say cats may become depressed and it can cause urination problems). If this is the case, should I put her on kitty prozac? It just doesn't seem fair to put a cat on anti depressants.

Also if anyone knows of a good vet in the Stuart, Fl area, I'd love the number to get a second opinion.
 
Okay--I thought my kitty was hyper-t--long story short, she's not. But before I discovered this, I talked to Dr. Pierson and decided to forgo the meth because of the liver damage it can do and because my cat seems to prone to those "rare" reactions to medications (that one of my vets persisted in telling me was not happening). She also told me the only way to conclusively diagnose hyper-t (my kitty was in the "grey area") is by scintigraphy. I also later learned that the scintigraph is necessary in treating the disease because it informs the doctor what iodine dosage is required.

I took her to Dr. Broome, who is the expert in the field. I, too, had read the information about hyper-t masking kidney disease and that treating the hyper-t, but knew that leaving it untreated damaged the kidneys, amongst other things. It seemed strange that the better idea was to treat with a liver damaging medication (which accomplishes the same thing as the i-131 with side-effects, so it still lessens kidney function) or undertreating the disease which causes then more damage. I asked him if it was wrong that I didn't give the meth to see if it was masking greater kidney disease (that she has it is already established). He explained that you would have to treat regardless, and that you would simply know whether or not you needed to give fluids--which made a lot more sense than the other things I'd seen recommeded.

In other words, I think you need to branch out. Unfortunately, when I look at the recommended facilities, I don't see Florida (http://www.avmi.net/newfiles/hyperthyro ... Links.html). Maybe you can contact the doctors listed on there and ask for suggestions.
 
I am sure you have done this already but, have you cleaned the area where she urinates with an enzyme based cleaner, to get rid of the smell and hopefully keep her from doing it again? And have you tried the cat attract litter? I, personally, have not used it but have heard from so many here that it works.
I noticed that my civie, Phoebe, was crankier when her thyroid was too low. Is Daisy in the normal range or could she possibly be running a little too low?
I don't know any other treatment for the thyroid other than the ear gel, but it is the same medication so I would think she would still have the same side effects. I hope you get it worked out soon!
 
Weeble,
I will be making Daisy an appointment soon to see her current vet for a check up. I want her to do another uninalysis, check for cystitis and your suggestion for the scintigraph. Daisy was also in the grey area when she was diagnosed as well.

Jill and Remi,
Yes, we are using the enzyme cleaners (Simple Solution is working the best as to cleaning up the smell). I have not tried the attract cat for her litterbox but will look into it. Thanks.
 
Thanks for everyone's help and suggestion!
Weeble, thanks for the link; I will definitely be looking into this.
I will keep everyone posted.
The good news is that she has been a "good kitty" for the past 2 days. (Of course modified baby gates are being used, but we are still happy!)
We'll see how the rest of the week goes :)
 
Is stuart in palm beach county or martin county? I live in broward county. There is a specialist who does the radioactive treatment in cooper city and another in the Naples area. There was a lady from Palm Beach who was asking about the radioactive treatment before....I could look it up and post again. There is a feline only practice in the Boca area...I don't know how far you would want to travel. Another thought I had is that your other cats may be more aggressive towards the kitty on "meth". If a cat is on some medications it changes their scent and other cats in the household will treat them like a newbie and chase them away from the litter boxes. My last suggestion will get me laughed out of this board....I used the doggy diapers on one cat when nothing else worked. I keep him in a large enclosure when I am gone and he gets to socialize with the other cats outside his enclosure only when he wears the diapers. The first time my neighbor saw a cat wearing diapers she almost laughed to death!!! :-). I will try to find that old post about the specialist and will post again. I agree with you the change in potty habits is probably related to the "meth" directly or indirectly.
 
I went back to the old post from Sept. And realized that was you!! LOL so you already have that info. I thouight you case sounded familiar. Back in September your vet thought your cat would benefit from the radioactive treatment. Why did your vet change his or her mind in two months? Excuse my crazy questions, this time of the night my brain gets fuzzy. Keep us posted. ;-)
 
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