I’ve just found out a few hours ago that my little Sorcire, who is 12, has hyperthyroidism.
Obviously, I can’t just leave her like this, so we need to get her started on treatment.
I’ve got two choices: prescription dry food that already contains the medication, or tablets to be given once or twice a day.
Regarding the food, we have two other healthy cats and Sorcire can’t stand being kept indoors...
So we’re leaning towards the medication; for now, the vet is going to give us the once-a-day dose.
Now I’m starting to worry about the 'practical' side of things. How do you cope with a cat that needs regular meds? First off, actually getting her to take the tablets is going to be a challenge – Sorcire is quite feisty when it comes to being handled for medical stuff...
But I’m also wondering how people in our situation manage, for example, for going on holiday... Up until now, we’ve always used an automatic feeder and water dispenser, and someone would pop in every two or three days to top them up and give her some cuddles. I can’t see myself asking friends to give her medication, especially not asking them to come over every single day (none of my circle have cats). So, what do you do? No more holidays? No more weekends away?
I’m feeling really lost (on top of how upset I am that my poor little girl is so poorly...).
Thanks in advance for your replies.
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I’m just sharing my own experience with hyperthyroidism and treating it with Apelka.
This might not apply to every cat, but this kind of medication is pretty heavy-duty stuff!
There’s no problem at all with putting it on or in their food. Of course, you shouldn’t let the food—and therefore the medicine—sit out in the air for too long.
Half an hour is pretty much the maximum...
So, a bit of advice if I may:
Choose a food your cat absolutely loves and pour the necessary dose on top. Give it a little mix.
Give them only a small amount of food, just enough to "hide" the Apelka. That way, the cat will wolf it down and swallow the lot.
If possible, also pick a time when your cat is hungry. For mine, it's the morning (she has three different meds to take in the morning!).
That way, your cat will rush for it and swallow their Apelka. Afterwards, you can give them the rest of their meal as you see fit—and according to their own appetite and needs.
Trying to use the syringe directly in the cat's mouth is a nightmare. You’ll catch the cat out once, but never again! And it’s dangerous anyway; if you accidentally "fire" the liquid into their lungs, you can imagine the result...
If Apelka really is too difficult to give this way (and honestly, doing it my way, I have no issues at all), there are also tablets available (from other brands). But you might run into problems with those too...
I hope this helps a little.
Have a good evening.
PS: I’ve "edited" my post because of some embarrassing typos... Sorry.
Evening Fonfec, Howtocat,
I’m sharing my own experience with hyperthyroidism and treating it with Apelka. This might not be the case for every cat, but this kind of medication is quite heavy-duty stuff!
There’s no problem at all with putting it on or in their food. Obviously, you shouldn't let the food—and therefore the meds—sit out in the open for too long. About half an hour is more or less the limit...
So, if I may, here’s a bit of advice:
Pick a food your cat absolutely loves and pour the necessary dose over it. Give it a little mix. Only give a small amount of food at first, just enough to "hide" the Apelka.
If you can, try to do it when your cat is hungry. For mine, it’s in the morning (she’s on three different medications every morning!). That way, your cat will wolf it down and swallow the Apelka. Then you can top up their meal as you see fit, based on their needs and appetite.
Trying to put the syringe directly into the cat’s mouth is a nightmare. You’ll catch them out once, but never again! Plus, it’s actually dangerous—if the liquid ends up in their lungs, you can imagine the outcome...
If Apelka really is too difficult to give this way (though honestly, doing it my way, it’s not a problem at all), there are also tablets available from other brands. But you might run into different issues with those...
Hope this helps a bit.
Have a good evening.
Hi Fonfec,
I’m not sure how those specific drops work, so you’ll need to check with your vet to see if they can be mixed with food (though according to Goupil’s post, it’s definitely possible).
If you give a small amount of wet food—about a teaspoon’s worth—I don’t think you’ll have to worry about any being left over. Personally, when it comes to getting meds down, I swear by Gourmet Gold mousses. I’ve never seen a cat that doesn’t like them, and the texture is really handy for mixing in liquid medication or making little balls to hide tablets. Since cats tend to get bored of things over time, you should vary the flavours and, above all, never give it as a full meal. It needs to stay as a special treat for them.
I’ve opted for the drops and the vet gave me Apelka. He explained that it’s very easy to give the drops using the syringe while holding my cat firmly, but knowing Mélisse, it’s going to be a bit of a mission.
I didn’t realise these drops could be mixed into food. Do you mean in wet food?
Also, does mixing the medicine with food affect how well it works? I imagine the food with the drops in it shouldn’t be left out in the bowl for too long, as my vet told me that if I wanted to give Mélisse the treatment as a tablet and hide it in her food, she’d need to eat it straight away if possible rather than letting it sit in her bowl all day.
Hi lamjack,
I’ve just found out that my cat Melisse has hyperthyroidism. The vet has prescribed tablets that she’ll have to take for the rest of her life.
Melisse is very cuddly with me but she's scared of other people, so I’m really worried about how her treatment will go if I’m away.
I saw that you changed your cat’s diet; how is he doing now?
The tablets must be taken at the same time every day (or morning and evening, depending on what you’ve gone for). If you’re worried about not being able to give them all the time, follow @Goupil’s advice and have someone come over to give her drops in a bit of wet food. Check with your vet if it’s possible to switch between the medication and the drops for when you’re away. Tablet treatment is cheaper.
Also, be careful with home-made alternatives. Giving a cat cooked meat isn’t good in the long run. When you decide to feed your pet meat, it absolutely has to be raw and the portion needs to be balanced to meet the cat’s physiological needs (the idea is to recreate 'prey'). If it’s not done properly, the cat will develop deficiencies over time.
Good evening Fonfec, Plancade, and everyone else concerned,
My 13-year-old cat also suffers from this condition.
I give her a medication in liquid drop form in her food: Apelka. It’s a bit of a commitment, obviously, but relatively easy to administer. The drops don't seem to have a nasty taste, but you still need to make sure they’re mixed well into her food. Price: around £25 a bottle and, depending on the dosage, it lasts for a month or a little longer.
The treatment is adjusted based on the results of regular blood tests.
Taking a tablet is just too difficult for her. I did some research and found Apelka, so that’s what we use.
I’ve just found out that my cat Melisse has hyperthyroidism. The vet has prescribed a course of tablets she’ll have to take for life.
Melisse is very cuddly with me but she’s scared of other people, so I’m really wondering how her treatment will go if I’m away. It’s worrying me quite a bit.
I saw that you’ve changed your cat’s food; how is he doing now?
Hi everyone, to treat feline hyperthyroidism you just need to stop giving the cat iodine. Our cat would rather have starved than eat Y/D, and the meds were absolutely wrecking his stomach (he was even vomiting blood). The vet was at a total loss. I had a look online for low-iodine foods: https://informationsnutritionnelles.fr/iode
And bingo! Since then, my cat has been eating nothing but chicken breast boiled in water with a tiny bit of Y/D, and I've replaced tap water with bottled water (which doesn't contain iodine). He’s put about 2.2 lbs back on in just three weeks and is doing brilliantly. I’ve just come back from getting his blood results – he’s stabilised and the vet is absolutely stunned.
