Hyperthyroid cat has just come back from the vet after surgery (which was successful, he's recovered very well and is now cured), but he's developed a seriously loud miaow since he's been away - I've noticed the same thing occasionally when he gets back from the cattery. Normally he's very quiet and refined, but this miaow is very loud and persistent, I got treated to it all the way home in the car. He's perfectly happy and delighted to be home, but I wondered if anyone knew why he's doing it? He'll probably have quietened down again in a couple of days, but it's an embarrassment to have him sitting yowling on the doorstep!

My cats only do the loud miaowing if they are frightened - usually if they are in the car or if they are about to be sick, or if the big ginger tom from next door is in our garden and is staring at them

He's telling you off in no uncertain manner! My cat does the same when we come back from holiday!

Well, he's had a sleep in my lap (he was fine, I'm as stiff as a board!), and wandered off outside again for another yowl, but he seems to be quietening down, fortunately. He's very much an outdoor cat, despite being 17, and I guess he WAS a bit hacked off at being in a cage all week on his own! Good to have him back though. He's certainly not at all frightened, that's a different sound altogether.

I know THAT sound well - the Maine Coon does it when he's about to throw up. The miaow does sound much more like scolding. He's out on the doormat (having gone out the cat door and round the front) doing it again!

He's probably also announcing that he's back in his territory, once everyone, including all the other cats, know he's back he can quieten down again.
Unless he's Siamese or part Siamese in which case it's perfectly normal

He's probably trying to tell you he has bruising to his larynx (voice box) due to its proximity to the thyroid gland!!!

Well he might have, but I don't think that's the message! He's a lot quieter today, so I think it was a mixture of annoyance and territorial rights. It was raining this morning and he sat on the doorstep and yowled to get in, but he's asleep on the table now. He looks in great shape for an old boy after major surgery, I must say.

susie - sorry to hijack your thread but I just wondered at what stage your vet decided to proceed with surgery??

One of my cats is on the second different type of tablets for this and I am having a nightmare getting her to take the tablets. The first type she would eat in food and not notice but had a reaction to them so had to change - this one she's on now must taste really bad once the bright orange coating comes off as she'll eat the tuna and spit out the tablet!

I'm trying to give her the tablets but its a fight and she now runs away from me whenever I approach her and it sometimes takes two tablets to get one down her. It's stressing us both out to be honest and I'm wondering whether to talk to the vet about sugery as an option.

Glad to hear your cat is doing well after the op!!

Hi Deebster

My eventual aim right from the start was for him to have surgery if he was up to it - at 17 years old, there was a possibility that he wouldn't be strong enough. He was on tablets for about 2 months until his thyroid hormone levels came back down to normal, and I used to crush the tablets up in his food - otherwise he'd just avoid them, as you say, and no way could I get him to take them any other way - I ruined two perfectly good jumpers trying! If it's the orange Felimazole tablets you've got, our vet said it was fine to crush them up in food, and our cat's living proof of that, as it obviously worked!

We were lucky in that our boy's kidneys were fine, he had a slight heart murmur, but the vet was happy to operate. He removed both thyroid glands (cats have two), so the cat had to stay in the vet's surgery for a few days afterwards to make sure his blood calcium levels were OK, as sometimes the parathyroid glands (which sit on top of the thyroids, and can be damaged during surgery) don't work and the cat needs calcium supplements. The cost of surgery and treatment was around £750 - not cheap, but we now have a healthy cat who won't need any more medication.

Anyway, 10 days on from surgery, the cat's in perfect health, eating like a horse, going out and enjoying the sun (when it's there!), and he's put on most of the weight he lost and his coat's growing back in beautifully silky (we had to have a lot of it shaved off because it was in such a mess). Even his heart murmur seems to be improving. So if you've got insurance, or don't mind paying, and the cat's up to surgery, I would definitely say go for it.

Thanks for the info!!

It is the felimazole tablets she's on so I may try crushing them up and seeing if she'll eat it that way. I have insurance but it only pays out for one year for an ongoing condition and so if the operation is an option then it will need to be done within this timeframe as I can't afford £750!!

I have to take her back soon for another blood test so I think I will discuss this with my vet then as I really think it might be the best option if she's stable enough for it - she's only 12 so hopefully got a good few more years yet.

Thanks again for the info!!

If your cat's healthy apart from the hyperthyroidism, there's no reason why she can't have surgery as soon as her blood levels are back to normal for a couple of weeks. My friend's cat had surgery at age 13, and is still going strong 3 years later - apparently cats can actually grow replacement thyroid glands, so they never get hypothyroid!

Check with your own vet in case they've got a different opinion, but if you really crush the tablet up (I used the back of a fork and mashed it), then mix it thoroughly with your cat's favourite food, she shouldn't notice it, and it's a lot easier on both of you!

I also have a diabetic cat who gets insulin twice a day, and it used to be very difficult to feed them both together, as if hyperthyroid cat left any food, diabetic cat would eat it (with the drugs), and I figured he had enough problems already! So that was another reason for going for the surgery. Diabetic cat has survived in good health for 6 years since diagnosis, so he's doing pretty well too - they could do an episode of Animal Hospital at our house!

Thanks - I think I will make another appointment next week as its been 3 weeks since she changed tablets so hopefully these will have kicked in and I can talk about the possibility of the op, fingers crossed they'll go for it and she can get back to the healthy thing she's always been.

NB since having this her miaowing is soooo loud too!!!!

Not sure why, but you're not supposed to crush Felmiazole tablets. I use one of those pill-popper things with my cat, she's not keen on it but it gets the job done nice and quickly and she always gets a load of fuss afterwards.

P.S. My cat has always miaowed loudly since I got her when she was 10 - I think she may be a bit deaf as her cries are loud, weird and howly!

jojo, I hear what you say, but the fact is, you CAN crush them - as I said, my cat is proof of that, they work just as well when you do. I was also told by the vet that it might be necessary to give the cat one and a half tablets to get the dose right. However, the datasheet does advise against crushing the tablets to avoid the danger of the owner ingesting the drug (particularly pregnant women), because it's a very strong treatment and can affect humans.

I would always advise people to consult with their vets before crushing the tablets, but it doesn't affect the way the drug works - if you wash your hands carefully afterwards, and always use the same dish and fork to feed the cat and keep it clean, it should be fine.

Update

Went back to the vets today and she's taken more blood (results tomorrow) but we talked about having the operation and the vet is thinking this is the way we will go but would prefer to lower her hormone levels before we do so it might be another higher dose of tablets for another few weeks first.

She did say that if the tablets don't work for her then she'll still consider surgery as it's probably better to risk it than leave her hormone levels so high for too much longer.

I'm feeling much better now we have a plan - feel like we're getting somewhere at last!

How is your cat getting along Susie??

Hi Deebster, glad to hear you're getting somewhere. We had to increase the dose for my cat as well, but the higher dose worked brilliantly and brought his hormone levels right down - when he started, they were so high they were off scale. We think he was probably hyperthyroid for about a year before diagnosis, the vet just thought he was thin because he was getting old, and I ended up diagnosing him myself!! Cats can be very durable though, and he doesn't seem any the worse for it.

Our cat is doing extremely well - he's been signed off at the vet's, and is completely back to normal, loving the warmer weather and looking like his old self. He's put on masses of weight since his treatment. So I'm hoping he's got a few good years left in him, he certainly looks up for it!