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I am writing this article about felimazole as my stats show my site is getting searches for that as a key word. Felimazole tablets are given to control hyperthyroidism.
This is a common condition of older cats and is due to over-production of thyroid hormones from the cat’s thyroid glands. A pair of these glands is present in either side of the neck, but they are usually very small and difficult to feel. In hyperthyroidism, one or both glands become very much enlarged, often becoming easy to feel. Felimazole tablets contain the drug thiamazole which suppresses the amount of thyroid hormones released (called thyroxine, often known simply as T4, and triiodothyronine, known as T3). An enlarged gland will not shrink with treatment, but its activity will be controlled. There are 2.5mg tablets which are pink, and 5mg tablets which are orange, they are designed to be given directly into the mouth and swallowed whole. However this is very difficult with some cats so a “pill popper” might be useful.
Like all medication side effects are possible, mild side effects are not unusual, though the vast majority of cats show none at all, and thrive on treatment. The most common side effects are vomiting, going off food and becoming listless. Occasionally more serious side effects are seen and these can be quite varied. Some cats seem to feel itchy about their face and neck, they then scratch themselves and develop open sores and scabs on the head and neck. Other effects seen more rarely might involve the bone marrow, resulting in anaemia or abnormalities of the white blood cells and immune system. The mild side effects usually settle down after a short while and do not require treatment to be stopped. If more serious side effects are suspected, treatment should be stopped and veterinary attention sought.
In the UK felimazole is a prescription drug and so can only be obtained via your veterinary surgeon, I am not going to write on dose rates as this should be worked out by your veterinary surgeon following blood tests to work out the severity of your cat’s disease. Cats on this medication should have blood tests from time to time both to help your vet work out the dose rates and to check for side effects.
NEW! - Here is a link to the professional data sheet for this drug, this is the reference which veterinary surgeons will reach for when prescribing this drug , you can read a lot more about dose rates, contraindications and side effects HERE
Also there is a lot of information in the comments section of this article which can be seen below so have a look there as well, my special thanks to Irene Stanbrough in this regard.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
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So wish i had seen this web site before about Femimazole and its side effects if so our Beloved cat Prince might have been still alive you hope and prey that your vet has all the knowledge but one must search for answers yourself if he cant seem to find an answer as to why hes not getting better but worse especailly as the cat was so difficult to get to take the pill he must have known it was making him worse cats intuition !!! he knew best all along and we wouldnt listen i am so angry with myself for not trusting our beloved pets wishes no pill please.
Hello Irene,
Sorry to hear about your cat …
In most cases this drug works well and enhances a hyperthyroid cat’s quality of life however as I said in the article side effects can occur.
Here is a link to more information on hyperthyroidism http://vetblog.co.uk/vetblog/hyperthyroidism-in-the-cat
Regards,
Scott
thankyou for your reply but our cat was loosing wieght and wouldnt eat had regular blood tests in last three weeks his red blood cells were getting less and vet didnt understand this its not normal he said so increased the doses to 5mg twice a day each time he went to vets was put on drip was better but once home 12 hours later bad again friday he couldnt stand up so off to vets again this blood test almost no red cells and vet said maybe hes alergic to pills so lets stop pills i came home he said come back in morning but he died in the night i was so cross as put in to google side effects of femizole? and came up with answer straight away to late for our beloved puss hope others will read site before it happens to theirs .
regards
Mrs Stanbrough
Hello again Irene,
I will be sure and leave your comments so other people can always read it.
Regards,
Scott
Could you tell me if it is Law that the vet has to do a blood test at least once a year before giving a repeat for the drugs, also can they charge for each perscription. I now have 2 cats on Femimazole and it is becoming very expensive.
Hello Gill,
I assume from your e-mail address you are in the UK.
In direct answer to your question :
1. With prescription drugs such as Felimazole the vet is obliged to carry out regular checks before continuing with repeat prescriptions. These checks could be once every six months or once a year depending on the disease the animal is suffering from and the animal’s condition. The vet has some discretion as far as the length of the intervals go.
2. What form these checks should take is not laid down, it could be a very cursory clinical examination or it could include blood tests or other diagnostic tests. So it is not laid down by law that a blood test should take place, only that there should be an examination. This is largely left to the individual vet’s discretion.
3. With hyperthyroidism though a blood test would be a very accurate way to monitor your cat’s control with this disease.
Regards,
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
I follow your blog for quite a long time and must tell that your articles are always valuable to readers.
Hello
My 15 (almost 16) beautiful tortishell suffered what my vet thinks was a stroke 10 days ago. Her balance went, her head was nodding and her eyes were flashing from side to side frantically. I called my vet immediately her advised me to keep her quiet for atleast 2 hrs. I waited (almost impossible) until in my heart I wasn’t happy to leave her any longer. again I contacted my vet and I was advised to take her in to my practice straight away. My vet advised that she had had a stroke and gave her a steroid injection. She was quiet for the rest of the day, but by night meowing frantically for food, which of course I gave into. The following couple of days my vet took blood and the results showed Hyperthyroidism. Mitzie is on 2.5mg of Felimazole twice daily. I’m unable to give her the tablet by putting it into her mouth as whilst doing this she became incrediabaly stressed and showed signs similiar to that of the stroke. She takes the tablet in food. I’m giving her a tiny portion with the tablet in to make sure she has taken it. Is this ok for her to have it in food? Also what signs should I look out for which could be of harm to Mitz. Is this likely to shorten Mitzie’s life and if treated could I expect to have my angel for atleast another couple of years?
Hello
I have a 1.5 years old male cat. He has almost all signs of hyperthyroidism, especially he become so aggressive, anxiety, sensitive, even I had to guarantee him in a separate room. He has ravenous appetite, he is always so thirsty, so hyper active, he has vomiting but he has mega esophagus problem too and because of that I’m not sure about his vomiting reason, he has poor coat. he has not weight loss but i should mention that he growths in 3 weeks rapidly and i can say his size become double from 3 weeks ago!
His blood test result for T4 is 4.4 mcg/dl (CLIA method) and TSH is 0.1 mlu/L (human lab)
I want to know, does he has hyperthyroid, my vet said No, but I’m not sure . if he has not then what is the reasons for his signs?what are T4 and TSH normal levels for his age?
My cat also has thyroid problems and she does not take tablets….impossible …but with a pestle and mortar you can crush the tablet into fine powder and then mix it easily with a little food …it works a treat..my cat thinks she is having something very special to eat…do not give the cat to much food at once as she must eat all the mix…
May just be a British thing but my very uncompliant cat (is there anthing else?!) has placildly licked a tab twice day for years off the end of my finger with it plopped on the top of a small blob of primula (Soft cheese in a tube). must admit have only used the original verson – not sure spring onion version would be so successful!
Frances do get your cat back to vet again ASAP
regards
Irene Stanbrough
My cat has recently been given felimazole by our vet, (cat aged 13+). But he never mentioned that one of the side effects was that he would lose his appetite, and I have been worrying that I could be losing my much treasured cat as he wasn’t eating enough. I phoned my vet and told him of my concerns and about what I had read on this web site and he assured me that you were very much in the right and that he was very remiss not to mention any of the side effects. Can I say thankyou very much for creating this website to offer people like myself information about different medicines
Yes Tracey our Prince did not want to eat also(side effect) so was given high protein paste food in a tin which he did eat but not enough to make much difference to his weight good luck with getting your cat to eat if you can but as you know cats have a mind of their own.
Irene Stanbrough
Hi Tracey,
Glad you found the article of use …
Regards,
Scott
MY CAT 16YRS ON FELIMAZOLE ONE A DAY THEN VET SAID 2 A DAY AS BLOOD READIND HAD GONE UP WAS 900 THEN 325 THEN 750 ON 2 A DAY ITS GONE TO 9 BLOOD READING NOW UNDER ACTIVE AND THE KIDNEY BLOOD READING HAS GONE UP MY CAT SLEEPS ALL DAY NOW HAS PUT ON WEIGHT AND EATS OK … HELP SHOULD I STOP THE THYROID TABLETS AND WHAT ABOUT THE KIDNEY DAMAGE DONE RE THE PILLS THANKS A LOT cc.
I think you should put into google search engine the wording “side effects of Femimazole” and read as much as you can and make your own decisions there is plenty to read thats why I asked for my first blog/comments to stay on this site so others could be aware and make their own choices about their beloved pet
Irene Stanbrough
Reading the comment by Jean Briscoe, August 22, 2009, I must warn her that my vet informed me that I shouldn’t crush up the felizamole tablets as they don’t work. I used to crush the tablet for my cat Yanni as hiding a tablet in his cat food didn’t work. I immediately stopped crushing them and I was lucky as Yanni would eat the tablet whole when I wrapped it in a little food before putting down his cat food. I’d have to vary the food I’d wrapped around the tablet but found that cheddar cheese, cooked liver, raw bacon, soft cheese, a small prawn – all these worked well. Occasionally he’d eat the food and out came the tablet from his mouth! But I’d try something else until he would swallow it whole often without even noticing it was in there.
I later read on the internet that crushing the tablets can cause the stomach acid to destroy the tablet.
The other bit of advice I can give is that if your cat is vomiting (as mine did) then a great product that worked for mine is from Pet.Alive.co.uk and it’s their capsules for digestive suport. It’s a herbal remedy that claimed to soothe gastritis, and only I wasn’t convinced I was desperately wanting to help my cat so gave it a try especially as the testimonials sounded promising. I would open up one capsule and sprinkle it on his food (half in the morning and half in the evening). After a prolonged period of intermittant vomitting I can say that after about 2 weeks on these tablets, Yanni never vomited again (only a couple of tiems which was more to do with eating grass). I put it down to the tablets and I am so grateful that in his last few months he didn’t suffer from vomiting. I would wholeheartedly recommended to for any pet that my be vomiting or off their food or could be showing signs of nausea.
I will try and answer any follow up questions if it will be of help to anyone.
My 17 yr old cat Mitzie is on Fellmazolebut hates taking pills. I have finally found a way to get her to swallow pills twice a day. I approach her slowly, then gently but firmly open her mouth tilting her head gently back at an angle if I can. I try and pop in the pill so that it goes down towards the back of her throat. The thing that makes the difference and to ensure she swallows it, is to hold her face gently as she swallows it down and to keep holding her, stroking her throat and head until she’s calmed down. Her stress quickly disappears after about 5 seconds. Then I let her go, she shakes her head and then she’s fine about it. Hope this helps other cats who hate taking pills.
Our 17 year old cat Nemo was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism nine months ago and is on two 2.5 mg of felimazole a day, and seems pretty stable. We have spent quite a lot on vets bills getting him to this point. He is just getting to the end of a three month prescription, and we hoped to get the pills much more cheaply on the internet. Our vet insists he must come in for a consultation before he will give a prescription, the fees for both largely wiping out any savings we may make. We feel prety confident this is unnecessary, and his condition wil be pronounced unchanged, as it was this January when a blood test was taken (not proposed this time). We feel the vet is effectively imposing a kind of restictive practice, as he claims they have a ‘protocol’ requiring three-monthly consultations for this condition, though I note from your reply at 6 above this is by no means usual. What can we do? We feel our concern for our cat is being exploited to maximise the vet’s income.
My 14yr old male cat Jack has been on Felimazole for 6mths. He has had realy bad side affects, hair loss around face, involutary back spasms, scratching of the face and head, lethargic,hiding in corners. The vet then recommended surgery but when I said yes no vets at the practice wanted to perform the operation, the older vets eyes were bad and the younger vets had only performed one or two and were not confident to do it!!! i’m in limbo do I take him off the tablets and just let him be?
To No 19 & 20 I have tried all off those and I spend more time in the supermarket trying to think of what I can put Molly’s felimazole tab in than I do my own shopping. I am at my wits end. Have been searching the net about crushing the tablet as me and Molly are getting very upset. So far 50/50 results.
Also, I understand that that it is a slow releasing drug but my vet seemed to think the effect of crushing tablets may be more harm to humans than the cat? I do wash my hands and am not of child bearing age? soooo the question is CAN I CRUSH THE TABLET?
forgot to tick the notify email thing
In reply to Sheila’s question: I used to work for a hospital consultant and I asked him once about how careful I should be about touching the tablets. He told me that because they were coated it would pose no health risk to myself. However crushing them and therefore breaking the protective coating means that you would have to be careful and not handle it. The crushing the tablet question: I can only go on what my vet told me, that is crushing the tablet wasn’t effective. It would be worth googling the internet to find out anymore info. Hope you find a solution soon Sheila. As you say it’s a trial and error thing – I found vegetarian pate wrapped around the tablet was a hit with Yan!
In reply to Nicholas – I seem to remember having to have 6th monthly consultations rather than 3 monthly ones. But in the early days when Yan was first diagnosed it was more frequent as the vet needed to decide on what dosage was the best. Once that was established I believe it was a regular 6th monthly visit. It is worth asking you vet about this. Felizamole tablets are the most inexpensive treatment for the disease making it a popular choice but that doesn’t take into account that your cat will be on them for the the rest of his life which could be for many years and also that the dosage may well increase as time goes on. It is worth talking to your vet about the operation alternative if you haven’t already done so, which although more expensive in the short term would quite possibly be less expensive long term. It does have the risk of side effects but so do the felizamole tablets. My advice is to get as much info on all the options and work out the pros and cons.
Oh, also in reply to R mead – your vet was right in recommending surgery as the tablets are obviously making him ill and taking him off them is also not the solution as he would eventually become very ill and die. As it can’t be done at your present surgery, I would make an appointment with another vetinary surgery asap – one that can perform the operation. In fact your surgeon should have made enquiries for you. I hope you’ve done this already.
If the crushing of Felimazole tablets destroys its affect Vets need to make this clear to the pet owner. Both of my cats have had this medication and I saw various vets over their treatment and not one of them thought it necessary to mention this. I would think it quite usual for pet owners to crush tablets for animals in the attempt to try and disguise it, it’s a simple thing but it obviously makes a massive difference. Owners should be clearly informed how to administer any tablets crushed or uncrushed.
After my experience with both of my cats I do believe that crushing the tablets renders them inactive; I did not know this at the time sadly.
My first cat to need the tablets was age 14 then and very very poorly with hyperthyroidism, he was put on 1x5mg tab a day. I crushed it into a tiny bit of food to make sure he had it but after 3 weeks I called the vet saying there was no change, in fact he was worse. The vet told me over the phone to increase the dose to 2x5mg a day which I did but again after another 4 weeks he was even worse still.
I changed vets and this one took another blood test which confirmed his thyroid was still high but he said to continue the same tablets for another 4 weeks and then he could go in for surgery. I did this, still crushing the tablets and his condition did not improve. After the 4 weeks I took him for a pre op check 5 days before surgery, the vet said to drop his tablet to one a day now but did not take another blood test to check his levels. I was surprised at that but trusted him as he was the vet not me.
After the op it was terrible, he was so so poorly. He went totally blind, was completely incontinent and just had lost his mind. He was dehydrated but the vet said he didn’t need to be on a drip but other vets and nurses in the practise disagreed but my vet ignored this. They confirmed he was no blind but never said why. I thought it might have been a stroke from the stress of the operation or a bad reaction to the anethestetic.
Caring for him was a full time job but I could not give up on him. I thought if I gave him time he might recover. When people have strokes they can recover somewhat and rehabilitate, while there was a chance he might do the same he deserved that chance. I nursed him for 5 months hoping he would get better but he never did and looking back perhaps I should have let him go earlier but I really thought he would get better. I wanted him to see another lovely summer again and be basking in the sun. I dreamt I’d see him bounding down the garden path towards me in the sunshine as I watched from the kitchen door and he’d be happy and pain free again but it never happened.
It broke my heart on the day we had to take him to be put to sleep, more so because it turned out to be the first lovely summers day, the sun and heat was gleaming through the windows making patterns on his fur and he didn’t know it, this was the day I’d wanted for him but it couldn’t be the way wed dreamed. I cried as my daughter carried him down the stairs cocooned in a duvet nest fast asleep and every step she took threw another sunbeam across his body from the window, it was so painful but I knew it was time now and I felt he needed me to be strong for him.
It was hard but afterwards we brought him back home we wanted to bury him in the garden in his favourite place. I wanted his twin brother to see him so he would know he wasn’t going to be there anymore and why. We each wrote a letter to put into his box and sealed them with lipstick kisses. We put foliage and flowers from the garden that he loved inside and pictures of his life, of him and his brother and the people he loved so he would always remember. We said thankyou for being part of our lives and how much we loved him and always would.
His twin brother now also has hyperthyroidism and started on 2x 2.5mg a day, at first I started to crush them just as I had done with the previous cat and there was no change in his condition. Then one day after about 6 weeks my daughter put a whole tablet into a tiny bit of Brussels liver pate which happened to be in the fridge and rolled it between her hands, offered it to him and it was down in an instant! So now we have absolutely no trouble at all getting him to take the tablets day or night. That dose controlled his condition for 10 months but it’s recently gone high again so the dose has been doubled to 2x5mg a day; he is just over 16 now.
As for administering the tablets, I think it works best by giving the tablet in something they see as a treat, not their usual food. I too have tried putting it in small chunks of chicken etc and yes it works but it seems to fall out more times with that as the tablet is eaten. With the pate ect it seems to stick more to the tablet making it less likely if ever to fall out. I find it’s more convenient and easier to keep his own pate in the fridge, or potted meat or whatever it’s easy to roll it into, you only need a small amount it lasts a long time, you can vary the flavours so he doesn’t get bored, it’s a thing he doesn’t have often so it’s a treat. I always give it before food without any other food to distract him. Forgot this the other day and opened a tin of tuna for him, I then remembered he had to have his tablet but because he could smell the tuna he refused his tablet. He stuck to his guns for a while until I removed him from the kitchen closed the kitchen door and in 5 minutes I tried him again in the living room out of the way and he took the tablet no problem so he then got his tuna.
If you managed to get to the end of this post sorry it’s so long
Thanks for the post Felicity,
I have always taken the attitude that these tablets should not be split or crushed, indeed is says as much in the professional data sheet for Felimazole ” Tablets should not be split. ” You can read the data sheet here by the way :
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Dechra_Veterinary_Products/Felimazole_2_5_mg_Coated_Tablets_for_Cats/-40419.html
Your post is not too long, hyperthyroidism is a common disease in older cats and it’s treatment is sometimes far from satisfactory so the more that is written about it particularly from an owner’s actual experience the better.
Kindest Regards,
Scott
I removed Jack form the felimazole as he was scratching himself raw it was awful to see, over night he had open sores!!! he lasted a week without the felimazole then he had bad side effects from the thyroid, my vets decided they could do the op after all and I had no choice but to let them do it!!! sadly my stunning little boy didn’t make it through the anasthetic and we lost him. it was so awful for him and us being powerless to help him. I hated having no cats around and have now got 2 ragdoll kittens Breeze and Beau it dosn’t mean I don’t love Jack but I had more love to give.
Both my cats are on Felimazole, twice a day, and I tried crushing the pills = no success. So a friend suggested buying something called DeFurrums, they’re lozenge-shaped crunchy treats with a soft paste inside. A bit like the cat equivalent of fig rolls! I cut one in half, and post the pill inside, squeeze it a bit so that the paste clings onto the pill, and the cats adore it. Down in one, usually. It’s such a relief to not struggle getting the pills down, especially with 2 cats, twice a day. I buy the DeFurrums from Pets At Home, they’re supposed to be for helping deter furr balls, and also come in a catnip variety. Absolutely brilliant.
My 17 yr old cat Nino was placed on Felimazole a month ago. He went in for a blood draw few days ago and I am waiting for the results. He also had developed a raw scabby and hairless spot over his left eye just prior to the exam. Vet had me reduce the dosage to 1 pill a day. He’s since developed another spot beneath his right eye, but doesn’t seem to itch from either area. Vet said this was likely a side effect of the meds. I was giving Nino his pill hidden in a little bit of Fancy Feast on top of his prescription died (which he eats well). He loved the smelly wet food, but quickly learned to take the pill out and hide it beneath the dry stuff.l MY vet said it was okay to crush the tablet.,and he takes it fine that way. Now I’m wondering if crushing it is bad after reading the other comments. I was also told my vet that if these lesions continue, we might have to stop the medication. At 17 I would not consider the surgery. Even if this hastens his death, maybe that would be nicer for him. At present he seems in pretty good condition…very loveable, does sleep a lot, but also likes to wander around a little bit outside still. Any comments or suggestions?
hi my cat Zippy 16.5yrs has been diagnosed with high thyroid & put on Femilazole 2.5mg 1 a day.
He’s ok with tabs luckilly as he has had cat astmah most of his life so used to having tabs although he has an injection for that now when its bad.
Any advice on this tablet… I dont think its fair to have surgery at his age as his heart rate is fast he may not survive happy to keep him on the tablet if its doing him some good…
is there any other side affects to watch out for??
any other advice really….
Zippy is eating still ok, goes out briefly through cat fat, quite alert & playful just very thin and boney
oh I know this may sound tedious but I use the Whiskas cat treat ‘pockets’ I use the end of a corkscrew and dig a hole and pop tablet in the hole Zippy is none the wiser! Its fiddly and not always successful but try you can prepare a weeks at a time (keep them somewhere safe though in case cat sniff the treats!)
sorry correct dose Zippy is on is 1 x 5mg tablet
My 14 year old female cat, Chester, has been at the vet all week being syringe-fed and on an IV drip for fluids. She had stopped eating (although still drinking) and was lethargic and quiet. They have done several blood tests, initially noticing high liver enzyme levels and then following another round of tests have tentatively diagnosed hyperthyroidism.
If it’s definitely hyperthyroidism (and they’re about 80% sure now) I’ve been told she’s in the 10% of cats whose clinical symptoms are atypical – she has not lost any weight and had no increased appetite, no vomiting or diahorrea. In fact, it’s been the opposite – she just stopped eating. She was perhaps a little restless but not really any more than normal (always quite a lively cat). The only thing I now remember is that she went through a phase of meowing loudly for no apparent reason about a month ago but that only lasted for a few weeks then stopped. I’ve read elsewhere this can be a symptom.
I’ve read all the comments here and found them really helpful – I’d not heard of hyperthyroidism before even though I now believe my other cat may have had it – she ate like a pig but was getting thinner and thinner but passed away after the vet found an inoperable tumour in her jaw.
Chester is still an inpatient at the vet, still not taking food voluntarily although they are doing all they can to get her eating properly so they can start the treatment for the hyperthyroidism. I’m not looking forward to trying to administer the tablets but I’m sure my vet will show me how to do it properly and to be honest, I just want her well and back home so I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep her as healthy as possible.
All your comments and your varied experiences of coping with hyperthyroidism have helped me understand the problem more thoroughly and I now feel better equipped to discuss this properly with my vet and get answers to all my many questions.
I do wish all of you and your cats all the best
My cat Shabba is 20 years old and when I took her to the vet a couple of weeks ago because her teeth wer giving her a problem she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism although her t4 was only slightly raised and her kidneys and liver were fine. She was prescribed Vidalta 10mg a day and since she has been taking them she seems so poorly. She has raw bald patches around her eyes particularly her right eye and she is losing her appetite and scratching her ears a lot. My vet wants to put her under anasthetic so that he can examine her teeth but I am worried sick. Before being given the Vidalta she was full of beans for her age. She would sleep quite a bit but would race up the garden every day have a drink look around and race back or if the weather was nice have a nice snooze in the sun. Now she seems so unhappy and I am very afraid that she is having an alergic reaction to the tablets. I took her back to the vet yesterday and am supposed to take her back thursday so that he can put her out and have a look at her teeth but I want to stop her tablets and don’t want to take her and am distraught trying to know what to do for the best
From my experience only am not telling you to do this but my cat was in same situation and I wish I had had the confidence to stop the tablets prince didn’t want to take them and struggled every time but we persisted and even held him down cats sixth sence should have told us he knew best and didn’t want to take them the vet doubled the dose and 10 days later our beloved pet died if only i had goggled the question on line and would have seen about the side effects so do this and see if other pet owners have had same experience as you. I have to live with this now that I could have stopped the medicine and he could have had more years and let nature take it course. Read my first blog two years ago.
Irene Stanbrough
Thanks Irene. I was so sorry to hear about Prince and it is so difficult because you just want to to the best for them. I did stop her tablets and was able to speak to my vet and explain my concerns. He was very good and told me to stop them and take her in for a check (no anasthetic), the following day. He said that we should give her a few weeks before looking at changing her tablets and just get her back to health so gave her a steroid injection to help. Her mouth/teeth also seem to have improved, (another side effect I found out), and she is fast getting back to normal, having a mad race up and down the garden each day (not bad for a 20 year old), still sleeping a lot but this is as it should be given her age. She still has some rather sore bald patches around her eyes but they are looking better and the swelling I had not fully recognised because she has quite a fat little face has gone down and she is not scratching anymore, (more side effects). She is almost back to her normal self with plenty to say for herself and her purr is working again.
Thanks again for your input. As my vet said, no one knows your cat like you do so in future I will learn to trust my instincts. Again I am sorry about your Prince but its such a difficult decision and you should not blame yourself for trying to do your best for him.
My 17 year old cat has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a few days back, after I took him to vet as he suddenly appeared very ill, stopped eating and drinking, spent the entire time sleeping, and had alot of stuff around his eyes. Previously he had appeared fit and healthy, but did alot of yowling in the night, which I had (perhaps mistakenly) put down to senility. The vet told me he had a very high heartbeat, hence the diagnosis, so the vet prescribed 10 mg of vidalta daily. However, 3 days later he looked worse than ever, still wasn’t eating or moving, and I thought he was at deaths door. I was beside myself with grief, as he has been the best and most loving companion anyone could wish for, and i love him so much. I took him to another (pricier) vet for a 2nd opinion. They said he does have hyperthyroidism, but also has kidney problems and anaemia, which could be being made worse by the vidalta. So now he is on the much lower dose of 2.5 mg felimazole. Also he had a high temp so vet gave him some antibiotics. For a couple of days not much difference, but now seems to be perking up just a little, and is finally eating, and seems a little more alert and happy, although still sleeps almost all the time. I’m hoping that he may have had a virus (my other cat has a cold) which made things appear worse than they were. However, I’m worried about getting the balance right between the hyperthyroidism and the kidney problems, as a know felimazole isn’t good for the kidneys, or for anaemia, and am worried by all the side effects I’m reading about. I’ll carry on with 2.5 dose for the moment, but it’s a worry for me. I love him so much and don’t want to give him something that’s actually going to be bad for his health. Am due another vet visit next week, so will see how things go. Love him so much and don’t want to lose him.
I thought I would do a post to reassure owners of cats with hyperthyroidsim. Our cat Nemo has been taking the pills for almost a couple of years and seems really well, although getting rather stiff and he now spleeps a lot and doesn’t go out much – he is 17 and is also on medication for kidney problems. Another younger cat is now the owner of his territory outside. I find that it is easy to give the pills especially when he is sleepy. I very gently strike his head and whiskers and get him in a good position to open his jaws and tilt the head back. I peer in and lob the pill down to the back of his throat. The kidney ones are more of a problem as they are so large, long tablets with rounded ends and they split in half really easily which I think gives them sharp edges. He seems resigned to his fate and does sometimes run off when he hears the pills rattling but seems to accept that he has to take them. So apart from the expense, all is well!
Hello. I have been reading this forum and reading everyones tales, queries and worries, and I can say I have suffered much the same. Please allow me to tell you my experiences relating to hyperthyroidism in cats. It may be a long, rambling post but please bear with me as I sincerely hope that I may be able to put other peoples minds at rest with my own experiences.
My male tom cat Sherekhan is 18 this year and has suffered Thyroid problems since the age of 15. He was first diagnosed after a long, but almost unnoticable, period of decline in which he eventually stopped eating altogether. It was very worrying, as he was old, listless and tired, and just couldn’t be bothered to do anything. The vets at first suspected kindey failure as he had renal trouble in the past, but eventually the results came back as Hyperthyroidism. I was shocked, as I hadn’t realised, perhaps niavely that cats could suffer with thyroid problems. Since learning of my cats illness I have done extensive research and have learned such a lot, both through the internet, and my cat himself.
Since being put on Felimazol to control his thyroid he has thrived really well. He has a good appetite and still has a good go at grooming himself, even though he has become mattered and I have had to resort to radical action with a razor and scissors! He has blood tests every 6 months and is also on tablets to control his heart rate and kidney function. I find giving him his pills really easy, and once we cracked it, it was fine from there on in. We are in a routine now, as soon as I get up in the morning, he goes over to where I give him the tablets in the kitchen and sits and waits patiently for me to give them to him. I buy an Ocean Fish Pate (Gourmet pet food brand) and simply roll this into a blob using the end of a teaspoon and mould his tablets into it. I then put it into the palm of my hand and offer it to him. He takes them straigth away, no fuss or stress whatsoever. I keep the ring-pull lid, put it back on the tin and put the whole thing in a nappy bag in the fridge. I find the paste lasts typically 2-3 weeks doing this, and at only 40odd p a tin, doesn’t break the bank. My cat will tell me if it is off, as he will simply refuse the meat and turn away. I will open a fresh tin and he will eat it perfectly normally. At first we had a hell of a job getting them down him, and it took us at least two months to crack the problem. My vet told me it is not a good idea to crush the tablets as they have to be released slowly into the cat’s system, and it also says this in the leaflet. I do think it is unfair if you are not told that this is not a good idea, as it can have an adverse effect on the animal, not getting better and not thriving. There are methods available to get your cat to take them manually if he refuses to eat them in his food, without having to resort to crushing them up. Once or twice my dad has had to force his mouth open, I have shoved the tablet in and then squirted a sringe full of water in after to make him swallow. If you are having problems, do contact your vet as they have a wide variety of gadgets available to help you in tablet administration if your cat simply refused to eat his pills in his food. Its not nice forcing Sherekhan and it stresses him – and me – out, but he soon learns quickly that if he doesn’t want to be forced on a daily basis he needs to take them with his pate, and we quickly get back into our normal twice-daily routine.In three years we’ve only had this problem twice. Thankfully, for the last 18 months he has stuck to his usual stress-free routine and has not had to be forced. However, the problem is that he quite simply refuses to take them from anyone but myself or my dad. If we go on holiday and leave him in the care of other people who come round to feed him and administer medication, he point blank refuses to take them, and they end up having a very stressful time trying to force tablets down a very resentful cats throat. He is also prone to spitting them out again once their backs are turned, and last time we went away, he missed 4 doses doing this! I came back to find 8 pretty pink pills spat out on the carpet!
In the almost three years since he started his treatment, he has only had to have his dose changed once, and then within the next 3 months he was back to his regualr 2.5mg twice a day. They are very good with him at our vets, and make sure he has regular check-ups and give us all the information and reassurance that we need.
He does however, emit side-effects of his hyperthyroidism, all of which I have checked with the vet and he has told me is completely normal. One of these is that he eats his own litter, but I’ve noticed at the same time he does this, he is very hyper, so I know it is his thryoid levels fluctuating. The last time he started eating his litter, we took him for his check-up and he needed his dosage changed. The vet told me that some cats do this as it is a side-effect of hyperthyroidism and not to worry about it. He also drinks more, although not worryling excessively, and again, this is another side-effect of hyperthyroidsm. He has now started to become very vocal at night, crying if he thinks he is on his own, which again is a sympton. It can also be a symptom of senial dementia, but apart from the vocalizations at night, he is otherwise perfectly normal in his behavoir. He doesn’t go to the toilet anywhere in the house apart from his tray or outside, he knows where his food bowl is and responds normally to people he knows. He still goes out for a bit and sleeps a lot, but he has always done that in the winter. Come summer you don’t see head not tail of him and he dissapears for hours on end, only returning when he wants something to eat and/or drink.
When he was 5 he suffered a blockage in his urinary tract and we very nearly lost him. As a result he has been on a special renal diet for the past 12 years, although now he only eats the crunchies and not the meat. He is also on Fortekor tablets – 1 per day, which control both his heart rate and his kidney function. I did not know that Felimazol can effect the kindneys, but I don’t worry about it because he is on a diet and medication to control that anyway.
All in all, problems and expense aside, he seems to be doing very well *touch wood* and has much the same, laid back, docile attitude as he’s had all his life. I would urge people with cats with hyperthyroidism not to worry extensively, there can be a lot of side-effects attributed to thyroid problems that can also be assosiated with nastier illnesses, so don’t get caught up in the trap of imagining your cat has a teminal illness if he starts behaving bizarelly. It could simply be his fluctuating thyroid levels. If you are not sure check with your vet, but I urge people not to worry excessively. I went through a faze of checking every symptom online and convincing myself he had some hidious life-threatening illness. However I very soon learned that if you calm down and keep a close eye on your pet, you will learn what is normal with your cat and what is not.
Thank you for reading my post, sorry if it is excessively long, and it hope it helps reassure people that your cat can lead a very contented, normal life with hyperthyroidism, and it doesn’t have to be life-threatening.
Good that there are now many posts on this website so that we can all help each other with tips and info if we are looking on the web/internet.
We wont ever forget our beloved Princey who we still miss so badly but so happy shared info is now out there for all who search to read and act upon with confidence not in the dark as we were all to late. Good Luck Everyone.!!!!!!!!
The Stanbrough Family
My cat is on felimizone, and she took is a nightmare at taking her pills, I also have a 16 month old child and I’m overly worried if the cat spat the pill out and my child found it, what would happen if she ate it. Would there be any side effect? I’m worrying myself silly
Michelle H
I would think if your toddler does get hold of any of the tablets it would be very dangerous as it says either wear gloves or wash hands after handling the pills on the bottles of tablets I get. I know from personal experience that my cat has disgarded a tablet 3 times that I know of after I have given it to him without me noticing and I check very closly so I was shocked and amazed to find them on the floor afterwards white and dry so the colour had been desolved in his mouth but he had got rid of them somehow afterwards. As they were dry they would have been on the floor for some time unoticed. If you have a white or light coloured floor you probably would not even notice at all.
Perhaps you should speak to the vet about the possibility of him having the op as not only are you struggling to give him the tablets anyway it is also a high risk to your toddler too. My cat takes the tablets without a problem so this is why I was shocked to find those ones on the floor so if it can happen with my cat and you are struggling to get your cat to take them the risk of your cat spitting them out afterwards will be even higher. Its proved to me that there is always a chance of a child picking a stray one up
Yes, we have purchased a gadget that now distributes the pill effectively down her throat!
Thank you for your help on this matter
my cat was diagnosed with overactive thyroid and was perscribed 5mg felimazole once a day, his appatite decreased and was still eating but fussy eating and cheeky as usual, four months after starting flimazole his blood were checked and it was found his thyroid was still over so the vet upped the dose too one twice a day, with bloods to be checked 12wks later. well its 8wks since then and he has just to been put to sleep, his appatite stopped, he got listless and his weight halfed, at the end of this three week nightmare of symptoms he was badly dehidrated weighed in at 4lb and got sickness and runny bum. i am very upset as u can all imagine so please if you are prescribed felimazole have your cats bloods checked within a few weeks as these acute side affects seem very common and for some like mine there is no return. god bless him and all the other cats out there
HI Sally H
how sad to read your message, another sad Felimazole story.!!!! I am so sorry about your cat we still are sad about our beloved Prince who was the first cat blog which I started and asked them to keep it on forever to warn others of its side effects.
We pay out Vets to look after our animals and that is never a cheap issue is it. !!!!
They should be aware of these issues but seems like they arent and many more pets especailly cats will fall victim to this drug some it suit and some not but its no consulation when ones beloved pet dies and could have been avioded maybe ???? Thats the problem .Its suits some but not others or our Vets are not checking bloods as often as they should I do hope that a few more will take this on board, we are in their hands totally as we are with Human Doctors but we can speak up that we dont feel right and something is wrong Cats/animals cant and its so sad I feel so inscenced about this and helpless so all I could do was to start this blog and ScotVet have been amazing to highlight this continualy so thankyou . I feel so bad for us all who have suffered a loss as our family have and we still cant feel good about replacing our beloved Princey Boy yet If ever.!!!!!
Keep up the Blog Please.
Irene Stanbrough
I had a 17 year old cat who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, we were given Vidalta 15mg. A couple of weeks later she had what was described as a TIA (similar to a stroke) She recovered from this but a few weeks later I noticed that her nose was bleeding I took her to the vets where she had a blood test and the results came back to say her platelets had dropped. She had a steriod injection and stayed at the vets for two days. She recovered from this and we continued the treatment for the thyroid. We did talk to the vet about our concerns with the Vidalta and we switched to Felimazole, unfortunately a few weeks later she had a fit one night. I took her down to the vets where she seemed to come out OK so we took her home. The next day when we came home from work she was in a coma, we took her down to the vets but nothing could be done to save her. I was absolutely heart broken as she was such a loving cat and followed me from room to room. I miss her terribly. We now have the problem that her sister who is 18 has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism with a T4 of 154. After what had happened previously we are very concerned and after talking to our vets we were given Felimazole 2.5mg to be given just one a day. We gave her first tablet last week and she had a funny reaction. She went really sleepy, a bit zonked out for 3 hours, when she awoke she looked OK, she knew where her food was, her bed and litter but she seemed to be looking at things as if they just weren’t right! We rang the vets and they said try another and report back. The same happened the following night although she seemed to come out of the drowsy/spaced out/ sleepy mode a little quicker but was slightly hyperactive for a few hours. Up and down all the time. We told the vet who advised us to leave her off the tablet for a week as she had also had a steriod at the first visit for wobbly back legs. We gave her a tablet last night after much thought and tears wondering if this was the right thing to do and she did zonk out for a couple of hours but nowhere near as spaced out as she was. Unfortunately I dont think she has been asleep since (its now 28 hours since she had the tablet) she keeps lying down but then lifts her head every 5 minutes, she may have had a nap while we were asleep last night for 4 Hours, not sure? Im at my wits end wondering what to do as I know the thyroid needs treating but am I damaging her with the tablets Has anyone else had this experience?? I’m so torn with what do for the best. NB She is also on Fortekor tablets as she has had a heart murmur for a few years now, these tablets are having no side effects.
Yesterday, I brought my parents’ cat, Moe, to the vet. He was diagnosed with the beginning stages of hyperthroidism. Not sure right off of his T4 level. The vet prescribed Felimazole 2.5mg. She said to start him off with a 1/2 tablet a day. She told me that I would have to cut the pill myself. Also, to give it anyway I could (including crushing). No handout info about Felimazole. I decided to wait until Monday to start giving him the medication incase he had a reaction. At petsmart, I bought a pill pocket treat by Greenies. We have used this previously for meds and Moe has loved it. http://www.greenies.com/en_us/Products/FelinePillPockets.aspx
A couple of Questions: 1. I have read in the above posts about not touching the medication and washing hands right afterwards. Why I must I do this? Can the Felimazole come into my system?
2. Is it okay to use my pill cutter or do I need to buy a separate one for this med?
3. Since this is such a low dose, will Moe have any side effects?
Thanks!!
Sorry to hear little mo has hyperthyroidism, i hope i can help with your questions, im not a vet i am only talking through my experience with this drug on my cat rownico.
As for crushing or breaking your tablets, it clearly states not to do this….i believe there is a 2.5 available.
yes wash your hands well after use and use latex gloves if you are of child bearing age as it can deform the foetus as this drug can enter your system through your skin (especially if crushed or broken)
side affects……no one really knows, all cats systems are different like ours, i unfortunately had to have my cat put to sleep after a few months on this drug as his white cells destroyed his red cells, he never had an appetite when on 5mg felimazole and had to be tempted with special foods, but compared to overactive thyroid with no treatment i believe he did have a little more time with me with the drug
hope this helps and if you want to ask anything else im here x