Steel Charlie

Bertha sleeps upside down all the time and anywhere from on the bed to her fave dirt spot in the back yard. I have lotsa pix but here she is in her winter morning sunspot inside the storm door.

Steve B.

I think the 2 female cats I have had never slept this way is they grew up as kittens in a house with older male cats, thus never felt safe or secure to do this. My current male kittens have known nothing but a safe environment, with no older cats threatening them, so sleep upside down all the time.

billnuke1 

Watching the traffic…settling in nicely…exploring all of the great new places to sleep and groom…

sjanzeir

... And after the seventh hour of playing, Gambini rested.

rumrunn6

anybody treating their cat for hyperthyroidism?

just had 1 (13 yr old) cat diagnosed w/ it. considering going the pill route, twice a day

I think one of it's siblings had it before he passed. I think it's other remaining sibling has it so we'll take him in for an exam soon

PilotFishBob 

My eldest cat, female, has it. She also has hypertension and diabetes, a few issues. I give her a topical application of Methimazole in her ear twice daily to control the thyroid problem. I have to use caution because I have a mild case of hypothyroidism and have to take levothyroxin for that - can't let her stuff get on me, they supply finger cots for application.

rumrunn6

thank you, they offered that too. I'll check with Daughter & Wifey to see what they would like to participate in. I tend to be the "litter guy" but I think they can help with the treatment. they also offered a special diet w/ no cheating or treats. but that didn't sound appealing & we have 2 cats right now, so keeping the food options open would be easier for us

Marylander

We do the pill route with a cat who is hyperthyroid. She is a ravenous eater so we just stick it in her food (pill split in half, actually). It has been working great.

rumrunn6

thank you. that is encouraging

machinist42

This is Jack.

(His given name is John Darling, but he prefers his Pirate Name, "Red Handed Jack." We've known each other since he was half out of his mother, a stray named Crusher, who's no longer with us. His sister Gwendolyn's cancer became too severe and we ended her life last April. We miss her. She was almost 14. Jack will be 15 in May.)



Jack's on Meth. As it is prescribed for Humans, we get it at the local Pharmacy for $7 for thirty 5 mg pills. The Pharmacists enjoy announcing "Jack's Meth is ready for pickup." Methimazole dissolves readily and so at noon and midnight a quarter of a pill is dissolved in 3 tablespoons of tuna juice, which he eagerly laps up. (He's been hooked on tuna juice since he developed blockages in his urethra almost a decade ago, and tuna juice was a way to hyper-hydrate him and flush out occlusions. He hasn't had an episode since. The cheapest, most watery and foul tuna appeals the most.) Though I've no thyroid issues, I handle the small chunks of pill with hemostats, though tweezers or needle nose pliers work well too.

Jack's T4 level came back this morning, at 1.6, which is within normal parameters, so this unconventional delivery method works acceptably. I had no desire to force Jack to submit to "pilling" twice a day. He prompts me for his liquid treat. When he cleans his bowl, I refresh it immediately providing additional reward. (The pill could as easily be dissolved and administered with a non-needled syringe in the cheek of the Beast's mouth.)

Treatment with Radioactive Iodine is the "Gold Standard" approach, but stabilizing the Beast first with Meth is protocol and does not obviate eventual zapping of the growth on the thyroid gland. I suspected Jack had Kidney Issues before his diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism, but they were masked by the Hyperthyroidism, which is often the case. He does have CRF which is being addressed with Diet and medications. Dietary management of Hyperthyroidism is not yet supported by rigorous peer reviewed Science.

I am going to repeat the link I posted above. "Tanya's..." is a fine albeit lengthy survey of the scientific literature with links to the studies. It is worth study to know about your Beast and their condition, because knowing scheisse ist gut.

And, for the record, Jack's Vet visits so far have all been in a carrier strapped to the rear rack of a 1984 Trek 620. Soon it will be a slightly larger 1990 Schwinn Voyageur, and then the even taller and better fitting 1984 Lotus Odyssey with true 42-622 tires. He should appreciate the smoother ride?

Marylander

Hmm, now I'm wondering if I shouldn't be touching the split pills. I'm also hypothyroid...

machinist42

Most Hyperthyroid Humans handling Methimazole are also taking it, so there's a dearth of advice on pill handling for Humans.

However, this FDA Advisory does suggest you may want to exercise caution:

"Are there any warnings for people who handle Felimazole?

Wash your hands with soap and water after giving your cat Felimazole to avoid accidental exposure to the drug. Do not break or crush the tablets. Trace amounts of Felimazole can be found in a treated cat’s feces (stool) and bodily fluids, so wear gloves when you scoop your cat’s litter or if you have contact with your cat’s feces, urine, or vomit. Also wear gloves when you handle broken or moistened Felimazole tablets.

Methimazole, the active ingredient in Felimazole, can cause birth defects in people. The drug crosses the placenta and concentrates in the thyroid gland of the fetus. The drug is also found in breast milk. Pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, and nursing mothers should wear gloves when handling Felimazole tablets, cat litter, or the bodily fluids of treated cats.

In people, methimazole may cause vomiting, stomach distress, headache, fever, joint pain, itching, and low levels of red and white blood cells. If you accidentally ingest Felimazole, call your healthcare provider immediately and show the drug’s label to the provider."

(Edit: This is why I use hemostats. I'd use the Campagnolo tool, but they are so spendy.)

billnuke1 

We used to rescue older/old cats and seems to me that hyperthyroidism was a prevalent diagnosis…a lot of owner track stuff, too. Yup! Pills! Not too many choices back then…wrapped in baloney seems to ring a bell…wolf down the baloney and spit out the pill! That might’ve been the grand dogs…

scarlson 

+1 for radioactive meows! We were going to get it done before ours died of cancer. And yep, it was a renal cancer.

He was 17 so it was always a little iffy whether we'd get there. Our vet was going to set us up with RadioCat, but instead ended up doing palliative care. For a younger cat, though, possibly the best option.

RichSPK

For giving pills to cats, I've had good luck with Greenies-brand pill pockets, though it depends on the individual.

scarlson 

Ours really did not want to take pills, and had perfected the art of kicking a pill out of his mouth with his tongue. He hated all pill pockets - for a while, he would eat a pill if I stuck it in a piece of sausage, but he soon got wise to that trick and stopped eating all sausage!

I perfected the art of force-pilling with a minimum of force. I wrapped him in a blanket like a burrito, and used my Lincoln welding gloves so that he could not bite or scratch through them. He soon learned resistance was futile, and quit biting and scratching if he so much as saw or smelled the welding gloves. Then I used a "pill gun" (commonly used for dogs, also known as a pill pusher or pill popper or piller, depending on region) to eject the pill way down his esophagus. Fairly painless if I did it quick.



Antibiotics, if I ground them up and mixed them in with wet food, he could tell by smell alone and wouldn't touch the food. Thyroid pills (methimazole) don't seem to have as much of a smell. He'd reliably eat food mixed with a ground up meth.

rumrunn6

thank you our pet store has a cpl bags. we'll try them out!

rumrunn6

thank you! good to know. feeling optimistic!

jim dandy

^^^^^ … this!
Jd

scarlson 

One thing to note, however, is that the topical methimazole is much more expensive. I think that's because the patent rights haven't yet expired or something so it's name-brand-only and they have a monopoly. IIRC, it was about an order of magnitude cheaper (like $4 vs $40) to get the pills. For poor graduate students like us, it was a big deal. And like I said, they didn't seem to bother our super-taster cat when properly ground up using the backside of a spoon and well-mixed with wet food.

rumrunn6

getting the pills tonight but got the pill-pockets last night. tried 1 out with the cat. she liked it well enough & ate it right up but then was sticking her tongue out repeatedly like something was stuck to her tongue. over & over so I encouraged her to drink some water, which helped wash it away, or off her tongue. I don't know if we got a bad batch, or if the flavor has a sticky consistency, or what? any recollection of this? do any flavors work better, as-in go right down? I spent $30 on 2 bags, but I don't know if they will actually be used

rustystrings61 

Going through old photos I found some of the late Scheherazade, the Orange Empress (1985-1999) -

RichSPK

I don't remember my cats reacting like that, but they may have. I just remember that the pills went in and didn't come back out. I'm not sure Greenies even has different flavors for the pill pockets, but certainly try different flavors if you find them. I wonder if they go stale?

rumrunn6

OK thank you! we shall investigate further!

rumrunn6

that 1st one is down-right regal!