I'm lonely. My kitty is at RadioCat for hyperthyroid treatment.

[Curmudgeoness]

I took him in today, and already I miss him. And I am worried about him, although they called to tell me he was doing fine after the injection on radioactive iodine. I can't get him back until Thursday. It will be a long long week here.

[murielm99]

1. I guess they don't want him to come home until he is

a little less radioactive?

I had that treatment myself, for hyperthyroidism. I had to take some precautions about being around my family and my pets for a week.

I hope your kitty comes back in a much healthier condition. Give him some extra hugs!

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Oh, he will definitely get extra hugs, even if I am not supposed to

do that for a couple of weeks. It is interesting that there are more restrictions on this treatment in animals than in people.

Yes, they keep him until a lot of the radioactivity is out of them (three days minimum). Then you have to be careful with waste and contact for two weeks when they come home. I will have to weigh the urge to love him to death with the danger to myself.

I hope that the treatment you had worked well. They say that this treatment works with much better on cats than humans, and they don't know why. 98% cure with cats.

[liberalla]

2. Can you visit him?

Does he have something familiar in his cage? I usually leave something that smells like me for them to use in the cage. I have an old bathrobe that my cat loves to knead on and drool. Just something familiar and comforting...

Less that three days now before you get to bring him home.
Hang in there! :hug:

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I am not allowed to visit, although it is a 75 mile trip to get there,

so I would not be there even if I could. They did suggest that I get a blanket or towel that could be thrown away and sleep with it so that it has my scent on it. So he has a beach towel for his bedding that I did sleep with. You would not want to bring something that the cat loves too much, since they will not return it. They also suggested I could bring one of "his favorite toys" for him to play with, but that would also have to be thrown out and could not be returned---and I thought "why would I give up his favorites?" So I blew that suggestion off. They say the cats sleep a lot anyways.

[hamsterjill]

3. Aw, I'm sorry. But that treatment is supposed to be very effective, right?

He'll come back soon - much better, and then hopefully you and he will have many, many wonderful years together!

Thanks for caring about him and getting him the medical care that he needs!

[Curmudgeoness]

6. This treatment is supposed to be 98% cure. That works for me.

He is only about 8 years old (I think), so this was a no-brainer as to what had to be done. You have two choices---meds for life or this treatment, and the pills are $1 each. With 2 pills a day, you have that expense for the rest of his life, plus every 3-6 months you have to have blood tests to monitor T-4 levels. And those tests are not cheap. Add to that the problems we have at the vet, where they have to sedate him just to do an exam, and we are talking about more expense and lots of stress for the cat. I also read that the meds can cause kidney and liver damage over the long term, and I figure on the long term.

So this was best for him, best for me, and cheapest (even though it doesn't feel that way right now). But then again, I was talking to a vet who had two of his personal cats there for treatment, and he told me he has a kitty patient that just had a kidney transplant at $19,000. Now THAT is out of my realm of possibility. I am so grateful that I have the credit cards to afford this.

[Kookaburra]

10. I'm glad your baby is going to be okay!!!

Do you mind if I ask how much this treatment costs? My vet has been watching my 11 year old cat's thyroid closely -- he's borderline, and the thought of having to shove medicine down his throat everyday makes me cringe. This could be an option. At least I hope so.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. I agree wholeheartedly that pilling the cat twice a day, every day,

for the rest of his life was a daunting prospect. And the cost of the pills and vet were just as bad. I was paying $1 a pill, so that was $2 a day. Add blood test every three months to monitor the thyroid and how well the pills were working, and the cost of not having this treatment would add up fast to a healthy younger kitty (mine is only 8 and has no other problems). The cost of RadioCat in Pittsburgh was $1250, but I understand that different areas of the country have a little more or less cost. I did the calculations, and determined that I would spend this much with the pills in about 1-1/2 years. There are other charges that you will have at your vet before and after the treatment. You have to have unmedicated blood tests and x-rays done within 30 days of the treatment, then you need blood tests one month and three months after the treatment. And....that should be it unless you are one of those 2% that this doesn't work for.

Your kitty is not all that old from what I saw at the RadioCat clinic. Everyone I talked to had much older cats, from 14 to 19 years old. Don't know that I personally would have done this for a 19 year old cat, but that is just me. I hope that you don't have to make this decision for your cat. That amount of money kicks you in the butt.

There is also a med that can be given externally on the skin behind the ear, from what I am told, which would be easier to administer then the pills. (Oh god, pills!) I did not use this so can't tell what the cost for it is, but from what I read, it is harder to regulate.

I also read that the meds can, over time, damage the kidney and/or liver, which is not a good prospect. I just hope this works. I have a very happy kitty laying beside me right now, and I expect to have him here a long time! Boy, I missed him!

[Lisa0825]

7. ((((((HUGS))))))))

I am sure he is being well cared for. I read all about Radiocat when another DUer had a cat going there. It sounds like they really go the extra mile to make sure all kitties are loved while they are there. The treatment has a very high success rate, so I am sure you did the right thing, and you'll have many more happy years together.

:pals:

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Thanks. So far, they have been exceptional.

They call daily to report on how things are going, and my kitty is doing great. He is eating well, using the litter box, drinking lots of water. All important things to help clear the iodine from his system so he will not be radioactive anymore. Gads. They have a two story cage and they have videos for kitties on a TV all the time. Hmmm, I could use a vacation too!

He comes home tomorrow and I can't wait. We get really attached to these furry people!

[liberalla]

9. Today's the big day - you get to bring him home

I'm happy to read he's doing so well.
Have a great evening reuniting!
Woohoo! :woohoo:

[Curmudgeoness]

12. HE'S HOME!!! He is laying with me right now.

I can't believe how much we enjoy having these fur babies with us! I am not to snuggle with him much yet, for a couple of weeks, since he is still radioactive---or so they tell me. Snuggle and pet, go wash your hands. No kisses for now. But he loves to curl up beside me and I love having him there, and that is just where he is!

He seems to be fine.

:bounce:

[Lisa0825]

13. YAY!!! That is the best news I have had all day!!!!

:woohoo:

[liberalla]

14. Pure contentment!

I'm very happy for you two. :pals:

Hopefully the weeks will pass quickly and there'll be
hugging and snuggling galore. :loveya:

[Warpy]

15. Kitty just needs to be isolated for a few days while he's "hot."

He's really not going to notice any difference and it's not painful, at all. It's a gradual process that will allow his heart rate and temperature to fall and get him gaining a little of the weight he lost.

You'll get him back after he pees out most of the radioactive stuff. Chances are he's dealing with boredom in the cat way, by sleeping constantly.

[david13]

16. One cat? You only have one cat? There is your problem right there.

You need a back up cat, for occasions just such as this.
And also so that when you go out, they have a companion.
Mine don't like each other. Well, one doesn't like the other, but the other would like to have a good relationship with the older one.
But at least if I am gone, they know they have some companionship there.
dc

[Curmudgeoness]

17. Yeah, only one cat right now.

I just lost his mother in December, and noticed he was not eating within a few weeks of that. I thought that is was loneliness, but decided to take him to the vet to make sure that this was not health-related first. So the whole saga started. I did look to adopt another cat, thinking it might help him to have another cat in the house again, but that did not look like it was going to work out, at least not at this time. And between the $$$ spent on this bundle of joy and the stress I feel over it all, waiting is a good idea.

So, it just isn't always that easy. On the bright side, Ashes is doing great. He is eating well, he is playful for an older cat, and he is just as loving as always. It will be next month before I know if this treatment worked, but I feel good about the results to date.

[ceile]

18. Well, here's to hoping he's well!

:toast: :hug: