Thanks for the sympathy ladies. Before my current gig I worked as a nurse in a Critical Care Unit, so always had a personal mission to minimize any suffering I could. We can make those choices for our pets, and I would have done so willingly, but am grateful that I didn't need to. Maybe it was a heart attack, I am choosing to think it was fast and pain free. But the suddenness is a bit unsettling because I find myself replaying the last few days to see if there is something that I missed. But I am giving my other pets extra pets....and treats which probably isn't so good for them. Unfortunately all of my pets are getting up there is age so I think that this may be something I face again sooner rather than later. So nice about your vet, funny I have found many vets to be more empathetic then the doctors that I come in contact with. Hope everybody is doing well.

Billy and Tommy both showed signs of digestive upset pretty much as soon as they started taking methimazole. In Billy's case, his CRF was already causing inappetance, so the only indication that methimazole might be exacerbating the stomach upset was increased lip licking on his part. That's why I switched him to carbimazole, which is supposed to cause less digestive upset than methimazole. I figured there was no value in making him feel even oogier with methimazole. Tommy, too, showed signs of nausea right after starting methimazole, so I switched her to carbimazole after just a few doses of methimazole. In both cases, I took the "start low and go slow" approach to dosing to avoid potential kidney crashes and hypoT. They started on a very low dose of the drug and retested in 3 weeks. Med was adjusted slightly if indicated by bloodwork with another retest in 3 more weeks. And so it went with a small med adjustment followed by a retest in 3 weeks until each cat safely achieved euthyroid. Now that both cats are euthyroid, I will be retesting Tommy every 6 mos unless her behavior suggests the need earlier. Billy will be retested more often because of his other medical issues. Gibby, how long after starting methimazole did you have Boris retested? If you haven't had him retested yet, you should do so right away. Make sure that the retest does/did include a check of his kidney values, since uncontrolled hyperT can mask renal failure. You need to know what, if any, impact the methimazole has had on his T4 and on his kidney values in order to find the best med dose for him. I assume that your vet explained the long-term risks of methimazole. It is a very strong drug that has the potential to do significant damage over time. For this reason, I-131 is a safer treatment option for cats with healthy kidneys. Besides which, methimazole just manages the symptoms. It does not cure the disease. I-131 is a CURE in more than 99% of cats who undergo the treatment. Laurie

My vet told me that hyperthyroidism can mask kidney disease. The increased blood flow when thyroid levels are high helps the kidneys. When levels come down with medication the kidney disease shows more. Loss of appetite is also a side effect of methimazole. My 21-year-old has days where he won't eat anything but Fancy Feast. In addition to the methimazole, I'm giving him Thyroid Support Gold and Kidney Support Gold from Pet Wellbeing. Both with vet approval and he is doing pretty well given his age. It took a few month to get things on even keel.

Leave your older cat be. She will adjust to the new addition in her own time. I am assuming that you have the new cat cordoned off with its own litter and food? Good idea to do so until everyone is at peace with one another. It also gives your other cat a chance to sniff at the gate of the room where the new cat is being kept. Or, if you shut a door to the room, put up a baby gate when you can be around to supervise what's going on. If you haven't kept them separated, your cat may be angry if the new cat is using its box and food. How long have you had the new cat? We had the same situation this summer and it was horrible for 1-2 weeks. After that period of time all was good. My cat would not even let us touch him while he was adjusting to the new addition. I just left him alone until he came to me, which he eventually did. If your cat welcomes your attention, then give it, but if it doesn't don't be concerned. The existing cat has her nose out of joint and will get over it in her own time. Don't reinforce her behavior by extra attention since she may think you are rewarding her for acting out regarding the addition. Have patience and keep your sense of humor. I am always optimistic. Cats seem to work things out - may take a little while. Keep posting on the cats' progress.