Feline hyperthyroidism is a condition whereby the thyroid produces too much of the thyroid hormones. In turn, this affects particularly the gastrointestinal tract and the heart, although all systems can be affected. It is possible to both cure and prevent this problem if you adopt a natural cat health care protocol.
Feline hyperthyroidism normally occurs in older cats, rather than the younger ones. Typical signs include:
- an increased appetite
- weight loss
- increased thirst and urination
- an increase in activity and metabolic rate
- may be more vocal
- tends to be hot, always seeking cool places
- diarrhoea and vomiting are not uncommon
- increased heart rate, arrhythmia or even heart failure in severely affected cats
The diagnosis of feline hyperthyoidism is not easy as many other conditions can exhibit some of the symptoms. But generally it comes from palpation and a blood test. The blood T4 cells will be elevated if your cat has this condition. There are also nuclear medicine thyroid scans available to diagnose this condition.
There are three veterinary treatments available.
- The common medication is methimazole.
- Surgery can be used to remove the thyroid gland.
- Radiation iodine therapy destroys the tissue.
All three treatments are not without significant risks to your cat’s life and life expectancy. All are liver toxic and suppress the immune system. And none actually deal with the cause of the problem, only the effect.
Commercial cat food is one of the common causes of every feline diseases. Cats are very sensitive to both poor quality food (as is everyone) and chemicals. Poor quality food is cheap to produce and mostly contains the rejects from the more lucrative human market. But cats need quality food to flourish just as we do. By denying them this, you are creating problems in the future – expensive health problems.
The chemicals found in commercial cat food varies from the synthetic nutrients that are added in an effort to make them more nutritious (but are poorly digested), colouring, flavouring, those that modify the texture and those that allow the food to be kept indefinitely. An indefinite shelf live is good news for the manufacturer and retailer, but bad news for your cat.
You can both cure and prevent feline hyperthyroidiam with a natural cat health care system that involves two important steps. First the food is a quality, natural diet. Secondly, the treatment is safe, without side effects, stimulates rather than suppresses the immune system and deals with the cat’s unique expression of the disease. Perhaps the only treatment that answers all those criteria is homeopathy.
