Recently here at Wrexham Adoption Centre we have had quite a few cats who are suffering with a condition known as Hyperthyroidism. These cats require extra care, time and medical attention to get them fit for rehoming. Two of the cats we currently have in our care with this condition are Veronica and Bimani…

Veronica is a 13 year old female, who came into us because she was urinating around the house. The previous owner noted she was thin, so this information along with her age pointed us in the direction of testing her thyroid levels. Veronica has been stabilised on tablets and is awaiting her bilateral thyroidectomy operation this month. Veronica is a very sweet little lady who likes affection.

Bimani is between 8-10 years old, who came in as a straying underweight female but we soon discovered was in fact a male!  Bimani not only had the symptoms of being a hyperthyroid cat, but he also has the added extra of having concentrated urine, meaning he is on specialist urinary food as well as the hyperthyroid care. Bimani
has gotten better at taking his medication and his operation is booked in for this week! Then we can move onto the next stage of his journey. Bimani is now often found chilling in his bed but as soon as he sees you, he makes every effort to greet you and see what you have for him!

When a cat is admitted into our care, they always get seen by a vet as soon as possible. During this examination coupled with any background information on the cat helps us decided what, if any, diagnostics a cat requires. With Hyperthyroid cats there are a few 'typical' symptoms that present themselves: 

• Weight loss
• Increased appetite
• Increased drinking and urinating
• Increased activity level- frantic/rushing around
  
• Increased vocalisation
• Presence of a goitre (a swelling in the neck)

All of the cats we are currently treating for hyperthyroidism had some or all of the above symptoms. 

When we suspect a cat to have the condition of hyperthyroidism, we take a blood sample and test a hormone known as T4, if the T4 is above the normal range this is classed as a hyperthyroid cat. At this point we start to stabilise the cat using a tablet medication, which is time sensitive and must be given orally to the cat twice a day by the trained staff on site. Three weeks after starting the medication the cat has another blood test and if the result is within the normal range and classed as stable they are booked in for an operation to remove the thyroid glands (known as a bilateral thyroidectomy). Post operation
the cats' blood is tested again 2 weeks later to see if the T4 has remained in the normal range. If the T4 is in normal range and everything else is clinically fine with the cat, then they get signed off as ready for adoption by our vet. 

So, as you can see it is a lot of work for the staff and the vets to look after a hyperthyroid cat, going through a journey with them until we get the cat to the end goal; a cat placed in its happy and forever home. Naturally because these cats need to be in our care for longer than the average cat we rehome, especially if it takes a couple of courses of medication to stabilise the cat, we do form an extra close bond and really get to know the cat personally. It is always very rewarding when the cat gets rehomed, even emotional on the day the cat leaves our care.

It costs hundreds of pounds for each thyroidectomy operation and additional costs for the time, care and medication to stabilise them means we are asking for help to cover the costs of Veronica and Bimani’s care and other cats like them. If we are fortunate enough to raise more funds than required, the money will be used to help other cats in our care.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity. Our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs. Cats Protection has simple and clear objectives to help cats:
Homing - Finding good homes for cats in need
Neutering - Supporting and encouraging the neutering of cats
Information - Improving people’s understanding of cats and their care

Achieving this vision is only made possible due to kind cat lovers who support our work. Visit www.cats.org.uk for more information.