hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is something that is common in humans but can also affect animals as well, including your pet cat. This condition is where an excessive amount of thyroid hormone is produced by the thyroid gland. If a cat gets this condition its metabolism can be profoundly affected as can some of its other bodily functions.

Cats who contract this condition may suffer from swelling in one or both of the lobes of the thyroid gland. This can result in too much of the thyroid hormone being produced, and eventually can lead to your cat losing a lot of weight. The thyroid is responsible for a number of things, such as:

Symptoms

You should make sure that you are familiar with the symptoms of this disease so that you can get your cat checked and arrange treatment if you suspect that it may have feline hyperthyroidism. You may find that your cat starts to eat a lot more food but does not put weight on. This is because the cat’s metabolic rate can shoot up with this condition. In order to keep its energy up the cat will need to eat far more.

However, your cat will eventually start to lose weight. This is because although it may be eating a lot more to keep its energy levels up it will get to a point where it can no longer physically eat as much as it needs to in order to get its energy up, and the result of this will be loss of weight.

Get your cat checked

If you suspect that your cat may have an overactive thyroid you should get him or her checked by the vet. Your vet will be able to give the cat a thorough check up and carry out any necessary tests such as blood tests to check and see whether there is a thyroid problem. If there is, a course of treatment can be decided upon to try and bring thyroid levels back to a normal.…