Cat Hyperthyroidism Diet

Hello,


My 14 year old, female, domestic short hair/mixed breed cat has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and hyperthryoidism. We discovered the latter via a blood test and, after treatment for the hyperthyroidism, my cat's renal disease showed up.

We are treating the hyperthyroidism with generic tapazole. She is maintaining her weight well and her behavior has not noticeably changed since these diagnoses.

I try to feed her renal prescription foods but I have to mix other foods with them because she won't eat them by themselves. She loves raw food and I have found raw frozen cat foods that are both low in phosphorus and sodium and that contain moderate protein and fat content.

Are there limits to how much iodine my cat should eat?

Are there any particular nutrients my cat should consume or avoid?

Thank you!



Veterinarian Suggestion Cat Hyperthyroidism Diet


Hello,

Managing concurrent hyperthyroidism and renal disease is a difficult balancing act. Your cat is lucky to have such a dedicated owner in her corner! I would not worry too much about dietary iodine so long as your cat is tolerating the tapazole well. If you’re feeding a home-prepared diet, it makes sense to avoid ingredients that are extremely high in iodine (e.g., iodized salt), but other than that I’d focus on ensuring her diet is appropriate for renal disease.

Current thinking concerning protein and renal disease is that a cat’s diet should not be excessive in protein but not too restricted either (there’s no getting around the fact that cats need a lot of protein). What matters most is protein quality. Poor quality protein stresses the kidneys while conferring little nutritional value.

Since you are willing to consider a home-prepared diet, I want to recommend two websites. BalanceIt.com and Petdiets.com are both run by veterinary nutritionists who will design recipes specifically for a cat’s individual situation. The combination of kidney disease and hyperthyroidism makesthe involvement of a veterinary nutritionist essential if you want to prepare food for your cat at home.


Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM

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