Cat Thyroid

Cats are wonderful as pets and dear to every pet owner but you need to ensure that your cat is in the best of health as there are a number of illnesses and diseases that a cat can get and cat thyroid is one of them.



Thyroid in cats is one such disease that not many pet owners are aware about as it is believed to be more common in human beings. Thyroid is a gland that is situated underneath the neck and plays the primary responsibility of regulating metabolism of the body.



There are two major types of thyroids that are common in cats as well as human beings and they are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism wherein the former occurs when the functioning of the thyroid gland is way below normal due to which the rate of metabolism of the body slows down and the latter is the result of an overactive thyroid gland which causes the metabolism of the body to accelerate that in turn leads to other conditions. Cat thyroid symptoms include weight gain despite eating very little food in hypothyroidism and tremendous amount of weight loss even though there has been an increase in appetite incase of hyperthyroidism.



Vomiting and diarrhea are more common in cats that are suffering from hypothyroidism and may or may not be seen in cats that have hyperthyroidism. Cats thyroid cause their fur to look very dull in appearance, have flakes on the skin and even makes them lose a lot of hair.

Thyroid disease in cats causes them to behave in a very aggressive manner and if your cat is suffering from hypothyroidism, you will see a slow down in their activities where they would want to sleep most of the times and have become very lazy and lethargic. On the other hand, cats that have hyperthyroidism seem very anxious and restless at all times and running around doing things. Moreover, they drink a lot of water and urinate frequently. Cats with hyperthyroidism also have faster heartbeats and may even experience a lot of weakness along with tremors and heavy breathing. Cat thyroid problems can be treated through medication or sometimes by undergoing a minor operation and most of the cases have proved successful where the cat has recovered completely. Diet plays a crucial role in recovery and thus, you need to speak to a veterinarian about feeding your cat the right food.