Not hospice

This is an update for Hospice, a post from July.

After living with him for a couple weeks and seeing his high quality of life, we decided to look into treatment. Radioactive Iodine injection is really the only viable treatment, and it is a cure. The Iodine attacks any abnormal thyroid tissue but leaves everything else alone, so it's a relatively low-risk treatment. Depending on his other medical issues and the cost, we were pretty optimistic.

After calling the two clinics in the area, treatment was estimated to be $1200. Assuming there were no other issues, treatment could optimistically give him another 3 years or so. At this point, he was running around like crazy, constantly demanding play and food, though not necessarily in that order. I could just see his thyroid burning him up. A 15 year old cat is just not supposed to act like that.

When I requested lab work for treatment, I was told by the shelter vet that I would need to get any needed lab work on my own, at my own vet. They were unwilling to help, presumably because he had originally been deemed hospice (though he was officially changed to seeking rescue) and they were too busy to worry about his treatment. I could consult them later in the month when things slowed down.

I was already prepared to pay out-of-pocket for treatment, so getting the lab work wasn't a huge blow. I did request the aid of a volunteer non-profit to help fund-raise and then hopefully help find a rescue or permanent home.

He went to a local vet that is one of few in this area that do not declaw, which is amazing in itself, but she also does a lot of work with shelter pets. She was skeptical of the diagnosis, given his significant weight gain (6 to 10 lbs in less than one month). She also believed him to be about half the age estimated by the shelter.

When the lab work came in, the news was better than we could imagine. Not only did he have no evidence of hyperthyroid, but all signs pointed to him being perfectly healthy! In the meantime, the group raised $400 for him, so they can use that money for the next needy cat.

He's now adoptable and still in foster care. He loves playing with our 9 week old foster kittens. If interested in adopting, please comment.