Radioactive Kitty

Just like his brother before him, Rascal turns out to suffer from hyperthyroidism. He's always been a somewhat manic cat but our first real indication came when he lost his appetite and began throwing up all over the place. Luckily, after a quick visit to our vet, Dr. Bill Ignacio, we managed to bring his thyroid levels back to normal through twice-daily applications of methimazole.


Methimazole treats the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but not the cause: it's a lifelong prescription. After much consideration, Kyenta and I decided to give Rascal the radioactive iodine treatment option, which targets the thyroid tumour itself. Rascal had to get some bloodwork done. All was normal except for the initial indicators of kidney disease -- sigh. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Because the treatment involves honest-to-goodness radioactive iodine, Rascal has to follow some pretty strict procedures. He gets his treatment on Wednesday and has to remain at the clinic for 10 days of observation and isolation. After that, he can come home but we have to avoid holding him for extended periods or allowing him to sit on our laps.

That last caveat made me think of a really cut-rate way to perform sterilization. Instead of going in for a vasectomy or a tubal ligation, you just have to cuddle a radioactive kitty for thirty minutes.

I wonder what superpowers Rascal will manifest when he's back from the vet? The ability to miaow constantly for hours at a time? Super-hearing that detects a can opening anywhere in the house? The powers of incredibly prolonged stasis in the presence of strong sunlight? The mind boggles....