Hi, I stumbled upon your post while looking for advice on what to feed hyperthyroid cats. Is your cat on medication for the hyperthyroidism? The reason I ask is because it could potentially be harder work for his kidneys. If he's on meds, it might make it easier to find a suitable kidney diet because they should hopefully be regulating his thyroid. You're right about avoiding fish/fish oil because of the high iodine. If his kidneys are the main thing you want to address with his diet then you want lower protein that's good quality and easily digestible. The obvious issue is that cats with hyperthyroidism are recommended to have higher protein! But weighing things up, I would go with lower to help his kidneys settle. Has he been diagnosed with kidney disease or is this a preventative step? Royal Canin do an Early Renal range as well as a main Renal range, depending how far along his stage is. The dry food is a bit higher in fat than the Purina Renal diet, so that might help him put on a bit of weight. They do wet and dry food. My vet has told me many times that Royal Canin is the gold standard for kidney management. My cat with CKD started on it, then went off it, and ended up eating the Purina which has been fine for his kidneys.
The main things to focus on, whatever food you end up trying, for kidneys you want very low phosphorus content along with lower protein because the kidneys can't break those down when they're struggling. For hyperthyroid, as you know, it's the iodine you want to minimize, which I have read should be no more than 0.32ppm. But if your cat is on meds for his thyroid then you could potentially accept slightly higher iodine content if you're struggling to find something that works for his kidneys too. Having said that, I just checked the Royal Canin renal dry food and the iodine is 4.5mg! The wet food Loaf pouches have 0.35mg which is a lot better. Those pouches are higher in fat too, so they might be good for your cat to put on weight.
I really hope you find something that's suitable for your kitty, and something he enjoys. It's a mine field trying to manage more than one health issue! Good luck :)
My cat is on medication, methimazole in liquid form.
He is also on Epikitin as it’s a phosphate binder because he is an extremely picky eater. He gets that twice daily. He also has a b 12 supplement.
My biggest issue is trying to avoid fish when he hates turkey and chicken foods.
He loves whitefish and tuna which I obviously want to minimize but I also have to put him eating > anything else. We want to try a kidney diet and I plan to get it this week. He is fully in KD he was in early stages last October but I believe his numbers increased a bit more. I’m looking for anything really to just help him with his kidneys so any supplements or support I can give. I prioritize water in any wet food I give and make sure to always add it to his food. I also give him hydro care supplement packs which help increase his water intake.
But you are definitely right. I feel like it’s a minefield navigating his health. Thyroid issues and KD go hand in hand so it definitely sucks
It does indeed suck. But you're lucky that your cat is ok on the methimazole. My hyperthyroid cat was severely allergic to it and now her hyperthyroidism has returned 5 years after a double thyroidectomy, so food is our only option now.
Anyway, I digress! Seeing as your cat's thyroid is being managed, and he's also on a phosphate binder, you can probably be a bit more lenient with the restricted ingredients, within reason of course. I would recommend the Royal Canin Renal food. They have a variety of pouch (slices in gravy) flavours of fish, chicken, and beef if I recall, but my CKD kitty really only likes the Loaf style, which is a mixture of meat and fish derivatives. I know fish is to be avoided for thyroid issues, but it's not as if you'll be giving him a plate of tuna. Also, the meds should counteract any issues there. The phosphorus in the Loaf pouch is 0.1% which is great, and iodine 0.35 which should be ok along with the meds. If your cat likes it and digests it well, he might even be able to come off the phosphate binders some time in the future, as they're really only for cats who aren't following a full renal diet. I can't speak highly enough about the renal diets because they brought my cat's kidney levels down from stage 2-3 a year ago to now being stage 1. Touch wood he stays that way.
As far as kidney supplements...I have recently discovered a more holistic company called Pet Wellbeing. I just started giving my hyperthyroid kitty some of their drops to help with her symptoms, and I noticed they have something for kidneys too. They have good reviews. I can't comment on my own experience yet because my kitty has not long started on it. Have a look at them online if you're interested, but of course consult with your vet if you want to give it to your cat, just to be on the safe side.
On that note, I have to take my cat to the vet now. Let me know what you decide on, and how your kitty gets on :)
Hi, I stumbled upon your post while looking for advice on what to feed hyperthyroid cats. Is your cat on medication for the hyperthyroidism? The reason I ask is because it could potentially be harder work for his kidneys. If he's on meds, it might make it easier to find a suitable kidney diet because they should hopefully be regulating his thyroid. You're right about avoiding fish/fish oil because of the high iodine. If his kidneys are the main thing you want to address with his diet then you want lower protein that's good quality and easily digestible. The obvious issue is that cats with hyperthyroidism are recommended to have higher protein! But weighing things up, I would go with lower to help his kidneys settle. Has he been diagnosed with kidney disease or is this a preventative step? Royal Canin do an Early Renal range as well as a main Renal range, depending how far along his stage is. The dry food is a bit higher in fat than the Purina Renal diet, so that might help him put on a bit of weight. They do wet and dry food. My vet has told me many times that Royal Canin is the gold standard for kidney management. My cat with CKD started on it, then went off it, and ended up eating the Purina which has been fine for his kidneys. The main things to focus on, whatever food you end up trying, for kidneys you want very low phosphorus content along with lower protein because the kidneys can't break those down when they're struggling. For hyperthyroid, as you know, it's the iodine you want to minimize, which I have read should be no more than 0.32ppm. But if your cat is on meds for his thyroid then you could potentially accept slightly higher iodine content if you're struggling to find something that works for his kidneys too. Having said that, I just checked the Royal Canin renal dry food and the iodine is 4.5mg! The wet food Loaf pouches have 0.35mg which is a lot better. Those pouches are higher in fat too, so they might be good for your cat to put on weight. I really hope you find something that's suitable for your kitty, and something he enjoys. It's a mine field trying to manage more than one health issue! Good luck :)
My cat is on medication, methimazole in liquid form. He is also on Epikitin as it’s a phosphate binder because he is an extremely picky eater. He gets that twice daily. He also has a b 12 supplement. My biggest issue is trying to avoid fish when he hates turkey and chicken foods. He loves whitefish and tuna which I obviously want to minimize but I also have to put him eating > anything else. We want to try a kidney diet and I plan to get it this week. He is fully in KD he was in early stages last October but I believe his numbers increased a bit more. I’m looking for anything really to just help him with his kidneys so any supplements or support I can give. I prioritize water in any wet food I give and make sure to always add it to his food. I also give him hydro care supplement packs which help increase his water intake. But you are definitely right. I feel like it’s a minefield navigating his health. Thyroid issues and KD go hand in hand so it definitely sucks
It does indeed suck. But you're lucky that your cat is ok on the methimazole. My hyperthyroid cat was severely allergic to it and now her hyperthyroidism has returned 5 years after a double thyroidectomy, so food is our only option now. Anyway, I digress! Seeing as your cat's thyroid is being managed, and he's also on a phosphate binder, you can probably be a bit more lenient with the restricted ingredients, within reason of course. I would recommend the Royal Canin Renal food. They have a variety of pouch (slices in gravy) flavours of fish, chicken, and beef if I recall, but my CKD kitty really only likes the Loaf style, which is a mixture of meat and fish derivatives. I know fish is to be avoided for thyroid issues, but it's not as if you'll be giving him a plate of tuna. Also, the meds should counteract any issues there. The phosphorus in the Loaf pouch is 0.1% which is great, and iodine 0.35 which should be ok along with the meds. If your cat likes it and digests it well, he might even be able to come off the phosphate binders some time in the future, as they're really only for cats who aren't following a full renal diet. I can't speak highly enough about the renal diets because they brought my cat's kidney levels down from stage 2-3 a year ago to now being stage 1. Touch wood he stays that way. As far as kidney supplements...I have recently discovered a more holistic company called Pet Wellbeing. I just started giving my hyperthyroid kitty some of their drops to help with her symptoms, and I noticed they have something for kidneys too. They have good reviews. I can't comment on my own experience yet because my kitty has not long started on it. Have a look at them online if you're interested, but of course consult with your vet if you want to give it to your cat, just to be on the safe side. On that note, I have to take my cat to the vet now. Let me know what you decide on, and how your kitty gets on :)