What kind of natural remidies can I use for hyperthyroidism?

When is it time to euthanize a sick cat?

• My cat Boots is a fixed, 15 year old female kitty, who started coming down ill a couple months ago. After 4 vet visits, we know she has hyperthyroidism and is being successfully medicated for it, but she still has horrid diarrhea, is lethargic and won't play, has almost no appetite and barely drinks water. She has lost so much weight she is bone skinny; it breaks my heart to see her like this. Plus, she will not use any of the 5 pans of litter I've set out; she does her business all over the place instead. As of three days ago, she has stopped grooming herself, and this has always been a very meticulously clean kitty. I've spoken to the vet about all of this; we did x rays and he says he can't see any tumors, but he says it's clear that there is some other digestive system disorder, either disease or cancer, but with all the tests he wants to run, it'll be over a $1000 just to diagnose the problem, to say nothiing of treating the problem, whatever it might turn out to be. I simply don't have that kind of money and don't have anyone to borrow it from. I'd be willing to break it into payments--but no vets around here will accept payments--and I'm willing to save up, but that could be months and in the meantime, my cat is suffering and I just can't stand seeing her like this. She's had this diarrhea for over a month now and the vet hasn't been able to give her any relief. And with her not using the litter box--well, Boots has refused to use the litter box in the past just to let me know that she's upset. I don't know that she's doing it now to give me the same message. I need opinions, thoughts, suggestions. I'm at the point where I think I want to ask to have her put to sleep; Bootsie is my furry soul mate and my heart is breaking to pieces seeing her like this because I can't make her better and I know she is unhappy and miserable. Am I off base thinking of having her put down? How do I tell the vet this is what I want to do?

• Answer:

  Some cats are extremely sensitive to methimazole, and at the 'proper' dose it can cause them to have diarrhea. Discuss backing off the dose with your vet and see if that doesn't help. Won't cost you a thing. And then start looking into Care Credit - it's a credit card for health expenses, and is interest free for a while. Most vets take it, and that is a way of funding care that you otherwise cannot. It only takes a few hours to apply and get approved - they have a web site that you can apply online. Another option is to have her bloodwork sent to another vet (an internal medicine specialist) for a review and a consultation. That usually costs between $125-200, which of course is more affordable than $1000. The second pair of eyes can often see what the first does not.