My cat Bo had radioiodine done at 14 years of age in August of 2004. We tried the pills (tapezole) first, but he started losing fur on his face, and developed large pimples on his nose. Both of these happened after starting tapezole and stopped after I took him off tapezole, so they were related. Surgery was out for us after considering Bo's age and the fact that it could come back on the other side. So we decided to do radioiodine.

It is expensive, but figuring on $30 a month for tapezole over the life of the cat, the cost was justified. The vet who did Bo's procedure did an oral capsule instead of an injection. He required a quarantine for 12 days and that was by far the hardest part. This vet likes to release the cats without the handling and litter restrictions that a shorter stay would require, so that is why it was so long. Other places might have a shorter time they keep your cat, but I have heard when they come home you can only handle them 10 minutes out of every hour, keep children/pregnant women away form them, and take precautions with their (radioactive) litter. It was very hard on me; I missed Bo terribly. But after 12 days, I could snuggle with him, handle him all I wanted, and I only had to store his litter 3 weeks before I could dispose of it - not hard at all.

So now, nearly 2 years after, Bo is doing great! He went in with a slight heart murmur, but was given an echocardiogram first and it was determined to be OK for radioiodine. This vet had treated cats that were 20 years old, and since it is a non-surgical, non-invasive procedure (just boring for the cat), I felt it was the best choice.

I would not hesitate to have it done again if I had another hyperthyroid cat.