Radioiodine therapy - your experiences

[kb2yjx]

That is true what the poster said about the isolation. Our Boo, after 5 days at "Radio Cat," was able to mingle with the rest of the cats. HOwever, the only thing we had to do was use the "S'Wheat" litter, it is prefered because it can go down the toilet, but was not liked by several of the other cats! All items that you send in with the cat, are not returned because of the radioactivity. You can send in special treats. I sent in chunky peanut butter and butter for Boo just in case she did not eat her regular food(I, too, worried about her being isolated, but the staff was great with her and played with her and cuddled her alot). And no, I do not remember Boo glowing in the dark(hee-hee!!). GOOD LUCK!!

[Lizzie]

I knew someone had mentioned using SWheatScoop litter after radioiodine treatment for their cat. However, when I mentioned using it to the clinic, they said I shouldn't since it doesn't clump properly. What litters do clump firmly and are flushable? Surely the heavy clumpers are clay-based and I don't want to try flushing that stuff.

If the treated cat is allowed to mix with the other cats, doesn't this go against the minimal close contact for two weeks rule? Also, that would mean all the litter from all the cats would have to be treated as radioactive. Doesn't that mean I would have to scoop all the litterboxes, seal it all up in a plastic bag and take it outside twice a day? I can't imagine flushing even that much SWheatScoop, let alone a clay clumping litter.

[Catsnclay]

I just looked up what hyperthyrodism is, because I wasn't really sure what it was, I was surprised because our Fluffy (age 16-ish) has almost all the symptoms! We just thought he was getting demanding and vocal in his old age, so I'm glad I read this thread. I am now going to make an appointment for Fluffy, and cross my fingers.

Here is the site that I went to, BTW this is a very good site to look up medical information for both cats & dogs:

http://www.vetinfo.com/cencyclopedia/cehyperthy.html

[boscibo]

I knew someone had mentioned using SWheatScoop litter after radioiodine treatment for their cat. However, when I mentioned using it to the clinic, they said I shouldn't since it doesn't clump properly. What litters do clump firmly and are flushable? Surely the heavy clumpers are clay-based and I don't want to try flushing that stuff.

If the treated cat is allowed to mix with the other cats, doesn't this go against the minimal close contact for two weeks rule? Also, that would mean all the litter from all the cats would have to be treated as radioactive. Doesn't that mean I would have to scoop all the litterboxes, seal it all up in a plastic bag and take it outside twice a day? I can't imagine flushing even that much SWheatScoop, let alone a clay clumping litter.

I was told not to scoop/flush at all. That was bad (the scooping part, at least) apparently. I used plastic litterbox liners and filled my litter boxes with a minimum of litter (just enough for the cats to cover) and threw them away every 2 days. What I did was take the whole thing of litter, liner and all, and placed them in the empty cartons (the plastic bins) the litter comes in, then duct taped those up and stuck them in my garage for the three weeks for storage. After three weeks it was OK for me to dispose of them with the normal trash. This was waht I was instructed to do with the litter - and yes, I handled all three of my cats' litter this way. No way am I flushing any sort of litter down my toilet - we have a temperamental enough plumbing system without cat litter going down it!

Since Bo was quarantined 12 days there wasn't an issue with my other cats getting close to him. So there are some advantages to the longer quarantine. My vet was great and called me every night with a Bo update. Some places have webcam remotes so you can see your kitty while he/she's quarantined!