Hi Shawnee
I’ve had two cats that have had I131 and they both did great. Are they doing a scan beforehand to determine what dose of milliCuries he will get? That’s the best way to ensure he does not become hypothyroid. The clinic we went to allowed us to bring beds from home and then they kept them for cats who came in with no beds. It’s too bad where you are going won’t do the same. I’m sure our clinic probably got too many but they had no problem keeping and destroying them.
My first cat went in on Monday and came home Thursday and the most recent one, Tobey, who had I131 in 2023, got a very low dose. He went in Monday afternoon and came home on Wednesday afternoon. Both cats received loving care and the clinic had large enclosures and windows looking out at trees with birds. Tobey wouldn’t come out of his cube but the top lifted off so they could syringe feed him as he didn’t want to eat. I knew he’d want to be syringe fed because he gets fed a balanced raw diet and they didn’t allow raw so I had to cook it, which he didn’t like. But they were wonderful with him. He did become hypothyroid and he now takes levothyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3) at low doses and is doing great.
I strongly urge you to join the groups.io Feline Thyroid Management Group. They are fantastic and really know their stuff especially the administrator, Ro. They are responsible for Tobey doing so well. the I131 vet checked him post procedure and he was really HypoT, so she put him on T4 and a month later his tT4 was in the normal range so she proclaimed him euthyroid. However, clinically, he was still very hypoT. I joined the FTMG and they had me get a full thyroid panel from Hemopet and his tT3 was almost nonexistent so he was not converting T4 to T3 and T3 runs the body. It took some time to get his liothyronine dose right but they advised me along the way and our regular vet was on board even though most vets, including her, don’t check T3. She was willing to learn and prescribe it.
Oh…and btw, the kitty has to be at a safe level of radiation to leave the hospital. I did not have to do anything special with his litter and I think your clinic is being a little ridiculous. My Tobey is a mama’s baby and my vet said he could still sleep with me once he came home. Clinics are different and if Oreo gets a large dose, perhaps it’s better to not have him sleep with you but you can ask the FTMG.
Good luck and try not to worry!