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Is an iodine-free diet safe for my elderly cat with hyperthyroidism?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 12 years and 9 months old | 15 lbs

My elderly cat, I'm almost sure has hyperthyroidism. She was just on the cusp with her bloodwork. But she meets the other symptoms. Excessive hunger and thirst. She's began biting me when her bowl is empty. Hyperexcitablity at night... so my question is, would it be safe and productive to begin feeding her a iodine free diet? My vet said to being her back in three months for testing, but should I just get a jump on her treatment. Can iodine free diets be dangerous?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 22nd, 2017

if she is borderline and symptomatic they can send a thyroid test that can test more than just the in house version for a more definitive complete answer. Also they do make a food tailored to hyperthyroid cats that can help maintain the thyroid level. It is not safe to do if the number it not high though and it has to be the only food she gets. It is called science diet Y/D. I would talk to your vet about sending off a complete thyroid panel prior to any changes

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Is it safe for all my cats to eat the hyperthyroid prescription food?

If you are feeding Hill's y/d diet, then yes, you can give it to all the cats. The cats that are not hyperthyroid though need iodine supplementation since the y/d diet is an iodine-restricted diet. This is VERY important. It is recommended that you take those healthy cats aside once a day and feed them a tablespoon (per cat) of regular canned cat food to increase their iodine intake. This should work just fine. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

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The science diet Y/D is a good food for an over active thyroid. Changing the food is a good idea, but you should have the thyroid level checked every 4-6 weeks as some cats do not need the medication once the food is changed, some just need to change to dose. So checking the range frequently can let you know how in control it is

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Unfortunately the only food that will have a chance of working on its own it’s Hill’s. The other brands have not been formulated and studied with the same purpose. It is not the gold standard treatment for Hyperthyroidism but might work in some specific cases. Hyperthyroidism is caused by a tumour of the thyroid gland, and although benign can’t be left untreated. My personal recommendation would be to discuss other treatment options which might be more appropriate given Bob’s underlying allergies and given his relatively young age. Hope this helps !

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Can Hill's Y/D diet make my hyperthyroid cat lethargic?

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What canned food is safe for my senior cat on thyroid medication?

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