Radiocat

We recently had the need to engage the services of the Radiocat Center on Backlick Road in Springfield, Virginia. The Center is a veterinary practice dedicated exclusively to the care and treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. You may read about them at
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Paige, our rescue cat of 16 years had developed hyperthyroidism. Prior to Radiocat, our veterinarian treated Paige with Methimazole. This treatment did not work. His next recommendation was surgery to remove Paige’s thyroid. Because of Paige’s age, we were hesitant of putting her through surgery if there was another option that could work. Therefore, we researched the Internet for all treatment options available today. As we read about the various treatments, it was clear to us that Radioiodine Therapy was the only option to try. It is the safest and most effective therapy for feline hyperthyroidism. Because normal thyroid tissue is spared, cats do not typically require thyroid hormone supplementation. General anesthesia is not required for therapy, eliminating a major risk factor for the geriatric cat.
Our experience with Radiocat was pleasant. We coordinated entirely with two staffers, Christin and Madeline. Both ladies were responsive and caring. While Christin coordinated the administrative side of the service, Madeline was the hands on technician who personally cared for our cat. Madeline gave us daily updates on Paige. She followed a complicated feeding schedule we set up for our cat, and she paid personal attention to her.
Thanks to Madeline and Dr. Kees, we discovered Paige has hypertension (high blood pressure) too. Hypertension is a serious complication to hyperthyroidism. She is currently being treated for her high blood pressure.
Paige returned home in good spirits and with a hearty appetite. It normally takes a month or more to know for sure if the treatment was successful. Based on how Paige is currently behaving, we believe she will have a full recovery.
We want to express a special thank you to Madeline for taking special care of Paige. Every so often, you meet someone who does their job exceptionally well because they put their heart into it. Madeline is that type of person.
We highly recommend Radiocat to anyone in need of the best treatment available today for feline hyperthyroidism.

Radiocat helped treat our cat for hyperthyroidism. The staff was nice and sent us updates on how our cat was doing during the treatment. They have large cages so your cat does not have to sit in the carrier for the 3 – 4 days of treatment. Because of the extended stay/​radioactivity, you should invest in a blanket that you can throw away so that your cat can hide under while away from home. We gave our cat a padded cushion and blanket, and they said that our cat would hide underneath everything. We paid approximately 2k for the treatment. As the other reviewer mentioned, it’s tough when your cat comes home because your cat is radioactive, and you won’t be allowed to hug your cat for more than an hour for a set time (maybe a week — I can’t recall). They will also give you special kitty litter that you must flush so you don’t expose yourself to too much radiation. Your cat will be near other animals, and unfortunately our cat caught fleas, but was treated on the spot. Our cat had a horrible experience away from home, but in the end, I think it was better than a lifetime of medication.

So basically if you have to visit Radiocat, you usually don’t have many other options. Radiocat is a radiation center for cats with hyperthyroidism and they are one of the only places to perform the radio-​iodione procedure. However, the good new is that they are very professional and will take great care of your animal!
They have this great specialist name Christin who is just phenomenal at preparing you for what your cat will need to do prior to the procedure. She is super knowledgeable and straighforward. I was also happy with the staff at the clinic. My cat had to stay in the facility for several days and they played movies for her and wrote me emails from her each day that were super funny! It made things much more bearable for me.
If you are reading this and wondering if radio-​iodine is the way to go, i will say it is! The price is $ 1300 for the treatment. Keep in mind that you will need to spend an additional $ 700 or so at your vet for pre-​blood work and xrays and some post workups as well. But if you think your cat has some good years left in him/​her then you will probably end up paying that much over their lifetime for the medication and hyperthyroid related care (if you choose to do meds over the procedure). I had a sick diabetic cat for years and I vowed to never do the medication thing again if there was another option.
If you choose the radiation option, your cat will be radioactive for awhile after their return home so you do have to take precautions, such as not snuggling for more than an hour and being careful with the litter etc. But in the end, I think the radio-​iodine treatment was the best solution.
The one downside is that my cat was in a room with other cats and she came home with an upper respiratory infection. I guess that happens when cats are in close quarters with other cats but then of course, I had to take her back to the vet for a checkup and more meds which = more $$.
Update: It’s been many years since my cat’s treatment and she is doing great! She has not required any other thyroid related care or medication since her treatment in 2010, and the blood tests all come back normal. This procedure was definitely worth it!