Supplements for My Cat's Hyperthyroidism

On March 4, 2026, my beautiful, almost 14-year-old cat, Shinobii was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Whether it was the actual vet, or just the suggested bloodwork printout that made the call, we don't truly know. If you read my other post, you'll understand my skepticism on thevet quality.

Either way, the suggested remedy they provided sounded more like willingful poisoning. The pill requires you to wear gloves to handle because skin contact can cause medical issues to humans,  such as infertility. From what I searched online, skin contact was something to be cautious of even if handling bodily fluids (including hairballs) which in turn made me think even kisses. 

Feeding her what I perceived as poison was just not something I felt comfortable with. I understand this is controversial. I'm not judging those that feed the pill. I understand, you're trying to hold on as long as possible.

However, if I don't feel comfortable doing something that feels like its going to only lead to more medical issues and a decreased quality of life longterm.

Because of this, I embarked on a journey to find others in similar situations and read about their experiences. Yes, I found a lot of posts about how their cat had lived a long life, but I also found a lot of discussions about how one medicine, led to another, and then another. Many who started taking the medicine then got diagnosed with kidney issues or other factors that led on the reliance of even more medicine. It was just a cycle of medicine and vets that would be absolute torture for my cat.

In between all the stories and encouragement to feed the pills, I saw small mentions of diet changes made (outside of the prescription diet), so I went on full-on cooking mode and cooked every single beef, chicken, lamb, or pork, I could find at Aldi's or Publix. That'll be a future blog post. 

Then, I opted to purchase some supplements to support her thyroid and digestive system. Below is the list of what I purchased and the ingredients, and what these might help with, according to the manufacturer. This is not advice, I'm just a random cat lady on the internet, but it is what we opted to help our cat without feeling like we were poisoning her.

• Pet Wellbeing Life Gold for Cats (4 drops in the morning)
  • Astragalus Root - Adaptogen; Supports the body's ability to cope with physiological stress while bolstering the function of vital immune cells. Maintains healthy stress levels and supports natural aging process
  • Blessed Thistle - naturally promotes vitality, stimulates appetite, and supports healthy digestion and cleansing
  • Sheep Sorrell - Shields cells from oxidative stress, supporting vital health during times of strain
  • Burdock Root - Maintain healthy liver function, support elimination of waste and toxins, and helps promote bile secretions and a healthy appetite, and supports balanced blood sugar levels
  • Slippery Elm bark - Contains mucilage, which helps maintain throat tissues and a healthy gut lining
  • Ginger Rhizome - Support for normal responses essential for muscle comfort
• Pet Wellbeing Thyroid Support Gold for Cats (4 drops in morning and night)   
  • Bungleweed - Helps maintain healthy thyroid function and normal hormone levels
  • Lemon Balm - Support balanced thyroid hormone levels and sense of calm
  • Rehmannia root - gentle support in helping maintain thyroid health, promote normal urination and the body's natural energy levels
  • Bupleurum root
  • Motherwort - Supports heart health and nervous system, and healthy, restful sleep
  • Skullcap - helps promote relaxation, balanced stress response, overall relaxation, and supports healthy sleep patterns
  • Heal All fruit spike - Shown to help treat infections, prevent tumor growth, and treat inflammatory diseases (ref)
  • Amalaki fruit - Promotes regular bowel movements and suports healthy digestion
• Collagen Peptide Powder (1/2 tsp morning and night)

  • From what I found, type 3 was the most important for healthy digestion, but I was not able to find just Type 3, so I decided to give her 0.5 tsp with some food to help repair any potential digestive issues, preventing her from eating. The antibiotics and steroids they had sent her originally destroyed her digestive system.

• Viralys
  • L-Lysine Hydrochloride - supports normal eye health, respiratory health, and a strong immune system
• Pet Wellbeing Lung Gold for Cats (4 drops at night - stopped giving after purchasing slippery elm drops)
  • Reishi - Promotes the body's natural immune defenses and overall vitality
  • Coptis - Supports immune health and a healthy lung environment
  • Marshmallow root - Rich in mucilage, may help soothe tissue in the lungs and help maintain comfort during urination
  • Skullcap - helps promote relaxation, balanced stress response, overall relaxation, and supports healthy sleep patterns
  • Jujube fruit - Promotes stamina and strength and supports a healthy immune system
  • Grindelia - used for kidney trouble, coughs, whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and colds (ref)
  • Ginger Rhizome - Support for normal responses essential for muscle comfort

While we're realistic about the potential outcomes of trying things that are natural and keeping her away from the vet, unless absolutely necessary, it feels like it's this approach is the right thing for her. And yes it's nerve-wracking for us, but I love her too much to have her become a test subject and money printing machine for heartless vets whose primary concern is about how much money they can get out of us, instead of her actual well being.

If what I've shared is not for you and your cat, that's okay. Please be kind. I'm just sharing our approach for others to read and do their own research on, in case they want to evade the vet or simply can't even afford it.