Radioiodine therapy is the gold standard curative treatment for feline hyperthyroidism, offering permanent resolution in most cases, but welfare considerations around the hospitalisation period require careful management.
Radioiodine treatment offers an outstanding long-term welfare outcome for most hyperthyroid cats — permanent cure without lifelong medication or surgical risk — but the mandatory hospitalisation period presents a welfare challenge that requires acknowledgment and management. Cats confined in isolation facilities away from their owners and familiar environment can experience significant stress, particularly if they are elderly, anxious, or have strong human attachments. Facilities offering radioiodine should provide genuinely enriched hospitalisation environments with hiding spaces, elevated resting positions, appropriate visual stimulation, and regular human interaction. Owner-provided bedding and familiar scents can reduce stress during the confinement period. Pre-treatment discussion of the hospitalisation experience allows owners to prepare informed consent that considers the temporary welfare cost against the permanent welfare benefit of cure. The post-treatment period requires monitoring for hypothyroidism and emerging renal disease — both manageable conditions that do not negate the welfare gains of treatment.