I am so relieved, I have to tell someone!

My lovely black tom, Rocky, has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroid - this is such as relief to me, as weight dropped off him, and I assumed the worst.

I have only had Rocky for 4 years (he came to me as a stray badly in need of vet treatment), and guessed his age at about 7 or 8. I love him so much and was gutted to think I might lose him after such a short time.

I am over the moon that I can give him a tablet every day for his hyperthyroidism, and he will put some weight back on - and most important of all he will be around for some time yet.

That's great news Raeven

Great news Raeven, he was really lucky to find you :)

Thanks so much Peaches and Moonbird!

I have two other cats besides Rocky, but this lad has been through so much that (don't let the other cats hear!) he's my special boy.

When I found him his ears were so bad with an ear mite infestation that they were swollen with blood and pus, and are consequently 'broken' - they look like crumpled-up tissue paper now.

Gives him a unique appearance though - he looks kind of like a teddy!

Oh how lovely, you are over the moon with joy obviously. Nice to hear of a story with a positive ending for a change. :)

I was similarly relieved when I found out one of mine had hyperthyroid - until it came to giving him the damn tablet! He was a very nervous cat and got distressed when I used the normal wrap him in a towel and push it down his throat routine.

I checked with the vet and the tablets he was on could be crushed. I bought a pill crusher from Holland and Barrett, mixed the powder with a little cat food, which he gobbled down, and then he got the rest of his food. Much less traumatic for both of us.

The other problem is the cost - the tablets cost a lot from the vet, so I got them to give me a prescription, so I could buy them online from Petmeds, which was cheaper AND enabled me to raise money for Rainrescue.

If you go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk, you can sign up to support the charity of your choice and then, every time you access the site you want via the Easyfundraising portal, a donation is made to that charity - and it doesn't cost you a penny.

Unfortunately, Obi developed other problems as well (he was about 18/19 years old) and had to be put down, but the hyperthyroid tablets gave him a good few months of extra time.

PS; How about a photo of him? I'm fascinated at the thought of his ears!