[Fleecewife]

Hello all.   My cat  Milly, who is helping me type this, is 13 yo.  She is happy, active and has a very good appetite for small amounts at a time.   However, she is getting gradually thinner.  From being a chunky animal, she is now a lightweight.   She has been wormed and there is no sign that she has worms, except perhaps her coat is not as glossy as it could be.   She gets food designed for 'senior cats', plus any vermin she catches (hence the frequent worming)
 
Any ideas on what could be causing the gradual weight loss?   Any idea on high calorie foods to tempt her to eat more and which will help her put on some weight?

[funkyfish]

There are several thing that cause weight loss in cats. Over active thyroid, diabetes and kidney problems are the top culprits.


A trip to the vet and a blood test will rule out the above problems. All can be managed with medication.

[little blue]

was about to suggest testing her thyroid function and getting full bloods done.
Also, internal tumours can show as weight loss even if appetite normal.

let us know how you get on  

[jaykay]

Diabetes and hyperthyroid are quite common in older cats. As is kidney disease, but that tends to make them feel ill, which Milly doesn't seem to be.

Most conditions are manageable 

The vet can test quite easily for all of these (be prepared for chasing her around with a frying pan for a pee sample  )

[Fleecewife]

Jaykay - that had me in stitches      There's no way she'll pee in public being a very ladylike cat, especially when pursued by a frying pan and she won't use a litter tray either.   I see fun and games ahead.  Do they have cat catheters so they could get a sample when she's sedated?
 
We will haul her off to the vet - I was already thinking that might be the way to go before she gets worse.  It will be Monday now.
 
Lets hope it's not the tumour option but something for medical management    I'm going for diabetes.
 
Thank you all for your advice.

[in the hills]

Our last old mog was similar to your description FW, though he was never a big cat, having been a stray and not in good condition when he found us.


He cried all the time for food and did eat small amounts constantly but seemed to forget he had been fed. Also very active, too active  . Looked thin and just not in top condition despite worming and "pampering".


The vet took bloods and found hyperactive thyroid which he said was common in old cats. Treated for several years with tablets and lived to be a ripe old age. So  .

[funkyfish]

There is a new food called Y/D by Hills which treats hyperthyroidism via gene expression suppression I think. Its not cheap but easier then tableting! Although they need to only it it and nothing else..

[NormandyMary]

My Tabitha is 17 now and she too has recently lost a lot of weight. She is happy in herself, apart from being totally doolally in the head (another sign of old age in moggies) and eats well. One good thing about her losing weight though is that it has cured her arthritis that she had in her back legs. Consequently, she runs well now, jumps up on window ledges and goes outside more now than she has ever done. I am in  two minds about taking her to the vets, I think the thought of what happened to Phoebe last year when I took her is putting me off. However, if I thought that Tabby was ill, I'd be in the car in a second.

[funkyfish]

Odd senile behaviour is common with hyperthyroidism. It affect all areas of the body especially the heart- which is usually 200 bmp plus. This can cause many serious problems. So starting treatment sooner rather than later helps prevent irreversible problems like detached retinas from very high blood pressure.


Sadly we put to sleep a 12year old- so not that ancient cat yesturday. He was stared on meds over a year ago, but the owner refused to ever bring him back in for checks (hay we all know that vets don't care right, we only do prescription check to line our pockets!;0) ). She insisted he was fine and doing well. So we had to give out more meds as to leave him untreated was unethical. He was not on a high enough dose (which we would have changed if we had ever had the chance to retest him) so might as well have been not treated. He went blind last week due to his retinas popping off, and went off his back legs yesterday due to a blood clot as his heart was working so hard. The owner insisted we were only after her money so wouldn't bring him back.


Not treating them and waiting till they get to that state is just wrong! I can't medicate my cat, he is evil! So if he becomes hyperthyroid i will put him to sleep.

[funkyfish]

Sorry - not meaning to criticise anyone here!! Just venting!! 

[SallyintNorth]

I remember a vet friend of mine saying that there must be thousands of older cats dying from hyperthyroidism-related issues, when it's so common and so easy to treat.  But of course if the cat's running around apparently happily, it's easy to think the weight loss is just an age thing.  Similarly any doolalliness.

  Milly has one of the easily-treatable conditions.

[Mammyshaz]

If it's hyperthyroidism from the thyroid glands then the glands can be removed. Then there is no need for medication. Sometimes thyroid tissue also grows in other places such a s the chest cavity. These animals can only be treated with medication. ( or the new diet if the cat isn't a hunter or fussy eater )
Kidney problems is very common and often  the animal Isn't unwell until the kidneys are badly diseased.
Diabetes is not very common in cats.

Think blood tests are the best way to go and find out exactly what is happening. Some old cats do lose their muscle and become thin just like frail old people but at 13 I wouldn't expect to see marked muscle waste.18 year old cats I would.
 
  she is sorted soon. Sounds promising as she is not unwell at the moment   

[jaykay]

In most cases chronic renal failure is a progressive disease with a slow, insidious onset, although occasionally the signs may appear to develop quite suddenly. Many of the clinical signs are quite vague and non-specific – arising at least in part simply from the accumulation of toxins in the blood that would normally be excreted in the urine. The most common signs seen in affected cats are a poor appetite, weight loss, dehydration, lethargy and depression. There is often an increased thirst along with increased volumes of urine being produced (due to an inability to concentrate the urine in many affected cats). Other signs may include a poor coat, vomiting, bad-smelling breath, ulceration in the mouth and weakness.

Diabetes mellitus strikes 1 in 400 cats, though recent veterinary studies[1][2][3] note that it has become increasingly common. Symptoms in cats are similar to those in humans. Diabetes in cats occurs less frequently than in dogs.[4] 80-95% of diabetic cats experience something similar to type-2 diabetes,[5] but are generally severely insulin-dependent by the time symptoms are diagnosed. The condition is definitely treatable, and need not shorten the animal's life span or life quality.

The most common initial sign of hyperthyroidism is weight loss, usually accompanied by a normal or even increased appetite and sometimes by an increase in thirst. In its later stages, affected individuals can become hyperactive, restless or irritable and more vocal than usual. In a small percentage of cases, however, the opposite can happen (especially in dogs) – these patients become lethargic, have a decreased appetite and may also develop obvious swelling or pain in the neck or problems with swallowing.
Many affected cats stop grooming and have a matted and unkempt coat. Some animals develop vomiting and/or diarrhoea. High blood pressure can also develop.

Although the disease almost exclusively affects older cats and despite the fact that the clinical signs of hyperthyroidism can be quite dramatic, it is usually a very manageable disease – treated cats can have a normal quality of life and a normal life expectancy.

[jaykay]

What did the vet say about Milly?

[Fleecewife]

What did the vet say about Milly?

I haven't been able to get there today as taken ill again.  Off to hospital in the morning, but we'll get her there as soon as we can