Kitty Health Problem Mystery

[sheshistory]

I am hoping someone can help me. I have a 12-13 year old kitty that has, in the last 6-8 months, lost almost half of his body weight. He always seems starving, despite eating his normal amount.

I just took him to the vet and had a battery of tests run. The most common issues for a cat his age are hyperthyroidism and kidney failure. With the constant hunger and weight loss, I thought for sure it was hyperthyroidism but the test came up normal, as did all other body function tests.

Short of running more invasive (and expensive) tests on an older cat, does any have any guesses or experience with this? I am going to try changing foods to something better quality to see if that helps but I am at a loss.

My kitty, Buddy, is down to 5.8 pounds from a normal of 10 pounds or so.

Thank you!

 

[Lucy-licious]

Oh dear poor boy, I am at a loss my cats are 9 and 5 hrs old although my mums cat is now 18 yes old, he is thinner than he was younger but nothing like you describe. I really hope the food change works for him

 

[Fontanafox]

Have you tried FortiFlora? My two youngest cats had digestion issues when they were kittens and have been on this supplement for the last two years. Just use a teeny sprinkle now but I think it keeps them in good health. I also give them Viralys. Ask your vet to be sure.


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[bullmama]

Just a thought but maybe EPI?

 

[GatorRay]

Our kitty smokey did this....he ended up having cancer. The indicator we had at the beginning was when we had some urine tested for a bladder infection and it had a really high white cell count. I sure hope that isn't the case with your cat. Keep us posted.

 

[sheshistory]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I might try that supplement with his food and if that doesn't make a difference, I will have the urine test to see what happens. I don't think it's EPI since his stools are normal and he hasn't had a problem in the last 13 years or so.

I know this sounds terrible but Buddy is 13 years old. If he did have something bad, like cancer, I wouldn't go to heroic measures to keep him alive.

Well, I will see how the diet and supplement thing goes. I'm also trying to feed him when I feed the dogs so I can get a better sense of how much he's eating - instead of letting him graze.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I am the queen of old kitty problems..my old guy..who had every health problem a cat could get..just died a couple months ago. He was once a strapping 26 lbs and in perfect health. A few years ago he started losing weight and we found out he had a digestive disease..and had to be placed on hypoallergenic kibble. His body just wouldn't process his food correctly and ALL the nutrients were being disposed of. We were able to stabilize his weight and shortly after that he was found to be diabetic. He did well on insulin and actually put on a few pounds. Then in January..he once again started losing weight. He had an abscessed tooth and a huge cyst started growing almost overnight. His cyst was lanced and drained and he was given a super antibiotic. It was a horrible experience and now I wish I wouldn't have done it. The whole draining part was so hard on him and I now feel it was a mistake. He wasn't a candidate for surgery and his weight dropped to 6 lbs. We never knew his exact age..since he found us after being left behind by a**hat owners when they moved. Once a kitty gets so low in weight it is very hard to rescue their systems from totally shutting down. Iam so sorry [MENTION=860]sheshistory[/MENTION].. know how hard it is to go through this. I can only tell you what my vet said to me..cats are extremely difficult to diagnose and sometimes they accidentally happen upon a diagnosis..and most of the time a true diagnosis doesn't happen. I learned through my sweet Georges' experience..there is a limit to what they should endure. I once had a cat..Kizzy..live to be 20 years old..she was healthy all her life and in the end cancer whittled her down to 5 lbs. I currently have a 13 year old cat who 7 years ago was diagnosed with cancer from her immunizations. Apparently a common problem with cats..we did an extremely aggressive surgery on her and she survived. I was old it comes back 9 out of 10 times..and I know I would never do it again! I was not prepared for the extent of her surgery and she was young. You are correct,in my opinion..to think of your cats age before you proceed. They deserve that from us. Good luck. I know how you feel.

 

[sheshistory]

Thanks everyone and especially [MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] for your response and PM - I really appreciate all the insights.

It's been a week since the diet change and new eating plan and I think Buddy is putting on weight. I am going to weigh him later today on a scale that measures ounces and see if he's put anything on over the past 7 days and will update you all!

Thank you!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Thanks everyone and especially [MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] for your response and PM - I really appreciate all the insights.

It's been a week since the diet change and new eating plan and I think Buddy is putting on weight. I am going to weigh him later today on a scale that measures ounces and see if he's put anything on over the past 7 days and will update you all!







Thank you!

Crossing my fingers...Buddy is a lucky kitty..

 

[sheshistory]

Buddy is up 5 ounces since Friday...so that's good news!

 

[Bella'sMom]

Just a thought but maybe EPI?

Yes Cat's can get it, I already suggested that to her via Facebook....if all else fails, test. The test however is expensive.

 

[GatorRay]

YAY! Keep us posted.

 

[bulldog family]

My sister had a cat that got the feline AIDS. He lived with it until he was 15 (I think). He ended up losing so much weight, his teeth started falling out. Has he been checked for that?

 

[sheshistory]

My sister had a cat that got the feline AIDS. He lived with it until he was 15 (I think). He ended up losing so much weight, his teeth started falling out. Has he been checked for that?

No, not yet since I wouldn't treat him for it since he's old. The vet didn't lean toward that because he is in excellent shape other than the weight.

 

[laurendoodler]

[MENTION=860]sheshistory[/MENTION] how is Buddy doing?? any more weight gain?

When I worked at a Vet Clinic, we had a clinic cat named Kitty. She was about 16 years old and was a beautiful Siamese mix..weighed about 10 lbs or so. She started getting mild diarrhea..then throwing up constantly, then having bloody diarrhea..it was just awful. She ended up getting down to about 2 lbs. They ran every test imaginable on her and tried their best to help her but we just couldn't figure anything out. We ended up putting her down because she was just so miserable and couldn't move and it was not a good life for her anymore. It was so sad; I bawled like a baby..I'd been working there for three years so I got quite attached to her. Cats are just so hard to treat and diagnose and it's so tough to watch them fall.

I really hope Buddy gets better and pulls through!