*VERY SERIOUS* My cat is now skin & bones, please help me by reading this. Does anyone have an answer?
My cat started slowly losing weight about a year ago. I thought it was just because he drank more than usual. Now within the past couple weeks, he is nothing but skin and bones. I gave him a bath and I felt so sorry for him because he is so skinny. He is going to the vet on Monday first thing in the morning. The cost does not bother me but I am so scared I will have to put him down. I have had this cat for about 10 years and have barely spent any time away from him. He eats just fine, both dry and wet food. He drinks fine. He eats treats. He uses the litter box just fine except for the fact that every time he goes now, it is diarrhea. I am bringing both a urine and stool sample into the vet but I was just hoping someone could give me some insight on perhaps a similar situation. I’ve looked up many times on the internet and almost each time it comes to tapeworm or diabetes. Only one mentioned cancer which scared me almost to death. Somebody mentioned kidney failure to me as well. I do not wish to think that what is wrong with him can not be cured so can anybody offer me any advice to what is wrong with him. A different vet a while ago said he couldn’t find anything physically wrong with him but he has gone from about 14lbs to probably 5 or 6 lbs now. He has had his Feline HIV and Leukemia test before he was fixed, both were negative. That was about 8 or 9 years ago though. He is an indoor cat only and isn’t exposed to any other animals except the female cat which I’ve had 1 year less than him. She is fine with no problems. Please someone help me out here.
I am sorry that this question got posted twice. One person was completely rude and their answer was uncalled for. I took my cat to a vet about 8 months ago and he said he could not find anything physically wrong with him. So before you run your mouth and make it seem as though I am a horrible pet owner, I will have you know that I own 2 cats and the other one is just fine. These cats are 2 of the most loved cats around. So before you judge someone, walk in their shoes. My cats are happy and very content. I nurture them both, I made a simple mistake by listening to a vet who simply stated that he found nothing physically wrong with my cat. I should of pushed for tests and I didn’t. That was my mistake and I do admit that. I thank all for the kind words and great hope that you have brought me. I really love my kitty and I know he will be gone someday but I don’t want it to be soon. Thanks again.
Tagged with: 10 years • cats • couple weeks • diabetes • diarrhea • female cat • hiv • indoor cat • insight • kidney failure • leukemia • litter box • losing weight • nothing but skin • pet owner • skin and bones • stool sample • tapeworm • vet • wet food
As others have said, it could be a number of things….or a few things combined.
Smell your cat’s breath. Does it smell sweet…..like acetone ( nail polish remover )? This is one of the classic signs of diabetes….indicates high levels of sugar in the blood. Also, drinking excessive amounts of water and eating regularly BUT losing weight are also signs of diabetes……which can be controlled with diet & insulin.
I have a cat who was diagnosed with diabetes over 3 years ago, and with care, good diet and insulin, he’s doing fine and has gained back all the weight he lost.
When the vet said he "couldn’t find anything physically wrong with him", did he run any tests…….blood test, etc? He needs a blood "panel" run, now, to see what’s going on inside…….thyroid, diabetes, kidneys, etc…….It really IS worth the money to find out, so he can be treated and not suffer anymore.
As for the diarrhea…….the cat may have worms or a parasite called Coccidia. He needs a fecal test to determine what the cause of the diarrhea really is, so it can be treated properly. Diarrhea is NEVER any fun……….for animals or us………so, please get him tested ASAP.
Hope this helps……….Good luck.
Most commonly it would be worms, parasites, or diabetes. You should never have waited this long to take your cat to the vet!
It could however be any number of things and the only way to find out is to have you vet examine the cat, test it, and make a determination of what it could be.
Yes excessive drinking usually means diabetes.Very treatable If that is not the case then you may be talking hyperthyroid or crf. All very treatable. You went to the vet, why wasn’t a blood test done?????
If this is diabetes contact me and I will teach you how to treat it as many vets are not up to date and some can be very dangerous in recommendations they give
Waiting to find out what is wrong can make things more serious as complications can develop so get that blood test asap
Don’t dwell on the impending vet visit and worry over whether or not what your cat has is curable. The veterinarian can tell you what your cat has at his appointment and what the best course of action is from there.
Good luck, but you’re doing the best thing for your cat by taking him to the vet–weight loss, especially in older cats, can be very serious and it sounds like he’s in pain.
Instead of looking online, your cat is in serious trouble. Go to the Vet right now.
It could be a huge number of different things and it’s impossible to guess what might be happening in an online forum.
Diabetes is a possibility but I don’t know if that’s what it is. This could turn out to be something a lot more serious than that. I’m not telling you this to scare you, I’m only giving you fair warning that it might be something more. This sounds more like cancer than diabetes. I could be completely wrong, though, so don’t get worked up. Just keep in mind that….you know. I really hope its not what I think it is and I hope that everything goes ok for you and your kitty. Good luck.
When was the last time your cat had a blood test done to check the functioning of his thyroid? This is a very common problem with older cats.
Look here:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/hyperthyroid.html
at the section: What are the signs of hyperthyroidism?
Try not to freak out so much. Your cat can sense that you’re upset and that’s not going to help at all (especially with the vet visit.) For all you know, it could be something simple and easy to fix just as much as it could be something difficult to deal with. Your cat depends on you to take care of it and that includes being strong, calm, and peaceful. Don’t automatically assume the worst.
When you start feeling overwhelmed, find someplace quiet to just sit and concentrate on breathing slowly and fully for a few minutes until you get your emotions back under control. Be strong for your cat.
And best of luck, I really hope it’s nothing serious.
There are four things that melt weight off a cat, and your vet should have checked for each of them. Since you DON’T say what your vet did, here’s what you need to know before your cat dies from this.
Renal failure–usually that kills the cat within a week, so you can rule that out at the moment.
Diabetes – which you check with a urinalysis, right there at the office, the vet can find out in 5 minutes if your cat has this. Was a urinalysis done? The fact your cat is drinking a lot more is a huge sign it’s either diabetes or the thyroid. Diabetes is treatable, and once you have your cat regulated it’s only about $12 a month (we had a diabetic cat).
Hyperthyroidism — you test for this with a standard blood test to see how the cat’s internal organs are functioning. Hyperthyroidism is treatable with either pills (tapazole) or the cream in the ear (methamazole) and runs $35 a month.
Kidney failure, also called CRF — TREATABLE, but the longer you wait the less chance of saving the cat. One of ours is CRF and we make sure he drinks more than usual and have him on the right diet.
You say a vet’s bills are no problem, why didn’t you get the cat checked at another vet to get a second opinion? No cat looses that much weight without a reason. The fact so much is gone from him may now indicate that you’ve already passed the threshold of being able to stabalize the problem and treat it. You waited TOO long with something that was not normal.
Tapeworms don’t do this kind of thing. They’re easily tested for with a fecal exam. I’m hoping you did rule this out with a fecal?
Did your vet discuss any of the options with you? Did he say what he ruled out? Did he say what he SPECIFICALLY looked for? If he did not and if he has offered you nothing other than ‘the cat is fine’ with this sigificant weight loss, I’d be turning my back on him and getting to a different clinic and getting the cat checked out there.
A full blood panel needs to be done to check for internal organ function. A urinalysis should be done, it’s a mere $15, just get it. Have the vet take a very close look at the cat’s mouth for infected or broken teeth and potential mouth ulcers. I’d be freaking out over himif it was my cat, and not just trusting one vet on this. No cat looses 10 pounds in a year and doesn’t have something way out of whack inside them.
If "cost does not bother" you then why in the hell did you wait a YEAR to get this cat to the vet???? No one online can magically diagnose your cat and since you didn’t bother to get him looked at FOR A YEAR his chance of survival is slim to none. It may have been treatable A YEAR AGO but odds are he’s too far gone now. LOL that you’re going "FIRST THING" Monday – after a YEAR of not taking him in are we supposed to commend you for that?
Do you realize this is considered FELONY ANIMAL NEGLECT? I think I’ll track your IP address and send this admission of animal abuse to your local police. SHAME ON YOU. I surely hope karma comes back at you tenfold for this neglect.
my first thoughts are hyperthyroidism or diabetes.. or a combination of both. both are treatable with daily medication. although I am not very sure of the recovery rates since you have let this go on so long.
Weight loss in a cat is almost always a symptom of one several diseases. Some of them are minor but most are major problems.
Yes, it could be diabetes, but it could also by hyperthyroidism or something else.
When was the last time any blood work was done on this cat? We have blood work done at least once a year and twice a year on our older cats.
It really sounds like you have waited too long before taking the cat to a vet. Weight loss is not something to be ignored and a cat does not go to "skin and bones" overnight.
No one here can diagnose your cat remotely. Even a vet reading your question could not determine the cause of the problem without examining your cat and it is highly unlikely that there are any vets here and anyone saying they are a vet is likely lying.
Any "diagnosis" you get here will be no better than a guess.
Your cat needs to be examined by a vet.
A basic vet office visit exam should cost between $35 and $55 dollars. That is not much for the type of exam it will buy you.
The vet should do a full exam of the cat, nose to tail, and look at any specific problems.
You can tell the vet not do anything that will add to the bill without your prior approval.
Do a Google search on :
"low cost" vet cats city state
Put the words low cost in double quotes as I show them and replace city and state with your city and state.
You may find some low cost vets in your area.
Check with the Humane Society, the ASPCA (RSPCA if you are in the UK), and the APA (Animal Protective Association) and see what they charge for a basic exam.
There is a charitable vet service in the UK called PDSA, here is their eligibility page http://www.pdsa.org.uk/eligibility.html
He is near the lower limit of his reserves, but don’t panic. At his age, the most probable reason is thyroid disease, and for that you need blood tests. When a cat has hyperthyroidism, he is burning calories faster than he can eat them.
Once diagnosed, there are really two approaches. That can be discussed with your vet. Radiation is the best approach, but it is not available everywhere. While it is pricey, it is really a one time cost, while on Tapazole, regular blood tests are necessary and there can be side effects.
thyroid, my neighbor’s cat had the same problem. now he gives him 1/2 pill everyday. the cat gained weight and is back to him old self playing and running around.
Any number of conditions could be causing weight loss, and none of them are good or will fix themselves. Please have your kitty checked out by another vet ~ full battery of tests.