Unexplained weight loss

I realize knee jerk reaction here is speak with my vet, but generally speaking the cat in question is behaving normally.

Anyhow, Quinlan is an almost 3yo{turns that on mar12} ragdoll, neutered male, i have owned him from 8-9wks old, now over the past few mths i have noticed him dropping weight, i haven't weighed him, just you feel it kwim?

He is strictly indoors, and his coat his shiny, no hair loss, eyes clear and i do see him eat, he gets free choice kibble and wet twice daily.

Their isn't anything that he has gotten into.. he's never been huge, about 10lbs or so, on the smaller more compact side for a ragdoll male.

now fwiw, their are 2 other ragdolls here... almost 4yo abby & copper{their brother/sister} and i have noticed no changes in them.

As i said at the start of my post, he acts quite normal.. playing..sleeping in usual spots, i am not noticing any unusual litterbox issues either.. i suppose that is where i am hesitant to go to the vet because other than the weight loss the cat acts quite normal and looks perfectly healthy.

I am truly puzzled here... perhaps we need a diet change? the main dry food here is nutro but possibly this one just isn't cutting it anymore?

You are right - knee jerk reaction - take your cat to a vet.

Any cat that loses a significant amount of weight in a short time indicates to me there is a problem. I lost our himmie/siamese cross because I did not notice he was losing weight until it was too late.

The only person that can answer your questions is a vet who can touch, feel, and test your cat for health issues.

Its possible that he could have a thyroid condition or something else that is causing the weight loss, even though he is eating normally.

I would definitely take him to the vet for a blood test and exam.

Diabetes and liver disease can also present themselves with weightloss.

Regardless, this is definitely an issue for your vet, sorry.

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Its possible that he could have a thyroid condition or something else that is causing the weight loss, even though he is eating normally.

I would definitely take him to the vet for a blood test and exam.

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Originally Posted by Arlyn

Diabetes and liver disease can also present themselves with weightloss.

Regardless, this is definitely an issue for your vet, sorry.

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Thyroid was my first thought too, but diabetes and liver disease are also posibilities.

Sure, it's a knee-jerk reaction, but in either humans or other species, unexplained, noticeable weight loss does mean a medical visit. Do you have any idea how much weight he's lost? Has he had regular vet visits so the vet will be able to judge the loss?

He hasn't suddenly started exercising a lot more lately, right? That's the only 'good' reason for weight loss that I can think of that wouldn't require a vet visit.

Good luck - hope it's nothing but IMO better to be safe than sorry.

It's a knee jerk - vet visit - for many, as he can have a health issue, yet physically (other than weight loss) look good & act "normal".

I too am experiencing a similar problem. My Quigley (1 year old, FeLV+) was at the vet in December and weighted in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. He has had a lot of URIs since I first adopted him in December so I took him in today to get some stronger antibiotics (I had him on Zenequin) and he now weighs 8 pounds 1 ounce. He still eats fine, plays a lot and uses the litter fine. I'm a bit concerned. Vet said it could be any number of things but would probably need a blood test to really determine. Any one ideas what this might be without me subjecting him to another vet visit?

Originally Posted by catsai

I too am experiencing a similar problem. My Quigley (1 year old, FeLV+) was at the vet in December and weighted in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. He has had a lot of URIs since I first adopted him in December so I took him in today to get some stronger antibiotics (I had him on Zenequin) and he now weighs 8 pounds 1 ounce. He still eats fine, plays a lot and uses the litter fine. I'm a bit concerned. Vet said it could be any number of things but would probably need a blood test to really determine. Any one ideas what this might be without me subjecting him to another vet visit?

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I would say at this point, to just watch him closely - 8 oz is not that much, and it can be a result of a number of things... water/salt intake, level of exercise, or weight fluctuation... Now, if he had lost a pound or two... then I would be concerned... Your vet doesn't seem to be worried about it, so just keep a close eye on him...

Originally Posted by Yosemite

You are right - knee jerk reaction - take your cat to a vet.

Any cat that loses a significant amount of weight in a short time indicates to me there is a problem. I lost our himmie/siamese cross because I did not notice he was losing weight until it was too late.

The only person that can answer your questions is a vet who can touch, feel, and test your cat for health issues.

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Linda wrote is way better than I

what food was the cat eating prior to you>?

Originally Posted by catsai

I too am experiencing a similar problem. My Quigley (1 year old, FeLV+) was at the vet in December and weighted in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. He has had a lot of URIs since I first adopted him in December so I took him in today to get some stronger antibiotics (I had him on Zenequin) and he now weighs 8 pounds 1 ounce. He still eats fine, plays a lot and uses the litter fine. I'm a bit concerned. Vet said it could be any number of things but would probably need a blood test to really determine. Any one ideas what this might be without me subjecting him to another vet visit?

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I will sound like a broken record but Always go back to the vet when you have a KNOWN issue with kitty

Just general advice: get a scale and weight your cats regularly. Then write it down and keep track of their weights over time (I keep a spreadsheet for mine).

With 14 critters to care for, my vet bills are somewhat enormous. So I use caution before I decide to take them in. But when any of mine show signs of appreciable weight loss, I do take them to a vet. It's not a knee jerk reaction. Cats are masters at hiding illnesses, particularly in multi-cat households. He's not too young to have a baseline blood test done on him, which you can use as he grows older and you look for changes in his health.