My 10yo Cat is losing weight very fast but seems happy

reader

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my 10 year old female has been grossly overwieght at 23pounds for
the since age 5. her daily routine was eat,sleep,eat,sleep 24 hours day

from last october to may(today) she has lost about 7 pounds,to about 16lbs.

Is she sick? before i bring her to the vet($$ is tight) i would like some advice,etc.




Last october we got a small very lively toy dog(pomerian)that playfully keeps our 3 cats running around the house, and on alert.
We also started our cat that is losing wieght on a cat food that is supposely designed to make cats lose weight and get physically fit(iams special silver something). the other cats do not eat it, but the overwieght cats does, and seems to love it

the cat that is losing weight, her personality has changed, she seems more happy,more kitten like, and does not show signs of being sick(other than losing wieght.

Advice?
 

sharky

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that is a HUGE wt loss .. and yes even with tight $$ get to a vet for a senior work up ( blood work)
 

rainbow_tic_tac

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This is in no way an attempt at scaring you into taking your cat to the vet, but it could be serious. I'm not expert, but my cat had to be put down last month because she had Feline Leukemia. Extreme weight loss was one of the major signs. Also pale gums, lack of appetite, and misuse of the litterbox. Even if she's not showing the other signs, it would still be very smart to take her to the vet.

There is also the factor of age. 10 years is old for any animal and some eat less as they get older.
 
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reader

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thanks, she will be going to the vet within 2-7 days.

we always suspected something wrong about her health for years, but the 3 times we brought her to the vet they said her problem was being overwieght.
the blood work was never done during those trips.
 

scarlett 001

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Could be a whole bunch of things so I would take her in - she could be CRF, hyperthyroid etc. - many of which you can do something about to give her more years of life, so like the others I say take her in asap. Bloodwork should really be done this time.
 

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Originally Posted by sharky

that is a HUGE wt loss .. and yes even with tight $$ get to a vet for a senior work up ( blood work)
Originally Posted by Scarlett 001

Could be a whole bunch of things so I would take her in - she could be CRF, hyperthyroid etc. - many of which you can do something about to give her more years of life, so like the others I say take her in asap. Bloodwork should really be done this time.
...
Especially about the bloodwork being done. It's hard to understand why in several vet visits not once did they do bloodwork. That's basic and very important. Make sure they do a thyroid test. A big weight loss with good appetite and increased activity are textbook signs of hyperthyroidism.

Please keep us updated. Hope everything turns out alright.
 
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She has an appt next wednesday

I have forgot to note also she is missing alot hair on her lower underside. She is a female that gave birth to a kitten 8 years ago.
 

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Hope you have a good vet visit - and just wanted to say what a good mom you are for finding the way to make the appointment - I'm sure you made sacrifices to do this.
 
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My cat seems to be constipated, also suffering diaper rash misery.

Can i give her a laxative? And can i use a diaper rash oniment on her?
 

ktlynn

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Originally Posted by reader

My cat seems to be constipated, also suffering diaper rash misery.

Can i give her a laxative? And can i use a diaper rash oniment on her?
Not sure what you mean by "diaper rash" - her rear end may be sore if she's been straining due to the constipation. The best thing to do right now is to keep her bottom clean with a little warm water on a cotton ball - don't rub, just pat, and dry it by patting with a cotton ball too. Don't apply anything to her rear - she'll just lick it off and it could make her sick.

No human laxative should be given to a cat (forgive me if you knew this, not everyone does so I had to say it). Try plain canned pumpkin - the kind with no spices in it. Mix 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon into each of her meals. Feed canned only, dry food uses up too much moisture from the body which would only worsen the constipation. You can also use a bit of olive oil in the food too (instead of the pumpkin). Try just a few drops at a time - work up to 1/8 teaspoon per meal if possible. Not all cats are crazy about olive oil. Your best bet is the pumpkin - it's more readily accepted by most cats.

It's important to make sure that your cat is drinking water - keeping her hydrated will help her pass stools.

You should see improvement in 24-48 hours. If not, and she's still straining and not passing anything, call the vet and bring her in sooner.
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by reader

the cat that is losing weight, her personality has changed, she seems more happy,more kitten like, and does not show signs of being sick(other than losing wieght.

Advice?
Sounds like it could be hyperthyroidism. My Chynna who is now 18 years old started to lose weight a couple of years ago. Turns out that she had a bad tooth that was bothering her and I didn't notice
So she was basically starving to death


At the time of her dental procedure last year, her thyroid levels were ok. The vet was quite surprised about that because she had all of the external signs of being hyperthyroid.

I had her checked again earlier this year, almost a year since her dental. During that year she had just barely maintained her weight, which the vet had described at that point as emaciated


Her blood work came back as being positive for hyperthyroidism. She is now on Tapazole once per day. Her fur is becoming less coarse, she is still playful but not to the point of manic like she was at times. And while I haven't weighed her I notice that she is starting to put a strain on my sore arm when I pick her up. Something that she wasn't doing a couple months ago. So she has started to regain some of the weight that she had lost.
 
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Thanks everyone, im reading and absorbing each and every word everyone writes.
 

booktigger

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You say she gave birth to one kitten years ago - was she spayed after that?
 
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Originally Posted by booktigger

You say she gave birth to one kitten years ago - was she spayed after that?
Yes.
She gave birth to one kitten in 2001 that we kept. That kitten is now a 8 year old cat that has lived with mother(the cat we are talking about in this post that appears sick) and have never been apart from each other.
 

ktlynn

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Originally Posted by reader

She gave birth to one kitten in 2001 that we kept. That kitten is now a 8 year old cat that has lived with mother(the cat we are talking about in this post that appears sick) and have never been apart from each other.
That's great that you kept the kitten, so mom and baby were able to stay together.


How's mom cat doing? Any improvement with the constipation?
 

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Hi-
I recently noticed that my cat has lost some weight. I can feel his backbone and hipbones. He's always been a small cat, but seemed to have more muscle. I have made a vet appointment for him, but he won't be going until Monday morning. He's still eating, drinking, pooping and peeing (not an emergency, that is why he's going on Monday). He just seems to be eating less, seems lethargic, and has stopped humping stuffed animals, which used to be his favorite activity, despite being neutered. His abdomen seems sort of hard too, like not as squishy as it once was. He was recently dewormed, because our other cat's stool sample came up positive for round worm. He is a long haired cat, and sometimes gets hairballs. Could he have a very large hairball that he can't throw up in his stomach? (This is what I was thinking about last night when I was trying to go to sleep!) He is ten years old. Any ideas on what this could be? I'm sure it could be a ton of things. What tests will they do on him when I bring him in?
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booktigger

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I would get him seen sooner than Mon, as while it might not be urgent today, it could be before then.
 
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Originally Posted by reader

my 10 year old female has been grossly overwieght at 23pounds forthe since age 5. her daily routine was eat,sleep,eat,sleep 24 hours dayfrom last october to may(today) she has lost about 7 pounds,to about 16lbs.Is she sick? before i bring her to the vet($$ is tight) i would like some advice,etc.Last october we got a small very lively toy dog(pomerian)that playfully keeps our 3 cats running around the house, and on alert.We also started our cat that is losing wieght on a cat food that is supposely designed to make cats lose weight and get physically fit(iams special silver something). the other cats do not eat it, but the overwieght cats does, and seems to love itthe cat that is losing weight, her personality has changed, she seems more happy,more kitten like, and does not show signs of being sick(other than losing wieght.
Advice?
THE ABOVE IS MY POST to refresh what is going on

Friday,june 26 my cat has an appt to be seen. I know i took a month to bring her to a vet but i finally got the nerve to call for an appt. i am so afraid i will get bad news, or it will be very expensive to treat her.

My 10 year old cat continues to lose weight but she seems to be so happy,energetic, and playful COMPARED to her ten years as an overweight cat and just sleeping 24/7. Could it be as relatively simple as a tapeworm condition? Again she weighted 23 pounds last October, likely weighs about 14 pounds now

i will let everyone know next week how everything goes
 

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Originally Posted by reader

THE ABOVE IS MY POST to refresh what is going on

Friday,june 26 my cat has an appt to be seen. I know i took a month to bring her to a vet but i finally got the nerve to call for an appt. i am so afraid i will get bad news, or it will be very expensive to treat her.

My 10 year old cat continues to lose weight but she seems to be so happy,energetic, and playful COMPARED to her ten years as an overweight cat and just sleeping 24/7. Could it be as relatively simple as a tapeworm condition? Again she weighted 23 pounds last October, likely weighs about 14 pounds now

i will let everyone know next week how everything goes
Hi, I'm glad you're taking her in this week to see the vet. It really could be any number of things so make sure they do a senior blood panel to check for everything. Please let us know what you find out.
 
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