Romeo needs to gain weight :(

My Romeo, who was previously a big guy (12.4 lbs at first check) is down to 9.3 pounds after about 4 months. That doesn't sound that small, but he's got a big frame. You can clearly feel his spine now. I thought that maybe he was losing weight because of being on Taste of the Wild, since it's a lower calorie food.

He also has been peeing and pooping outside the box a few times over the last week. I blame that mostly on not having enough litter boxes (I was trying to get away with having two for the three of them), and accidentally locking him in my bedroom twice where he didn't have a box to go in. I just got two extra boxes, as well as some Cat Attract litter yesterday.

But I wanted to take him to the vet to ease my mind. The vet was very concerned about his weight loss and was worried that he has diabetes. He also told me that Romeo, who the shelter told me was about 4 when I got him in July(and a vet after that told me is about 5-7), is actually about 10 . I started crying when he told me that, and he gave me a "Well, someone's forgotten to take her meds today" sort of look. But I feel like I lost, at minimum, 3 years with him that I thought I had, and the older cats get, the more health issues they have.

So I took him in for blood tests today. They tested him for diabetes, and tested his liver and kidneys. They were all normal. He said that his teeth look fine, too, though he did say that he's missing quite a few of them. I'm irritated that they didn't point that out to me when I got his teeth cleaned a few months ago. But the vet said that he has enough teeth to chew and that shouldn't be a problem. He wasn't concerned about his going outside the box, and said I probably just needed more boxes.


So the vet thinks that maybe that food (the TOTW) just isn't working out for him. I actually had already started switching to Nutro a few days before the vet visit (he had been on that at the shelter), and the vet thinks that might be a good plan. But he said that if he isn't gaining weight, I should think about putting him on Hills C/D food. He fed him some and said he gobbled it down (it may have just been because he was hungry from not eating since 12 the night before). I'm hesitant to spend money for a prescription food that addresses issues that he doesn't even have (it's for urinary health). But I'll do it if that's what he'll eat. He also gave me some Nutracal to give to him (which smells like butt!).

I definitely don't notice him eating as much as he used to, and a few weeks ago he threw up every day for a week. But it always had hair in it so I thought maybe he just had a hairball stuck. He hasn't thrown up since. I asked the vet if maybe he has an upset stomach, and he didn't think so, but said I could give him half a Pepcid to see if it did anything. I think he is sensitive to some foods, because I gave him a fish flavored treat twice a few weeks ago, and he promptly threw them up both times.

The vet wants him up about a pound or so. We have a re-check in two weeks to make sure that he's not still losing. He said I should try to give him some canned tuna, some rotisserie chicken, or any kind of canned food that he'll eat. But I kind of doubt that he's going to eat any of that- he really only like kibble. But I'll try.


Does anyone have any other kind of input about this? I'm sorry this was so long, I'm just really worried about this . My old cat had a ridiculous amount of health problems, including food and weight issues, so it's like that kind of nightmare all over again. I just love him so much, and want him to be as healthy as he can be .

First it sounds good to me that so much of his lab work was good - that's great news. Secondly, don't worry too much about the Hills CD - my boy is on it because he had crystals, but my girl eats it too (very difficult to feed them separately) and three vets have told me it's ok for her to eat it as well. The good news is that it's a nutrient dense food - even smaller portions of the food will ensure your cat is getting plenty of calories, compared to some non-prescription foods. That may be what the vet was getting at for the moment. The wet comes in two flavors - my boy's tummy had issues with the fishy version, but is ok on the other. The CD is a full and balanced maintenance food.

If it were me, I'd probably invest in a couple weeks' worth of the wet and/or dry CD (and cost-wise, given the portions, I've found it's not that much more than I paid for Nutro), and also see what other treats he might like, as the vet suggested - a lot of cats will eat plain baby food (chicken or lamb - with no onion or garlic in it) when they're not keen on anything else. Hills also has some other prescription lines to consider - as do the other producers.

My two were also adopted as adults - the shelter and the vet pretty much agree on hold old we think they are, but we'll never know for sure. I know it's frustrating but maybe your guy was brought into your life because you know how to care for him so well.

It's really encouraging that his blood work was so good - but did the vet get a sample of his urine?

That's a lot of weight to lose so quickly. If he used to eat the TOTW and then you noticed he wasn't eating as much... I'd be worried there's something else going on.

It definitely can't hurt to try the c/d. ALL of our cats are on it. We now feed wet only, but they used to free feed dry in addition to their one (then two) wet meal(s) a day (also c/d), and it was just too complicated to figure out how to get 6, then 7 (at the time) cats eating different diets. The oldest have been on a Hill's c/d only diet for 5 or 6 years now, and they're healthy and have great coats.

I'd try more litter boxes, the c/d - and keep a close eye on him. I do think he should have a urinalysis done, because something like crystals would NOT show up in a blood panel. And if you're concerned about the diagnosis, get a second opinion.

If you've been feeding dry, def. switch to a wet food and give him as much as he'll eat. I wouldn't be too fussed about what it is he's eating until he puts on some weight.

Also, kitties can live a long time ! I adopted a 10yr old and she's fine heath wise. I really expect her to live into her late teens at the least.

I'd be very concerned about the weight loss, and follow the advice of your vet, first, and those with experience here.

I just wanted to say that I've had cats live healthy lives up to their very late teens, so you can have Romeo for a long time yet, hopefully. But I, too, have gotten cats from a shelter where later it was discovered they were much older than originally thought. After age 4 or 5, until they really show signs of aging, it can be hard to tell.

But don't despair at this point. I'd try the c/d, wet if he will eat it, and follow up with your vet.

Hope things turn around soon.


Robin

Thank you all for the input about the CD- I have a vet appointment at 4, and will be buying some. He hasn't eaten since he was at the vet yesterday . And he just doesn't seem well.

He went over to his bowl earlier, and tried to smell his food, and then sneezed. He's had a runny nose and been kind of 'snuffily' for a few weeks now. The vet listened to his lungs and said that it doesn't sound like he has an infection. I wonder if it's the clumping litter. I went and bought Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat (it's supposed to be dust free) so I hope that it will help if that's the case. I know that cats won't eat if they can't smell their food, so maybe that's a component. I feel really guilty about that if so . I used to use non-clumping, but it got so stinky that I switched. The Tidy Cats doesn't seem all that dusty to me at all (especially compared to Fresh Step), but maybe it is to them.

I'm just worried sick . I hope the vet can figure something out this afternoon.

I hope the vet visit goes well, and that Romeo feels better....cats are so good at hiding health issues, it's hard to catch things early. And even harder, I think, to get just the right products (food, litter, everything) - we can only try our best and pay attention to the cat - and you're doing that.

I know, it's heart breaking when they won't eat - when my girl was on Clavomox she totally lost her appetite - I must have called the vet four times in two days for advice. Lean on your vet for support - they're used to it, and they want your cat to feel better as well.

Hopefully it's just a cold that needs to be managed. However, you really do need to get him eating.

But so far as clumping litter goes, Dr. Elsley's Precious Cat is the best. It has almost no dust. We've been able to get along fine with the MUCH cheaper Walmart Special Kitty (clumping) litter (in the green box - unscented). But even though it's 99.9% dust free, it's still dustier than the Precious Cat litter.

I just want to update. I took Romeo to the vet Saturday after writing that post. It was a vet that I'd never met before at that practice. He is, literally, around 80 years old and can barely walk. He was very short with me and said "He's anemic and dehydrated. I want to keep him for a few days so I can re-run the blood tests and give him antibiotics and fluids." and then went to grab him from me .

I said "Wait, what do you think is causing this?" and he said "Well it could be a malignancy in his intestine. I didn't palpate anything, but it could be there." He said it in a very matter of fact way, like 'well, who cares?'.

I wasn't happy about leaving Romeo with him, but it was Saturday afternoon and he wasn't eating, so I didn't know what other option I had.

The vet said he'd be for 2 hours on Sunday, so I went to see Romeo. I was pissed off immediately to see that he was in a cage with no litter box, and the vet had just dumped a glop of wet food on the newspaper lining the cage. I said to him "Romeo doesn't like wet food, can you please give him some kibble?" and he said "Cats need wet food for their kidneys" and I said "I understand, but he will not eat it. And he needs to eat". So he sort of rolled his eyes and said "Okay". I also asked "Will you put a litter box in there for him?" and he said "There was one in there, he just went so I took it out. But I'll put it back in." The dog in the cage below him was sleeping on newspapers covered in pee, so I doubted the litterbox story. I think he just expects the animals to go on the newspaper.

I was seriously considering just taking him and leaving. But he was supposed to get more fluids, antibiotics, and a vitamin B shot today (Monday). It was heartbreaking to put him back in that cage- when I picked him up he started purring and buried his head in the crook of my arm. And when I put him back in he started crying. . I put the sweatshirt that I was wearing in with him. I wanted him to be able to sleep on something that smelled like me, and figured it was something that he could go to the bathroom on if he needed to (he's peed on clothes before).


When I came to pick him up today, he reeked of urine. I was so angry. The vet said that he has a respiratory infection, gave me some antibiotics, and tried to leave. I said "Wait, he hasn't had a respiratory infection for 4 months-why has he been losing all that weight?" and he said "It's very possible he has a tumor or FIP", and then looked irritated when I started crying. I said "Then can you do tests to determine that?" He said "No...well, I don't know" and then went to ask someone. He came back and said that they could go a blood test for FIP, but it has to be shipped out to be read.


There's no way in hell I'm going back there. In the car, I kept crying and saying sorry to Ro for putting him through that . I think I'm going to go back to Banfield. They're so expensive, but they were very on the ball with what was happening with my old medically-complicated cat.

So now I'm terrified that he has FIP or cancer, I'm out $150 (honestly, less than I thought it would be, though), and I have no answers. I just can't lose my baby .

Honestly, what is up with old school (or just plain old in this case) vets? Old school doctors that tell you to walk it off, etc, died off when medical practices came around. Vets are supposed to be at the forefront of medicine because of how delicate animals are, and vets are supposed to be so good that even failed vets go on to become human doctors (that's how it works, if you can't perform surgery on a delicate animal, you may still be good enough for larger humans).

I guess it's because pets are seen as family members nowadays, when they used to be viewed more as property. But still, you would assume that vets were always the type of people to think of animals as family.

It sounds like the vet you went to would only be good for minor stuff, like fixing animals and declawing (and if he's 80 years old, he probably has no qualms declawing), you know, the stuff that hasn't changed and isn't likely to. I hope those diagnoses are wrong, and that the vet made a mistake with that like he did in most of his care of Romeo. It does sound like he was grasping at straws there and was just throwing out some diseases because he really doesn't know what's going on.

Please GET a New vet ... If you are not sure how to find one start by calling the local shelters , they usually know about good and often less $$ vets ...

IMHO I ??? any use of a RX food but would Never use it off label ... Now A/d which is canned only unfortunately is designed to add weight...

Taste of the Wild is Not a low cal food and C/D is not a high cal food

Wow, this sounds so much like what is going on with my plushy. Weight loss and age discrepancy and all. I just actually updated my post about this. I am so sorry to hear you are putting up with this... especially a bad vet.

Please update us! What have you found out since??? I'm curious since Plushy has so many of the same problems.