One of our family cats is about 14/15 years old and has been losing weight (not sure how much) but he is still constantly hungry and eating! He went to the vets where they said there's nothing wrong with him and didn't think it was thyroids as his coat is still okay,does this sound right to you?
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Weight Loss
- Thread starter jadex
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They can do tests but be ready for the cost! My 14 year old was doing the same thing and after being checked out they said nothing was abnormal that would account for a weight loss (he did end up having an enlarged heart) I started him on kitten food and it put the pounds right back on him. Because of his age and potential kidney problems, make sure you get a kitten food with less protein so it is easier on the kidneys. Also clear any new treatments through your vet, they should be able to advise you. All the luck!
No. There are tests to rule out hyperthyroid. I can't begin to imagine why the vet didn't run them. The signs are classic, and your kitty has them. Kitty simply needs to have total T4 and Free T4 tests run. Yes, when hyper-T is advanced, coats can look bad. But it is entirely possible to catch the problem before their coats look bad.
I wouldn't just feed a higher calorie food. To me, it's worth the expense of ruling a very treatable disease that can kill your cat if not treated in or out as the reason for the problem. :dk:
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This is a very good overview article. Just note that the tests for Free T4 have improved since this was written, and the Free T4 is a more definitive test than this article portrays.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=516
"Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism" as published on the VeterinaryPartner site of the VIN (Veterinary Information Network) website. This is a global database used by vet members.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=516
"Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism" as published on the VeterinaryPartner site of the VIN (Veterinary Information Network) website. This is a global database used by vet members.
Note the symptoms - poor coat quality is not mentioned as a defining symptom of hyper-T. Yes, it definitely happens. But I personally feel it's basically negligent for a vet not to suggest the test based on coat quality - especially when the primary symptom of hyper-T is there. :scratch:
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- #7
will be looking into this,he seems otherwise okay! Can weight loss not just be due to age? Xx
Noticeable weight loss is not likely just due to age, no. Many older cats lose weight, but it's because many of the conditions that cause cats to lose weight are most common in older cats.
Constantly hungry and eating but losing weight is pretty classic symptoms that I would think for hyperthyroid. IF this is the case, there's a med that helps stabilize the thyroid level so his weight stabilizes or comes back up a bit. It's the same drug used in humans, and it's generic and not expensive. Most cats tolerate that well. There's also an expensive treatment (around $1500 neighborhood) that provides for a full cure in most cases. Having done the meds and having a cat survive almost 4 years on them, if I had to do it again I'd do the expensive treatment upfront instead.
But let's not get too far ahead. The symptoms you describe at the very least would warrant testing for typical senior feline diseases, IMO, with a pretty good suspicion of hyperthyroid. Don't want to make it too complicated but given your current vet's thinking you might want to consider trying a different vet.
Constantly hungry and eating but losing weight is pretty classic symptoms that I would think for hyperthyroid. IF this is the case, there's a med that helps stabilize the thyroid level so his weight stabilizes or comes back up a bit. It's the same drug used in humans, and it's generic and not expensive. Most cats tolerate that well. There's also an expensive treatment (around $1500 neighborhood) that provides for a full cure in most cases. Having done the meds and having a cat survive almost 4 years on them, if I had to do it again I'd do the expensive treatment upfront instead.
But let's not get too far ahead. The symptoms you describe at the very least would warrant testing for typical senior feline diseases, IMO, with a pretty good suspicion of hyperthyroid. Don't want to make it too complicated but given your current vet's thinking you might want to consider trying a different vet.
Those are also typical symtpoms of diabetes. You may also notice excessive water drinking and a lot of large sticky sugary smelling urine clumps in the litter box.
Please ask the vet to run tests, namely bloodwork. Diabetes, thyoird issues, and many other health conditions can be diagnosed with a blood test.
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Please do ask your vet to run tests on your kitty. My Mr. Grimsby was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. One tell-tale sign of hyperthyroidism is yowling in the middle of the night for food. Mr. Grimsby started doing that about two weeks before he was diagnosed. He'd always been a quiet cat before.
Mr. Grimsby couldn't tolerate the Tapazol the vet prescribed, either in pill or gel form, so we opted for the radioactive iodine injection. He was hospitalized for a week, but when he came home, he was so much better. He lived another five years - mostly healthy and happy, although always slender (he looked like a Siamese anyway).
It's incredibly important that you determine why your cat is losing weight. It could be any number of reasons, but only blood tests will tell for sure.
BTW, I don't know if you really like your vet, but I agree with the others - I feel it's irresponsible for the vet to say your cat is fine just because his coat looks good. If he were my cat, I'd start looking for another vet - or at the very least, get a second opinion.
Good luck with your little one.
Best regards.
Mr. Grimsby couldn't tolerate the Tapazol the vet prescribed, either in pill or gel form, so we opted for the radioactive iodine injection. He was hospitalized for a week, but when he came home, he was so much better. He lived another five years - mostly healthy and happy, although always slender (he looked like a Siamese anyway).
It's incredibly important that you determine why your cat is losing weight. It could be any number of reasons, but only blood tests will tell for sure.
BTW, I don't know if you really like your vet, but I agree with the others - I feel it's irresponsible for the vet to say your cat is fine just because his coat looks good. If he were my cat, I'd start looking for another vet - or at the very least, get a second opinion.
Good luck with your little one.
Best regards.
