10 yr old cat, losing weight, help me please

My cat, Ced, is turning 10 this year.

My dad use to call Ced 'fat', though I always thought he was a normal size. Then, several months ago, my dad commented the Ced had lost weight. He was still eating normally, if anything he seemed a little more hungry than usually, always meowing around meal times. We wormed him, but that did nothing.

The vet didn't concerned, saying that Ced was in excellent condition for his age and that it is ideal for a cat to have a 'waist'. Ced has always been straight down the back with no dip in at the waist, now he does and his back legs, like his knee and femur, have also become visible. 

It may be a possibility the Ced has always been a little over-weight, as he never really had a waist, and now he's just losing some, but I al concerned as to why he seems to be losing weight.

I've been trying to pay extra close attention to him over the past couple of months as I did read that when cats are sick they can usually hide it very well.

I took him back to the vet as I was sure the weight loss was an issue, the vet ran some blood and urine test, but did them more for my own piece of mind than out of believing Ced really needed them, he said he expected them to come back in the normal range for a cat Ced's age. The results showed that he had early diabetes and renal problems, something the vet said was very normal for his age and didn't require treatment, just monitoring.

I was still not convinced that everything was ok.

He's only been back since for a scratch he got in a cat fight.  

In terms of symptoms:

-he still meows a lot for his meals, though sometimes he will walk off having only eaten half (he will finish it off later)

-he sleeps most of the day, I know that's what cats do, but even when he is outside, rather than going off like to use to, he is often lying out not too far from the back door

-he lays down a lot I have noticed. I don't know if this is just me been way too anxious.

-he meows a lot at me, like he's talking (haha)

-I have noticed recently that one of his nipples is larger than the only across from it. He doesn't like having his tummy touched (never has) so its hard to examine it unless and all stretched out and sleeping

-he DOES NOT seem more thirsty than usual

-he DOES NOT seem to be urinating more than usual

-he still purrs and plays a bit, just the other day he caught a lizard outside

Ced is both an indoor and outdoor cat so it is obviously hard to keep track of any changes his in toilet routine. 

Recently we have been making him stay inside at night time

I am very concerned about Ced. I just feel like something is not quite right with him. I want to take him to the vet for the enlarged nipple but my dad has said just to keep an eye on it.

I almost feel a bit crazy, like I'm dragging him backwards and forwards to the vets but they just keep telling me he's healthy, but I keep getting a gut feeling that something is up.

I don't know much about cat health, even though I've been reading everything I can recently. I don't have a massive amount of faith in my vet, as we asked once about what we could do in terms of regular testing to get on top of health issues that may arise and before they became a real problem and he said animals are not like humans and you only treat them when they're ill. But I'm from a small town so its the only vet we have.

I would like some advice. Anything I should keep an eye out for? Anything I should monitor? Anything in particular I should tell the vet? Anything I could say to convince then to run more tests?

I am worried that they will do nothing about the possible enlarged nipple. They seems to have a wait and see attitude.

Sorry for such a long post, Thank you to all who read it and a massive thank you to those who offer me some help. I love my cat dearly and I feel so worried, alone and helpless.       

Early diabetes and kidney problems could explain the hunger and weight loss.  How much weight has he lost?  That nipple does need to be checked by the vet.  Does the vet want you to bring him back soon to monitor his labs and weight?  If not, I'd make the appt anyway.  I don't know what would be considered a reasonable time to wait for the 2nd set of labs....6 weeks?  3 months?  You can weigh him your self every week.  Just weight yourself and then weigh both of you together and subtract your weight.   I'd also consider making him an indoor only since he's sleeping so much more.  Or maybe if you could monitor him closely within a fenced area, if you have one, then you could let him outside briefly.   

Your cat is getting older and most seem to get a bit boney , based on the cats that I've had. 10 is a bit early for them to start losing weight but some cats age better than others. If the blood results are not too bad and there are no other obvious concerns, I might request a body XRay to make sure there are no tumors in the early stages...just to rule it out as a possible concern. I have had two cats that had symptoms like you described and one of them ended up with a tumor in her chest. It wasn't obvious before we noticed a notable downturn in her health, but her bloodwork looked pretty good initially and we had no idea she was ailing based on the bloodwork alone. Keep an eye on his weight and lab results as was suggested in an earlier post. Good luck!

Jim 

I would not consider diabetes or renal disease to be normal for a 10 year old, nor weight-loss.

What blood tests were run? Did the vet run a T4/Free T4 to check Ced's thyroid?

Do you have a copy of the blood work run?

I'm not really liking the way your vet is dismissing your concerns. I think I would consider getting a second opinion from another vet if at all possible.

While 10 is definitely not common for renal failure, it's not impossible. My first kidney cat was 8 when he died. But you are saying that your kitty seems more hungry, whereas kidney disease usually has the opposite effect. I'm more inclined to lean toward potential hyperthyroidism with those symptoms (increased hunger / weight loss).

If your vet doesn't seem concerned, I think it's time for a new vet. Suddenly losing weight for no obvious reason (for instance, if you put him on a diet) should ALWAYS be cause for concern. Definitely need to get a full blood work done, including T4. T4 is separate from the regular blood work, so if they just ran a regular panel, they probably didn't include it. Which, if your vet didn't, I'd be very upset personally and definitely be out looking for a new vet.

I agree - seek out a second vet opinion and bring copies of your cat's medical records with you.

Originally Posted by JRA82  

 The results showed that he had early diabetes and renal problems, something the vet said was very normal for his age and didn't require treatment, just monitoring.

I was still not convinced that everything was ok.

In terms of symptoms:

-he still meows a lot for his meals, though sometimes he will walk off having only eaten half (he will finish it off later)

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Early diabetes can be treated now to prevent full diabetes. The meowing for food indicates to me that your cat's pancrease isn't quite functioning at 100% so he's hungrier than normal. To give the pancrease a break and potentially prevent it from burning out and resulting in diabetes, feed your cat low carb canned food. No dry food at all because the carbs in dry foods puts a burden on the pancrease. There are many brands of low carb foods you can feed: Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet, Nature's Variety Instinct, Merrick, etc. Here's the list of low carb Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm For other brands, see this chart and look for foods that have less than 10% carbs: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf You may need to feed as much as 5.5 oz or a little more daily to keep your cat's tummy happy. Several small meals daily helps to keep blood glucose levels stable, even for borderline diabetes.

You can visit FelineDiabetes.com for more info on diabetes and how to help even a borderline diabetic.

Yeah, so many different things it could be. Did the kitty have a urinalysis as well by chance?

"Let's wait and see..."  I always roll my eyes when I hear that phrase uttered by doctors and vets.  It's malpractice in my opinion in many cases.  Sometimes it's right to wait, but why wait and see with pre-diabetes? I wish you could get another vet.  Is it possible for you to have a mobile vet see your kitty for a second opinion?  A mobile vet can draw blood.  

I agree about canned food for diabetes and get thyroid and nipple checked out

Ginny said:

 
Early diabetes and kidney problems could explain the hunger and weight loss.  How much weight has he lost?  That nipple does need to be checked by the vet.  Does the vet want you to bring him back soon to monitor his labs and weight?  If not, I'd make the appt anyway.  I don't know what would be considered a reasonable time to wait for the 2nd set of labs....6 weeks?  3 months?  You can weigh him your self every week.  Just weight yourself and then weigh both of you together and subtract your weight.   I'd also consider making him an indoor only since he's sleeping so much more.  Or maybe if you could monitor him closely within a fenced area, if you have one, then you could let him outside briefly.   

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-Thank you for your reply. I'm not sure how much weight he has lost as we have never weighed him regularly (I will start now). But I believe he feels lighter when pick him up. The vet did not mention when we should re-test. When he is outside he doesn't wander as much as he use to. But there is a neighbour cat that comes into our yard and they do not get on. Ceddy gets very worked up about it.

JMarkitell said:

 
Your cat is getting older and most seem to get a bit boney , based on the cats that I've had. 10 is a bit early for them to start losing weight but some cats age better than others. If the blood results are not too bad and there are no other obvious concerns, I might request a body XRay to make sure there are no tumors in the early stages...just to rule it out as a possible concern. I have had two cats that had symptoms like you described and one of them ended up with a tumor in her chest. It wasn't obvious before we noticed a notable downturn in her health, but her bloodwork looked pretty good initially and we had no idea she was ailing based on the bloodwork alone. Keep an eye on his weight and lab results as was suggested in an earlier post. Good luck!

Jim 

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-Thank you for your reply Jim. Ceddy will be going to the vet this week and I will bring up the possibility of an x-ray. 

CatPack said:

I would not consider diabetes or renal disease to be normal for a 10 year old, nor weight-loss.

What blood tests were run? Did the vet run a T4/Free T4 to check Ced's thyroid?

Do you have a copy of the blood work run?

I'm not really liking the way your vet is dismissing your concerns. I think I would consider getting a second opinion from another vet if at all possible.

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-Thank you for your reply. From the way the vet was discussing it he made it sound like all cats Ceddy's age will have some form of diabetes and renal disease, even if only in the early stages. My knowledge on cat health is very limited so naturally I believed the vet.

I will be taking Ced back to the vet this week and asking about the tests they ran, as well as getting a printed copy. If there was no T4, I will request one.

There are 2 vets working at the only vet clinic in my town. Ced has seen them both. Considering that he doesn't handle the 5 minute car trip to that clinic very well, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to try the 30 minute trip to the next closest clinic. But I will certainly be exploring options.    

Donutte said:

While 10 is definitely not common for renal failure, it's not impossible. My first kidney cat was 8 when he died. But you are saying that your kitty seems more hungry, whereas kidney disease usually has the opposite effect. I'm more inclined to lean toward potential hyperthyroidism with those symptoms (increased hunger / weight loss).

If your vet doesn't seem concerned, I think it's time for a new vet. Suddenly losing weight for no obvious reason (for instance, if you put him on a diet) should ALWAYS be cause for concern. Definitely need to get a full blood work done, including T4. T4 is separate from the regular blood work, so if they just ran a regular panel, they probably didn't include it. Which, if your vet didn't, I'd be very upset personally and definitely be out looking for a new vet.

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-Thank you for your reply. Everything I read online said weight loss in cat (unless on diet) was not normal so I was a little confused at the vet apparent lack of concern. As I mentioned above, the next nearest vet clinic is 30 minutes drive away and Ceddy hates car trips. But I will explore options regarding seeing a different vet if I can't get the local clinic to to step up their game.

As far as I am aware it was just a regular blood panel. At the appointment this week I will request a print out of the tests, and request a T4 test.

LTS3 said:

 
I agree - seek out a second vet opinion and bring copies of your cat's medical records with you.

Early diabetes can be treated now to prevent full diabetes. The meowing for food indicates to me that your cat's pancrease isn't quite functioning at 100% so he's hungrier than normal. To give the pancrease a break and potentially prevent it from burning out and resulting in diabetes, feed your cat low carb canned food. No dry food at all because the carbs in dry foods puts a burden on the pancrease. There are many brands of low carb foods you can feed: Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet, Nature's Variety Instinct, Merrick, etc. Here's the list of low carb Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm For other brands, see this chart and look for foods that have less than 10% carbs: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf You may need to feed as much as 5.5 oz or a little more daily to keep your cat's tummy happy. Several small meals daily helps to keep blood glucose levels stable, even for borderline diabetes.

You can visit FelineDiabetes.com for more info on diabetes and how to help even a borderline diabetic.

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-Thank you for your reply. I will look into some low carb food for Ceddy. 

Donutte said:

Yeah, so many different things it could be. Did the kitty have a urinalysis as well by chance?

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-He did have a urinalysis at the same time as they took blood for testing. All we heard back about the results was that all looked good, though he did have early diabetes and renal problems. I will be getting a printed copy of Ceddy's results this week. 

Ginny said:

 
"Let's wait and see..."  I always roll my eyes when I hear that phrase uttered by doctors and vets.  It's malpractice in my opinion in many cases.  Sometimes it's right to wait, but why wait and see with pre-diabetes? I wish you could get another vet.  Is it possible for you to have a mobile vet see your kitty for a second opinion?  A mobile vet can draw blood.  

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-I know, I'm not at all impressed with the attitude of the vet. When we first took Ceddy to the clinic, I came away feeling a lot better, we had got blood and urine testing and the vet said Ceddy looking to be in excellent health for his age. But the more I am reading the more aware I am becoming of health problems in cats and the more angry I become at the vets lack of concern. 

I will look into the possibility of a mobile vet. I wish Ceddy was better at handling car rides, then I could find a well reviewed vet in the nearest city. 

I will admit I don't know much about the health of cats though I have been reading online. I feel like my vet isn't very proactive and I'm glad I found this site so I could get some help from people more in the know about cat health than I am, so that I could go to my vet and I would know what I should be asking for etc.

Thank you all for your help. I will be taking Ceddy to the vet this week with my notes and questions at the ready.  

Good luck this week with Ceddy!  I hope all goes well and they find something very treatable.  I think it's a good suggestion by @LTS3 to feed low-carb grain free canned food.  It sounds like this vet treats after the fact, not proactively.  So if he's not up on things, you'll have to be. <sigh>  At least we are here to help!  

I always had trouble getting kitties to tolerate car rides as well.  They are NOT a fan of riding!  Poor Garfy flat out had panic attacks, Gracie almost did too  So I understand the pain of having to take a car ride.  Sometimes the finances dictate that because mobile vets don't do ER and they are expensive.  If you don't have Feliway spray, that would help!  You can use it daily.  Feline pheromones help calm them.  Also, you could open the carrier and put some spray right on the towel he sits on and let him get used to sitting in there on his own before taking him on a car ride to the vet.  One spray in the carrier is all you need and you can spray it a few minutes before you put him in.  Don't spray the cat with the pheromone spray, only the inside of the carrier.  Or anywhere else you want inside the house like his favorite rug or sofa or cat cozy.  

If you get the chance, will you please post a pic of Ceddy?  We're all cat people and we like to see pics of them!  

Ginny said:

 
Good luck this week with Ceddy!  I hope all goes well and they find something very treatable.  I think it's a good suggestion by @LTS3 to feed low-carb grain free canned food.  It sounds like this vet treats after the fact, not proactively.  So if he's not up on things, you'll have to be. <sigh>  At least we are here to help!  

I always had trouble getting kitties to tolerate car rides as well.  They are NOT a fan of riding!  Poor Garfy flat out had panic attacks, Gracie almost did too  So I understand the pain of having to take a car ride.  Sometimes the finances dictate that because mobile vets don't do ER and they are expensive.  If you don't have Feliway spray, that would help!  You can use it daily.  Feline pheromones help calm them.  Also, you could open the carrier and put some spray right on the towel he sits on and let him get used to sitting in there on his own before taking him on a car ride to the vet.  One spray in the carrier is all you need and you can spray it a few minutes before you put him in.  Don't spray the cat with the pheromone spray, only the inside of the carrier.  Or anywhere else you want inside the house like his favorite rug or sofa or cat cozy.  

If you get the chance, will you please post a pic of Ceddy?  We're all cat people and we like to see pics of them!  

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Thanks for the suggestion on the Feliway spray, I will certainly buy some. 

We're off to the vets tomorrow to hopefully get some answers. I just have to be a bit forceful and assertive about what I want, I'm afraid that's not easy for me though. 

I have made my avatar a recent picture of Ceddy  

I'm on board with everyone else, get a T4 ran because weight loss with a good appetite is the major symptom of hyperthyroidism and 10 is the age were cats develop it. It's really concerning that your vet didn't run that test originally, so def get a second opinion. good luck! 

How's Ceddy today?

missmimz said:

 
I'm on board with everyone else, get a T4 ran because weight loss with a good appetite is the major symptom of hyperthyroidism and 10 is the age were cats develop it. It's really concerning that your vet didn't run that test originally, so def get a second opinion. good luck! 

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Ginny said:

How's Ceddy today?

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Ced went to the vet the other day. 

The vet said the growth on Ceddy's nipple was likely a papilloma, though we are to keep an eye on it and bring him if it changes or if Ceddy starts licking or biting at it.

I asked about his blood test. It did include a Total T4, which was 32.9, right in the middle of the recommended range the vet said.

He also said that the blood test showed an abnormal liver enzyme, but that it wasn't a concern because all the rest of the liver was normal.

The good news is Ceddy's weight has gone up since his last visit. He went from 5.5kg to 5.7kg. Not much of a gain but its better than a loss.

The vet said he would't want to see Ceddy get any heavier. And as I mentioned in my first post my dad always called Ceddy 'fat' and I'm starting to think maybe he was a little over weight, or maybe due to his age he's losing some muscle definition.

I didn't ask for an x-ray because after I heard that his weight had gone up I was really relieved. If he had have lost more weight I probably would have asked for more tests to figure out the reason for the weight loss.

JRA82 said:

 
 It did include a Total T4, which was 32.9, right in the middle of the recommended range the vet said.

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I'm not really familiar with international values but according to this site 32.9 is actually in the very beginning of "grey zone" for a cat over 10. As cats get older their thyroid levels should get lower, not higher. So although not in the "abnormal" range, a grey zone thyroid level in an older cat can be an indication that cat is going into hyperthyroidism. I would keep a close eye on that thyroid level. Your vet at the very least should have mentioned that it was at the tip of the "grey zone" for an older cat and that it should be re-tested in 6 months or a year. My cat was grey zone in June of 2015 and hyperthyroid in January of 2016. 

Hi Everyone, 

It has been a while. 

Ceddy seems to be having some trouble again. 

After Feb Ceddy put some weight back on and the dip in his 'waist' fill in. 

A few months ago I noticed that he was losing weight again. He also became incredibly fussy about his food, even though he often meows like he is starving. It was quite strange, he has always eating fish varieties when it comes to tinned food, but he went completely off them, no matter what we tried. We tried beef, chicken, turkey, lamb. He would eat one meat variety in the morning, but refuse it at dinner.

He also completely stopped eating his dry food, again, no matter what variety or brand we tried. He wouldn't even eat his most favourite treats!! At this point I was pretty convinced he had something wrong with his teeth. 

He went to the vet, they said his teeth looked fine. 

I wasn't living at home at this time so I wasn't able to keep a close eye on him. 

He went back to the vet in October because I was so so so sure there was something up with him. He still wasn't eating and he just wasn't behaving like himself. He seemed to be quite down. 

He went back to the clinic and was seen by a different vet. She said that his teeth were in definite need of a clean and would be causing him some pain. She also repeated all the tests he had earlier this year. 

The results came back and he had 2 that were quite high. BASO was 7.1% or 0.49 x10^9/L and his ALT was 579 U/L. 

They decided to knock Ceddy out when they cleaned his teeth and they also planned to reform an ultrasound or x-ray on his abdomen due to the elevated ALT. Whichever scan they did didn't show anything.

Ceddy seemed to be much more himself after he had his teeth cleaned. He is still fussy with his food, though not to the same extent. He is also back to eating dry food and loving his favourite treats. But he isn't putting any weight on. 

When he last had his blood tests his weight was 4.5 kgs, and I believe when we weighted him at the start of this year he was around 5.5kgs. So that is quite a significant amount of weight loss. 

Just wondering what everyone would suggest I do next??

I am think about getting the BASO and ALT rechecked. The vet did mention that the elevation could have been due to his teeth and gums. Though I do remember him having an elevated liver enzyme back in Feb. 

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you all :-) 

How is Ceddy's thyroid doing?  I don't know but his symptoms sound like hyperthyroid.  Has it been rechecked since before?  

JRA82 said:

 
Hi Everyone, 
 
Thank you all :-) 

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I've looked through the entire thread (and i admit i may have missed the answer) and numerous people have asked you about testing for hyperthyroid, the common symptoms being both increased hunger and weight loss at the same time.  I can't seem to see if you tested for this or replied about it, other than long ago your cat was maybe borderline for this.  Has your cat been recently tested for this?