Anorexia/Bulimia????

My 7 1/2 year old tom cat seems to be showing signs of anorexia/bulimia. He will eat and then throw up right afterwords. Behind his rib cage, he is rather skinny, although there is no rib bones sticking out in a bad way. (he has always been a thin and very active cat). I have also noticed that he has been picking at his front paws quite a bit to the point where the fur is bitten off in some spots. At first i thought that he was picking at scar tissue from when he was declawed as a kitten. He has always had food available to him, as week keep his dish full 24/7. He is also on a special urinary tract prescription diet from our vet. If anyone has any ideas as to what could be wrong I would greatly appreciate it. If anything is wrong with him, i'd like to beable to get it under control before it worsens! Thank you!

Please get this kitty to the vet as soon as possible. Cats do not get anorexia or bulemia. Your kitty is sick and showing signs of a health issue. Ask the vet to run blood panels- the symptoms you describe really illustrate this cat is in pain. Also have the vet look closely for signs of infection at the old declaw site. Even years down the road, a cat can experience some nasty problems where their claws were removed. But please get this cat to the vet.

Check him also for dehydration by the pinch test. Lightly pinch his neck and tent the skin, then release. The skin should do back down to normal within seconds, if it stays up take your cat to an ER clinic quickly!

Ctas can become anorexic due to lack of some vitamins and minerals. And cats can throw up if they eat to fast. If he's got a problem with eating to fast you can spread the food on a big plate. BUT. I would first of all take the cat to a vet to see if he's sick.

I can hear how worried you are, I am so sorry your cat isn't feeling well. I hate when my guys are not feeling their best. While I don't think cats can be bulemic as that involves a decision to throw up on purpose (albeit is an illness, please folks who may have this don't misunderstand me); but cats can be anorexic in at least one condition I know of - kidney failure (I have one kitty with this). It's part of what happens as the toxins build up because the kidney's aren't functioning completely.

Your description of him looking thin behind his rib cage sounds like the wasting that is seen also with crf (chronic renal failure)...but I'm *sure* there is more than one explanation for this. I'm not a vet, and no one here can give you more than a best guess...your vet can find out what's wrong.

Please zip this fellow in for bloodwork. The picking at his feet could be food allergies. I'd be curious to hear not only what his kidney values are (bun, creatinine, phosphorus, calcium and potassium are 4 biggies to follow) but his liver values as well.

Please keep us updated?

Sorry I guess I should have explained my reply further. What I meant is a person who has anorexia, either choses not to eat, or has an imbalance that prevents her from eating. A cat not eating is not something the cat chooses to do. It simply means there is something wrong with the cat health-wise and should be looked into. A vet would be a good safe call on this one.

Hi Hissy,

It's just our difference in using the term ! I'm just using the term anorexia, not anorexia nervosa. Anorexia means loss of appetite - due to a physical reason.

You are right Pat, I did indeed use the term wrong.

I contacted my Vet yesturday and let him know what was going on. he told me to keep an eye on Rascal and gave me a few sugestions.
He said that the part about his paws may be because he is bored. (I am away at college and get home about once every 2 or 3 weeks). He is although home with my dog and my dad, there are quite often people are coming in and out of my house.
He also said that i should put a ball or large rock inside of his food dish so that he eats slower and has to work at it.
I will continue to keep an eye on him and see how his progress comes along... thank you all for your help!
-Amanda

I would definitely take Rascal to a vet for bloodwork. From what you originally described this has been going on for a while & your cat is now thin right? Your vet may not understand the length of time or the change in your cat's weight. These signs could be something as simple as a bad hariball or as serious as kidney failure or possibly even cancer. I am not trying to scare you , but want you to be aware that there are lots of possibilities for these signs.
Deb E

Thanks, I'll deffinitly do that.... taking this cat to the vet is like taking a mountain lion to the vet though, last time we could not get him out of his pet carrier inside the vet, so we brought him OUTSIDE and I litterally laid ontop of him... Imagine a 165lbs person ontop of a 8lb cat!

You really need to get Rascal checked out ASAP. I would also suspect renal problems. We had a dog with the symptoms you've described, and it turned out that he had a kidney tumor.