cat much too thin

when we got her from the cat rescue place 3 years ago, she was very shy, almost scared. for 1.5 years, she pretty much hid and came out only for food and litter box, and only when the "coast was clear" and she had her privacy. anyway, we just took it as her being really shy and we accepted that.

however, we noticed about 6 months agao that she became really thin. the vet said nothing was wrong and things would improve. things got worse she got bone thin and we decided to give her lots and lots and lots of personal attention, to guard her dish from the other animals in the house and even give her wet food and table food ... anything so that she would eat and just survive and see another day.

the good news is that she is still alive, and even more social than even as she now knows what's in the refridgerator and what we are doing at the table at dinner time (she's no dummy!). it still remains that she is terribly thin despite her increased food intake. thin to the point of looking incredibly dangerous and near death. yes, that thin.

still the vet says nothing is wrong? .. folks, any ideas? any direction that i should "hint" at to the vet? if you've had similar experiences, please do share.

note: we figure she is about 4 years old, not elderly at all.

thanks in advance.

Have you ever thought of trying another vet? It sounds like she needs a second opinion.

You didn't mention what blood work and testing has been done, though I am sure you did have testing done. Honestly, no cat becomes dangerously thin for no reason, be it dental, illness, what have you.

Time for a second opinion, I'd take her to a specialist.

I would definitely get her to another vet pronto. You are feeding human type food to her, it is possible that what you are feeding her is not good for her and hurting her more than helping? Just a thought- She could be severely mineral deficient. Please find another vet to help her.

i agree with the others. my cat was missing for five days and came back really thin and seemed to get thinner by the day. my vet dismissed me by saying she was a 'healthy weight' when i knew for a fact she had gone from 7lbs to 4.5lbs in a week! we switched vets and with lots of tlc, extra feeding and plain grilled organic chicken Maverick is back to a healthy weight.

are you sure she's eating and another pet hasnt got to her food? what are her stools like? does she have any other symptoms? its easy for a vet to dismiss your concerns as they dont have a personal attatchment to your pet (i know not all vets are like this but this is sadly what i've found) especially when they are over worked and busy.

All-
Thank you so much for your responses. I think the best advice is getting a second opinion; I'll schedule a new appointment with another vet ASAP.

She has had blood work done, came back negative for FIV (and also nothing ese came back positive).

RE: her food intake- we have gotten into the habbit of "guarding" her food dish as the others (one male cat, one dog) had a way of sneaking around. We put an end to that and she is truly eating a lot of food. She just does not seem to bulk up. :-( The table food is limited to unseasoned, plain chicken and she's always table-side when it's out. She just always seems hungry, even with her increased intake.

OK, I'll write back after meeting with the vet.

Truly, thanks again!

It sounds like tape worm or a thyriod problem to me.. but I am not a vet. I hope you find out the cause of her problem. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Cirque

It sounds like tape worm or a thyriod problem to me.. but I am not a vet. I hope you find out the cause of her problem. Good luck!

Click to expand...

I was thinking thyroid myself, even though she's young. Another possibility would be her pancreas - she may not be able to digest her food properly without being given added enzymes. It's more common in dogs, but not unknown in cats.

good luck bossman. i have recently had a similiar exp (vet saying weight ok, cat slowly losing weight to death point) but in my case kitty was older and refusing food. i really hope you find out what is wrong soon. is she seeking out heat more than normal? drinking alot of water or not drinking at all? these are things i would tell vet. hope to hear good news soon.