My cat lost weight

Dusty was a stray that adopted us about 18 months ago. Shortly after we got her we took her to the vet. She weighed 8.8 lbs.

This year during shedding season she lost alot of fur and threw up hairballs nearly every day - even though I was combing her constantly. She has very long fur that is very fine and soft - much like a rabbit. I was getting very worried about her, because she seemed so thin. I took her to the vet where they tested her for FIV and feline leukemia, both negative. She had a full blood panel done - nothing abnormal. But at this vet visit she weighed only 6.6 lbs.

She is an indoor/outdoor cat - mostly stays on the patio when she's outside. She has never had a flea, so I'm not thinking worms are an issue.

Now with her "summer coat" she seems extremely small and thin. Her appetite has started to pick up, so I'm hopeful that she will regain some weight.

Should I be worried about her?

I don;t know about the others, but I would be worried about a two pound weight loss. That is a heck-of-a-lot of weight for a cat to lose. Did the vet check for hyperthyroidism or anything beyond the simple blood screening?

The weight loss still concerns me. You're right - that is 25% of her former weight. Her vet visit was April 25. The vet gave me some medicine for vomiting, but it made her gag so badly I felt it was counterproductive. She has definitely lost alot more fur than she did last year at this time. However, her appetite is improving. I have all the results of her blood tests, but I have no idea what they all mean. Those out of normal range are (normal):

BUN - 41 (14-36)
Osmolality, Calculated - 333 (299-330)
Neutrophils - 2400 (2500-8500)
T4 - 0.75 (0.8-4.0)

Otherwise she appears healthy. She pees and poops, and hasn't thrown up hairballs for 3 weeks.

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

The weight loss still concerns me. You're right - that is 25% of her former weight. Her vet visit was April 25. The vet gave me some medicine for vomiting, but it made her gag so badly I felt it was counterproductive. She has definitely lost alot more fur than she did last year at this time. However, her appetite is improving. I have all the results of her blood tests, but I have no idea what they all mean. Those out of normal range are (normal):

BUN - 41 (14-36)
Osmolality, Calculated - 333 (299-330)
Neutrophils - 2400 (2500-8500)
T4 - 0.75 (0.8-4.0)

Otherwise she appears healthy. She pees and poops, and hasn't thrown up hairballs for 3 weeks.

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Did she have creatine checked??? because it looks like possibley early kidney issues///

Originally Posted by sharky

Did she have creatine checked??? because it looks like possibley early kidney issues///

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Creatinine was 1.8 - normal is 0.6-2.4

My vet told me that BUN levels become elevated only when the kidneys are in serious decline (it takes a whole lot of kidney damage before the BUN goes above the normal range). Therefore, I strongly suspect that your cat is in early kidney failure. This would explain the weight loss, vomiting, and hair loss.

Your vet does not seem to be taking this seriously. If caught early, a cat in kidney failure can live a long life, but if left to progress, the cat can go into a serious decline very quickly.

Please take your cat to a different vet for a second opinion.

Gosh, thanks for the information. I would be very upset if anything heppened to her. She's my baby.