Looking for advice

[Vinson2]

Hello all!
Looking for some advice on my 14-15 year old cat. Unsure of the breed and solid age since I picked him up off a farm I worked at in high school. He was a sickly little thing when I got him but turned a corner quickly after his first vet visit. He has been a great cat and thinks he is a dog who has to greet everyone and plays fetch!
In March I noticed he had some unusual weight loss and there was more of his hair than usual around the house. I took him to the vet and he had a senior blood panel done. The vet found him to have an elevated liver enzyme (I can’t remember for the life of me which one it was) and placed him on antibiotics. We also changed his dry food from IAMS to Purina one urinary health. He seemed to get better for a few months and put on some weight but this past month I again noticed some weight loss. His appetite has never changed, trust me, he will not let you forget it’s time to eat! He always has dry food available and he is on the C/D Hill’s prescription diet, wet food, breakfast and dinner, due to crystals in his urine. He has been on this diet for the past two years. There has been nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to litter box usage, drinking water, activity, vomiting, etc. No change in skin color. He seems perfectly normal aside from the weight loss.
Had anyone had any similar experiences?

Thanks!
Courtney

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
What a handsome little man

Have you had a chance to talk with your vet again? It would definitely be worth mentioning the weight loss and see what they say.

Aside from that, are you giving him filtered water, and do you have a water fountain for him?

 

[daftcat75]

If everything looks good, including appetite, blood-work, litter box, and no vomiting, he may just need a diet adjustment for his age. Can you add another serving to his schedule? Preferably wet food (more easily digested and moisture is also important) in a pate or shredded texture.

Otherwise, the next diagnostic step would probably be an ultrasound to see if there are changes in his intestinal lining (ability to absorb nutrients) that could account for the weight loss.

 

[fionasmom]

March is not that long ago, but long enough to call the vet and ask if there is any reason to be concerned. And, yes, at 15 he might just be slowing down a little.

 

[daftcat75]

If everything looks good, including appetite, blood-work, litter box, and no vomiting, he may just need a diet adjustment for his age. Can you add another serving to his schedule? Preferably wet food (more easily digested and moisture is also important) in a pate or shredded texture.

Otherwise, the next diagnostic step would probably be an ultrasound to see if there are changes in his intestinal lining (ability to absorb nutrients) that could account for the weight loss.

I should mention this is near and dear to me right now. Two weeks ago I lost my Krista. I didn't get an official cause of death. But it was essentially lymphoma that she never could quite beat. We finally achieved a remission just a few weeks before her passing. By that point, she had lost so much weight and was so weakened that a bladder infection became too much for her.

I'm not jumping straight to lymphoma for your guy. But I will say this. If you can afford it, please take him to an internal medicine specialist to get to the bottom of this. General vets only know so much. And his ability to maintain his weight will be one of the single best predictors of his long-term health as he gets older.

 

[neely]

If you can afford it, please take him to an internal medicine specialist to get to the bottom of this.

You literally took the words right out of my mouth. I was just starting to write this when I read your post. An Internal Medical Specialist at a Veterinary Specialty Center would be able to give you the best diagnosis and treatment.

 

[daftcat75]

You literally took the words right out of my mouth. I was just starting to write this when I read your post. An Internal Medical Specialist at a Veterinary Specialty Center would be able to give you the best diagnosis and treatment.

One of my biggest regrets with Krista was not taking her to an internal medicine specialist at the first signs of lymphoma (aka when diet alone wasn't controlling her IBD and she kept pooping liquid and losing weight.) I believe if I worked with a specialist, it wouldn't have taken us so long to achieve a remission (specialist would have yelled at me for using a trigger food to get her to take her medicine), and we wouldn't have had her on daily steroids for so long that not even a remission could help her turn the corner. I got so stubborn in my belief that we were almost there and that maybe this or that little change would finally get us there. I got so caught up in the caregiver struggle that I couldn't see the forest from the trees. But in the end, I feel like I did about as best as I could for her given the vets I was working with. I do believe she would have had a better chance if we had started with a specialist.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I took him to the vet and he had a senior blood panel done. The vet found him to have an elevated liver enzyme (I can’t remember for the life of me which one it was) and placed him on antibiotics.

Hi there! What a sweety!! First of all, you need to get a copy of his blood tests, look them over and find out what liver enzyme was elevated. Then, ask the vet specifically about that elevated enzyme. Also, a cat that age should have blood work/exam done twice a year. Readings can change quickly - both for the good and the bad. Secondly, when they did blood work, did they also check his thyroid (T4) count (hyperthyroidism)? Thirdly, if he could have a malabsorption issue - also known to cause hair loss, as well as weight loss - he might benefit from a B-12 injection. His B-12 level can be checked, and if it proves to be deficient, he can receive a simple injection and then re-tested.

I think you can at least go down the above route, see if it sheds light on anything, and if not then consider a specialist.

 

[Vinson2]

Hi! Welcome!!
What a handsome little man

Have you had a chance to talk with your vet again? It would definitely be worth mentioning the weight loss and see what they say.

Aside from that, are you giving him filtered water, and do you have a water fountain for him?

I haven’t gotten a chance to speak with the vet again. I do have a message in with them. They have been crazy busy with clients and COVID. It ya been crazy! We use tap water and the dogs and him share the bowl, it is rather large. Will have to switch to filtered water and see what he does!

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go

 

[Vinson2]

Hi All!

Update in Chev: We went to the vet and all was normal aside from him being back to 7.5 lbs. The vet believes we have a very picky senior cat on our hands. Changing up his wet food daily now and he is eating all of it without any issues.

 

[MissClouseau]

Hi All!

Update in Chev: We went to the vet and all was normal aside from him being back to 7.5 lbs. The vet believes we have a very picky senior cat on our hands. Changing up his wet food daily now and he is eating all of it without any issues.

He's gorgeous!

If I were you, I would find highest calorie foods and offer them. Maybe even kitten food. A lot of foods out there for adult cats, including some prescription food, are quite low in calories for the cats who have trouble gaining weight, or are just not big eaters. And if the vet says OK, add boiled chicken or turkey pieces as treats - whatever amount vet says would be fine. (I would save it for the last thing of the day. My Hima eats her food less if she gets meat treat earlier.)

It's probably not available where you live but, in case the vet can suggest a similar product, my cat also had/has some liver problems and she gets Silycumin. Milk thistle supplement is recommended by the vet, this also has curcumin which is anti-inflammatory, AND it has B12 vitamin to increase nutrition absorption. Silycumin

 

[Furballsmom]

Changing up his wet food daily now and he is eating all of it without any issues

You're awesome, and so is he! Thanks so much for a wonderful update!!

 

[neely]

The vet believes we have a very picky senior cat on our hands. Changing up his wet food daily now and he is eating all of it without any issues.

Gotta love the seniors and do what you can to please them. Glad he's feeling better and acting more like himself.