Mr Poe and Domino Losing Weight

[catapault]

Our two indoor only, 11 year old cats were at the veterinarian today for their annual visit and vaccination. On the "what's up" sheet I decided to provide (not allowed inside) I mentioned that Mr Poe is always hungry.

Veterinarian came out to say hello and talk to me (we're friends.) Both cats have lost weight - a pound for Domino and more for Mr Poe - and she wanted to draw blood. She's concerned about thyroid issue for both cats. Of course I said yes.

Results will be back tomorrow. I'm sure the senior panel will include liver and kidney values too.

So cross your paws that this will be something relatively easy to manage and both cats will be well. Here's a picture of the boys so you can see how lovely, elegant, sweet, wonderful cats they are.

 

[Nice Loki]

Fingers crossed for you.

I had a cat who only accepted me and hubby handling him. For many years we just put it down to his 'quirky' character. Until a new vet (who Max (our cat) actually allowed him to touch him) questioned us then suggested that we do a thyroid test.
The results came back with his thyroid being so bad he was literally off the charts!

He went for surgery and because I was pregnant at the time he had to have an extended stay post-op until he wasn't "glow in the dark" levels of radioactive.
Alex (the vet) confided with us that the hospital had called him and shared that because Max was so grumpy the nurses took straws to see who would have to go into his cage to deal with him. LMAO.

However, he was a whole new cat when we got him home, and we had many more years with him until he passed in old age.
So even if they do have thyroid issues, it isn't necessarily going to be bad news (except for your wallet).

 

[fionasmom]

There are options for treatment of thyroid conditions in cats, so don't panic if they are diagnosed with this condition. You can get a lot of help here and from other groups devoted to hyperthyroidism in cats. Fiona herself was a hyperthyroid cat who did fine for years on the medication although I am not discouraging investigating the other treatment.

 

[catapault]

UPDATE: Apparently there is no thyroid issue for either cat! Their RT4 is 2.6, which is within the normal range. Liver and kidney values both normal. Domino's glucose is a little high but might be explained by stress from travel and visit to veterinarian.

I will feed an extra 20% of canned food to each cat and see if that resolves the issue.

What caused the weight loss? The fact that it is both cats puzzles me, and I am wondering if there was a change in the Tiny Tiger pate so it now has fewer calories per can.

Any ideas / suggestions / comments would be welcome / appreciated.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. The Tiny Tiger pates seems to be about 90-95 calories per can. If you use the 'standard' guide of 20-25 calories per pound of body weight a 9 pound cat probably should consume 180 - 225 calories per day. That would come to around 2 to 2 1/2 three-ounce cans per cat. You could at least check how much you think they were consuming before your increase and how much the 20% will equate to. And start logging their food intake.

How long have they been eating Tiny Tiger? Long before their last annual checkup - or, between then and this most recent vet visit? Any chance they are eating less of it because they are getting tired of it? Do you measure out the food you give them to know if they are still eating the same amount as they were in the past?

You could always contact Chewy and ask if the ingredients have changed in the past year - from everything I have heard about them, they are pretty responsive to inquiries.

The only other thing that came to mind and doesn't seem as likely especially if these two cats aren't related, is something like a malabsorption issue. This would probably not be identified via regular blood work. I know a check of their B12 level might be another thing to try, but you could also ask your vet if there are other tests to run outside the normal blood work that might shed some light about their weight loss.

It sounds reasonable to try getting them to eat more and see what happens. But you might also consider getting a baby/pet scale and weighing them every 2 weeks or so to see if the weight loss stops or continues.

 

[catapault]

Thank you for your very reasoned response FeebysOwner

Domino and Mr Poe have been eating Tiny Tiger since about the start of the Covid 19 pandemic when Fancy Feast became difficult to obtain. They each receive 1/2 can four times / day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime. This 4 X per day started when we also had a diabetic cat that I decided should have multiple small meals rather than two larger ones. She is now gone but we just kept on with 4 X day.

Until this visit their weight has been stable at annual vet checks. They are eager eaters and have always polished their dishes clean within minutes. Since each cat is given 1/2 can at each feeding I have become quite adept at dividing a 3 ounce can into two portions. Occasionally I weigh dish and food to see how close both portions are to each other, and usually within 1/10 of an ounce.

There is no problem with feeding them more food. As of bedtime meal last night and lunch today the additional 1/4 can was devoured with gusto.

Mr Poe also receives a raw chicken gizzard at dinner time (when I have them available) to help maintain gum health. Domino will not eat raw meat or gizzard but will eat cooked meat.

DR:TL Both cats are eager eaters and have no problem consuming any and all food offered them.

 

[catapault]

About Domino and Mr Poe's ancestry: They were adopted as kittens from this same vet hospital. (She takes in barn and feral colony kittens, vet checks them, adopts them out. The year I got my two boys she adopted out about 100 kittens.) It is known for sure that my two cats had different mothers. It is unknown but could be possible that for both cats their father was the same tom.

 

[catapault]

As of yesterday Mr Poe and Domino are each receiving 1/2 of a 3 ounce can of Tiny Tiger pate for breakfast and dinner, 3/4 of a can for lunch and bedtime. I am happy to report that these two charter members of the clean plate club are both chowing down and polishing their dishes clean within minutes. And already they seem less frantic about food.

 

[catapault]

Not certain how well my scale and that at the veterinarian's synchronize. But neither cat now begs for food when I'm preparing our (human) meals. So apparently adding an additional 20% to their daily rations is the answer. Happy cats, happy humans.

 

[Nice Loki]

That is fantastic news.

I love the

members of the clean plate club