Very recently my 13 year old cat has lost a significant amount of weight. He seems tired but he shows no signs of being in pain, he eats and drinks but smaller amounts than he used to. He is a completely indoor cat, has never stepped paw 1 outside since I rescued him from a farm when he was four months old. I have no money for a vet but I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He also has no contact with other animals. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. We've put him on kitten food, thinking that perhaps the added nutrition will be good for him being he eats such small quantities lately.
2007-02-01 06:29:16 · 10 answers · asked by alliecatland 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Hi there...senior cats develop age-related feline disorders such as chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperthyroidism, diabetes, cancer, etc. All are very life-threatening if not treated quickly and without a medical evaluation there isn't any way to properly treat respectively without including the help of a veterinarian. Consider calling any of the local veterinary hospitals to see who offers low care veterinary care to provide charitable assistance http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/what_you_can_do_if_you_are_having_trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html .
CRF: http://felinecrf.com/what0.htm
Diabetes: http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetes-info.htm
Hyperthyroidism: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/thyroid__signs__symptoms_and_d.html
2007-02-01 19:23:54 · answer #1 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Something is very amiss with the cat. You do not describe symptoms that would indicate hyperthyroidism (usually cats have a voracious appetite when this happens). Diabetes causes increased urination. A problem with the kidneys would require a blood panel to determine if that is the reason for his lack of appetite. Though my very old cat (22 and 1/2) only stopped eating the last few days of her life.
So your cat could have a cancer. Have you checked in his mouth for gum disease?. He could have an abcessed tooth which is hurting him and making it hard for him to eat.
Reduction of protein for cats with kidney problems is NOT supported by any research, except some that was done on RATS fifty years ago. Reducing protein will not increase the kidney disease if that is what he has.
Give him a high quality canned food such as Natural Balance, Wellness or Lick Your Chops. More expensive canned foods of high quality are Prairie, By Nature's Organic, Felidae.
So your only option is to seek a diagnosis from a vet and find out what you might do to help your cat. He deserves that from you. The care credit sounds like a great option. Be sure to look into that. An exam and blood panel would run around $150. Dental cleaning and extraction would cost about the same. The exam alone should be less than $50 and he deserves at least that much from you.
2007-02-01 08:16:54 · answer #2 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I concur, you need to find a sponsor / family member or friend to help support a check up at the vet.
Cats can not always show that they are suffering, and something is going on in regards to the weight loss.
I do not recommend the kitten food, I have a kidney diseased cat who has lost a lot of weight due to his disease, and protein is VERY BAD for him.
In not knowing, it is always best to at the very least call a vet to see if they have any insight.
2007-02-01 07:39:18 · answer #3 · answered by vietri33 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be any number of things, hyperthyroidism or kidney disease would be my first guesses. Unfortunately the only way to know for sure is bloodwork. Hypothetically kitten food would help him gain weight, but if he does have kidney problems kitten food has quite a lot of protein, which would stress the kidney and make the disease worse. I know its not easy to come up with money when you arent expecting it, but there is no way to tell you the best treatment without knowing whats wrong. Try your local humane society for billing plans, or try www.carecredit.com for veterinary credit card with low interest rates. Good luck
2007-02-01 06:36:08 · answer #4 · answered by cs 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you are concerned about the money....check out www.carecredit.com. A lot of Vets will accept this as payment. The last time I used it we received 0% interest for 18 months.
2007-02-01 06:40:20 · answer #5 · answered by jaybrown372 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he is diabetic. That is what happened to my cat Murray, he lost a considerable amount of weight and when he did eat, he would throw up and lost control of his bowels, it was hard for him and us. You NEED to get to a vet, if your animal is in pain, don't prolong it if you don't have to.
2007-02-03 17:16:59 · answer #6 · answered by Rhode Island Red 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2017-02-28 23:29:04 · answer #7 · answered by Koehler 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
many things, older cats can develop diabetes and other things could be a number of things you should save up and get him looked at at least if not treated...then you can get an idea of what to do....diet change as an example...is it a dramatic weight loss or has been happening over time, don't forget people shrink when they get older...good luck with kitty
2007-02-01 06:36:55 · answer #8 · answered by 99Z34 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He may have a thyroid problem. My older cat lost weight too and it was her thyroid. Unfortunately, if that's the case, he does need to see a vet and will need medication.
2007-02-01 06:32:24 · answer #9 · answered by Miss B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He could have cancer. Do you have any friends who have a friend who is a vet? There is pet insurance - maybe you should check that out www.petinsurance.com (my friend has it).
2007-02-01 06:39:19 · answer #10 · answered by Helena 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋