Cat that has lost significant weight in 1 1/2 months?

Question

Our cat was sick roughly a month and a half ago. The vet doctor prescribed meds for upset stomach. Since then she has lost up to 4 pounds and is very skinny. Skin and bones. She is eating, not much, but eating and drinking nonetheless. Her behavior has not changed. Her and the other cats food was moved downstairs near the cat door. A new dog recently, but very tolerant of him. I see or hear no signs of illness but just knowing she's lost all that weight in a short amount of time worries me. What do you think is going on with my cat?

Answer 1

You need a blood test done to see how the organs are functioning. It could be the thyroid or the pancreas--both need treatment or you'll loose the cat. Significant weight loss even after the main cause was treated usually means a second problem that wasn't addressed.

One of ours lost 4 pounds in one month, she was diabetic, we got her on Lantus and she's fine now. The vet, at the time the blood was being drawn and her urine was being checked, told me that three things make a cat loose weight this fast--renal failure, thyroid or diabetes. Cancers can too, but usually you get warning signs first.

Get the blood test done, it'll let you know how the organs are functioning and can point to where the problems are. The longer you wait, the harder it is to fix something.

Answer 2

The most common reason for weight loss in cats is worms. No matter how much they eat they are unable to put on weight. Also having a dog nearby would be distressing for the cat, even if it is not obvious to you. So at least move the cat bowl elsewhere. Also you said that your cat is not eating much. Could it be she does not like the food? Try different foods, but when changing brands do it slowly over 5 days. Start with half and half of the new and old and increase the new and decrease the old over five days. By the fifth day it should be all new cat food. Otherwise take your cat back to the vet for further tests. A lot of cat problems can only be fixed if caught in the early stages. If you don't feel your vet is doing a good job you could go to another vet. Sometimes a second opinion is a good idea. Sometimes one vet may have had a cat with a similar problem bought in whereas another vet may have not so they may have different ideas of what it could be. There is only so much you can learn at Uni from text books - sometimes life experience is best. But it does sound like your cat is underweight so something should be done and soon.

Answer 3

I'm happy to hear you took her to the vet, but it sounds like you should either take her back or get a 2nd opinion. 4 pounds on a cat is very significant. For example, if her starting weight was 12 pounds, that's a 33% weight loss! I'm happy she's eating and drinking but the fact that she's eating so little concerns me. You don't mention the age of your cat but you might want to have your vet do a full blood workup. This can be expensive (up to $300US) but honestly, if you love your cat it's worth it. The blood work will check liver function, kidney function, blood sugar levels, and a whole host of other illnesses and diseases. If nothing else, it's a good baseline report to have as a comparison for a future test should she fall ill again. It will also rule out a lot of illnesses and give you peace of mind. If you have already had this blood work done I would take a copy to another vet and definitely get your second opinion. Good luck. I hope she gets well soon. Keep us posted.

Answer 4

It could be the stress of the dog, my sisters cat almost refused to eat after she had my niece. Like someone else asked how old is the cat? Is she drinking more than usual? this can be a sign of a serious disease. I just had my cats blood work done a month ago it was around $125 and will put your mind at ease. Best of luck!

Answer 5

Have you been back to the vet since the original visit? If the vet doesn't hear from you, of course they'll assume the prescribed meds did the trick! They need to know if you cat's condition has deteriorated, or how can they help?

I have no idea what's going on with your cat, and no one else on here has either - because we're not vets, and we haven't seen the animal. Not even a vet can diagnose over the internet.

If she's skin and bones, get back to a vet pronto!

Chalice

Answer 6

I would get a 2ND opinion.....did you follow up with your vet about the continued loss of weight? Is she an inside/outside cat? She could have came into contact with something that has made her sicker...she should not be losing weight like that. She needs to see a vet, she could also have diabetes or another illness.

Answer 7

Our cat has lost several pounds too, without being sick. Maybe she's associated the food with her recent upset tummy. Have you tried switching her food?
We have started feeding our cats separately and change the skinny cats food. We've tried several different foods and like your cat he eats but not much. We now try to give him nasty, cheap food just to get him to eat something.

Answer 8

That is a huge drop of weight and something is wrong/ Bloodtests need to be run to check for diabetes, kidney disease and hyper thyroid amoung other things
I wouldn;t wait long to do this.
I also would consider to stop feeding dry foods and going to quality canned foods

Answer 9

Your dog might be harassing the cat while it is eating. Try placing the food somewhere that the dog can't get to it.

If she is still losing weight take her to the vet she could have a medical problem.

Answer 10

Do 45 minutes cardio workouts a few times a week