Aging cat massive weight loss and constantly eating and crying for food

timmmers

One of my cats (no real idea of his age as he was adopted, but I'd guess 10 plus) has always been a very timid lad and very stocky and healthy..fastidious to the point of OCD as far as toilet habits are concerned too. In the last few weeks though he has constantly eaten and whined for food...stolen the other cats food instantly so I have to close the doors to feed them, and lost a load of weight and is almost skin and bone now. He's also started to go to the loo anywhere and everywhere but his tray or the garden spot he used to like so much ...and it's awful stinking stuff now not pleasant at all.

I have looked up possible causes and Hyperthroidism looks likely to be the problem...but treatment is horribly expensive and not reliable. Cats apparently go blind and suffer alsorts of organ failures with this condition even with treatment.

Has anyone else experience of similar problems I wonder? Maybe even that complaint and the effects of treatments ?

I have a nasty feeling that I have a one way trip to the vet coming soon, and being such a timid scaredy cat he'll wail like a banshee and be scared rigid all the way there ...as will I if things go as badly as I'm dreading the could. It's going to an awful day even if he's OK and worse if he's not.

Animals are a joy to live with but they always end up breaking your heart don't they ?


t

pimento

PLease take him to the vet now. It may not be something as expensive as that and Google most definitely isn't your friend if you're wrong and your cat is suffering. It might be something simple to treat.

Curious_George_2

phone the vet, today.... now!

he could just have a really nasty case of worms, but whatever it is he needs to be seen now, regardless of cost...

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Thyroid problems can be treated just by cheap tablets too, so don't put it off thinking that death is inevitable - take the cat to the vet!

timmmers

He's booked in at the vets, and you're right that Google isn't your friend when it comes to this stuff. I have always had cats and I check them all the time for problems with teeth and other areas because I had one vet let me down very badly once and lost a cat with mouth cancer that could have been cured if caught straight away when I took him there...he said it was a bad tooth so it got hold and was too far gone to treat by the time we met a good vet who saw it. That guy was a New Zealander over here for a work experience trip and he showed us all the main things worth checking on cats for the future..and my old boy seems not to have any of the common simple problems or lumps etc. so I'm worried it's serious and could be painful for him. I'm also a little worried that it could be something the other 2 cats could catch, one poorly boy is bad enough for me. They seem fine right now though fingers crossed.

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puddy

i would bet its diabetes, although they get very thirsty, it also disrupts their eating habits. does he smell funny,, sort of like sewage?

cakey

we have the same problem with my mums cat, he was well built and stocky, but he went all skeletal. its mainly due to his age, he has around 10 to 15 small meals a day. so the vet put him on steroids, they work perfectly. the vet also said that they do eat a lot more when they get older as they cant condition themselves properly.

SnowyOwl_2

You MUST get a proper diagnosis from the vet!! It's the only way forward on this.

If by chance it is hyperthyroidism do not worry so much. I had a cat who had this condition and she lived for about six years with it - in the end she contracted kidney disease and her departure from this life was related to that. Her treatment was by tablet, and they were not at all expensive. There is a surgery option, but I could not see the point in that because the tablets worked so well and it was far too stressful to put an elderly cat through anyway.

paulwf

If your cat absolutely hates going to the vet to the point of freaking out ask if they will do a home visit.

julie2710

I agree vet is the answer. I had a female cat whi had these symptoms. She was 15 and it turned out to be Hyperthyroidism. The vet put her on pills which weren't overly expensive. She survived a further 6 years and in the end I think the pills just weren't working anymore.

Good luck and I hope your poor cat gets the help it needs soon.

timmmers

SnowyOwl wrote: »

You MUST get a proper diagnosis from the vet!! It's the only way forward on this.

If by chance it is hyperthyroidism do not worry so much. I had a cat who had this condition and she lived for about six years with it - in the end she contracted kidney disease and her departure from this life was related to that. Her treatment was by tablet, and they were not at all expensive. There is a surgery option, but I could not see the point in that because the tablets worked so well and it was far too stressful to put an elderly cat through anyway.

Ah. That's good to hear, I heard the tabs didn't work very well and the other options of surgery and radiotherapy would stress him so much he'd hate being away from home and be's scared of strangers ...took me a year to calm him down when we first got him and I'm the only human he trusts really. I have no problems giving him tabs, he's easy compared to most cats I've had for that.

He's always been a huge strapping cat that shouldn't be such a scaredy cat really...must have had a bad time before we got him I think.

I feel much more optimistic now so thanks very much for the help, it's appreciated.

Freaks out? ROFLMAO ..sounds lke a banshee when he's picked up to go in the carrier to the moment he gets home. An appointment shold make that quick and easy as possible though and a taxi so I can calm him down on the trip.

He doesn't smell different, it's more the areas he decides to use that are the problem, like all over the mail behind the front door yesterday...and since he's eating so much it's not surprising he's far more active in the toilet dept now...it seems to go straight through him when he eats.

One of the other cats has noticed he gets more food when he wails at me, so he's giving it a go now too in hope of extra grub...the noise in this house 1st thing each morning is awful when they all get singing.

I'm hopeful now for a solution that works that will give him back his normal life for summer which I am grateful for Thx again everyone for your advice.

t