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My cat is a domestic long hair male about 11 years old ...

Sent to Cat Experts January 16 2008 at 6:59 PM
   

My cat is a domestic long hair male about 11 years old who has been loosing weight. He is now down at six and one quarter pounds. Blood work at the vet didnot indicate any problems, kidneys and liver ok. He is acting about the same. No personality change or lethargy. Apetite is fine. Friend of ours has said he is not long for this world, it''s his time. I hope not. Your opinion please.

 

Optional Information:
Age: 11; Male; Breed: domestic long hair

Already Tried:
Vet visits, no problems indicated from tests, liver kidneys ok. Changed food to Purina Senior protection formula add vitamin supplement named Missing Link to food. Continue to give him tartar control treats.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $9
Answer
January 16 2008 at 7:23 PM (23 minutes and 54 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
Hi,

Weight loss in older cats is not uncommon, but if he's lost a lot of weight over a short period of time, there is definitely something wrong. Cats this age are more prone to develop conditions like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, liver and kidney problems. If the vet's bloodwork showed everything is normal, s/he has to look further. The only other common cause for weight loss in older cats, is cancer somewhere in the body. I'm not mentioning this to alarm you, just to inform. Intestinal or blood-borne parasites are another possibility, and your cat should be evaluated by a specialist, if your regular vet couldn't find any cause for this weight loss.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/hyperthyroidism.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/diabetes.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/renal.html

Right now, you're doing everything right; if your cat is eating, drinking, eliminating and acting fine, that's good, but the cause of this weight loss needs to be found by another vet or specialist who can do more advanced procedures (non-invasive).

I hope all will be well!

Cher

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