Losing weight

[lkerry]

My 7 year old (?) boy Chessie has been an indoor cat since we found him a year and a half ago. My husband's grown daughter actually found him and set up a search for his owner, to no avail. We adopted him and named him Chessie, short for Chesapeake, the place where he was found. He is a long haired tuxedo with an adorable nose! In any event, we had him tested and he was found to be FIV. He was about 8.7 pounds and although he has remained healthy, had blood tests that are negative except for FIV, had one UTI which was treated, he continues to lose weight. He is skin and bones. He has actually gone down to 8.0 pounds. He cannot eat wet food, I have tried quite a bit, and it makes him throw up. He is on a diet of dry food, which he doesn't eat very much. His thyroid is okay. Has any one else had this issue? What did you do?

[Kay]

has he had comprehensive blood tests, or only had his thyroid levels tested? I really think only a vet can help you with this weight loss - there must be something going on if he is eating enough - if you think he is losing weight because he isn't eating enough, then maybe he has problems with his mouth, which I believe is not uncommon with FIV cats

[lilynmitz]

I agree, this level of weight loss is worrying and you really need to see the vet about it. The sooner the underlying cause is identified and treated, the better his chances of recovery. There are many medical conditions that could be causing this, some of which are serious, so please do get him to your vet as soon as possible. I doubt that Hyperthyroidism is the cause at his age - it's very rare in cats less than 10 years old. Do let us know how you get on.