Underweight cat

[lucky1234]

My 15 year old cat is very seriously underweight and it is getting to the point where the vet says she may have to be put down if it goes down anymore. The thing is she is a happy girl who eats lots (three meals a day plus lots of other snacks) and drinks plenty. She has had all her teeth removed and both her thyroids and at the moment when she goes to the toilet her bum bleeds quite badly. She is having a blood test on friday. I just want to know any good tips on how to boost her weight?! I really don't want to loose her!

[Kay]

have her thyroid levels been checked via a blood test? although the glands themselves have been removed, there is the possibility of thyroid tissue present in other parts of her body, and this would need medication

losing weight whilst eating well does tend to suggest this

[MarkB]

Another possibility is that some cats can become intolerant of certain foods as they get older - either certain types of protein or things like wheat. What foods does she eat? Sometimes it can be a protein they eat all the time, such as chicken. There are plenty of single-protein foods on the market now. Purina One sensitive (Turkey & Rice) worked well for my Alice and I still buy it now as other cats seem to love it. Sometimes it is trial and error. I know Kay had luck with Hill's Venison food. Hill's also do one with chicken and eggs which works for some cats.

Alice used to have bloody, mucousy poos all the time. Once we eliminated wheat from her diet, she was fine most of the time.

It is hard to keep weight on cats as they get older. As Kay says, despite having her thyroids removed, it eating well but losing weight does sound like thyroid issues.

[lucky1234]

Her vet said it may be thyroid tissue in the body - she is having a blood test this friday checking her thyroid levels ect.

She eats Gourmet Gold pate most of the time but we always chop and change as she is getting fussy in her old age.

So are there no tips that I may not know that could possibly get her putting some weight on?

Thank you both for replying.

[SarahT1 [PLLE]]

Hi Lucky, your girl will only gain weight if underlying health issues are resolved I suspect. If she is a happy girl and eating well, then ask for more tests before your vet tells you that the only option is PTS. As Mark says, if she has some food intolerances then this can affect her weight and certainly her poo. My old girl (approx. 17) loves Gourmet Gold pate but I have managed to wean her off it (with the odd one for at treat) and onto Lily's Kitchen. As a result her gum disease has cleared up, her coat is really thick, and she his having more regular and better looking poos. Prior to this her gingivitis was refusing to clear up despite two dentals and antibiotics and we were just at the point when the vet wanted us to try a 100 day course of orally administered Interferon which I was not looking forward to at all. She has also had some sessions of Reiki healing administered at a distance, but I appreciate that this isn't everyone's cup of tea! So, my point is that sometimes addressing diet can help although it is trial and error. The blood tests results will be a great help tomorrow.

[Kay]

one of mine has loose yellow poo if he eats Gourmet Gold

you could try her on a diet of only chicken and white fish for a couple of days, to see if that makes a difference - if it does you will know the blood is something to do with her diet

[Marla]

I'm sorry to hear your cat is losing weight. I agree with the others about doing blood tests including thyroid and trying grain-free cat food.

If it turns out she has hyperthyroidism, it's very easy to treat with Felimazole twice a day (starting out with a very low dose).

As others have said, bloody stools can be due to a food intolerance. In our case, it was caused by Burns dry cat food which has maize in it.

Catz Finefoods from Zooplus is a very good grain-free wet food in 12 flavours which all of our cats love.

Please insist on blood tests and please come back to update us.

[lucky1234]

We got her blood test results back - her kidneys and liver ect are fine but her thyroid levels are crazy. She is now going to have to be on tablets for the rest of her life. We have bought her some high calorie food in hope to put the weight she lost back on

As for the bleeding she is on a 10 day course of antibiotics and unsure as to whether this will make it better as it could be a cut on the bum or something more serious. But fingers crossed it will clear up!

Thank you all for your help, I hope my girl will have many months, hopefully years, ahead of her

[Marla]

It's good news that it's something that can be treated. Hyperthyroidism is very common and there are many of us in this forum with hyperthyroid cats.

Our cat's thyroid readings were "crazy" too. What's important to know is that a high T4 result doesn't necessarily require a high dosage of medication. IMHO, it's better to start with a small dose and gradually work up to what's needed, even if it means dividing the Felimazole pills (with gloves on). If you'd like more advice on this, please just ask.

Your vet obviously thought antibiotics were necessary but please do try grain-free food and avoid Convenia (antibiotic injection), IMHO.

[MarkB]

Just to add that not all vets are aware that there is now a 1.25mg pill available. Works out a bit more expensive than splitting 2.5mg tablets, but worth it to get an accurate dose (The 2.5mg are tiny, so hard to cut in half) and safer to handle.

If your vet says to start on 2.5mg a day, if it were me, I would rather give 1.25mg every 12 hours if possible. Your vet may prescribe a different drug called Vidalta - I'm not familiar with it, but know that my Lazarus was on it when he first went into rescue, but it didn't agree with him.

[lucky1234]

Hi again. My cat has been doing fine for the last month and a half but recently she is not herself. Last night she coughed up what looked like green bile at about 6am. She hasn't been eating today, just ham and fish paste - she refuses to eat anything else. Normally she eats and eats and eats but today she just isn't and I am really worried. Thank you for reading,

[lilynmitz]

This can be a side effect of the pills she's on. You need to speak with your vet about this, and either reduce the dose and build it up slowly, or try a different variety of pill.

I wouldn't change her diet too drastically to start with - it can cause upset tummies. Just swap over gradually.