Loosing weight

[RA1]

I have been taking care of the few cats outside our apartment along with a friend who is also live in the apartment. One of the cat I tooked to the vet because she had an fever and also had her spreyed. The vet had her for few weeks for observation. She also had some blood in the urine. The vet gave her some antibotics and after few weeks at the vet she was fine and took her from the vet.

Now I am at my summer house. The friend is also away for the summer, but her mother in law is taking care of the cats. I went back to the apartment last week I had some errands to do. I noticed the cat that I tooked to the vet that the cat was loosing weight. Although she is eating and drinking. This concerns me. I left my cell number to the mother in law just in case if anything goes wrong. So far so good. I wonder why she is losing weight?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Do you have any idea how old the cat is?  

Cats of any age who have abdominal parasites will continue to lose weight despite a good appetite.  Medication for parasites is available from your veterinarian, and is highly recommended.

Cats aged four and older can develop an endocrine disorder called hyperthyroid disease and will also lose weight despite over-eating.  Hyperthyroid can also cause multiple other problems.

Other causes of weight loss in the older cat are cancer, felv and fiv and other infectious causes.

Simple blood tests can determine if she has hyperthyroid or has any of the infectious diseases.  A stool sample can determine if she has abdominal parasites.

Cancer is much more difficult to diagnose.  Diagnosing cancer would involve X-Rays, ultrasound and biopsies, and other testing procedures.

There is a very good possibility that she has abdominal parasites since she is an outdoor cat.  Also, try to find out if she is truly eating.  

Unfortunately, for accurate diagnosis she would have to be evaluated by your veterinarian.    

Thanks for your question!