Irregular eating habits in a 6 year old cat?

[Armenia]

Okay, so my cat has been having eating problems for about 2 and a half weeks now. He has gone from weighing 24 pounds to 10 pounds! He went to the vet when it first began, and all they noticed that was wrong with him was that he needed his teeth to be cleaned. He had to take antibiotics for it, but he's taken them before. There seems to be a strange noise coming from his mouth when he tries to eat, almost like his jaw is clicking or he's grinding his teeth. Could his jaw be out of place?? Help!

[Armenia]

Thanks, i ended up finding out that he is diabetic.

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

Jaw clicking noise is most likely a TMJ joint problem.  The TMJ joint is the joint that hinges the Maxilla to the Mandible, and can suffer the same orthopedic problems as any other joint in the body, such as strains, sprains, dislocations, and arthritis.  Teeth grinding could indicate a problem anywhere in the digestive system, not just the mouth.  If he has mouth pain, or arthritis in the TMJ joint your vet could try giving an analgesic called Metacam, or a short course of steroids called Prednisolone.  And, place your cat on a higher quality all canned diet.

Losing 14 pounds in two weeks may indicate a much more serious disease process occurring in your cat, I advise a complete work up if he has not had one already prior to the dentistry.  Have abdominal X-Rays performed.