14 yr old cat hungry all the time.

[bobsoldlady]

My 14 yr old cat is on canned food due to having no back teeth.
He is hungry all the time.
He tries to eat the other cats dry food but can't chew it so he vomits whole pieces of food.
He has lost a lot of weight to the point you can feel all his bones.
I am worried, is this part of age?

[Whtroze]

I would love to tell you Yes age is the issue, but its probably not the whole issue. As people age, there are diseases that tend to show up. This is the same with animals. The most common issues with cats and age are kidney failure, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. All of these conditions can be ruled in or out with simple bloodwork.
So I would recommend going to the vet, preferly sooner than later. The reason why is if your cat has any of these conditions, it will not get better on its own, in fact it will only get worse and permanent damage and eventually death could occur. (not meaning to scare you, but not going to lie to you either). Now this doesn't mean go to the vet ASAP in the morning, just as soon as you and them can work an appointment. The bloodwork you will want would be BUN and CREAT (kidney functions), blood glucose (check for diabetes), and a Free T4 (check thyroid hormone). Most vets send out the T4 to an outside lab, but results are often available within a day or two depending on the lab. Your vet may also want to check a urine sample if suspecting kidney issue or diabetes.
Given your kitty is actually getting enough food for his sized, your description sounds a lot like hyperthyroidism. Kidney issues tend to lose their appetite. Diabetes tends to be in obese cats and also sometimes lose appetite or vomit right after eating due to high blood sugars. Although all the diseases here have similar symptoms, unending appetite with extreme weight loss despite eating is the "tell tale" of hyperthyroidism. However, only bloodwork can confirm it and distinguish it for sure from the other two as every kitty is different.
Now, if your kitty's bloodwork comes back with a high T4 (which means they do have hyperthyroidism)...don't fear. This disease is very treatable. A medication given daily or twice a day. Most easily and effectively it is a pill, however if pilling the kitty is difficult most vets can get a compounded liquid or cream (although I question the effectiveness due to difficulting ensuring exact dose). In the beginning the kitty will have to have monthly bloodwork until T4 levels are back to normal range. Then once the right dose is found, yearly checks will do unless symptoms start up.
This may sound scary, but don't be. Hyperthyroidism is quite common in cats older than 10 yrs. With proper management and monitoring, kitties live long and happy with this disease.
As a side note if your kitty comes back hyperthyroid. There also is a treatment with radio-iodine. This treatment destroys part of the thyroid gland so it doesn't make too much of the hormone. I personally wouldn't do it with an older cat, but thats my opinion. It can be done, but it has to be up to the owner to weigh the differences between treatments and pros and cons to get their own opinion. Its just another option and something you can discuss with your vet.

[opus88]

hi and welcome. first of all what brand of canned food is he on? food with grains lack alot of nutrition and therefore a cat can feel hungry all the time. cats need a high protein diet...good meats NOT by-products.
I will send you a site for alot of info on cat nutrition. also click on the right hand side 'commercial food brands' for a list of the better foods.

catinfo.org

also with older cats it can also be a thyroid issue. has he had any bloodwork recently? specifically for HYPERTHYROID disorder?....with the over eating plus weight loss I sure would suspect this maybe whats wrong.

Post again if we can be of any help. also keep us updated. good luck with tests.♥