cat losing weight

[jcm0316]

my 9 year old male cat weighed 17 pounds a couple of months ago, now he weighs 11 pounds. He is eating and drinking and using the litter box fine. Any suggestions on what is wrong? He has a sister same age who has gained 4 pounds in the same amount of time.

[opus88]

hi Bonita and welcome. I am sorry your kitty is having some health issues, its really hard for anyone to diagnosis him without seeing him and we are not Veterinarians on this site. I know how hard it is to find money sometimes but I do urge you if it is possible at all to try b/c these symptoms given his age are NOT good.

I can only give you a couple possibilities from what you describe....Diabetes and Kidney disease are common with increased age, Hyperthyroidism is another possibility

here are a couple sites to read....good luck♥

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/catdiseasesh/a/catdiseasehyper.htm

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/a/CW-CatDiabetesSignsCauses.htm

[Bonita72]

my male cat is 16 yrs old , is eating just fine without any issues at all, in other words eats the wet food and the dry completely gone, drinks water , uses the litter box and still he is loosing weight!!! I know he is eating his food completely gone, because I have sat and watched him, to make sure he is not just pushing it around, plus last year he had all of his bad teeth removed, the good ones cleaned and sealed!!! He does jump up on my lap for attention!! He ears are bugging him, when I stroke by his ears, he does shake his head, but no fluid does come out, they have been bugging him for awhile I know, feel horrible about it, my money is so very tight there has been no money for the vet!!! HELP

[sundawn]

Very most likely your male cat of 9 years has hyperparathyroidism.
Male cats between the ages of 9 and 12 often develop this disorder. I know because my Sunshine went through this also. He was eating like a hog and losing weight!!! I was frightened. He would also display odd behaviors once in a while. If this is what it is (all that is required to dx this is a blood test), there are three treatment options that I knew of then (year 2000):
A particular medication whose name escapes me(something like Beclor)......This made Sunshine MUCH worse.
Surgery on the thyroid gland to remove the benign tumor....not a recommended treatment.
Or, radioactive iodine treatment, which is what I opted for.
In 2000, the closest place that did this was in Irvine, California, where there are animal research studies done and where there is wonderful, advanced animal care (the name escapes me....sorry).
I had to leave Sunshine there for ten days (a friend came with me for support....this was a very difficult thing to do).for his treatments. After his tx, I went there and drove him back home. I was told not to allow him to sleep in the same room with me as he was radioactive from the tx. I let him sleep with me anyway and I am still alive and well! Anyway, his excrement had to be flushed down the commode because it was considered toxic waste (being radioactive). I later found out I was advised incorrectly. Flushing **** down the commode could have ruined the plumbing!
To sum up, this all happened when Sunshine was 10 years old and he lived to the ripe old age of 16, so the treatment DID work HOWEVER, it left Sunshine with a compromised heart and kidney function status. So, until he passed 6 years later, he was on daily heart meds AND had to start saline IV infusions. At first, it was once a week, then twice, then finally, toward the end, three times every day. It was all too much for him. For the final two weeks of his life, he increasingly began to go off his food and water and could not even get into his litter box. So, I allowed Sunshine to stay wherever he was in the house and after work, he got his meds and infusions and I would talk to him but by this time, he did not know I was there....too sad! I knew any day now which I was dreading BUT, he would be out of his misery. I wanted Sunshine to die at home and the vet agreed, as nothing more could be done for him....just to die with grace and dignity. I came home one day after work and found him lying halfway out of one of his cathouses on the bottom 'floor' and I knew he was gone. I just lied down with him and pet him and cried myself to sleep.
The moral of the story is that altho the iodine tx left Sunshine's health compromised, it DID cure the hyperparathyroidism so he did have another at least 5 good years to live. Neither one of us enjoyed the infusion/meds rituals but in the last year of his life he no longer fought the infusions. I was not happy with this sign.
The tx then was $1000.00, but worth it as Sunshine DID live happily for five more solid years and it brought us closer together as I learned to spend more quality time with him which he savored....so did I. He and I both hope this story helps you out.
Best wishes.

[Ghilly]

It's definitely time for kitty to have a full veterinary workup, including a blood panel to see what's what.  Also have the vet give kitty's teeth a thorough going-over.  A bad or loose tooth can make it very difficult for them to eat, and they will try to eat, which gives it the APPEARANCE that they are eating and all is well, but in reality they are just pushing the food around their bowl.  The fact that your other cat has gained so much weight during this same time says that he's not eating the food and she is.  

Ghilly

[Savas]

You should get kitty checked out.
It could be a developing thyroid problem, he's at about that age.
It could also just be a simple parasite. Has he been vomiting at all? It's hard to say what the problem is if there's no other obvious signs of disorder.