Sick cat help!

Frostbitten007
Frostbitten007 Posts: 84 Member
in Chit-Chat
My cat Stripes lost weight. He's now 16 pounds. He hasn't been feeling well. He's not eating much. He used to weigh 22 pounds. He's an older cat at the age of 14. I started trying to feed him tuna yesterday. He eats about half of the ounce I feed him and then is full. To any pet owners out there, have you ever had this problem? What should I do?

Replies

  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    Take him to the vet ASAP. If those eating habits are not normal, than something is wrong.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    He needs to go to the vet. At his age and with those symptoms, you may be dealing with kidney disease or diabetes.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    Thyroid issues are bigtime in cats that age. I've gone through it twice. If it's that, the sooner you get him in the better (stop seeking internet advice from a bunch of not vet people!) because the longer you let it go, the costlier the treatments become...and the less effective they are.
  • kasterrett
    kasterrett Posts: 53 Member
    I run a cat rescue and agree with the above. Your cat needs a senior blood panel ASAP.
  • sarabeth120
    sarabeth120 Posts: 172 Member
    You should definitely take him to the vet. That is not normal.

    My parents had a similar problem with their cat; except he would eat and then throw up everything. Turned out he had some kind of cancer and a tumor that was growing on his stomach which made him throw up everything and thus, he lost weight really fast.
  • MissMarthaGrace
    MissMarthaGrace Posts: 227 Member
    He needs to go to the vet. At his age and with those symptoms, you may be dealing with kidney disease or diabetes.

    ^^^^ At 12 my cat developed a thyroid disorder and then at 16 developed diabetes and chronic renal (kidney) failure. None of these things you want to mess around with & when a cat doesn't eat for several days, their organs begin to shut down. Get him in to see the vet ASAP.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I agree. Take kitty to the vet ASAP. many causes are treatable, but you need to find out what you are dealing with and it is best to know right away because lack of eating can cause more serious issues in the liver very quickly. I have had it happen with a geriatric cat and in her case it was thyroid, very treatable. Is he vomiting more than normal? Again, I had that experience with a different elderly cat and it was a mast cell tumor which was excised and the symptoms stopped.
  • kbeckley11
    kbeckley11 Posts: 203 Member
    I took my cat to the vet two weeks ago because she stopped eating. Turns out she is in Kidney failure, and probably has hyper thyroidism. I say probably because the vet thinks she does, but didn't want to waste money on a test since they wouldn't have treated it anyway. She had a really fast heart rate, which is why they suspected hyper-thyroidism, but that fast heart rate was getting blood to the overworked kidneys, so it was actually keeping her alive.
  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
    Take your cat to the doctor.

    We are not veterinarians. Only they will know what to do.
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    I hope it is as simple as hairballs...my (outdoor) cat goes through this every spring and summer, losing weight, not eating much. We give her some hairball medicine that looks like brown vaseline (any pet store has it). It always seems to do the trick and she loves it too.

    Of course, we discovered this remedy the first time by bringer her to the vet.
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    Same thing happened to my 14 year old. I took her to the vet and she was dehydrated. She was put on IV and the vet gave me drops to put in food to stimulate her appetite. I also had the senior blood panel done and it came back excellent. Seems after the IV she was feeling better and began to eat. Definitely take yours to the vet.
  • oyadancing
    oyadancing Posts: 91 Member
    Weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, symptoms cats exhibit if something, anything, is wrong. I've seen those symptoms in four different cats for four completely different reasons. All required veterinary intervention. Three did much better after getting care, and we're treating #4 right now (a spry fellow of 12 yrs.)

    Be concerned but don't be scared. Just take him to the vet now. If it's really worrisome *to you*, take him to an emergency vet. That way, you'll take care of your anxiety which will help comfort him.

    Meanwhile, try meat baby food or something stinky like sardines (mine have always preferred boneless in oil) or kippers. And good luck for you and your fuzzy one.
  • helenarriaza
    helenarriaza Posts: 517 Member
    vet. now.

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