Why is my old cat losing weight?

by Amanda L. Maus DVM
Catalina Pet Hospital
Tucson, AZ

A common observation made by pet parents about older cats is that they are losing weight or look skinny.  Unfortunately, some people may assume it is simply due to "old age".  Old age itself is not a disease.  Cats are more prone to certain diseases as they age, which can lead to weight loss.  Although for most cats, a one pound weight loss is not noticeable to the naked eye, 10% of your cat's weight has vanished!  As part of your cat's annual exam by your veterinarian, your cat will have its weight assessed.  As soon as you notice a decrease in your cat's weight, it is very important to seek veterinary care.  Here is a link to determining whether your cat is underweight.

Philip

Similar to younger cats, older cats can become thin due to causes such as stress, poor diet, internal or external parasites, food bowl competition, liver disease, and infections/fever.  Have you changed cat foods?  Has your cat's routine been disrupted by new human or pet household members?  Does your cat go outside?  Has your cat been hiding or sleeping more than usual?

 

Petra

There are other diseases that can cause weight loss due to a poor appetite.  A poor appetite (anorexia) can be due to simply not feeling well, nausea, difficulty eating, or trouble getting to the food dish.  These diseases can include heart or lung disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, kidney disease, constipation, dental or oral disease, cancer, or arthritis.  Has your cat been less active or having trouble breathing?  Has your cat been vomiting or having diarrhea?  Has your cat been drinking or urinating more than before?  Has your cat been defecating daily?  Has your cat been drooling or having a bad mouth odor?  Has your cat been jumping less, limping, or moving stiffly? 

Necco

There are also age related diseases that can cause weight loss despite an increased appetite (polyphagia).  These diseases include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and pancreas enzyme insufficiency. 

Scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian for your older cat is a perfect time to discuss your cat's food intake, type of food fed, behavior or activity changes, litterbox usage, or other symptoms.  During your cat's physical exam, your veterinarian will evaluate your cat for signs of the above diseases and then recommend additional tests to confirm their diagnosis.  Afterwards they will discuss treatment recommendations that will assist your cat gain weight and increase their quality of life. 

Your donations to PAWSitively CATS help the shelter provide dental care and medications to our cats, such as Philip, Petra, and Necco, while waiting for their forever home!

Should I Be Concerned About My Cat's Diarrhea?

by Amanda L. Maus DVM
Catalina Pet Hospital

Tucson, AZ

When deciding whether to worry about your cat's diarrhea, there are several things to consider since diarrhea has many potential causes. Cat owners are often familiar with cats having diarrhea after a sudden food change or eating something they should not.  Some causes of diarrhea are contagious to other animals, as well as humans.  Causes can include:

• stress
• medication side effect
• virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite infection
• food allergy/intolerance
• ingestion of toxins or plants
• inflammatory bowel disease
• disease of the kidneys, liver, or pancreas
• metabolic diseases like hyperthyroidism
• certain cancers

Specific patterns of vomiting, correlated with other symptoms, can help your veterinarian determine which diseases are more likely.  This includes: 

• How old is the cat?
• Does the cat go outside?
• How long has the diarrhea been going on?
• How often is the cat having diarrhea each day?
• What is the consistency of the diarrhea?
• What color is the diarrhea?
• Is there blood or mucus in the diarrhea?
• Is the cat straining to defecate?
• How is the cat's appetite?
• What kind of food does the cat eat?
• Is the cat lethargic or hiding?
• Is the cat also vomiting?
• Has the cat lost weight?
• Is the cat dehydrated?

Now, how do you decide whether you should go to your veterinarian? Any cat who is having frequent diarrhea for more than 2 days, has blood or worms in their diarrhea, has black tarry diarrhea, is lethargic or hiding, was witnessed eating something inappropriate, is also vomiting, or has stopped eating, should be seen right away by your veterinarian. Other causes for concern are if your cat has diarrhea once weekly or more frequently, has lost weight, has a decreased or increased appetite, or increased thirst or urination.  Additional worries include anal irritation or back end hygiene issues in older, long hair, or overweight cats.  Make sure to take a fresh sample of the diarrhea to your cat's appointment.   

Should I Be Concerned About My Cat's Vomiting?

by Amanda L. Maus DVM
Catalina Pet Hospital
Tucson, AZ

When deciding whether to worry about your cat's vomiting, there are quite a few things to consider. The first is to determine whether your cat is vomiting or regurgitating, which involves witnessing the act.  Vomiting, which is much more common, involves active retching or heaving before anything is expelled from the mouth.  With regurgitation, food or liquid is spewed from the mouth without any retching or heaving.  A cat who is regurgitating should be seen by their veterinarian as soon as possible, due to risk of aspiration pneumonia and esophagus damage.

Vomiting has many causes.  Cat owners are often familiar with their cats having hairballs or vomiting after eating too much food, too quickly.  Other causes can include:

• stress
• motion sickness from travel
• medication side effect
• virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite infection
• food allergy/intolerance
• ingestion of toxins, plants, or indigestible objects
• obstruction of the intestine due to indigestible object or cancer
• inflammatory bowel disease
• disease of the kidneys, liver, or pancreas
• metabolic diseases like hyperthyroidism and diabetes
• certain cancers

Specific patterns of vomiting, correlated with other symptoms, can help your veterinarian determine which diseases are more likely.  This includes:

• How old is the cat?
• Does the cat go outside?
• How long has the vomiting been going on? 
• How often is the cat vomiting? What is vomited?
• How is the cat's appetite?
• What kind of food does the cat eat?
• Is the cat lethargic or hiding?
• Is there blood in the vomit?
• Is the cat having diarrhea?
• Has the cat lost weight?
• Is the cat dehydrated?

Now, how do you decide whether you should go to your veterinarian?  Any cat who is vomiting after every time they eat, has blood or worms in their vomit, is lethargic or hiding, was witnessed eating something inappropriate, or has stopped eating, should be seen right away by your veterinarian.  Other causes for concern are if your cat vomits weekly or more frequently, has lost weight, has a decreased or increased appetite, increased thirst or urination, or also has diarrhea.  Knowing the answers to the above questions will greatly assist your veterinarian in interpreting any bloodwork or xrays that may be needed to diagnose the cause of your cat's vomiting. 

What Should I Feed My Cat?

by Amanda L. Maus DVM
Catalina Pet Hospital
Tucson, AZ

A common question asked by cat parents is what food should they be feeding their cat.  There is no one brand or type that is perfect or the best for all cats.  Certain cats may have trouble with hairballs or have a sensitive stomach and therefore only do well on specific types of food.  Some cats may have medical conditions such as kidney disease or urinary tract diseases that require prescription foods be fed.  The aim of this blog is to help with making decisions on which food to buy for a normal, healthy adult cat, when confronted with all of the different types of available cat food at the pet store.

Mister

Cats are carnivores which means that they require high levels of protein in their diet, usually obtained through eating animal tissue or muscle.  Omnivores, such as humans and dogs, eat a mixture of animal and non-animal foods.  The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommends a minimum of 26% protein on a "dry matter" (DM) basis for adult cats, as opposed to only 18% for adult dogs.  What advantage do we gain in feeding high protein to our cat?  By feeding high protein, we are providing a proper carnivore diet. Most dry foods are high in carbohydrates which leads to weight gain and obesity. Obesity leads to higher risks of diabetes, hygiene and grooming problems, and joint disease.

Most pet foods only show the % protein in an "as fed" basis on the food label.  Usually this is okay if we are comparing dry foods to one another but it makes it difficult to compare a dry food to a type of canned food.  To show how to covert from "as fed" to "dry matter", let's say the dry food label says 10% moisture, which means there is 90% dry matter (100 minus 10).  If the label says there is 20% protein, we divide the 20 by 90 which equals 22% protein DM.  If the canned food label says 80% moisture, meaning 20% DM (100 minus 80), then 10% protein as fed equals 50% protein DM (10 divided by 20).  Although the dry food label said 20% protein and canned food listed 10% protein, there is actually 28% more protein in the canned food for this example.

Sebastian

Now that we know how to interpret pet food labels, let's look at the pros and cons of feeding dry food vs canned food.  There is a maximum amount of protein that can be found in dry food due to the difficulty of keeping it fresh and stable when stored at room temperature in a bag.  As seen in the example above, canned will typically contain much more protein than an equivalent dry food. There are only a few cat dry foods that contain high levels of protein such as those that are found in canned food. Canned food also has a high amount of moisture which helps ensure hydration and urinary tract health.  Although people worry about wet food leading to bad teeth, most dry foods do not significantly help prevent dental disease since the small kibble is minimally chewed when eaten. 

If you decide to change your cat's food, it is best to do so slowly.  One reason is to help prevent vomiting or diarrhea.  Another reason is that some cats do not accept change easily and may go on hunger strike which can lead to its own health problems such as fatty liver disease.  The switch from free feeding dry food to meal feeding canned food takes time since cats will object to not having food available at all times.  If you decide to help your overweight cat lose weight, remember that a cat should not lose more than 1 to 2% of its body weight per week.  Most cats need 150 - 200 calories per day.  Although typical cat foods do not list the calories (kcal) on the label, usually you can find this information on the internet.

Remember to drop off your food donations to the PAWSitively CATS shelter at 3432 E Fort Lowell in Tucson, Monday through Saturday from 10am-2pm.