Lady cat, weight lose but eating down the house

[Lovekitty]

I took my youngest cat (8yrs old) to the vet a few weeks ago. She went from a healthy 8lbs to 5.3lbs. The vet check for liver, kidney disease and for any thyroid issues. All the test came back negative. A few months ago i notice that her right eye was goopy with clear discharge, she also wasn't eating as well and she had diarrhea. But after the vets visit, she is eating like a horse, she practically runs me down when she hears me with her food and she still has running stools but not like before. The Vet is perplexed because Lady is still slow to put the weight back on. I don't think they tested her for Diabetes, but I think she might be Diabetic or did she catch a cold or flu. Which I don't think is possible because are 10 yr old cat Jack is healthy and fat.

[clm]

I'm afraid you're going to have to keep taking her back to the vet until they find out what's wrong. Good luck! I hope they get her fixed up soon.

Cindy

[sugarcatmom]

I'm surprised they didn't test for diabetes. Is she drinking or peeing more that you've noticed? I would definitely be taking her back for more thorough blood work and urinalysis if they didn't do a complete senior panel on her the last time.

What does she eat?

[Lovekitty]

So Lady cat was tested for Diabetes but her sugar was good. The Vet also tested her for Feline Aids and Feline Leukemia which both came back negative. Thank god. But it still leaves a lot of questions. We got the OK to fly from Japan to the US, where Lady will stay with my mother in Ohio. She is to unhealthy to fly to the Azores, so she will have to be separated from her pal Jack (he will continue the trip with us). Which is just as well since the Veterinarian clinic is very limited in the Azores. I don't think she will get better, her weight went from 5.3 lbs to 5.1 lbs. She is wasting away, but she is eating and drinking. The only thing the Vet thought was a possibility was Cancer and that makes me cry just thinking about it. I'm sure most will agree that is a strong possibility.

[Love4himies]

Any updates on your kitty?

[Lovekitty]

Lady kitty is still alive. When we got to the States, i took her to the family Vet. But he scratch his head and shrud his shoulders. His advice was to bring her back in 6 months for the same blood test. So she will stay with my mother, since i'm going back overseas. Lady still has a hearty appetite but still no wait gain.

I don't know.
LoveKitty

[Dr Lee]

Originally Posted by Lovekitty

Lady kitty is still alive. When we got to the States, i took her to the family Vet. But he scratch his head and shrud his shoulders. His advice was to bring her back in 6 months for the same blood test. So she will stay with my mother, since i'm going back overseas. Lady still has a hearty appetite but still no wait gain.

I don't know.
LoveKitty

A couple of thoughts.

1) Some diseases which are showing symptoms can have ambiguous blood results and may be easier to diagnose 6 months later. Diabetes Mellitus is NOT one of them. If you have clinical signs related to DM, then you must have elevated levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood and urine. Period.

2) FeLV and FIV. Glad they were negative but I want to be clear on a couple of points. FIV is transmitted through bite wounds from infected cats. FeLV is more highly transmissible but in adult cats, esp at 6 years of age - a NEW FeLV infection would be unusual.

3) I wonder if a thyroid panel was performed with the blood test. Hyperthyroidism raises metabolism levels and is associated with polyphagia (increased appetite) and concurrent weight loss. This is a test that can have ambiguous results especially if only a thyroid screen T4 is performed. Grey levels 2.5-4 can be further evaluated with a concurrent T4 by ED (Equilibrium Dialysis).

4) How is the stool? If there is chronic diarrhea, an gastrointestinal and malabsorption/maldigestive problem may be present.

5) Was a complete urinalysis performed? Glomerular disease (very different than standard kidney disease which might show up on standard blood tests) might lead to abnormal protein loss in the urine. This can have the presentation of a hungry cat who cannot gain weight.

6) Survey Radiographs? These might show a potential mass.

Good luck