OLD and Dear Kitty Loosing Weight (getting real bony)

[jobamo]

Hi I have a kitty, her name is Rockie. She is 16 years old and has a good life. She’s an indoor kitty. I take her to the vet every year for a check up and the vet said she’s doing good for her age. What I am concerned about is that she is loosing weight. In her hey day she was a big kitty and weighed about 14 lbs but throughout the last few years she’s getting smaller and real bony. I know she’s old and tired but I still see the glow in her eyes like when she was young, she’s just so small now. She eats and I feed her IAMS Orange bag, Proactive health Hair ball food during the day and she eats ½ can of Fancy Feast at night. I guess my question is .. is there a better food I should be feeding her, one made especially for old kitties? I Love her and I just slowly see her getting smaller and smaller.
Thanks for your time,
John

[sugarcatmom]

How long has she been losing weight? Do you know what she weighs now?

I would be taking her for a check-up with a full senior blood panel and urinalysis as soon as possible, and get a copy of the results. Even though you take her to the vet every year, something could have come up since the last visit. Common causes of weight loss in older cats are hyperthyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer. These are mostly manageable conditions when caught early enough. Are there any other symptoms, like excessive drinking or peeing? Eating more or less than usual?

As for the food, definitely a switch to something with better quality ingredients and more protein would be a good idea. The best thing you can do is ditch the dry completely and feed only a wet food diet. Fancy Feast isn't the worst, but there are better choices, like Wellness, Nature's Variety Instinct, Innova Evo 95%, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Precise etc. Some more info for you on what cats should be eating: www.catinfo.org

[Love4himies]

Hi there,

I can't add any more advice than what Sugarcatmom has but would like to tell you about my senior, Puddles.

Puddles is going on 14 years old and a couple of years ago she too was loosing weight, especially muscle mass and her fur was thinning and getting greasy. With the help of Sugarcatmom and Growler, I changed her food from kibble to Wellness grain free, then onto raw and Nature's Variety Instinct. She now looks like she did when she was 2 years old, the vets can't believe it. I also get a urinalysis and full blood panel done on her annually just to keep an eye on things as cats hide their illnesses very well.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Were there blood & urine tests done at the last appt?

If it's been more than 6 months I would suggest booking an appt for a geriatric panel including a T4 and a urinalysis.

Cats over the age of 7 should be tested yearly & cats 10-13+ tested twice yearly unless there is a medical condition for which they should be tested every 3-4 months.

I agree to drop all dry food in favour of canned in the brands sugarcatmom has posted above

[Magsie]

Rockie is lovley much loved cat. Alas as with humans time creeps up on us and we become frail and thin. I lost three cats last year to old age and they experienced the very same things you mention in Rockie. My cats were 18 and 20 years old. All I can say is keep doing what you are doing for Rockie and if she is still active and alert and happy then that is all you can do. The coat dries up and the body gets smaller but the heart and love always remain huge. Just keep lovin Rockie and make her days happy.

[jobamo]

I'll check out the wet food diet and take her down to the vet again and cross my fingers. You're a lot of help and bless you all! I'll let you know how she does.
Thanks again!
John