Severe Weight Loss In Elderly Cats
Older cats especially obese older kitties can develop type 2 diabetes a condition that can lead to rapid weight loss.
Severe weight loss in elderly cats. This list is by no means complete. Weight loss in older cats is often readily attributed to chronic renal disease diabetes mellitus hyperthyroidism inflammatory bowel disease exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and dental problems. Starting with a detailed history work your way through a complete workup in these patients.
Unfortunately weight changes in older cats are often attributed merely to aging so clients may not seek veterinary care or veterinarians may inadvertently delay a diagnostic workup until marked weight loss is evident or additional clinical signs arise. When this is the case other symptoms may include diarrhea lack of appetite and vomiting common gi problems that produce weight loss in cats include inflammatory bowel disease food allergies or certain infections. Diabetes results when your cat s body fails to respond to the hormone insulin produced by the pancreas or the pancreas doesn t produce enough of it according to webmd.
Weight loss commonly afflicts middle aged and older cats. Weight loss can be further split into polyphagic which means a progressive decrease in body weight in the presence of an increased appetite. It is important to monitor your senior cat s weight as even the slightest change in weight can be significant.
It may be a sign of a developing heath problem or the progression of a pre existing condition if your cat begins to lose weight. There are also many other possible causes of weight loss in cats.