Monday, May 24, 2010

My 15 year old cat is getting bony, but he's eating good.?

I'm getting upset at how bony he's getting. Does anyone know of any supplements that would help him fill out again? He'd not emaciated, it's just his back has gotten bony, his tummy seems fine. I realize its' probably just old age, but its scarey. He still acts the same and his personality hasn't changed at all, and he's still very active. Can't find any lumps or growths, but of course it could be still be cancer. Guess I'm hoping there's some wonder drug that will make him fill out again and not grow old.
Answers:
My 15 year old cat was the same--boney back and hips. I discovered she had really bad teeth (alot were missing!) So I got that taken care of, and started her on canned cat food and the soft, moist cat food. Now she's plumping out. Check his mouth and see how many teeth he has!! That was something I never would have thought of.
i use to work at a vet office as a tech . There could be many reason why he looks thin. He could have worms for example. Not your fault just happens or could have some kind of infection. It takes along time for cats to get sick but when they do boy do they get sick. A repiratory infection could do the same thing to him. Take him to the vet and have him get checked out and he may need a prescription diet provided by the vet. As he gets older the different things his body needs. hope he gets better and good luck with that.
Hmm, I'm not entirely sure, but it could possibly be parasites. The vet would know the best thing to do for a senior cat.
your cat is just very old, brace yourself because he's going to die soon, infact he may just dissapear one day and never come back. sorry bout ur cat : (
There's no wonder drug. It's probably old age. There is high-protein canned cat food that might help some. You probably would have to go to a vet or a specialty pet store to find it (Petco or PetsMart). If he hasn't been to the vet in a while, you might want to take him in for a checkup, just to be sure. I know it can get spendy, but his health is obviously a concern for you and if on the off chance that it is some serious, you'll know.
If he goes out at all I might suggest you get him checked for worms. This is classic description of it.

Worst case would be feline diabetes. Treatable with diet if caught soon enough. (Does he drink like there is a never ending thirst?)

Get him to a vet soon.
probably intestinal parasites. Please deworm him.
Older cats do get bony. There are several problems older cats have that can cause weight loss such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes and you don't describe the symptoms of these. His kidneys are probably not working at top-knotch condition and this is common in older cats too.

Every older kitty needs a yearly blood draw to check for health problems. It is the gold standard of internal medicine diagnosis and can pick up "problems" when they can possibly be corrected. The vet exam and blood panel would run around $150 here (a high-price area) so I hope you can do this for him.
maybe your cat is eating but its throwing it up
Likely only your vet can say for sure if he is bony due to a disease or illness or if just old age. Older cats do tend to lose muscle mass (just as people do); if everything else seems to be okay with him, this may be the case.
try switching his food to a higher protein diet such as kitten chow it is loaded with protein which would be good for him.i have a 15 yr old cat that i found wandering the neighborhood dehydrated and emacipated (only 6lbs) i began feeding her purina one kitten chow mixed with the chicken and rice formula of purina one plus a can of fancy feast or whiskas tender bites once a day and she probably has put on 2 lbs in the past 3 weeks
Sounds like your cats gonna die soon, But I could be wrong. My cat went through the same thing and there was nothing wrong with her about 3 yrs. ago. Now shes 19 and very very healthy. Take him to the vet. asap
I would say that age has caught up with him you'll have to stay strong and know that he has had a good life with you but you want have him forever.
We have just encountered the same problem at our house. We did take Kitty to the vet and have all the blood work done and he had no physical reason for the weight loss, other than his age. Older cats don't process their food as well, just like people. We tried a senior cat formula, but that didn't make a difference.

In the meantime, I got a litter of four week old kittens to foster and I use the Royal Canin baby cat formula (dry food) for the young kittens I foster. He began eating that, and he started to gain weight. He is looking good again.

Please rule out any health reasons first, but, if he doesn't have any underlying health problems, then trying a kitten formula might work for your cat too.
Please get your cat to a vet and have him checked for hyperthyroidism ! You say your cat is getting thin even though he's eating good.You also mention that he is very active..very active is one of the signs of hyperthyroidism ! How is your cats coat? Untreated it can kill your cat.It will require a blood test and if found to have hyperthyroidism he can go on inexpensive medicine to control the condition.
I have 7 cats ( 6 over the age of 14) Three of my cats have had hyperthyroidism .its very common in older felines. One of my former cats died from a complication of undiagnosed hyperthyroidism. One of my cats was treated with radiation.She went from being skinny and hyper to fat and sleek again. My other cat is coming along on oral meds.
please see this web page http://www.lbah.com/feline/hyperthyroidi.

2 comments:

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  2. Thanks for the info. I already had my cat at the vet for the weight loss. Switched foods, bigger portions, more often plus hard food available all day. He has still dropped 2 lbs. Definitely going to take him back to the Vet on Monday. His Brother is getting bony on his back. They are 12.

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