Hi all

New here to the pet forum so I hope I have come to the right place for a bit of advice.

I have two cats, domestic short haired, brothers from the same litter, around 12 years old. One is a monster in size and the other I have recently become concerned about as he seems to be getting rather thin, especially around the hind quarters. Someone who hadn't seen him for about 3 months came round the other day and said the cat was noticeably thinner than the last time he had seen it.

He eats for Britain and is always around my ankles for food when I am in the kitchen. About a year ago he started being sick quite a lot, almost every day, always bringing up half chewed dry food. So I knocked the dry food on the head and touch wood he is very rarely sick now. I think he was gorging on it and greedily over-feeding.

So there is nothing wrong with his appetite and he drinks normally and goes to the toilet normally too.

A friend suggested maybe he has tapeworms, so last week I wormed him. At the same time I phoned the vet and they said if I took him in they would do blood tests which would cost me in the region of £130. From blood tests they may have to do x-rays which I was too frightened to ask the cost of! Needless to say, the more treatment they tell me he needs the bigger and bigger the bill is going to get.

As I am totally skint at the moment I asked friends and family if they thought it would be a good idea to worm him and then see how he goes over the next couple of weeks. Everyone said they thought that could be a good start and if no improvement then take him to the vet. The thing is he has now started giving off the odd wet sneeze here and there, so now I am worrying about cat flu!

I know you are probably thinking 'just take him to the vet then!!' but funds are that low at the moment that I want to avoid it if at all possible.

But if advice comes back at me that urges me to go to the vet then the credit card will have to make an appearance.

I hope someone can come up with some suggestions as I really am worried about my cat.

By the way, all other characteristics are completely normal. He is still his usual happy, clingy, friendly and playful self.

Thanks in advance folks.

Hi if you havent already wormed him I would get some drontal from the vet as some supermarket wormers dont really do the trick.

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"Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we're here we might as well dance."

I know at this sort of age things can start croping up. And some cats do loose weight but generally if a rapid weight loss and increased appitie id say there may be a underlying problem. Maybe thyroid or something.Is the cat drinking alot more than normal. The only way your really find out is to get him checked out.Worming also if hes not been done for sometime is stilll worth doing as if loaded with worms can also cause weight loss. Is he vaccinated as there can be a chance hes picked up something if not done. You may be better ringing the vets and asking if there take monies over a period of weeks in payments instead of trying to pay for the whole lot up front. Some will do it.

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Banner By Smudge.

Thanks for the posts already.

I have used Drontal worming tablets. Neither cats had been wormed for quite some time. I am having trouble getting the bigger cat to accept a tablet down the throat, and he will not take crushed in food. Skinny cat has always drunk quite a lot of water anyway, and no increase that I have noticed. Quite a few people have commented that age could come into it, and I wouldn't say that the weight loss has been rapid, more over the period of the past year, but then we see him every day whereas others who don't have commented on his thinness. By the way, big cat weights 6.2kg & skinny weights just 3.3kg. He has always been small in comparison to the other one, but knowing that he weighs almost half as much as his brother is quite concerning.

I will keep an eye on him and will also ask if the vet take payment in installments. I hadn't thought of that as an option, so thanks for making that comment.

I usually hide the tablets in a squishy treat - I usually use webbox cat sticks as I have to give pills to mine everyday.

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"Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we're here we might as well dance."

Hope you get something sorted.Some vets are better than others. In respects to the sneezing mine had a infection after a cold that made him sneeze. He was having green snot though. My boy was 16 so a bit older than yours. Unfortuanaly i lost my boy a year and half ago. And we have a new furr baby whos now 9 months old. He is pictured in the bottom of my post as a kitty. Good luck.Pate is also good for hiding tablets and cheese squeeze it till soft and mould round tablet.

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Banner By Smudge.

Hi
I think trying the wormer would be a good idea, but of course even if he passes worms you cant be sure they are causing him to lose weight. You would have to just wait and see if he starts to gain any over a couple of weeks.
The most common cause of weight loss in older cats is hyperthyroidism, with diabetes also being quite common. The fact he drinks a lot fits in with either of these diseases- he may have had them a while, with the weight loss being the most recent and obvious sign.
Other causes can include infections, and lymphoma of the intestines.
If he is bright and happy in himself you could worm him and leave it a few weeks to see if this has any effect.

It kind of sounds like a situation I had with my cat. I noticed she was losing weight despite eating a lot more so I wormed her. That didn't do anything so I had to take her to the vets and she had an overactive thyroid. I'm not at all well off (I only work part time and I'm part time carer for my mum) but I managed to scrape the money together for a blood test which confirmed the thyroid problem. It does seem to be more common in older cats.

If the worming doesn't work, definitely take your cat to the vet would be my advice. Hope he improves soon. xx

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Owned by Ratty girls Hera, Athena, Boomer and Kitty the Cat
RIP Apollo and Starbuck, together again at the Rainbow Bridge. Till we meet again.

Thanks for your post Jaxx. I have read up on overactive thyroid in cats and Tig may well be suffering from this. Once diagnosed, what is the treatment please?

anti-thyroid hormone tablets