The Energon Pub

My cat's 12 and he's got some weird problem. We took him to the vet but the vet couldn't find anything wrong. He used to be a little over weight, but over the past year, I've noticed that he's lost alot of weight. I mean he's so skinny you can feel his ribs when you pick him up. He's also missing fur on his legs. He's got really bad arthritis and hops on one front paw. Every few months he has these spells where he looks disoriented and has trouble walking. We also had to move his little box because he kept going to the bathroom on our livingroom rug. Has anyone else had this problem or is a vet or knows one that can diagnose this?

The same thing happened to my cat, and I mean the EXACT same thing. She was 11, she lost a ton of weight, despite eating well, and she lost a lot of fur.

We never found out exactly what was wrong, but we had to put her down.

He is an old cat. That might have something to do with it. Take him to another vet for a second opinion, and if they run tests and find nothing wrong with him, it's probably just his age. I mean, he's no ancient, but he's no spring kitten either. The only illness I've ever dealt with in cats was one that had leukemia. He got really skinny and developed a tumor in his throat, and he couldn't keep his food down.

Moonbase2 wrote:He is an old cat. That might have something to do with it. Take him to another vet for a second opinion, and if they run tests and find nothing wrong with him, it's probably just his age. I mean, he's no ancient, but he's no spring kitten either. The only illness I've ever dealt with in cats was one that had leukemia. He got really skinny and developed a tumor in his throat, and he couldn't keep his food down.

do u mean he couldn't swallow the food? Or throw it up? Sence my cat throws up from time to time.

I've thought about putting him down, it's just so painful to think about. I've had him for most of my life sence I was 4. I know it sounds cruel but unless he get like this all the time, it's just to painful to have to say goodbye. He just looks up at me an meows and gives me this look, and I can't imagine how bad I would feel if we were about to administer the shot and he did that.

Mr.Bond007 wrote:I've thought about putting him down, it's just so painful to think about. I've had him for most of my life sence I was 4. I know it sounds cruel but unless he get like this all the time, it's just to painful to have to say goodbye. He just looks up at me an meows and gives me this look, and I can't imagine how bad I would feel if we were about to administer the shot and he did that.

It is incredibly hard to put a loved cat to sleep. I once had to put two of four cats to sleep in one week. Another was bitten by a snake and eventually had to be put down, and I grieved as if I lost a friend. But it is better than watching your pet suffer. As long as he's ok just make him comfortable.

As for my cat, he would eat and then throw up soon afterward. He was one we had to put down, after he had a siezure one morning.

Call me an insensitive prick if you like (even though I went through this decision a few months ago) but think of the cat before yourself.

12 years is a good age for him, sure, he could live longer, but what's his quality of life going to be like? You love him, but why make him suffer?

Saying goodbye will be hard, no doubt about that, but watching him get worse will be harder, and sooner or later, you will lose him.

Case at hand though, we had a cat years ago, big cat he was, not overly friendly, he got to about 12 or so and lost all his weight and became pretty affectionate. We put it down to either cancer or the feline version of AIDS (as he was in some vicious fights in his younger days).

I had a cat that was 12 years old, and he was probably the smartest cat you'd ever meet. He knew the whole town, and he would sometimes come home with cuts or scratches from getting in fights. Just last summer, when I got back from vacation, he was nowhere to be found. We figured he probably just got in one last fight, or a fox got him, but it was so hard to except the fact that he was gone. I know how it feels to lose a cat that's been in my family for 8 years.

a. Depression
b. Mistress time's been beating him with her stick.


It is sad, but it happens to everything eventually. If he gets any worse, I would agree to have him put to sleep.

You don't want him suffering for no reason.

Sorry mate.

Moonbase2 wrote:He is an old cat. That might have something to do with it. Take him to another vet for a second opinion, and if they run tests and find nothing wrong with him, it's probably just his age.

That seems to be the best suggestion here. I've lived with seven cats and three dogs over my life (not all at the same time, mind you) and have at least two cats who've shown the symptoms you describe. Butterscotch was never over ten pounds her entire life (she was hyperthyroid) and when Boots started having those problems, it was age related (his kidneys were failing).

But as Moonbase, it all might be age related. 12 years to us is 61 to them, and like us, things start going wrong when we reach our sixties (sooner if we haven't taken care of our bodies). I know how hard it can be to put down a beloved pet, but as others have said, you sometimes have to consider the animal's feelings. As much as veterinary medicine has advanced in recent years (and people's willingness to pay for multitudes of treatments), sometimes, putting an pet down is the only thing you can do.

Burn wrote:Call me an insensitive prick if you like (even though I went through this decision a few months ago) but think of the cat before yourself.

12 years is a good age for him, sure, he could live longer, but what's his quality of life going to be like? You love him, but why make him suffer?

Saying goodbye will be hard, no doubt about that, but watching him get worse will be harder, and sooner or later, you will lose him.

This.

Thanx for the support guyes He's doing a little better today so we'll go from there.

Just in case, I'd recommend lots and lots of TLC and kitty-snuggles.

I hope I'm not too late into this.

12 isn't old for a cat...it's just into middle age. If he's losing weight that quickly there's something wrong with him. How in-depth did your vet get with the examination? Did he do any bloodwork or did he just feel the cat over and call him good?

We took in a 17 year old cat not too far back that was in a similar spot...all skin and bones. She came with a daily perscription to keep her kidneys working. She did eventually need to be put down, but the medicine improved the quality of the life she had in her considerably...she was a pretty spry girl.

Definitely get a second opinion. I'd be surprised if the technology didn't exist to find out what's wrong with him...the pinch comes with the cost of getting him diagnosed, and after that, the cost of treatment. Sad as it seems, it really is a restricting issue for some people.

some vets are just lazy...go get a 2nd opinion.

Night Raid wrote:Just in case, I'd recommend lots and lots of TLC and kitty-snuggles.

That I will If He gets worse I'll take him in to another vet. And no the vet didn't do any blood work.

Perhaps he has diabetets.or his kidneys are going.

I dont have a cat but i know about Guinea pigs.
The kidneys failing
Older guinea pigs sometimes start losing weight and get bloated and drink a lot then/orstop drinking enough and their wee smells strong and they get better then they get worse, then better etc till they go to sleep and die.they noticabley wee more and with less caution than before but never lose their manners as they are a very neat and well behaved creature.Wee in a corner that sort of thing.Guinea pigs are low on the ground so maybe it isnt noticable but maybe they did lose the fur on their stomaches a little. And the sides sometimes.They moullt a lot so its hard to tell.
also they drink a lot sometimes, constantly.it seems to go with the same illness.the not drinking is a later stage i think.
cats have good manners too so i think the urinating in the room instead of his proper place is a sign.
Sometimes its called Dropsy to give its antiquated and general name.

im no pro but you know enough from living with animals to guess a little.

its sad. i hope he gets better.heartbreaking to lose a friend.

We never took Guinea pigs to the vet cos they are small animals and there is lttle you can do for them. but a a cat is another matter entirely.he may be cured.

hope it helps.

estrelliaes wrote:Perhaps he has diabetets.or his kidneys are going.

These are good diagnoses for a cat...you might want to also check for hyperthyroid....all of these ailments are extremely common in middle-aged and older cats (12 yrs old is closer to middle-age for a cat).

And, as far as vets are concerned, if what they tell you feels wrong in your gut, best bet it is....get another opinion!

Pyrostrata wrote:

estrelliaes wrote:Perhaps he has diabetets.or his kidneys are going.

These are good diagnoses for a cat...you might want to also check for hyperthyroid....all of these ailments are extremely common in middle-aged and older cats (12 yrs old is closer to middle-age for a cat).

Considering 17 is considered very, very old for a cat, no, 12 is not middle-aged.

Pyrostrata wrote:And, as far as vets are concerned, if what they tell you feels wrong in your gut, best bet it is....get another opinion!

Exactly, a hunch from an Average Joe is always more accurate than that of a trained professional.

Shadowman wrote:Considering 17 is considered very, very old for a cat, no, 12 is not middle-aged.

17 is elderly for a cat, but not very, very old....most cats I have had experience with lived to be in their early 20's

Pyrostrata wrote:

Shadowman wrote:Considering 17 is considered very, very old for a cat, no, 12 is not middle-aged.

17 is elderly for a cat, but not very, very old....most cats I have had experience with lived to be in their early 20's

How about a Cat Life Calculator? Yeah, it's a bit confusing. The columns marked "Cat," are the actual time, and the columns marked "Human," is the "Cat Years."

According to that, 17 human years is about 76 cat years. 76 is well past human life expectancy, so why not a cat?