Advances in veterinary medicine and specialized pet foods have added years to the lives of family cats, with many living well into their teens and twenties. As your cat ages, you may notice some physical changes, particularly weight loss, that will need to be looked into by a vet.
-
Significance
-
Weight loss in senior cats with no prior history of illness is usually indicative of the onset of some type of disease. A cat that loses more than 10 percent of its body weight in a relatively short time is in dire need of a veterinary examination and testing to determine what disease is present and what kind of treatment should be undertaken.
Diseases/Symptoms
-
There are a number of illnesses that will cause an older cat to lose weight. One of the most common is hyperthyroidism, characterized by excessive thyroid hormone in the blood. Symptoms include increased appetite with weight loss, vomiting, cardiac arrhythmia, increased blood pressure, aggressive behavior and possible blindness.
Another is kidney disease, when the kidneys no longer excrete toxins from the circulatory system. Excessive urination or no urination at all, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and anorexia are all symptoms. Diabetes results when the cat's pancreas either stops producing insulin or the body stops responding to the action of insulin. Diabetic cats will drink and urinate excessively, have good appetite and still lose weight. They may become depressed, weak and develop cataracts.
Neoplasia is tumors from any gland or organ system in the body. Signs include lethargy, vomiting, jaundice, bleeding and diarrhea, pale mucous membranes, and excessive drinking and urination. Feline heart disease, called cardiomyopathy, occurs when the outflow of blood leaving the heart does not match the need of the body. The cat may have difficulty breathing, lowered body temperature, stop eating and show a marked lameness or paralysis in the rear limbs.
Bad teeth and the loss of a sense of smell will also cause an older animal to stop eating, as will systemic organ failure. All are common in senior felines.
Prevention/Solution
-
The majority of treatments and medications that a veterinarian will prescribe for a senior cat with health problems and associated weight loss will most likely be for palliative care -- intended to reduce the effects of the symptoms and bring comfort to the animal. The best prevention for serious disease in aging cats is to give them regular veterinary care when they are younger, including annual blood tests and dental cleaning.
Considerations
-
Cats, as a rule, tend to hide their symptoms until disease is fairly well advanced and most chronic illness in older cats is not curable. If you wish to maintain your pet's health well into old age, you'llo need to be vigilant in watching for signs and symptoms and must be willing to undertake some of the supportive care at home. Supportive care may include giving pills and/or insulin shots at regular times, making sure dietary restrictions are enforced and learning how to give subcutaneous fluids.
Warning
-
At some point, continuing to treat an ill, elderly cat can become cost prohibitive and emotionally stressful to its caregivers. You may need to decide whether to continue treatment or to authorize euthanasia. These painful decisions are never easy and must be respected by veterinary professionals and caregivers alike.
-