7 reasons why a cat is losing weight but eating well

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When an animal is eating consistently but not gaining weight, pet owners sound the alarm. Many people believe that if a cat eats, then weight gain is a natural process. This is not entirely true. Animals, like people, are active and dynamic, which burns extra calories and helps the pet lose weight. When a cat loses weight but eats well, this is normal. With active life, weight loss is ensured by normal metabolism. The situation is different with sedentary cats.

Don't expect your kitten to actively gain fat. During the first 9-11 months, kittens develop their skeleton and posture, and the baby gets fat and loses weight. Young cats and female cats become soft and plump 1-2 years after birth.

Why do you lose weight?

If a cat eats a lot but is losing weight, there are a number of reasons that can be identified::

Worms . Helminths or worms destroy the animal's body from the inside. Even if the cat eats a lot, the pet loses weight. Helminths get inside the animal from dirty shoes, unwashed hands, or a dirty tray. Cleanliness and hygiene will protect the cat. To combat worms, special products are sold that are taken on average for about six months.
Damage to internal organs . An analysis at a veterinary clinic will help answer the question of why a cat is losing weight. Disturbances in the digestive system are also noticeable externally. These are impurities in the urine and stool consistency, and an unusual color. During the period of illness, the pet’s appetite decreases and he eats little.
Stress . The problem may be the arrival of a new pet. The cat's health is under serious stress due to nervous stress. Therefore, a once fat cat may begin to lose weight in just a couple of months. Any changes for a pet take a long time to get used to.
Summer heat . If a cat loses weight in the summer and has a good appetite, this is normal. During the summer season, the furry animal sheds its fur, and due to temperature stress, it eats less than in frosty winters.
Age . An old cat eats less than a young one. This is due to low mobility. An older cat that is losing weight should still be checked by a veterinarian, but for animals that sleep most of the time, weight loss is common.
Tumors . Neoplasms on the body, and especially in the body, are not easy to detect. With benign tumors, the cat should not lose weight.
Feed _ The quality of food determines the weight of the animal, how quickly it loses weight, how much it eats, and affects processes in the body. You should not suddenly change your cat’s diet from dry to liquid or to homemade food. Even a dog that is less picky about food will not begin to gain weight from this. Changing the menu for a pet is a consistent and long process, during which it loses weight in any case.

Chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease is one of the most common diseases in older cats.
The kidneys produce important hormones, filter waste from the blood, help regulate blood pressure, and promote the production of new red blood cells. When a cat's kidneys stop functioning properly, it leads to a variety of other problems.

Increased thirst and urination are among the first signs of kidney disease in a cat, followed by loss of appetite, weight loss and lethargy.

Chronic kidney disease cannot be completely cured, but it can often be treated with medications, diet changes, and fluid intake.

What is the optimal weight for an adult cat?

Depending on the breed, the pet’s weight varies from 3 to 7 kg. Mature animals are usually fit and lean, especially if it is a male, who is losing weight and gaining weight constantly. The lifestyle of a healthy cat is active and dynamic. After “playing”, the pet wants to drink a lot, the animal eats abundantly, which has a positive effect on the digestive processes.

Dangerous symptoms of weight loss include:

Lethargy, apathy . Sudden mood changes are evidence of anxiety. The cat feels bad and cannot find a place for itself, does not play and refuses food.
Blood, frequent diarrhea . If the cat has lost weight and foreign inclusions are observed in the urine and diarrhea, you need to go to the clinic and have tests done.
Bloating . Do not confuse high weight with a bloated stomach. The cat may become worse and worse due to internal swelling, infection, infection, which is why he does not eat.

What will my veterinarian do?

If you are concerned about your cat's weight and appetite, you should take your pet to the vet for a check-up. If your cat goes outside a lot, you may not notice vomiting or diarrhea, so don't assume it's not happening. Weight loss may be the only sign you notice.

Your veterinarian will check your pet first, but may also recommend further tests. Blood samples can help evaluate your cat's overall health by analyzing the liver, kidneys, blood sugar levels, and thyroid hormones. Urine samples can detect infections and elevated sugar levels, while fecal samples can detect any parasites or bacterial infections. Sometimes an x-ray or ultrasound may be needed to make a diagnosis.

Your veterinarian will walk you through the process step by step and determine recommended diagnostic or treatment options for your cat.

Posted by Christian Adams An American expat living in Metro Manila, Philippines for over a decade, Christian is a lifelong cat lover and the proud father of two rescue cats, Trixie and Chloe. Both girls used to be among the crowds of homeless people who roam the cities and countryside. Three-year-old Trixie was rescued from a litter found under a neighbor's porch, and two-year-old Chloe was brought home by Christian's young son, Henry, who discovered the crying kitten in the parking lot.

When should you not panic?

An animal's activity is the best evidence of health. A cat that constantly plays, runs, sleeps little and constantly asks for food is not at risk and periodically loses weight. The morning amount of food is burned in a matter of hours and therefore in the afternoon the pet will ask for more. But you should not overfeed your cat.

Old cats are already losing interest in games, losing weight, and it’s not a matter of illness. With age, the cat moves and studies less and less, and observes and evaluates more often. The fewer movements, the less energy is burned, and, accordingly, the minimum amount of food will be needed.

Mild poisoning for cats is a common situation, especially if the pet eats the same food as the owner. Diarrhea for two to three days does not indicate a serious illness. If the problem persists for more than a week, it is wise to contact a specialist.

Animals experience stressful situations more difficult than humans, but faster. The appearance of a kitten, puppy, child, scary cat plush toy or new person in the house can completely destroy the appetite and lead to the animal losing weight. There is no need to panic: within a couple of days the cat will return to its usual feeding schedule.

Flora

Flora's cat transformation happened twice. At the beginning, Flora transformed from a skinny cat into a clone of Garfield, and with the next owners - back.

The new owners put Flora on a diet: the cat was allowed to eat only 1 can of cat food a day and exercise on the fence next to the house. As a result, Flora lost more than twice her weight. Now her weight is only about 2 kg, which corresponds to the cat norm.

Like all domestic cats who have lost weight, Kato lost weight thanks to his owner. To prevent Kato from being haunted by hunger pangs, the owner resorted to a trick. He gradually reduced the amount of food in the bowl until he settled on the desired amount. So the cat lost almost half of its own weight without noticing any changes in its diet.

Attention! All the cats we talked about lost weight under the supervision of veterinarians. We do not recommend limiting your cat's food without consulting a doctor, as this can lead to serious liver diseases.

How to feed a cat correctly?

If the cat has lost a lot of weight, the owner may have incorrectly compiled the daily diet and menu for the pet. There are a number of rules thanks to which you can maintain a stable weight of the animal and protect your family pet from threats:

It is important to choose only one food option, otherwise the cat will not only lose weight, but may also get sick. This is a branded industrial feed or natural food. You can find branded food by the labels holistic, premium and supreme. These are classes that confirm compliance with high production standards.

Do not mix natural food and industrial feed. A cat develops one type of digestion, aimed at “artificial” or natural food. Your cat will need more moisture to digest the crackers. With constant changes in diet, the digestive system cannot adapt in a timely manner, which is why the stomach and intestines suffer.

Don't trust advertising. The brand names Whiskas and Kitiket, which have already become household names, do not become a sign of quality . These are affordable feeds to which attractive agents are mixed. These are components that act like a drug and are addictive. This is a serious burden for a pet’s gastrointestinal tract. A cat will live a long time if you feed it food that is sold in specialized stores, and not on supermarket displays.

Gastrointestinal problems

Any problem in the gastrointestinal tract can affect a cat's weight. First, problems with the gastrointestinal tract can reduce your appetite. Second, some problems prevent the gastrointestinal tract from properly digesting food and absorbing nutrients, leading to weight loss.

Some gastrointestinal problems seen in cats include intestinal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis and other pancreatic problems, and even gastrointestinal cancer.

Gastrointestinal problems can cause loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and more. Treating gastrointestinal parasites can be as simple as deworming your cat.

Other gastrointestinal problems usually require medications and supportive care.

How to properly feed a cat natural food?

The menu consists of two types of dishes. These are meat and dairy products.

The basis of the meat diet is lean beef, cut into small pieces. Next you need to provide the dish with vitamins. This can be done using vegetables or special additives . Veterinary stores sell vitamin powders that contain everything your pet needs. The compositions are not cheap, but it saves the housewife time.

The fermented milk set consists of low-fat cottage cheese and one percent kefir. On average, cottage cheese is served “on the table” to the cat 1-2 times a week.

Treatment methods

When a cat suddenly begins to eat a lot, it may be expecting a replenishment. Her body requires more food for the babies growing inside. Before treatment, you should make sure that the individual is not carrying kittens. In case of severe illnesses, the doctor prescribes a course of necessary medications, IVs, and injections. If there are infestations, then it is necessary to eliminate the unwanted inhabitants with the help of medications. In the absence of the opportunity to purchase special cat medications, you can use the human drug - Pirantel. As cats get older, their appetite may either increase or decrease. To maintain the health of your pet, it is recommended to undergo regular examination of the animal at the veterinary clinic. If necessary, urgently take measures to treat your beloved four-legged friend.

Determination of the degree of fatness

You should not talk about weight loss without first determining whether the animal has really lost weight. This is done as follows:

The first and most common sign of exhaustion is “fence” ribs. This means that the ribs protrude strongly from under the skin, and therefore can be easily felt even after a light touch, not to mention palpation.
When you palpate the base of the tail, you can feel its “bone” structure; you can easily find the sacral bone and the first caudal vertebrae.

If you look at a cat from above, it is easy to notice that its figure is very similar to an hourglass. However, their back part will be greatly narrowed, while the back of the animal is clearly pointed, it is awl-shaped.
When palpating the paws (especially the front ones), even an inexperienced person can determine the shape and structure of the bones. Simply put, the limbs resemble pieces of a skeleton covered in skin. The muscles are flabby and jelly-like to the touch.

Let's talk about nutrition

If a cat's fur is coming out in clumps, then the first thing you need to do is pay attention to its nutrition. Those owners who prefer to feed their pet everything that they eat themselves cause irreparable harm to it.

Typically, human food is seasoned with spices and salt.

But they are the ones that cause food allergies, kidney and liver diseases in cats. A sick animal begins to lose fur extensively and also becomes very nervous.

You can choose the right diet only after consulting a veterinarian. It will help you identify foods that cause allergies. In addition to prescribing a diet, a special vitamin complex will be recommended, which will not only help bring six animals in order, but also improve its health.

Why does a cat shed a lot? This question is often asked by owners who have not yet had experience interacting with animals. From the very first days, the kitten is taught to eat healthy food. In addition to special food, it is necessary to introduce vegetables, fruits and cottage cheese into the diet.

When trying to understand why a cat sheds a lot, you need to check whether the cat is eating properly. It is an unbalanced diet that can provoke constant molting.

Lack of vitamins A and E, trace elements, calcium, magnesium, fatty acids in the daily food provokes villi loss

And it doesn’t matter whether the cat is fed natural products or special food - a lack of a certain type of nutrition causes excessive hair loss

In this case, you need to consult a veterinarian who will select other types of food for the cat.

Other signs

Breathing becomes frequent or, conversely, rare and cautious (if painful), wheezing, wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath appear. Shortness of breath in a cat can be caused by increased physical activity, asthma, inflammation or emphysema, which, in turn, is a consequence of poisoning. Difficulty breathing is observed with pleurisy, heart failure, anemia, and worms. In older cats, a sign of heart failure may be a cough.

We suggest you read: What does it mean if a cat does not eat, refuses water, and constantly lies lethargic?

Lymphatic system. Enlarged lymph nodes, as a rule, indicate the presence of an inflammatory process. Most often, the submandibular lymph nodes are involved in this process, so you should learn to find and feel them.

Increased thirst may be associated with a cold, diabetes, dropsy, renal failure, or kidney disease, and if it is accompanied by physical weakness and odor from the mouth, this most likely indicates uremia.

HOW TO DETECT A CAT'S PREGNANCY?

Vomiting develops in response to poisonous herbs entering the stomach and in general during poisoning, helminthic infestation, and travel in transport. Vomiting and increasing physical weakness in combination with constipation indicate intestinal obstruction and the presence of a foreign body in the intestine.

Increased salivation occurs when the tongue and oral cavity are damaged, when a foreign body enters the esophagus, during heat and sunstroke, during poisoning and some liver diseases. It can also be a symptom of such a terrible disease as rabies.

But these signs of diseases, as a rule, do not appear all at the same time: usually one sign is most pronounced, and the rest accompany it (in one combination or another). The improvement in the cat’s well-being and recovery can be judged after the disappearance of all painful manifestations characteristic of a particular disease.

The posture of a cat can tell you a lot. A healthy animal rests or sleeps in a relaxed position, with its torso straightened and limbs stretched out. A sick cat takes a forced position that helps reduce pain or any discomfort. In particular, with heart disease, a cat stands with its forelimbs spread wide apart - this makes breathing easier;

The above symptoms manifest themselves to varying degrees, and their combination also varies widely. If you are concerned about anything in your cat's physical condition or behavior, call your veterinarian or the nearest veterinary clinic (make sure to always have these numbers at hand or in a visible place). A telephone consultation may be sufficient to help your pet.