Non diabetic cat losing weight due to low carb food

[Taisia&Henry Richmond VA]

Hi all

I've been wondering about my civvie, Ben- who has always had a long, lean, slim build.. but with the new low carb, high protein food, he's really lost weight- I can feel his little chest bone, and his shoulder blades are a bit more prominent.. - But as usual, he's tearing around, hunting and playing with his 'fake mice', he's clear eyed and seems perfectly normal-

He does have "meat" on his bones, but just a bit less of of it...

I've been feeding him and Henry (who has just been classified OTJ!) FF classic, and Friskies pate since around Feb 19 ..Its almost impossible to feed them different foods..

Does anyone have any suggestions?

thanks!

(I could have sworn I already posted this in the Health forum, but couldnt find my post)

 

[Larry and Kitties]

First is to periodically weigh him and all your cats to see what is happening to their weights.
If he will eat more then feed more.

 

[BJM]

You might check the fat content on the canned food; it may be possible to increase it for him.

Is he allowed outdoors? If yes, has he been checked for parasites such as fleas/tapeworms? I thought my heat waifs from last summer were wormed and discovered a tapeworm on one of them this week ... which means I need to treat all 14 of them for tapeworms.

 

[Taisia&Henry Richmond VA]

Bjm, no- hes a house cat- doesnt go outdoors

 

[BJM]

Sometimes, fleas will hop a ride indoors on you, and they can carry tapeworms. Use a finetoothed comb to check for fleas and flea dirt, just to be on the safe side.

Other reasons cats will lose weight:
- hyperthyroidism (hyper-T)
- renal disease (CKD)
- inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- congestive heart failure (CHF)

and many others.

Even if the wieght loss occurred at the same time as the food change, it could be from another cause.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Might be time for a vet visit. Whats his peeing like? Is he eating or drinking more? I am wondering about thyroid issues.

 

[Taisia&Henry Richmond VA]

He doesnt seem to be peeing more, and eating seems normal from what i can tell. Hes always
been somewhat of a closet eater, so its hard to tell. I will make an appt tomorrow. He was checked out just before Henrys dx, and all was well. The weight loss has seemed to happen after the change to canned FF and Friskies ..we have a new vet now. I will make an appt for her to see him asap
Thanks