Question Regarding Body Structure

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LoufsMama

LoufsMama

Member Since 2022
Hi Everyone!
So Louf has been in remission from diabetes for some time due to timed feeding and Weruva. He gets three meals a day. A big can in morning and at night and a small can for lunch. He plays again he’s so happy and cuddly and we don’t have massive urine in the litter box.

Some of you may remember he also had scary seizures during the time of his diagnosis. He was on Zonisamide for some time. We were back and forth on whether to keep him on or not because he had never had them before. Finally with the help of the vet we weaned him off of that too. So no meds now and doing good.

I weight him with a pet scale and use Alphatraker 2 once a month. He had had great blood sugars and remains around 10.5 lbs. However his back end just looks so narrow to me. It’s like he’s lost weight in his hips and butt but not on the scale. Has anyone encountered this?

I have read online sometimes it can be something with muscle loss due to age. We adopted him a few years ago at a cat cafe and they stated he was four. However in going to our own vet and finding out he had iris degeneration they think he may be much older but I don’t know how old. That was a really hard pill to swallow for me, but I adore him and am grateful for any time we get together. Any insight anyone could provide would be so appreciated. Thank you all.
 
I don't recall anyone commenting on a change in their cat's body structure. I could certainly see if if Louf was a long hair and got less flouffy. (I've got 2 long hair cats and despite looking like linebackers most of the time, when they start shedding in the warmer months, they do look a bit sleeker.) Is there any chance he's becoming arthritic and he's just not exercising his back legs as much? If that's the case, something like Cosequin may help. It's a capsule that you add to your kitty's food and can help. It's a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin which can help to ease up joint discomfort.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I don't recall anyone commenting on a change in their cat's body structure. I could certainly see if if Louf was a long hair and got less flouffy. (I've got 2 long hair cats and despite looking like linebackers most of the time, when they start shedding in the warmer months, they do look a bit sleeker.) Is there any chance he's becoming arthritic and he's just not exercising his back legs as much? If that's the case, something like Cosequin may help. It's a capsule that you add to your kitty's food and can help. It's a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin which can help to ease up joint discomfort.
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@Sienne and Gabby (GA) thank you for your reply. You know I wonder if that could be it. I was looking into Cosequin and other supplements because he has some creaks and cracks sometimes. I didn’t know what to do because I was afraid that may raise his blood sugar if I give it to him. I never know what choices to make anymore.
 
I would read the label. As long as there's nothing like sucrose (those -ose endings typically mean a sugar) in a product, it should be fine. You can always call a manufacturer or Chewy (if it's a product they carry) to ask about whether something is safe for a diabetic. I will say that my older cat was also a bit creaky and having to strain when jumping. The Cosequin has done wonders.
 
It’s possible that he’s just older than the estimate you’ve received. All of three of my senior cats have different rates of muscle loss in their hind area and their spines are more prominent there as well. For each the changes began around age 14-16.
 
LoufsMama said:
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) thank you so much for all the help and suggestions I appreciate it so much. I will definitely look into it for him.
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I haven't read the ingredients in cosequin but my sugar boy takes one a day because he gets UTIs alot & was showing signs of cystitis. Some of the good people here recommend cosequin for him, & it has helped tremendously & hasn't effected his BG at all.
 
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Thank you both. Yes I was wondering that too. He has a lot of senior kitty signs which makes me sad, but he’s still fairly active and he’s happy and lovey. There’s no way to really know. He’s originally from Kentucky and no one knows where he originated from so we don’t even know if he was a stray or a house kitty. I’m not sure why they listed him as so young. Hoping I have many years with him still.

I am definitely going to try the consequin and see what happens. It makes me feel better that others with diabetic kitties are using it too and not seeing an issue.
 
We've had only a few of what we call 'calendar cats', perfect posture, perfect weight, well groomed. We've also had a 28 pound beast and a 23 year old with all his teeth.
No two are ever the same, not all cats carry their weight the same way and obviously aren't good at telling us what hurts and what makes it hurt more. The only help I can offer is we've been there with the age mystery. Marco was over a year older than we originally thought and I messed up his adoption date in our calendar. He wasn't 12, he was 15 and it started to show in ways we weren't prepared for. Ashley, you'll do the right thing and with any luck at all he'll have many more years in your arms. :)
 
I've only known the exact date once. We adopted two that were supposedly neutered and spayed, they were not and showed no signs of it. A year later 20 feet from where I'm sitting out popped our first ever yellow and white long hairs. I was frantic at the vet, "Is it a gigantic tumor?" No you idiot, this cat is pregnant. :banghead:
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
I've only known the exact date once. We adopted two that were supposedly neutered and spayed, they were not and showed no signs of it. A year later 20 feet from where I'm sitting out popped our first ever yellow and white long hairs. I was frantic at the vet, "Is it a gigantic tumor?" No you idiot, this cat is pregnant. :banghead:
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Oh boy! That had to be a shock for sure.
 
You can't make this stuff up. We briefly thought about giving them away because we didn't know if we had enough love for nine cats and even gave them temporary names. Like some Hallmark movie we're in bed on a Saturday morning and one by one they all climbed up on the bed. That sealed the deal.
 
Hey Everyone!

Just a quick update and thank you. Since mid April when I made this post I have been giving my boy the Cosequin. It hasn’t caused any issues to his blood sugar and I’ve been testing to be sure. (Which he just loves lol gets so aggrevated with me). Honestly though this was a great idea he’s moving around wayyyyyyyy better….sometimes too much better lol…his sister is only 4 and he runs up snacks her and runs away now lol. But thank you we are so happy he’s feeling more comfortable and cruising around causing trouble lol.
 
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