Weight loss

[Hercules]

Last time my cat was taken to the vet and weighed he was 11.5 lbs. I have been feeding him over 270 calories a day usually, except on the rare occasion when he is in a picky mood and decides we need to change up his food. He got a haircut today as he had some matting and he is a long haired cat. He looks so skinny after the hair cut. I am able to very slightly see his ribs and spine. I have been crying because I don’t know what to do. I feel like I need to give him even more food and maybe something that will help him gain weight, but I know most of those foods are high carb. Bexacat is becoming so frustrating because I don’t know enough about it and neither does the vet he has not had a single high glucose number in weeks ( I check once a day most days, and sometimes once every couple days based on my vets recommendation with bexacat or if I am noticing any abnormal behavior) he has had a reading of 62 once, but has been staying between 70-110 with every check in the last couple weeks). Part of me is like this medication is keeping him regulated and I know I cannot go back to bexacat if I go onto insulin, but part of me also wonders if insulin would be better than this. I am so worried and I am trying so hard to do the best I can for him. I cannot lose him. He means so much to me, and seeing how skinny he has gotten is scaring me.I was looking at pictures of him shaved from a year ago and he had so much more muscle on his body and fat. I know that diabetes can cause weight loss, and I just don’t know how to get him to put weight on. My vet told me to feed him whenever he is hungry and I have been (and he is hungry a lot). I have a vet appointment in the morning, and I am making a list of questions and concerns to go over with him. He has been seemingly constipated this last week and a half pooping every couple days and peeing in the litter box and trailing it outside of the litter box as well too. I am so overwhelmed. Please help, if anyone has any advice it would mean the world to me.

 

[plumsteal]

You might need to ask the vet for a blood test to check if something else is going on aside from diabetes, such as kidney disease or thyroid problems, which can cause weight loss.

My cat is a similar age (he’s 17 years old), on insulin for about a year now, and he’s also quite bony, so I wouldn’t necessarily assume that insulin will fix the problem for Hercules. Geriatric cats do lose a lot of fat and muscle mass as they age, unfortunately. It becomes difficult for their bodies to digest nutrients like proteins and fats from their food, and being ill doesn’t help matters.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Has your vet run complete blood work to see if there is anything wrong. Another suggestion is to see an internal medicine specialist. They can do an ultrasound and other tests if the blood work doesn't show anything. Last year my cat Simon was losing weight. We ended up seeing the specialist. Through tests they determined that he was not properly absorbing all of the nutrients. We tried a few diets but what worked best was me making his food following a raw diet recipe. However I cook the protein first and then mix in the supplements. He has gained weight and is doing great.

 

[Hercules]

Has your vet run complete blood work to see if there is anything wrong. Another suggestion is to see an internal medicine specialist. They can do an ultrasound and other tests if the blood work doesn't show anything. Last year my cat Simon was losing weight. We ended up seeing the specialist. Through tests they determined that he was not properly absorbing all of the nutrients. We tried a few diets but what worked best was me making his food following a raw diet recipe. However I cook the protein first and then mix in the supplements. He has gained weight and is doing great.

When I went to the vet in august and received the diabetes diagnosis they ran a panel on him and said nothing else was wrong at that time. I asked my vet on the follow-up appointment about doing a pancreatic test because of going on bexacat and they said the didn’t think that would be necessary because of the fact that he was not exhibiting any signs to indicate this. I am getting to the point where I think seeing an internal medicine specialist would be to his benefit because I am feeling like my vet is slightly incompetent at times. Thank you for this insight, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[Hercules]

Has your vet run complete blood work to see if there is anything wrong. Another suggestion is to see an internal medicine specialist. They can do an ultrasound and other tests if the blood work doesn't show anything. Last year my cat Simon was losing weight. We ended up seeing the specialist. Through tests they determined that he was not properly absorbing all of the nutrients. We tried a few diets but what worked best was me making his food following a raw diet recipe. However I cook the protein first and then mix in the supplements. He has gained weight and is doing great.

Also, what specific nutrients are you adding to his protein?

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Also, what specific nutrients are you adding to his protein?

It depends on which protein I am using. If there are no bones or organs such as liver, then i mix TC Feline Raw Diet Premix. These proteins are usually boneless chicken or pork. I also feed a rabbit prey blend that does have liver and bone and use Alnutrin then. A good group to get a lot of info is the Facebook group Raw Feeding for IBD cats.

 

[Shane and Baby]

Hi Kendra,

You could consider supplementing with a low carb wet food to increase his fluid and calorie intake without adding a big carb load. What is Hercules eating now? Some of the wet foods are basically all fat and protein so if he'll eat them in addition it's "free" calories.

We have some IBD cats in the family and adding water to their wet food diet and using miralax if there seems to be the start of constipation both helped the most severe cat, who is not diabetic, go from under 8 back up to almost 11. We did find a thyroid issue in his case. Also a B12 deficiency can prevent food absorption and cause constipation too so it may be worth adding those to your lists to discuss with the vet.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Kendra -

A couple of thoughts... You can always call the customer service at Bexacat and ask to speak to someone with veterinary experience. A different alternative is that the Cornell Feline Health Center has a consultation service. If there is any place that would be familiar with new methods or drugs, it would be Cornell Vet School. It is consistently in the top 3 programs in the US.

Aside from finding sources for information, I would increase Hercules' calories. It is not uncommon for a cat that is switched to a low carb diet to lose weight. You're feeding a species appropriate higher protein diet which means that your cat is metabolizing pretty much everything he eats. Think of it in terms of a human switching to keto/Atkins. Most people lose weight. While 270 calories may be in theory what's recommended for Hercules' ideal weight, just like with humans, two people can eat exactly the same number of calories and even if their exercise or activity is the same, one may lose weight and the other gains weight. It all depends on metabolism. Use a higher calorie food. Higher calorie doesn't mean higher carb. If Hercules isn't gaining weight if you're feeding him more calories, then it's an issue. However, if you're going to feel better if you have your cat checked by a vet, then that's the right thing to do. You're there with your kitty.

 

[Zappa’s mom]

My cat also lost a ton of weight, he has other issues - too many to go into now, however…it was suggested he get his B-12 checked. Bingo! Low B-12. You can read about the importance of B-12 on ibdkitties.com. There’s a whole section on it. My cat has since gained a pound in a little over a month - here is what we are doing in addition to insulin:

B-12 injections weekly
Visbiome daily (probiotic)
Slippery Elm Bark daily (helps soothe the gut)
We just started Denamarin daily (supports the liver)

My cat steadily lost weight for 9 months. I had a baby scale and weighed him monthly. I dreaded weighing him because I was terrified to see the number drop. I know how you feel. My vet told me that it was probably the diabetes. Since my cat had been on insulin for 6 months, it didn’t seem reasonable so I took him to (several) other vets and had a ton of diagnostics done. I only knew to ask for the B-12 test because of this board, also the Slippery Elm, Visbiome and Denamarin. I learned everything from this board and IBDkitties. I had to proactively ask the vets about these things.

Cats digestive systems are all connected. A messed up pancreas can affect the gallbladder, liver, intestines. It’s all connected. If one thing is messed up, it’s easy for the rest to go bonkers. If the system is messed up, they cannot digest their food properly and will lose weight.

I hope that helps. Many other people here much smarter than me, but this has been my experience. Good luck!