Whats causing my NON-Diabetic cat to lose weight?

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Lori in Ohio

Lori in Ohio

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I have a NON-Diabetic cat that has lost alot of weight in the last year.
He had blood work done, including the T-4 Thyroid test. Everything was normal.
I have even tested his BG here occationally to see if his BG is ever high. It isnt.

He is approx. 15 yrs old.
He was about 14-15 lbs and now is 9-10 lbs.
No fat on his skin.....can feel his ribs now.

He is starving ALL the time, and I feed him many times a day. (a year ago, he was never this hungry)
Dry food, wet food, chicken, turkey, shrimp, tuna.
 
Can you post the T4 value and range. In older cats there is grey zone. Here is what my results showed:
(units are ug/dL)
Interpretive ranges:
<0.5 subnormal
0.5-4.7 normal
2.3-4.7 grey zone in old or symptomatic cats
>4.7 consistent with hyperthyroidism

Cats with subnormal T4 values are almost exclusively euthyroid sick or
overtreated for their hyperthyroidism. Older cats with consistent
clinical signs and T4 values in the grey zone may have early
hyperthyroidism or a concurrent non-thyroidal illness. Hyperthyroidism
may be confirmed in these cats by adding on a free T4 or by performing
a T3 suppression test. Following treatment with methimazole, T4 values
will generally fall within the lower end of the reference range
(0.5 - 2.3).

The weight loss could be due to a cancer like intestinal lymphoma or some other digestive disease. My Mitten had a similar loss and budesionide has helped.
 
They did not give me the results, just said everything was completely normal.

If cancer was present, wouldnt something be off in the blood work?
 
Most cancers can't be detected by blood work. Intestinal lymphoma is hard to diagnose. it really takes a biopsy. How are the bowel movement? A lot of mucous? and blood? How firm?
 
I agree with Larry. I would call the vet, or better yet, go by and pick up the paper work with the lab values for the thyroid results. If it were kidney issues I would think he wouldn't be as hungry, it would more likely be the opposite. But sadly, no, most cancer is not detected in blood work. I hope you get it figured out soon. And I am inclined to lean towards hyper-t. Let us know please.
 
Symptoms of feline intestinal lymphoma include:

loss of appetite
vomiting
diarrhea
weight loss
anorexia (loss of appetite)
lethargy (tiredness)
excessive thirst (polydipsia)
more urination (polyuria)

He has none of those symptoms.
He is outrageously active and hungry.
 
The first thing I thought of is Hyperthyroid. Have the vet run something called a Free T4, which helps eliminate any false readings for sick euthyroid that may show on the regular T4.

Certainly hoping it is not any type of cancer, of course. :sad: Tapeworm, and renal problems are also causes of weight loss. But honestly, given those symptoms, I would strongly suggest a retest of the thyroid.
 
Many types of cancer cause cachexia - significant weight loss. Some research suggests that cancer feeds on simple carbohydrates, so following a diabetic diet may be helpful.

Short of doing some expensive imaging, you may not see obvious tumors until a cancer is well advanced. We found lymphoma in the bone of one cat by accident ... and thought we found it early. We were wrong - it was already disseminating through her body. Her kidneys were affected and resulted in the equivalent of renal disease - less effectiveness filtering, so much more urinating. The renal compromise is what eventually killed her.

We did chemo, because we thought we found it early; it was the most expensive 9 months we ever had, and bought us, at most, 3 months of time for her. Despite the vets saying that cats don't get as sick as humans, she had vomiting and explosive diarrhea after every single session. I doubt I'd do chemo again.

BJ
 
May want to consider Maximum Calorie (IAMS) canned product. It can be syringe fed, tube fed. VERY low carbs and nutrient dense. warm it up or mix it to get the nutrients into the cat.
I know emergency clinics across the country tube feed Maximum Calorie with great results. I fed my cat with breast cancer this as well as my diabetic cat (syringe fed) after his hospital stay. Then gradually added the Fancy Feast (it is what my cat would eat)-off the list found on this webpage. I will be going to add in Max Calorie soon since I want to make sure he is getting his nutrients. Review the carb/protein/calories for Maximum Calorie on the food list found on this webpage under Education on main page.
 
I plan to re-test the thyroid once I get the other cats BG under control.

I took him for blood work a yr ago because of the weight loss.
They also checked his stools.
Everything was fine.

He is 15, acting hyperactive, and has constant hunger.
I feed him both canned and Evo Dry. I feed him about 2 cans of canned a day and about 1/4c of the dry.
He probably has only lost 1 more pound this year, but has not gained at all.
 
Gingers Mommy (Lori) said:
He is 15, acting hyperactive, and has constant hunger.
Click to expand...
That really does sound like classic hyperthyroidism so I'm glad you're going to test for it. Be sure to request the Free T4 (by Equilibrium Dialysis) and please don't wait too long ... hyperthyroidism can wreak havoc on they body so it's best to get them on meds asap.
 
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