Over this past month my older cat Socks has been losing weight. While I went on vacation, my mom took him to the vet to see if anything was wrong. The vet said that Socks has arthritis in his hind legs, but other than that he is typical for a cat that is 12 years old.
But when I look at him, he doesn’t look fine to me…his body is atrophied, he barely moves around (today I brought him into the garage where he drank some water and used the catbox) which makes me worry if he is even eating anymore. He turns down cat treats he normally would devour on sight.
He has this tired look to his eyes which really pains me to see. I can’t help but wonder what he must be thinking- what kind of concept would a cat have of aging, of death?
When I practice the piano, Socks has a ritual where he will come into the living room where I am playing, and scatch at a nearby wicker basket for a bit. He will then come over and start pacing around the bench until I pet him. Today it was all he could do to struggle to his feet, weakly paw at the basket, take a few steps toward me and just collapse and refuse to get up on the living room carpet.
He used to object to being picked up, but he doesn’t say a peep when I pick him up. He barely weighs anything and I worry if he is even physically able to get across the house for food/water/litterbox.
It is extremely hard for me to bear to see him like this. We got Socks shortly before my parents divorced and my dad moved away, and he has been a huge part of my adolescent and adult life. I have dealt with the loss of family members in the past, but I guess the part that is hard for me is not death itself, but dying.
How many tests did the vet do? Did they do a full blood panel? My cat was found to be hyperthyroid. He was like you described Socks - losing weight, lethargic. I 'd go to another vet for further testing - your cat’s health is not normal, and 12 is not really that old for a cat.
I know it’s hard to watch your friend suffering while you feel helpless.
Have you tried to get him to eat something else besides his catfood? The arthritis shouldn’t be causing a weight loss. He may be having trouble with his teeth, and needs a softer food.
Incubus, my 22 year old cat started to display the signs you have covered in your OP back in December. Our vet said his potassium levels were low. The vet have me give him pills twice a day which really helped, after a week he was back to moving around. Back in March however we ended up putting him down, due to just plain old age, he had lost so much weight it was impossible for him to regain the vigor he once had.
You might ask your vet to check his potassium levels and see if they are low. It may be that you need to change his diet or supplement with pills. Just a thought.
You have my deepest sympathy for your kitty. I adore cats and I hate to see any in ill health or suffering.
Get a second veterinary opinion. Those symptoms sound exactly like the cat I had who had thyroid problems. There are several treatments for it; the one we chose was a pill once a day, which he didn’t like, but he was much the better for it.
There are also treatments for cats’ arthritis.
Obviously, it might be some other imbalance or disease (IANAV), but what you describe does not sound like any healthy 12-year-old cat I ever knew.
I’d insist on more blood tests too. One of our cats (we have 3 now) had diabetes and was losing weight, lethargic, a bit unsteady, thirsty all the time. It was a very hot summer (the summer hundreds of people died in one day in Chicago) and we had no air conditioning. I hate myself for it to this day, but we just did not notice it was getting as bad as it was. We just thought it was the heat. He collapsed while we were on a trip, and our cat-sitter rushed him to the vet emergency hospital. Once he went on insulin, he was fine!
He’s about 15 now. I say about because he was a stray and we got him in 1989 as a kitten.
I hope he doesn’t die, but if he does, my condolences in advance. A beloved cat of mine died in April, and I still haven’t gotten over it. I miss him every day.
Yes, did your vet do bloodwork? If not you need to get a full panel to rule out (or in) all those things mentioned above (thyroid, diabetes) and kidney problems.
If those problems are ruled out and it is just arthritis there are many new medications available for animals for pain. If his lethargy and lack of appetite are solely due to pain there is no reason he should have to suffer with that pain.
I’ll let my mom know about the possible problems like thyroid and whatnot.
It is a little comforting to know that the stuff going on with Socks may be reversible… because at this point it just looks like the poor guy is wasting away.
I checked up on him when I got back and was surprised to see him back in his favorite spot in the living room (I had made a bed for him in the garage so he woudn’t have to go far for food/water and litterbox). I guess he has enough strength to go across the house, which means that he is capable of eating/drinking if he feels like it.
I will try to get him to eat something- so far I haven’t seen him eat in a while, and for him to turn down a kitty treat is extremely alarming.
Offer him turkey or chicken. If he won’t eat that, try offering him a smidge of baby food (a lot of our patients seem fond of the lamb stuff). If he won’t eat that, try warming it up a bit so it’s good and smelly. If he still won’t eat, try dabbing a little bit on his nose; sometimes once they get the first taste they’ll go on and eat.
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty, but I’m not giving up hope for the two of you (the others gave some great advice). Just wanted to send some good vibes to the two of you!
