Why Sudden weight loss in an adult cat?

Answer 1

It really depends how much your cat weighed in the beginning. Some questions to ask yourself are: -Has my cat been getting more exercise than usual?
-Have I made any major changes in my cat's diet?
-Could my cat be consuming any food or plants from another source?
-Is my cat depressed or unhappy? Have there been any major changes in the household my cat lives in?
-Have my cat's eating habits stopped being normal or healthy? (I haven't got the time to outline an entire feline diet, but after minor inspection, I found this website to be somewhat informative and accurate: http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/servingupdate.php)
-Has my cat been exposed to any fleas, mites, ticks, or any other parasite? Weight loss CAN be associated with various health concerns, including, but not limited to: -FIV (Feline AIDS)
-Degenerative diseases
-Injury or infection
-Parasites (roundworms, hookworms, tapeworm, etc.)
-Old age (as mammals age, their stomachs acids tend to be weaker, causing food to be broken down more slowly and sometimes in an incomplete manner,which may result in poor absorption of nutrients; carnivores have more acidic stomach fluids, to help break down meat quickly and efficiently, before it becomes rancid; weaker stomach acid can strongly affect meat-eating animals.) Other warning signs to watch for can include (but again, are not limited to): -Fur that is dry, dull, or lackluster. This can indicate all sorts of problems, the least of which is potential nutritional problems.
-Sneezing, mouth-breathing/panting, or runny eyes
-Low energy/lethargy (cats can sleep around 17 hours to every 24, so I realize this might seem confusing)
-Any moving white small things (worms) coming from your cat's rear
-Vomiting not associated with shedding (brush your cat frequently to prevent hairballs)
-Noteable behavioral changes
If you are sincerely concerned about your cat, the best approach, though it can sometimes be an unexpected expense, is to take your cat to qualified veterinarian. That is the only way to be absolutely certain of your cat's well-being, and the best way to stop a problem before it becomes worse. I realize most people don't just have extra money for veterinarian visits lying around. A good way to be prepared to take the responsible care of your pet that you should is to make a budget where you can put away a little money at a time to save up in case your cat has a health emergency. You have a responsibility to care for your cat, who is a member of your family, and while that may be worrisome, expensive, or stressful, it will benefit your cat in the long run. It's important to be prepared. Unfortunately, you've not included many important details in your question, and that makes it difficult to give a genuinely informative answer that is not overly broad. Again, I stress that the BEST thing you can do, for your peace of mind, and your cat's health, is to take her to a qualified veterinarian.

Answer 2

Put the cat on a diet. By "diet", I mean you need to regulate the food your cat is eating. Also, enticing your cat to play and exercise several times a day will help. If you free-feed your cat (keep a bowl of dry food down all day), you need to take this away and feed your cat small meals at set intervals - maybe three times a day. This may take a while for your cat to adjust, but its for her/his own good.

Ideally, your cat should be on a wet food diet. Good, high-quality wet foods have high meat content in and no grains. Grains, which are found in cheap wet foods and many dry foods, is what is most probably making your cat overweight, as its overeating to try and get the nutrients it needs (dry food doesn't contain much meat based protein which is what cats need). Cats cannot digest grain or corn, so it just gets converted into fat. The best thing about wet food is a cat will often eat less of this as it has far more nutrition than dry.

Good quality wet foods are high in Protein and Fat, and because cats are strict carnivores, they use these two nutrients as their primary source of energy. Be sure to look at the ingredients - The best cat foods are the ones with a very high named meat content (labeled as Chicken, Turkey, Rabbit, Lamb, Tuna, etc.) as the first, or first three, ingredients.

This conversion can take several months for cats to get used to, and several more months on top of that to get your cat at a ideal weight. Cats need to lose weight SLOWLY, as losing weight too quickly can lead to many health problems. You might want to invest in a digital scale for this so you can check up on his/her weight once a week so you can check the progress.

Answer 3

It could be hairballs to many things, but you can't take the chance. Whenever your pet is this ill especially with loss of appetite and perhaps not drinking any water (can get extremely dehydrated and die if not treated) then you should always take your cat into the vet!!! Do so immediately before your cat is too ill to be saved.

Answer 4

Weight loss in cats generally means something is not going well - cats can hold a steady body weight through most minor to moderate issues like a respiratory infection. Unfortunately, weight loss is extremely non-specific and tends to be a lagging indicator of a problem - by the time you see this, the problem is getting pretty bad.

There are numerous causes of weight loss in cats. A very brief sampling would include: infectious problems, such as enteritis, pneumonia, FeLV or FIV infection, chronic upper respiratory infection, oral cavity infection or abscessed tooth; endocrine problems, such as hyperthyroidism, hyperadrenocortisolism, Diabetes; cancer of any organ or system; degenerative disease such as severe Arthritis, heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure; parasitism such as tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, heartworms.

Answer 5

Dramatic, unexplained weight loss is usually a sign of illness in a cat. Make an appointment immediately with your veterinarian. Don't just "wait and see" what happens, because by then it may be too late.

Answer 6

It could be hyperthyroidism, this is where the thyroid of the cat (the gland which is in control of the rate of metabolism) is over-active meaning that the cat metabolises (breaks down) nutrients much faster than it should do. Other signs associated with this include swelling of the thyroid gland (in the neck of the cat) and a generally poor-looking coat.

It could also be chronic renal disease, this is usually seen in older cats. These cats will start to lose weight (slowly), will drink and urinate more often and may start to show other signs of illness such as generally seeming lethargic, changing their normal daily routine (e.g. sleeping more, preferring to be alone) and possibly losing their appetite.

Your cat could be diabetic - because he is unable to adequately digest and absorb nutrients from the food he eats, he burns off his fat reserves and loses weight in the face of a strong appetite. (However this condition is more commonly seen in cats that are obese)

Your veterinarian can test for these conditions easily - I would strongly suggest taking your cat to your veterinarian for an examination.

Answer 7

By eating too much and not getting enough exercise.

Answer 8

Cancer or some other sickness

Answer 9

Yes.