Hi Everyone! I'm jumping over from the Dog Boards with a question about the cat I have. His name is Boo and has sealpoint coloring. He is about 12 years old. On Tuesday I took all four animals to my vet for the annual checkups. My vet was concerned about a 2 pound weight loss over the last year with Boo...12˝ pounds down from just over 14. I brought Boo back fasted the next day and she took blood for a complete blood panel and also sent a sample to Cornell for a thyroid test. All tests came back normal. She now wants me to try to get a urine sample and also have possible x-rays taken. Now to me Boo seems perfectly normal, is still very active for an indoor/outdoor cat, eats and drinks normally etc etc. So my questions are is my vet being overly cautious? Is there something I should be looking for? Lastly, does anyone have any suggestions to get a clean urine sample from a litter trained cat. Thanks in advance for any information and sorry if this is posted on the wrong board, this is only my second time on the CatHobbyist.
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Hi! Jumping over from the DogHobbyist
Replies (2)
I'm not sure about the weight loss. I don't have any older cats. I'm sure someone will be able to answer that.
As for clean urine sample. The other day I took the litter box out of my car and it happened to have a small styrofoam bowl in it.
Guess what one of the cats decided to use that box and all the urine ended up in the bowl.
But usually the vet usually gives you some sort of absorbent cloth thingy or something.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Gabby and Tucker
Hi. Two 15 year old cats here and have gone thru most of the top four or five common Senior cat problems between the two.
I wouldn't worry overmuch, but your vet is absolutely right running tests. Losing two pounds is a good indicator something might be going on -- and good for you for taking your cat in regularly to be checked. Any time a cat loses weight, it is good to check it out, especially if they are Senior. Cats are considered Senior any more from about age 8 to 10 on.
She is not being over cautiuos -- Thyroid and Kidney problems can start around age 12 or so and both can be treated fairly easily for a long, long time (years) depending on the stage they are in. Weight loss is always an indicator to check things out. Your cat is a young Senior. I also know diet can play a big factor in weight/health once they hit Senior. My two suddenly gained 2 pounds overnight a few years ago. My vet had me switch over to Senior food... Diet is something you may want to discuss... It is really hard to speculate what it could be -- but remember your cat is young so whatever it may be probably can be treated fairly easily and long term. It may just be a diet change.
I have never been able to get a urine sample from my cats as I have two in the house to contend with. The vet has always done it for me. They may need to keep the cat for a half a day or so if they can't get it right away, but they can get it themselves if you have problems.
Now that your cat is a Senior, whether there is anything wrong at this point or not, it is a good idea to take him in every six months for a check-up. They can run a fairly inexpensive blood and urine test and catch things early on. I have the basic blood work done every six months and urine checked about once a year unless there is a problem...
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Tammy
