Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Richard.

The symptoms that you mentioned could indicate a number of different conditions. As cats get older there are several things that could cause them to lose weight and have the symptoms that you mentioned.

The first thing that comes to my mind though is something that is actually very treatable and that is hyperthyroidism. As cats get older the thyroid gland can become overactive. When this happens it causes an increase in appetite along with significant weight loss. The toilet training issues are not always directly related to hyperthyroidism but often when a cat urinates or defecates in places they shouldn't it can be because there is "something" going on that is causing them stress. Hyperthyroidism could definitely be that "something".

Hyperthyryoidism is something that is relatively easy to treat. Most cats do well on a small dose of medication given twice daily. It is not terribly expensive. Alternatively, there is a new type of food called y/d which can be very effective as well.

We do see cats that get dimentia. However, this shouldn't cause weight loss and an increase in appetite.

Some cats with inflammatory bowel disease can have weight loss and an increase in appetite, but usually these cats will have a lot of vomiting or diarrhea as well. The same thing goes for intestinal cancer.

It is really common for older cats to get significant kidney disease, but these cats have a reduced appetite.

I would highly advise having some blood tests done to see if this is a thyroid problem. If so, you may find that medication really helps!

I hope everything is ok!

Dr. Marie.

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