Sudden weight loss

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Twitch

1113624

Purred: Thu Aug 2, '12 10:40pm PST


	A few months ago, Twitch had started peeing on furniture. We took him to the vet and they did a urinalysis and gave him a clean bill of health, so we figured it was just behavioral. He's since stopped doing that, but the past few days he's been acting kind of weird. Today he wouldn't follow me into the bathroom like he always does and I got worried and picked him up and realized that he's REALLY skinny. I feel horrible for not noticing this sooner. I can feel all the bones in his spine and he's just so light. He's been lethargic the past few days, and it seems to be getting worse, but when I put food down he eats it. I did notice the other day that his feces were really dry and he seemed a bit constipated so started giving them wet food. He seems to be drinking fine as well, but mother caught him drinking out of a litter box soaking with pine sol yesterday. There's always water down for them and they drink out of the toilet, so I have no idea why he drank out of that The box was emptied and we put down a bowl of water in the tub where it was and he's been drinking out of that now. I'm worried because when Tequila got sick, she started spending a lot of time in the bathtub, and now that's what he's doing. He's only eight years old. He's too young to be so sick. I'm going to take him to the vet most likely on Tuesday. I can't do it any sooner; I get paid tomorrow and I can't afford to miss work. But what do I ask? What sort of tests will they want to do? I'm so terrified they're going to say we neglected him or something because I didn't notice sooner, or that he's got something horrible and incurable. I don't want to lose another kitty.

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Beatrice- (Miss You!- '94-'12)

The very Beast- of all

moderator

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 1:15am PST


	You say the vet did a urinalysis before, but was any blood work done? It sounds like Twitch needs his renal function evaluated. Urinalysis alone won't reveal all kidney problems. Sending purrs for sweet Twitch! Please keep us posted!

Merlin - An Angel- Forever

*Poof*

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 4:02am PST


	Ask the vet to do bloodwork. A urinalysis only tells about the urine, not about the rest of the body. Diabetes comes to my mind. Inappropriate urination, drinking lots of water, and losing weight are some common symptoms. Sometimes a diabetic cat will eat tons and tons of food but is still hungry and is losing weight. If the breath smells like nail polish remover, this means that the cat has ketones and needs immediate treatment by a vet. Ketones is not something you can wait a day or more to treat because the cat will quickly decline in health and most likely die. The specific test for diabetes is called a fructosamine. Make sure to specify for this test to be included with the bloodwork. Diabetes is very managable with insulin and diet FelineDiabetes.com is one very good web site for help and info, if it turns out that your cat does have diabetes. There are other health conditions with similar symptoms.

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Sammy

I'm a wild-man!

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 8:43am PST


	Has Twitch been tested for Feline Leukemia & Feline AIDS? My cat Sammy is 5 yrs old and in the past couple of months has lost a lot of weight too. I've been feeding him wet food multiple times and day and he is free-fed dry food, but he hasn't put on much weight since I started feeding him the wet. I took him to vet yesterday and he tested positive for both Feline Leukemia and AIDS. My vet re-tested his blood with another kind of test and that one was negative so he is sending Sammys blood to a lab that has a more sofisticated machine to test for the Leuk & AIDS. I'd suggest if Twitch hasn't been tested to get him tested for those diseases. Also, I agree that a blood test is for sure needed. Diabetes or hyperthyroidism is a possibility. I know these tests can get expensive, but it's important to find out what the problem is before it's too late. Sorry for your trouble with your kitty. Hoping it's something minor that can be easily treated! Good luck!

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Gumpy Sweet- Boy

Love wrapped in- fur

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 8:44am PST


	I hope you can take him to the vet for bloodwork. Like Merlin said, diabetes is a possibility, but he needs a full blood panel done to determine what's going on. Many conditions are treatable, and also sometimes a change in diet can help with ilnesses like diabetes, for example. BUT also....he was drinking PINE SOL???? That is toxic and I hope he is okay. Pine products contain phenols that are toxic to cats. I don't want to scare you, but that is very concerning! Sending purrs for Twitch! Keep us updated.

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Sammy

I'm a wild-man!

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 8:48am PST


	Yes, forgot to write that, I agree, drinking the Pine Sol is really scary and something to be concerned about. VERY TOXIC! Make sure you let your vet know he did that. Keep a careful eye on Twitch till his vet visit to watch for any signs of distress. If he shows any bad signs, get him an emergency apt immediately!

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Twitch

1113624

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 12:08pm PST


	He doesn't have any funny smelling breath - the first thing I checked was his teeth because I know bad teeth run in the family. He's also never been tested for Feline Leukemia or AIDS; is it possible he has it if he's been an inside kitty his whole life? The pine sol thing; I know it's terribly toxic and I just can't understand why he would even think about drinking it. We've always soaked the litter boxes in the bathtub and they stay far away from it. His symptoms started before that though, and he hasn't vomitted or shown any other signs that it's hurt him. Mum saw him do it and stopped him straight away and emptied the water. He didn't even finish the wet food he had yesterday he always finishes his own and then finishes up Mockqua's for her. I'm going to see if I can schedule an appointment monday morning for him. It's so unusual for him not to want to eat. he's not even playing with the dog right now.

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Gumpy Sweet- Boy

Love wrapped in- fur

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 12:47pm PST


	Hi, I just wanted to mention that cats don't have to have bad smelling or acetone-like breath to have diabetes. My cat had diabetes (for a few years and eventually went into remission) and I didn't notice really bad breath like that; he may have had some bad breath which could be also be related to other mouth issues, but it can be hard determine what's causing bad breath. Apparently the breath can get bad like that when diabetes gets severe and there are ketones in the blood, but cats can still be diabetic without this symptom. The water drinking and wanting to drink so badly that he drank Pine Sol has to be a symptom of something. That Pine Sol thing is very concerning. I hope he didn't get too much. I believe it's usually the liver that gets affected by something like this. I hope you can get him to the vet soon. Purrrs...

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Merlin - An Angel- Forever

*Poof*

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 4:46pm PST


	The nail polish smell only happens if the diabetes is pretty bad and acid starts to build up in the body. It is a condtion called diabetic ketoacidosis. 99% of the time the only symptoms that prompts a visit to the vet is peeing a lot of sticky sweet smelling urine, drinking lots and lots of water, and eating tons of food but losing weight.

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Twitch

1113624

Purred: Fri Aug 3, '12 4:51pm PST


	His pee has had a strange smell to it - sort of a sweet smell, it's really weird. We asked the vet when we went and they didn't seem very concerned at all. They wanted to take x-rays, but never mentioned bloodwork at all. I'm really starting to think we should start seeing a different vet. I've also noticed that he pees in large amounts and it tends to be really dark, could that be a symptom of something as well? Should I mention it to the vet?

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