What’s Wrong With This Fella?

This guy was fat as a pig about ten days ago now he looks like a shell of his former self. He was fluffy and probably weighed about 12 lbs or if not more. Im thinking it’s worm infestation? If so, if i get him treated but being that he’s a stray he’ll probably catch it again? At least that the tech at my vet told me.

Hi!
I'm not familiar with how worms work in a cat's body, but that seems like a rather fast weight loss.
Just to be sure, this is a male cat, and not a female that has had kittens?

It probably is , hopefully, worms. Perhaps him shedding a winter coat. Have you picked him up or just visual observation? He could have licked the wrong thing too. Cats can be attracted to antifreeze for example.

He looks like a love. Hope he pulls through and it is nothing serious.

Furballsmom said:

Just to be sure, this is a male cat, and not a female that has had kittens?

Click to expand...

Good point!

If it’s a male that is not neutered then I can tell you that when they are pursuing a female in heat and in competition with other males, they often stay with the pursuit. They don’t even leave to eat. I’ve seen them drop a lot of weight and get very pitiful looking. If it’s a male, getting him neutered is important for his health. Mating and fighting can cause all sorts of health issues. If female with kittens, she’ll need lots of nutrition and if you can get her and kittens fixed later, it would be best for all. A female without kittens then she still needs help and spaying if she isn’t already. A vet check ,either way ,would be ideal.
Worms can cause weight loss as well as anemia. So can fleas and other parasites. There are worm treatments you could slip in his food but fleas can spread them as well the kitty getting them other ways. This kitty does need something. I hope you can help. It’s a pretty kitty!

It’s a boy cat. Im not sure but its possible hes forgoing food in pursuit of a lady. Good observation, guys. Hes a very handsome cat a couple of weeks ago with his weight on. Extremely adorable with fluffy hair. I dare say hes the best looking one in my sub. The guy’s a jerk though. If i didnt give him his food fast enough he’d swipe at me hard.

The swiping is common. It’s a worry that the food will go away and probably hormones. I have had that too but once the cat was secure it stopped. Can you get him vet checked? Neutered? That makes a world of difference in attitude and health. Any chance of adopting him? It sounds like you really care about him.

I wouldn't just assume that he is not eating because he's prowling for ladies. You are giving him food, yes? And, he is eating, yes? All that said, if he is losing weight, he is likely sick. How does he behave otherwise, when you can observe him? He looks very, very thin, and that is more worrisome since you said he hasn't always looked that way.

Do you have rescue shelters, cat support organizations, SPCA, etc. that you can call and ask for assistance with trapping him and how he can be seen by a vet? He may have to be sedated (such as with something like Gabapentin to put in his food, after you have a plan in place) to get him trapped and looked at. I just hope he isn't too sick to be able to handle some sedation.

Wish i coukd take him in but already tooked in 3 stray cats and 3 dogs. Got a pack of about 15 im feeding nightly. I tried to drop hints to my neighbors to chip in for medical care but theyre cheapskates

His appetite is still there. When hes not being a jerk hes pretty tame. Let me pet him all the time.

Have you seen your guy this weekend? Hope he's hanging in there. He definitely looks (to me) like something's up medically.

Like Jcatbird - I've also seen unfixed males in early spring definitely drop weight. But assuming your description of how he looked a few weeks ago is accurate, that seems like a faster/more drastic body weight change than I'm used to seeing in unfixed males. And - depending on where you live, soon the feral & stray cats who spend life outside, will start to drop their winter coats and their winter fat (wish I did that! ). But again - - seems more drastic that I'm used to seeing. And worms (which it's highly likely he has them) can also cause them to look unhealthy and thin (which they are if they're loaded with worms!). Which lead me back to - if at all possible (and I understand all the things that make it difficult for you to do that) - getting him looked at medically.

If money's a big concern (and feeding 15 cats would TOTALLY make it a concern for me I know!) - - to help with the cost of food - - have you checked around to see if you have any pet food pantries in your area? They might be able to help you out - - if even temporarily, so that your "cat food money" bill is lighter, and you can put a bit into a vet visit for him. If you can't find any pet food pantries -- - call your local shelters and low cost spay/neuter clinics. Both places are usually very aware of places in your town that offer true pet food pantries (and ones that are kind of "quiet side ventures" at shelters and clinics). You may even have a low-cost vet clinic (vs low cost spay/neuter clinic) in town and not know it!

Even talking to your "regular" vet (I'm guessing you've got one already, given your inside bunch!) about the him may help - - I've even made an appointment with my "regular" vet before to just have a 15 minute conversation about one of our ferals (always bring pics!). I've had good luck with that - - - and even if they can't offer you meds (most won't without seeing the cat) - - they may know of some of the places I mentioned about.

Keep us posted!

Pet food pantries. Is there such a thing? I know food bank for humans but never heard if one fir animals. Pardon my ignorant.
He went AWOL for awhile, came back skin on bones. That’s what a woman do to ya LOL. Kidding aside, his appetite is fine. There’s another boy, who’s absolutely adorable, exibits the same affliction. I’ll give them both a wk or two to see if they’ll regain their former glories. Thanks

Parasites, fleas and ticks can cause drastic weight loss, even when the cat is eating. Are you able to handle him at all? Frontline Plus is a good flea and tick topical which you apply between the shoulder blades, and Drontal is a common medicine for parasites (which you need to get from a vet). The problem is that these treatments shouldn't be given to a sick cat without veterinary approval, and you don't know if he's sick or not. Is there anyway you can get him to a vet?

In terms of pet food pantries, my local Humane Society had offered to give me cat food several years ago when I was unemployed and caring for a small colony. I also called the Purina company and they sent me about 30 dollars worth of coupons. You might speak with your local Petsmart to see if they could give you food that's near expiration.

Hey , thats a great idea asking for PS to help. I may ned them in trhe future but i need help with getting the female spayed. Im bring one or two in every payday. The boy cats are preety laid back and i can pet him , most of the time, with no problems.

The weight loss seems excessive if he was just out looking for ladies but he may have gotten stuck in someone's garage or other location with no food. If that's the case you should see rapid improvement. If you don't see improvement soon, he really needs to see a vet.

Update: Im not a 100% sure, because i feed them at night and i have poor vision, but inthink he looks a little bit less dishelved today. Still has a long way before he becomes his adorable fluffy self again. Thanks!

That is kind of hopeful. What about the other guy that was showing signs of the same affliction?

I hope he will continue to look better and that the other kitty is doing better too! I sympathize about poor vision issues. I have a bit of that too. You’re really doing great by getting past that to help the kitties!

You can tell how much you love these guys (especially this poor bedraggled ex-fluffball!). And you're doing so much more than most people would do (most people would walk on by him without a second thought ).

As far as the pet food bank - and my suggestion re: checking to see if you had any - - the city I live in isn't huge by any means, and several of the food banks in my area also offer pet food for people struggling to feed their pets.

And as I noted earlier (and msaimee also suggested) - definitely check with local shelters - - particularly Humane Societies AND any shelters that cater to cats in your area.

So you might not see any "pet food specific" banks - - but you might want to call any area food banks and see if they also offer pet food. It's definitely not terribly unusual! And again - - def check around to see if there's a low-cost and/or low-income vet in your area. Again - - we actually have one, and I'm not in a huge metro area.

I do think you might be surprised at what you find in terms of help! And I would try to de-worm him. It's not unusual for a kitty to lose "winter fat" and "winter coat fluffiness" right now - - but it is a little unusual to see it go away and then come back. So calling around locally (maybe start with an internet search regarding your area) - -AND checking with the spay/neuter clinic where you've been before - - is one of the easiest ways to talk to knowledgable people who can give you options specific to your specific set of needs.

Keep us posted - - thinking happy thoughts for you and your former fluff ball!

msaimee said:

You might speak with your local Petsmart to see if they could give you food that's near expiration.

Click to expand...

I would highly suggest this, I've gotten the occasional bag of food at no cost from Petsmart/Pet Supplies Plus that were expired or close to it and would otherwise have been thrown out. If you try this route, talk to a manager and let them know you're caring for a feral colony and they may even be able to help you out more.

Talien and msaimee ----missed this earlier suggestion - -which is a good one! in our area, Pet Supplies Plus is often very helpful - - as said above - - ask to speak to a manager (they'll be the only one able to give food away like that).