My 20 year old cat eats at least 6 cans of Fancy Feast a day. He has early kidney disease but nothing else wrong. He gets hills kidney food dry too. I do not want to subject him to tests other than blood tests due to his age. He is about 7.5 pounds and feels bony but is still active. No thyroid issues. Anyyone else experience this?
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20 Year Old Cat Eats Constantly
- Thread starter palikakitty
- Start Date
My family had a cat many years ago who almost reached 20 years old. But we had to struggle to get her to eat. I don't know how much she weighed, but she was thinner than her younger years.
Is your cat's thyroid under control? I know that affects appetite and thirst. As does diabetes.
Has he always eaten a lot? And is that his normal weight? If anything has changed, or if you feel something isn't right, a blood test at least might be a good idea.
Is your cat's thyroid under control? I know that affects appetite and thirst. As does diabetes.
Has he always eaten a lot? And is that his normal weight? If anything has changed, or if you feel something isn't right, a blood test at least might be a good idea.
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P palikakitty - Assuming your presentation accurate, your cat is eating enough to maintain a 20 - 25 pound cat. Polyphagia at this level signals either a markéd increase in his body's basal metabolic rate or a failure to process the nutrients the body's ingesting.
As
rubysmama
has already pointed out, one of the four most common possibilities for hypermetabolism is an overactive thyroid (i.e. an over-production of thyroxine), but since you've specifically said, "no thyroid issues," we'll leave out the obvious.
The other most common direct cause(s) would be diabetes, here perhaps owed to a failure of the pancreas in phase 2 insulin response, since insulin is required to allow blood glucose formed by the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose to be distributed to the body's cells. If your kitty has been tested for diabetes and cleared, let's look at the two indirect causes.
Parasites - the most likely possibility being tapeworm(s). Internal parasites can absorb more than half the intake of all nutrients. Has your veterinarian given this possibility consideration, and suggested that you keep an eye on your kitty's stools, looking for the small rice-like segments which generally signal a tapeworm? If not - and if she or he hasn't already prescribed a wormer as a precautionary measure, I'd call the veterinarian and bring the possibility to the forefront. Absent thyroxine over-supply or diabetes, it's the most common (and perhaps most likely) candidate here.
The last of the more common indirect causes would, of course, be cancer, since cancer cells often actually develop their own primary blood supply, stealing their nutrients directly from the blood. You've not said whether or not he's always been in the same rough weight range, although in the instance of cancerous cell presence, you'd generally see a decrease in weight (i.e. cachexia) which would continue quickly enough to be physically observable. Beyond that, if your veterinarian has done a recent blood panel and/or a separate thymus-derived lymphocyte count, the presence of an hematopoietic (i.e. cancerous cells circulating in the blood stream) tumor would have been evident (and this would include renal cell carcinoma as well).
None of the above should be construed as medical or veterinary advice. That said, if he shows neither signs of hyperthyroidism nor diabetes (and his T-cell count isn't dangerously low), and hasn't been treated for tapeworms in the very recent past, I'd address this with all haste.
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P palikakitty - Assuming your presentation accurate, your cat is eating enough to maintain a 20 - 25 pound cat. Polyphagia at this level signals either a markéd increase in his body's basal metabolic rate or a failure to process the nutrients the body's ingesting.
As
rubysmama
has already pointed out, one of the four most common possibilities for hypermetabolism is an overactive thyroid (i.e. an over-production of thyroxine), but since you've specifically said, "no thyroid issues," we'll leave out the obvious.The other most common direct cause(s) would be diabetes, here perhaps owed to a failure of the pancreas in phase 2 insulin response, since insulin is required to allow blood glucose formed by the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose to be distributed to the body's cells. If your kitty has been tested for diabetes and cleared, let's look at the two indirect causes.
Parasites - the most likely possibility being tapeworm(s). Internal parasites can absorb more than half the intake of all nutrients. Has your veterinarian given this possibility consideration, and suggested that you keep an eye on your kitty's stools, looking for the small rice-like segments which generally signal a tapeworm? If not - and if she or he hasn't already prescribed a wormer as a precautionary measure, I'd call the veterinarian and bring the possibility to the forefront. Absent thyroxine over-supply or diabetes, it's the most common (and perhaps most likely) candidate here.
The last of the more common indirect causes would, of course, be cancer, since cancer cells often actually develop their own primary blood supply, stealing their nutrients directly from the blood. You've not said whether or not he's always been in the same rough weight range, although in the instance of cancerous cell presence, you'd generally see a decrease in weight (i.e. cachexia) which would continue quickly enough to be physically observable. Beyond that, if your veterinarian has done a recent blood panel and/or a separate thymus-derived lymphocyte count, the presence of an hematopoietic (i.e. cancerous cells circulating in the blood stream) tumor would have been evident (and this would include renal cell carcinoma as well).
None of the above should be construed as medical or veterinary advice. That said, if he shows neither signs of hyperthyroidism nor diabetes (and his T-cell count isn't dangerously low), and hasn't been treated for tapeworms in the very recent past, I'd address this with all haste.
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I just met this lady a couple weeks ago. Had a 16-18 year old cat. Whom was eating like a cow but loosing weight. She ended up having wide spread cancer and had to be put to sleep. I would take your cat to the vet ASAP if you can. I know it’s stressful but if he’s eating a lot but staying at 7 lbs and boney it’s time for a check up to see what is wrong
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
After a vet visit and tests he’s ok. Kidney numbers no worse. Vet and my husband think he’s just grazing for the gravy and he’s not eating full cans. Thank you for the replies!
I can understand not wanting to stress out your cat and yourself with more tests - and I know some of them are expensive. But it is because of his age that he must have more tests done, not fewer, if a full blood chemistry panel with the T4 addon does not reveal any other problems. I hate to break it to you but that is the truth.
Also, there is no such thing as dry kidney food no matter what the label says. The diet does need to be lower in phosphorus than most regular cat foods, but kibbles make the condition worse. The main reason many cats with CRF get IV fluids is to treat chronic dehydration. Those cats often eat kibbles.
Please don't take any of this to mean you are a bad cat parent. It is never easy to take care of a cat with CRF for anyone. Do the best you can with what you have. I hope your kitty will get better.
Also, there is no such thing as dry kidney food no matter what the label says. The diet does need to be lower in phosphorus than most regular cat foods, but kibbles make the condition worse. The main reason many cats with CRF get IV fluids is to treat chronic dehydration. Those cats often eat kibbles.
Please don't take any of this to mean you are a bad cat parent. It is never easy to take care of a cat with CRF for anyone. Do the best you can with what you have. I hope your kitty will get better.
