My Cat Needs Help :(

[tee-tee]

I have a DSH (Muffin) and she is about 7 years old (human years) and the past several months she has been losing weight (about 5 pounds) and hair on her back (I have caught her biting the hair out in clumps).

I took her to the vet and he checked her for mites, ticks, fleas, etc... and there was not a single trace of anything and he gave me a week's worth of some "behavior" medicine, which didn't do a damn thing. I have 2 cats and the other one (Ash) likes to play with Muffin but she is not that kind of cats and doesn't like to roughhouse, so she will swat at him and hiss or run away. I think that this might have something to do with what's going on with her, but I have had the 2 of them for about 5 years and this is just within the past several months, so that doesn't completely make sense to me.

Muffin still goes to the bathroom fine and eats and occasionally plays with something. She is a very mellow cat and loves to just sit in one spot and chill. She still goes nuts for treats and catnip and she can run and jump and purr and be happy just fine. If it wasn't for the hair and weight loss, you wouldn't even know something was wrong (behavior wise).

I feed them Diamond Naturals and they like it. There are no more hairballs like there were with name brand food.

 

[GraceW94]

Oh poor lady! Could it be stress? Have you tried feliway?

Did she have a complete check up at the vet? An underlying health condition could explain the sudden weight loss, and if she's uncomfortable she may over groom. Though you did mention behaviour medication. Was that some kind of sedative / antianxiety thing? I hope she feels better soon.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. There is most certainly a health issue behind this. Go to another vet who wants to check Muffin over more thoroughly - including a full blood panel. I believe I have heard hyperthyroidism can not only cause weight loss but hair loss as well - as well as behavioral changes.

Was she always opposed to interacting with Ash, or has that behavior escalated in the past few months? Another possible clue to a health issue...

Until health related issues are ruled out, behavioral issues cannot be addressed. If Muffin comes out perfectly healthy, then you need to start digging for possible issues that could have arisen around the time she started losing weight and hair. There are many cats that are affected by changes in their environment/house that seem minor to human beings.

Also, if there are records that can benefit a new vet, get copies of them from the current vet - as it might save you from redundant costs and tests.