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- Jun 29, 2013
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Hello, My cat Ripple was born in spring 2003, so currently she is just shy of 11 years old. She has always been a small cat. Several years ago I switched all my cats to a canned food diet, and they have been doing pretty well on that. Ripple used to have a thin, wiry, spotty hair coat and the canned food helped her hair fill in and soften.
Last year I lost my oldest cat, Cherise, to liver disease. Now I am starting to worry about Ripple's body condition. She has always been small and her whole life I have tried to put weight on her, but she is just a small cat by nature. I just weighed her on my bathroom scale and according to that, she weighs 4.5 lbs. All our cats get equal rations of 3oz can in the morning at 8:45am and in the evening at 6pm. Our other cats weigh 5 lbs, 8 lbs and 9 lbs, on the same scale... but Ripple is at 4.5 lbs. Why would she would be so tiny with a big bubble belly?
When I pet her, she has a terribly bony spine and her ribs are definitely easy to feel. Again, she has always been small and a bit bony, but it seems more prominent now. Her belly though... is like a bubble, or a little water balloon. I have not taken her to the vet yet. I will take her next week when I get paid. But until then, does anyone have any idea what might be going on with her?
Her appetite ranges from absolutely ravenous when she will eat a 3oz can of food in one minute, and go straight to trying to steal the other kitties food, to occasional disinterest and lethargy. Last weekend, she got into the rabbit food and ate quite a bit. She vomited 6oz of it and understandably had a loss of appetite that evening. The next day she was eating normally again.
Once in a while, in the morning or after work, when the kitties are very hungry, I will find a clear type of vomit that was always been an issue with both Cherise and Ripple. I have never seen any of our other three cats vomit that clear fluid.
Here are a few photos of her:
Last year I lost my oldest cat, Cherise, to liver disease. Now I am starting to worry about Ripple's body condition. She has always been small and her whole life I have tried to put weight on her, but she is just a small cat by nature. I just weighed her on my bathroom scale and according to that, she weighs 4.5 lbs. All our cats get equal rations of 3oz can in the morning at 8:45am and in the evening at 6pm. Our other cats weigh 5 lbs, 8 lbs and 9 lbs, on the same scale... but Ripple is at 4.5 lbs. Why would she would be so tiny with a big bubble belly?
When I pet her, she has a terribly bony spine and her ribs are definitely easy to feel. Again, she has always been small and a bit bony, but it seems more prominent now. Her belly though... is like a bubble, or a little water balloon. I have not taken her to the vet yet. I will take her next week when I get paid. But until then, does anyone have any idea what might be going on with her?
Her appetite ranges from absolutely ravenous when she will eat a 3oz can of food in one minute, and go straight to trying to steal the other kitties food, to occasional disinterest and lethargy. Last weekend, she got into the rabbit food and ate quite a bit. She vomited 6oz of it and understandably had a loss of appetite that evening. The next day she was eating normally again.
Once in a while, in the morning or after work, when the kitties are very hungry, I will find a clear type of vomit that was always been an issue with both Cherise and Ripple. I have never seen any of our other three cats vomit that clear fluid.
Here are a few photos of her: