Underweight cat

mx4878

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Hello, a cat I got about 4? months ago is not gaining weight. She had some mouth issues (not affecting the amount shes eating) that we are still treating but no other health issues. She has no parasites, or diseases of any sort. She's fairly thin, I cant see how thin she is as shes longhair but her bones are easily felt and shes quite small for her age (2 years) her son is obese but definetly a bigger build, her daughter on the other hand is also small but not underweight. She eats high quailty kitten food, boiled egg or raw egg yolk, has extra meals and kmr. She gets tiki kitten (decent calorie), weruva (low calorie), natures menu (high calorie), some carnilove (decent calorie) and some wellness core (as an occasional meal) she also gets (unfortunately) one dry food meal per day which has kmr added to it, orijen cat and kitten. Previous owner says shes "always been like this" and that she got kittens at 8 months. She gave birth to another set of kittens before we got her (2 kittens, I am unsure if there are any others) but i decided to have my mother cat nurse them instead as their mother didnt seem to be able to handle nursing them. The underweight cat lives at my friend's house and visits us twice a week. She doesnt vomit but has smelly stools and occasional diarrhoea.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. To state the obvious, this is a cat that needs a thorough exam, including blood work and a urinalysis. It could be something like a malabsorption issue, so having the vet run a B-12 test - which is not part of the normal blood work - would also be a good idea. I presume if she is not yet spayed, the plan is to do so, and the exam/blood work would likely be a requirement in advance of that anyway.
 
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mx4878

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Hi. To state the obvious, this is a cat that needs a thorough exam, including blood work and a urinalysis. It could be something like a malabsorption issue, so having the vet run a B-12 test - which is not part of the normal blood work - would also be a good idea. I presume if she is not yet spayed, the plan is to do so, and the exam/blood work would likely be a requirement in advance of that anyway.
Hello, thank you so much. I checked in with our vet but he doesnt do any B-12 test. Its a "smaller" clinic. There are 2 animal hospitals I can take her to but unfortunately theres very bad reviews on both. I'll try to compare and take her to what seems best.
 

di and bob

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It may be that she is too thin because of the demands of all those kittens. She may put on weight as she gets a little older and gets better meals. Some cats have a lot of Oriental in them or some other slender breed, they usually have longer legs and a more slender head too. then she will always be thin. Bless you, for taking her in and helping her.....
 

FeebysOwner

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Hello, thank you so much. I checked in with our vet but he doesnt do any B-12 test. Its a "smaller" clinic. There are 2 animal hospitals I can take her to but unfortunately theres very bad reviews on both. I'll try to compare and take her to what seems best.
Check with your vet and see if they can draw the blood and send the sample to another location for B-12 testing. A lot of vets have to send their samples to a clinic or lab processing center anyway. It's worth checking with them!
 
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