Conference misery::feline

    I think a trip to the vet is in order.....rapid weight loss could
    be a signal of some illness....

    Weight loss could also be simply an indication of his getting on in
    years.  Of course, it's always best to have the vet's opinion, but I
    wouldn't panic just yet.
    
    Sarah

    I would certainly keep the vet appointment.  Better to find out if
    there is something wrong, in case it can be treated.
    

    I sympathize with you and can understand how you feel.  I get anxious as 
    all heck when any of my cats get sick and always imagine the worst. 
    However...

    My aunt died of cancer at the age of 28 (I was 5 at the time). My mother
    told me that Clara had found a lump in her breast and was too afraid to 
    go to the doctor until it was too late for them to help her. I always
    remember that when health issues arise, whether it's me or my cats, and 
    it motivates me to push past the fear and make that call to the doctor.

    You are wise to have made the vet appoinment for Ebony. Once you find 
    out the cause you can do something about it. You may well find that it is 
    not as bad as you fear. It could be something with a perfectly logical 
    and harmless answer (have you changed Ebony's food to something that 
    might be lower in calories, like from dry to canned?). Or maybe it's 
    something that can be easily corrected, such as an overactive thyroid. 

    When I adopted Tweetie almost 4 years ago she was a skinny, malnourished 
    stray. The vets vaguely said she was "couple of years old anyway" but I 
    found out later that she was much older than that. She's now almost 12, 
    as near as anyone can tell. 

    I thought that after Tweetie had been getting good, regular meals for 
    awhile she'd put on some weight. While she did gain some weight, she 
    remained thin and her coat was thin, also. When I mentioned this to the 
    vet at her annual checkups, he didn't seem to be concerned (after asking 
    me some questions). He said to try feeding her a little more food and 
    keep an eye on her. Last year, after discovering her real age, I asked 
    the vet to investigate the cause of Tweetie's thinness. Tests showed 
    that she had an overactive thyroid gland. He put her on hyperthyroid 
    medication and she showed improvement in a short time. She now weighs 
    about 9 lbs. (up from 7) and has a nice, thick coat. She takes one pill 
    twice a day, and will be on medication for the rest of her life. 

    I'm sorry to ramble, but I thought it might help a little to have a 
    positive example. 

    Good luck with Ebony. I think the fact that he's active and eating and 
    drinking normally is a good sign (but please talk to the vet). We will 
    send good thoughts your way.

    Linda and the herd of furbags :-)

    Thanks, all, for your replies! 
    
    re; -1....Linda > Ebony has been eating the same exact food and
    quantity for some time now ... I have two kids, Ebony and Ivory (yup,
    one black and one white).  Ebony was always a great deal bigger than
    Ivory (8lbs...8 yrs old), in fact about 2-3 years ago the vet said he
    needed to loose weight.  I used to feed the guys 1/2 can each w/a side of
    crunchies 2 times a day.  When the vet said Ebony needed to loose weight, 
    I took away the second can at supper and just gave'em a healthy scoopy of 
    crunchies.  Ebony seemed to take off about 3/4 of a pound each year which 
    the vet thought was significant.  Ivory eats like a bird anyway, so 
    this change was fine with her.
    
    It seems now that Ivory is gaining and Ebony is loosing!  First of all,
    my husband DID do this on our house scale.  It'll be interesting to put
    Eb on the VET scale to see what his 'true' weight is ... but there's
    no doubt in my mind that he is skinnier!
    
    Thanks, Linda, for your concern .... I'll let y'all know how we make
    out Tuesday.                                     
                                     
    BjM

    It's funny that Ebony reached 10 and started losing weight... Same with
    Gonezo!  He turned 10 in the Spring and lost 2.5lbs in a month.  He was
    also trowing up quite a bit (sometimes 3x per night).  I took him to
    the vet and all blood work came back normal.  The next route was to be
    x-rays, but since he stopped the chucking, I did not take him back.  He
    seems to be eating fine and looks ok to me, but he certainly is not my
    20lb baby anymore!  I've been in touch with the vet and since Gonezo 
    seems fine, we'll just watch him for now.
    
    Good luck with Ebony.  
    Mary
    

    
      I hope Ebony is O.K. but you definately need to have some blood work
    done. The first thing I noticed about my Tasha was a rapid weight loss.
    She had always been a heavy cat and was eating and drinking well. By
    the time I noticed her weight loss and took her to the vet her sugar
    level was 507. Needless to say she was a very sick kitty. (normal=100).
    I may not have noticed her soon enough because I was having a baby at
    the time. I was 7 months and didn't make it to 8. But now that I look
    back I can see how she gradually increased her water intake and peeing.
    I would say it started 6 months before her weight loss. But even over
    the last 4 yrs. she seemed to go in sperts of this. I think she was 
    Diabetic for at least the last 4 yrs of her life. (I feel so bad about
    this.) I wish I could have read this notes file alot more in the past.
    I notice now that there is a file on diabeties. Well enough of me, A
    vet check is a must for any change you notice in your pets! No matter
    how small it may seem.
    
    M.K.

    
    I took Eb in last night and the Doc wants to start by ruling out several 
    things (ie; Kidney disease).  They're going to do a complete blood workup 
    (ie; CBC, Hyperthyroid test, Feline Lukemia, etc.) and they're also going 
    to do a urinalisis.  They were unable to get any urine last night so I had 
    to drop him off this morning......hopefully I'll be able to get him at 
    noontime 'cuz I hate leaving him there ... he's so mad at me!!   
    
    I feel better knowing that he's having these tests done, but part of me
    doesn't even want to know if there's something wrong ... I don't know
    if I'll be able to take it if it's something life-threatening!
    
    Don't know how long it will take to get the results back, but I'll keep
    ya'll posted .... I may need a lot of support!
    
    BjM
    
    

    Thanks for the update, Barbara. You and Ebony have been on my mind and 
    I've been wondering how the vet visit went. Were you able to bring 
    Ebony home yesterday?

    I know how agonizing waiting for test results can be! The vet should 
    be able to give you the results for some things, like feline leukemia, 
    fairly quickly. Other possible diseases or conditions may take longer 
    to confirm or rule out. 

    On the bright side, veterinary medicicine today has advanced to where 
    more diseases can be diagnosed and treated than in the past. Special 
    prescription foods, such as the ones for cats with cystitis and kidney 
    failure, help cats with problems live longer and better lives. 

    We'll be here for you. 

    Linda  

    Hang in there...waiting is painful but you have all our prayers that
    whatever they do find...it can be treated.     I went through all this
    pain with Van Gogh...and they finally determine the cause of the
    problem and it was treatable.   
    
    Keep us posted...and you have our thoughts and prayers.
    
    Sandy

    Have you heard anything from the vet?  I'll keep my fingers crossed for
    you.  I know how it feels waiting and wondering what could be wrong.  I
    certainly hope it will be something treatable, like Misha's inflamatory
    bowel disease.
    
    Thoughts and prayers with you.
    
    Steffi
    

    
    First, thanks so much for your concern and kind words...it means a lot
    'cuz there are so many people out there that don't understand the
    relationships between an owner and their pet!
    
    
    Wednesday, 7/15:  A complete 'physical' was done.  The vet couldn't
    find any noticable masses or lumps, his temp was normal and his heart
    beat was a little off, but the vet said it was due to him being nervous!
    Drew blood but they were unable to get any urine.
    
    Thursday, 7/16:  Took Eb in 1st thing in the AM.  Since he had an empty
    blatter, I had to leave him there. Called at 11 ... no pee; Called at 12
    hoping I could pick him up on my lunch hour ... no pee.  FINALLY at
    about 2pm they were able to get some urine out of him.  
    
    Friday, 7/17:  The vet called about 6pm.  All the blood tests came back
    normal except he did say that his protein is a little low (I think he
    called it HypoProteinia? ...but nothing major).  The urine test showed 
    a "Low Specific Gravity".  The vet said this could be due to all the 
    fluids they had to give him, but wasn't overly concerned and
    recommended that we re-test him with undeluted urine (yeah sure).  
    FYI -- Normal value is 1.035-1.040 ... Eb's was 1.011. 
    
    The good news is that Ebony doesn't have any of the diseases that I
    feared most (Kidney, Liver, FeLV, Hypothyroid), and the bad news is we
    still don't know what caused the fast decline in his weight.  The vet
    suggested X-rays to check for cardiac disease or cancer, but rather
    than doing that now, I'd like to see if he gains weight between now and
    his regularly scheduled visit in October.  I'm also going to stop at
    the vet and get some vitamins for him.  He's currently very active, eats
    normally, acts the same way he usually does so I don't see a problem
    with waiting til October to do further testing - not to mention that
    it's already cost me close to $200.00 -- don't get me wrong, Eb's worth
    every dime, but ...
    
    Thanks again for your notes and thoughts!
    
    BjM
     

    I'm really glad to hear Ebony's doing so well and that the test results
    ruled out the things you were worried about. It is puzzling that the 
    cause of his weight loss has not shown up, but the fact that he's 
    acting so healthy is reassuring. You don't suppose he just decided to 
    lose some weight to look good for the girls, do you?? :-)

    Hope Ebony's October checkup goes well, too. Let us know if anything 
    new turns up. 

    Linda