Have you wondered why your cat is losing weight but eating normally? It is not always a simple answer but we want to help.
For anyone who has ever owned a cat, it’s instantly clear that they do what they want, when they want, and most of the time we love them for it. For some cats, this extends to their eating habits as well as behavioural routines. Cats are notoriously picky, and aren’t afraid to let us know when something just isn’t up to their standards.
But when a normal behaviour changes, this can arouse some suspicion, especially when it comes to weight loss in cats. Sometimes it can be because the cat may have a painful tooth and eating hard food is uncomfortable, or maybe you have a cat who is stubborn enough to just refuse to eat if the flavour is not to their liking.
But what happens when your cat is eating normally but they are losing weight?
There are many reasons a cat maybe eating normally yet loosing weight which include; hyperthyroidism, cancer, diabetes, EPI, parasites as well as stress.
But let’s look into this a bit further.
Here’s Why Your Cat is Losing Weight But Eating Normally
Possible Causes of Weight Loss in a Cat Eating Well
If you suspect your cat is losing weight despite eating normally – or even more than usual, it can be hard to know what the next steps are or why this is happening.
Luckily, your veterinarian will walk you through all of the possible options and how to rule those out and figure out what’s going on.
Here are some possible causes of weight loss for a cat who is still eating their regular amount of food.
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is probably one of the most common reasons a cat would be losing weight even though they are eating their normal amount of food. This is a result of the thyroid gland becoming overactive, resulting in a higher metabolic rate.
What occurs is a cat who may seek out cool spaces (tiles, bathtubs, bathroom floors), have a faster heart rate, have a thinning fur coat, and is losing weight while eating an appropriate amount of food for their weight.
The good news is that this is easily diagnosed with a blood test and can be treated with a few different options, including surgery, medication, iodine therapy or switching to a strict prescription diet in lieu of medication.
Diabetes
While this disease typically occurs in cats who are obese, it is possible for cats to develop diabetes and experience rapid, unusual weight loss.
Diabetes occurs when the body is either unable to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar in the body or the body has grown resistant to the insulin it naturally produces.
This is similarly diagnosed with a blood test and is usually treated in cats with a dietary change. Depending on the circumstances of the cat’s disease severity, they may need insulin therapy.
Cancer
This is the one no one likes to hear, but it is a very real possibility. Cats are extremely resilient animals and are notorious for hiding problems until the very last second. With cancer, especially in cats, it’s possible that nothing else about them can change with their outward appearance to indicate anything is wrong.
The one difference you may notice is that they are losing weight, which is why it’s so important to act fast.
Especially for older cats, it’s crucial to get to the veterinarian and have them run the appropriate diagnostic tests to figure out if cancer is growing or not.
Once diagnosed, there are a few different options for treatment, including surgery (if a tumour is present and your cat is deemed healthy enough for surgery), chemotherapy and radiation.
Parasites
While this may be gross, this is definitely the easiest one to diagnose and treat! Certain parasites may plant themselves in different parts of your cat’s body and prevent them from absorbing nutrients from food.
Often, this results in diarrhoea and sometimes bloody diarrhoea, but most notably it results in weight loss.
There are several, relatively painless tests for identifying if your cat has parasites. Your veterinarian will either need to take a few drops of blood or look under the microscope in your cat’s stool for parasite eggs.
Depending on which parasite egg is seen, your cat may just need to take a pill, get a one-time injection of medication, or have a liquid flavoured dewormer to help flush out those pesky parasites!
Perhaps you have an indoor cat? Which may lead you to question, how does an indoor cat get parasites?!
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)
While extremely rare in cats and still not as commonly seen in most dogs, EPI can be responsible for your cat losing weight despite eating their normal amount of food. EPI occurs when the body is unable to secrete the appropriate amount of digestive enzymes, leaving much of the nutrients passing right through and the animal malnourished. It’s as if the food wasn’t eaten at all!
EPI can be diagnosed with a blood test and fairly easily treated by supplementing prescriptive digestive enzymes to be added to every meal. Adding in certain vitamins, like cobalamin, can also help ensure that the food is appropriately digested.
Stress or Anxiety
Sometimes a cat may become stressed by external factors, such as a big move or loud construction. In certain situations, a new addition to the family, such as a child or another animal, may be enough to stress your cat out enough to lose their appetite. It’s also possible that they may no longer feel safe eating under those circumstances.
While harder to diagnose, there are prescription medication options to help ease the anxiety of those sensitive cats who may be having a harder time with abrupt changes in their routine.
How to Tell if Your Cat is Losing Weight
If you suspect that your cat is losing weight but aren’t sure, here are a few tips to help you figure it out.
Take pictures
A great way to identify if your cat’s weight has decreased or increased is to take pictures of your cat in standing positions and compare them to previous or later pictures.
The angles that provide the best insight are ones taken from directly above them and their side profile. This will allow you to compare their body shape and density to see if they have gained or lost weight.
Feel their ribs
This may seem like a simple solution, but bear with me. If you have a cat that you can touch and pick up regularly, you are probably well acquainted with the shape of their body and the natural squishiness that comes with their excess skin and “fluff”.
You can probably also tell when your cat feels heavier than normal or a bit lighter. Take some time to really feel your cat’s natural ribcage shape as well as their waist. You should be able to feel your cat’s ribs with some light pressing as cats are naturally fairly lean.
If you feel their ribs without any effort, just grazing over their ribcage, give your veterinarian a call to have them assess your cat’s Body Condition Score.
Weigh Your Cat
This is the most straightforward way to tell if your cat is losing weight. Every time your cat goes to the veterinarian, they get your cat’s weight and record it in their medical records. Unless you weigh your cat regularly at home, you can use the weight from their last veterinary visit as a baseline weight to compare your cat’s current weight.
If you have a wiggler, you may need to hold your cat in your arms while standing on the scale yourself. Just make sure to subtract your weight from the total weight of you and your cat!
Bring Your Cat to the Vet
If you can’t be bothered to use any of the above methods, or if your cat is just unwilling to be wrangled and needs a professional wrangler, this is the method for you. As mentioned above, your veterinarian has a history of your pet’s weight from every single veterinary visit and would be more than happy to weigh your pet and officially record it.
A bonus of using this method is that you will be able to immediately address this and ask any questions with your veterinarian present!
When to Speak to Your Cat’s Veterinarian about Weight Loss
Just like humans, there are certain instances where minor weight fluctuation would be considered normal. If your cat has been engaging in more active play time than normal, your cat may be burning more calories than they’re used to, and they could shed a moderate amount of weight.
Or, if your cat has been drinking more water in order to stay hydrated in the heat, this could also affect their weight.
However, if you have concerns about your cat’s weight fluctuation, whether any of these changes have occurred or not, it is always a good idea to give your veterinarian a call and share this information with them.
Based on the answers to some questions they will likely ask you, the veterinarian will be able to determine whether or not your cat should come in for an exam and some testing.
Weight loss in cats can be a tricky thing to handle. Sometimes your cat’s weight can fluctuate without anything major going on, and sometimes it can be due to an underlying problem.
Cats are unique creatures who make our lives infinitely more special, and it is up to us to pay close attention to their behaviours.
Using these tips and newfound knowledge can help you be the best cat owner you can be when it comes to caring for your cat’s needs – especially a cat which is losing weight but still eating normally. Together with your veterinarian’s expertise, you can trust that these tips will help you be more aware of your cat’s behavior and know what questions to ask your veterinarian.
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