Why is my 15-year-old cat losing fur and drinking so much water?

Poor Little Sarge. It could be she has a medical condition like hyperthyroidism causing the hair loss as well as the increase in drinking and weight loss, or she could be suffering from something like a skin infection causing the hair loss, and a medical condition like diabetes causing the weight loss and increased thirst. I would take her into the vet for blood work or a urinalysis. The vet can diagnose what is causing her symptoms, and can teat her. I hope this helps!

Hello. Decreased hair quality in cats, especially of her age, could be due to hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, liver disease, parasites, and overall poor health and grooming habits due to arthritis or obesity. I would suggest getting her checked by a vet, and having bloodwork done to test for these conditions as some have easy fixes. Good luck with her!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. So sorry your cat is having this issue. I suggest you get him to your vet for a check up and some blood testing. Thyroid disease is very common in older cats as is kidney disease and diabetes. All of these things can cause similar symptoms and all are easily diagnosed with simple blood testing. You need to realize that at 17 years old he is about 85 in human years. At this age, things start to fail and go wrong. You need to find out what is wrong so you know how to best treat him. Some things are very easily treated with daily medications. I don't think this is something you are going to be able treat at home without knowing what the underlying cause is. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

My concern with Menie is that he can have one of a few different things going on. As cats age they can become diabetic, have chronic kidney disease or even become hyperthyroid. With all these diseases you will see an increase in drinking and weight loss. I would recommend taking Menie to the veterinarian and having blood work and a urinalysis performed to see exactly what is going on with him. The urine will also show if there is a urinary tract infection, which they can have if they have diabetics, kidney disease or even if they don't have another disease going on. I hope Menie feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From your description of signs, I would strongly suspect that Flynn may have diabetes. This very commonly causes increased thirst and urination, sticky urine (from the sugar in the urine) and weight loss. Other common causes of weight loss and increased thirst and urination in cats are kidney disease and thyroid disease. I have seen many cats that have more than one of these diseases at the same time. I would strongly recommend taking Flynn to a veterinarian for blood work and urinalysis. This will be the first step in diagnosing his actual condition so that you know how to treat him. I hope this helps and that Flynn gets feeling better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Cow is having issues. As cats age, they can develop a variety of metabolic issues, including an overactive thyroid, diabetes, and kidney disease, among others. These can lead to appetite changes, as well as fur changes. I would recommend Cow be evaluated by his regular veterinarian, have any necessary testing done (bloodwork, skin evaluation) and start any medications that may be needed. Good luck!

Diabetes could be an issue with your cat, especially if she has lost weight recently. Other diseases to consider include hyperthyroidism, renal failure, and cancer, all which could cause the symptoms you are describing. I would recommend taking your cat to the vet to be examined and have blood work performed. Blood work would go a long way in helping to determine what is going on with Gracie. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.