My cat is skinny, meows a lot at night, and trembles. What's wrong?

Petey is a very handsome boy! Kittens do start weaning off their mother's milk around five weeks of age, so that is normal and wouldn't likely be a cause of him being skinny. He could be yowling at night because he's intact and sexually mature. He's letting you know he wants to go outside to prowl for females. To stop that behavior, I would have him neutered. Keep in mind as well that intact cats mark their territory with urine, and he could start spraying around the house. That's a very hard smell to get out, and neutering him will stop that. As for being skinny, he may naturally be a thinner cat or he could have intestinal worms. Those would cause him to have trouble gaining weight. I would give him a deworming treatment if he isn't up to date on them, and you can get one from your vet's clinic. I'd also recommend a health check with the vet just to make sure everything is ok with him health wise. I hope this helps :-)

Ollie needs to be examined by his veterinarian for a few conditions including hyperthyroidism, hypertension, intestinal parasites and Felv/FIV. It sounds like he is very sick and I recommend to have him examined within the next 24 hours. Getting the correct diagnosis and starting treatment quickly tend to give pets the best prognosis. I hope this helps.

I would recommend taking Oliver Paul into for an exam by a veterinarian. They can do a full exam, and a geriatric blood work panel. They may also take his blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause weight loss in older kitties. It can also cause eye problems. Another common and treatable condition in older kitties is hyperthyroidism. They get benign (non-cancerous) tumors on their thyroid gland that causes them to produce too much hormone which up regulates their metabolism. They will eat a lot and continue to drop weight. A veterinarian can get Oliver on a plan to recovery! Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would have him seen by a vet as soon as possible. There are a couple of things thing could be causing all of his symptoms. The cough and hoarse meow could be be caused by a respiratory disease, heart disease, heartworms, and cancer among other causes. These causes could lead to him to be very skinny as well, but it could also be caused by kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes. I recommend having a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays performed on your cat. Using these tests, the vet can diagnose what is causing all his symptoms, and then can discuss treatment options with you. Given that he has been this way for a long time, it would be best for him to be seen by a vet today. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Im' sorry to hear Olliver hasn't been doing well. If he is reluctant to eat hard food but is willing to eat wet food, he may have some dental disease going on that makes him less willing to crunch on his regular food. As cats age, they can develop numerous issues that can lead to weight loss, including kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, inflammatory bowel disease or another underlying medical issue. Many of these can be diagnosed via bloodwork. Finally, I do recommend any abnormal growth be evaluated by a veterinarian. While cats can develop many benign (non-cancerous) growths, there are others that are more concerning that we would want to address. I would have him evaluated by his regular veterinarian, have his teeth/mouth examined, have any necessary testing (bloodwork, xrays, needle aspirate of the mass) performed, and a treatment plan developed to help him feel better. Good luck!

Unfortunately it is impossible to know what is wrong with Tom without a physical exam and bloodwork. There are many conditions which will cause cats to become thin. Kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, cancer, liver disease or parasites can all cause pets to lose weight. Bloodwork and an exam is needed to determine the cause. At home there may not be much you can do because you don’t know what’s wrong. Certainly feeding a high-quality cat food and ensuring water intake will help but it may not be enough. I recommend to have Tom examined by the veterinarian a soon as you can. Best of luck.

Significant weight loss is always a concern, especially if his appetite is good. Hormonal conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease or poor absorption and digestion of his food is possible and I would recommend a full physical and blood panel as soon as possible in order to stabilise his condition before he becomes too frail