Why is my cat losing weight and not eating after adult food switch?

A 3 pound weight loss is indeed significant and not normal. There could be many reasons for this, and there is just no way to pinpoint the cause without a hands-on exam and possibly blood work. I suggest you take your kitty to a veterinarian for a wellness exam.

Cats tend to eat slightly less once they have finished growing and their behavior can also settle as they grow up. If there is any weight loss or other signs of ill thrift such as poor coat or muscle condition i would recommend a full health check. Be sure to keep up to date with deworming medications and other preventions

Hello, and thank you for your question. I can see from the photos that he has lost weight quickly (when this occurs, they lose weight first from the back). Some possible causes include inflammatory bowel disease, or intestinal parasites, which may also show concurrent signs of vomiting or diarrhea. I would start by offering his old diet again, if only because the kitten formula has a higher fat content which may help him gain weight. But if the new diet has a new ingredient that he is allergic to, then going back to his old diet may really help. If Tigger is not gaining any weight back within a week, I would recommend taking him to the vet. They can perform a stool test to rule out intestinal worms, and may recommend blood tests to rule out inflammatory bowel disease. A hypoallergenic diet trial may also be recommended. Supportive medication may also be prescribed if diarrhea or vomiting is also present. I hope this helps, and that Tigger feels better soon!

Poor Kiki! I would make sure that he is eating a kitten formulated food. Kittens need higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium than adult cats in order to grow properly, and a kitten formulated food would provide that for him. If he seems to be skinnier, I would take him into the vet for an exam. The vet can weigh him and do a physical exam to determine if he is too skinny and losing, and can discuss with you reasons why this might be happen (such as food intolerances), and how to treat it.

This kind of dramatic weight loss is almost always due to an underlying medical condition. Ask your vet if he has checked Frida Katio's thyroid levels to rule out hyperthyroidism and performed full body X-rays to scan for any masses. He should also perform full mouth dental X-rays to rule out any dental disease that may be preventing her from eating. If all of these diseases have been ruled out, you could consider switching Frida to a higher calorie canned food such as Hills Science Diet AD.

Thanks for visiting Petcoach. A lot of vets have a hard time assessing an overweight cat during an exam, mainly because some cats have a short temper and we are working against the clock in a lot of these cases. So sometimes we cannot feel for the ribs, spine, etc. It is very possible that Jasper was overweight to begin with and now is more ideal weight. Without a photo attached it is hard to tell, but as long as his other faculties are intact (i.e. eating well, normal stools), then I would not worry about the weight loss. The weight control food is limiting his calorie intake, and with his activity level, he is likely just going back down to his normal standard weight. He should level off with he weight loss once he has reached his ideal weight soon, if this is the case. Here is a website link so that you can assess his BCS (body condition score) yourself at home https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/PDF_old/Body-condition-score-chart-cats.pdf If however, you are still concerned about his weight loss, and he seems overly hungry, then I would be suspicious of underlying thyroid disease. A thyroid test would be next on the agenda if he meets these criteria. Thyroid disease is typically easily managed in cats and he is of the age where we do see more of this disorder. i hope that Jasper's weight loss is attributed to his new food and that he starts to level off with his weight soon! Best wishes and take care.

What you are describing does not sound normal. Certainly adult cats will eat a little less than kittens if they are less active, but it sounds like Mischa's appetite has decreased pretty dramatically. You can certainly try changing brands or flavors of food in case there is something she does not like about her food. I also do not recommend mixing the canned and dry food because if they do not eat it all at once, moistening the dry food can cause bacterial growth. So, if you feed both types of food, just put them in seperate bowls. If you try a different food and Mischa still does not eat well, I would recommend having your vet examine her and possibily run some bloodwork to makes sure that everything is normal. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.