My senior cat is bony, losing hair, and has greasy fur. What to do?

In an older cat, my first thought would be dental disease. This would be painful for Krinkle, cause him to eat less, and subsequent weight loss. It could also be that he has diabetes, kidney failure, or hyperthyroidism. Having him seen by a vet this week is a good idea. I hope this helps!

Kitty should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have hyperthyroidism and your vet can run blood-work to test his thyroid level. Once your vet determines the exact cause, he/she can recommend a treatment. Hope he feels better soon.

Older cats like your kitty often get an overactive thyroid which will show weight loss, a really fast heart rate, sometimes vomiting, and more vocalisation than usual. Some cats get skittish as well. Hyperthyroidism can actually cause heart problems and mask kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is easily diagnosed with a clinical exam and a little blood test and there are various treatments available, varying from Methimazole transdermal ointment or tablets to slow down thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy. If your kitty is suffering from hyperthyroidism your vet will discuss the various options. I suggest you make an appointment tomorrow.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to tell based on these pictures if he has a thin body condition. Weight loss or lack of weight gain can be seen with gastrointestinal disease, renal or liver disease, among many others. I would recommend that you consider having him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. Further diagnostics would include general labwork and possibly an abdominal ultrasound and a GI panel. Treatment if any would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! I hope you find this information helpful.

If he seems to be losing weight, I would make sure her thyroid level was tested. If so, the skin could be due to an allergy or other skin condition. Thyroid level being high can cause skin and hair changes so I would first get this level checked out. As for the skin, you can use Douxo PS calm shampoo and mousse, both of which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Lady Patches is losing weight, it can definitely be due to her dental disease. However, other causes for weight loss include underlying medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, IBD, and cancer - all of these and others can be ruled out by your vet. You can definitely encourage Lady Patches to eat more by moistening her dry food or getting a food that is in smaller pieces. There are multivitamins available for senior cats, but they do not provide many calories. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!