Why is my senior cat eating more, scooting, and leaking from his anus?

That's definitely abnormal behavior. I would be worried about his anal glands from that description. It's possible that he had an anal glands problem at one point and developmented a scooting habit that stuck. Another possibility is that he is itchy - this can be caused by food or environmental allergies. I would recommend asking your vet if they thought a hypoallergenic diet (for allergies) or a high fever diet (like royal canin fiber response, for anal glands) would be most appropriate for him and go from there. Good luck!!!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The symptoms you describe may be indicative of hyperthyroidism or diabetes, both of which are fairly common in older cats. Tests such as thyroid hormone levels (T4 and free T4) can be performed to rule out hyperthyroidism and chronically elevated glucose levels would be determined with a fructosamine level test. These are done with a blood sample, but are not routinely performed. I would also be happy to look at any test results you have for Dylan and provide a second opinion.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The excessive eating with weight loss is a classic sign of hyperthyroidism which is a fairly common condition in cats so this should be considered as a possibility. This is usually managed well with medications. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If this is confirmed, medications could be started at the time. The licking could be due to allergies for example and could be addressed at the time. Good luck!

She may be dragging her bum on the floor because she may have an impacted anal sac. This is not something that can be treated easily with medicine in her food (you could try giving her glandex, or add canned pumpkin, not pie filling in her food. It would be best to catch her and take her to the veterinarian for an exam and expressing the anal sacs. This should remedy the problem

I am sorry to hear about your kitty! If the food appears different than the one he normally eats it is possible that perhaps there is a different additive or food coloring that has upset his stomach (or is it possible it is a different flavor even though the brand is the same). We can see some pets have GI upset from quick changes in diet. That being said, we can also see diarrhea from other causes, including GI parasites, bacterial overgrowth, inflammatory bowel disease, as a symptom of systemic illness, and more. If he is still energetic with no vomiting you could try getting a probiotic from your vet or the pet store for him which can sometimes help with diarrhea and feeding something bland for a few days (such as plain white rice and shredded boiled chicken or lean ground chicken) or picking up the food you normally get at the pet store and trying this for a few days. If he is having urgency so often he isn't making it to the litterbox, however, it is quite possible he has colitis http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=677 and will likely need prescription medication to get the diarrhea under control, so the fastest solution to eliminating the problem is to have your vet examine him!

These are indeed an unusual set of symptoms, thyroid disease and diabetes would be the first suspects for a cat with increasing appetite and weight loss. A specialist ultrasound scan of the abdomen may be worth while to investigate difficulties with food digestion and absorption or even tumours using up the calories

Bullet is a very handsome guy! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. There are a number of things that could cause an increased appetite along with mucus in the stool and pooping more than normal - some common possibilities would include a food allergy or intolerance to something in his diet, intestinal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, or a systemic illness like hyperthyroidism or diabetes. If this problem just started and he is acting normal otherwise, you could try feeding a bland diet of plain boiled chicken for the next few days to see if this helps his stool return to normal. If there is no improvement in the next 2-3 days, or if the problem has been doing on for several days now already, I would definitely recommend taking him to the vet for an exam. He/she can do a fecal exam and blood work to help diagnose the problem and see what needs to be done to treat it.