Why is my senior cat lethargic, losing weight, and peeing outside box?

Poor Garfield. At age 17 that is an awful lot going on and I'd be worried there is an underlying issue such as kidney or organ failure, disease, etc. Since he's so old and is having so many symptoms, it's best to bring him to your vet ASAP. They will likely want to run a few tests such as bloodwork or an X-ray to check his organ function, etc. If you can, bringing in urine or stool samples can also help with any testing and help streamline the process. Until you can get the vet, keeping him as comfortable as possible and keeping his eyes and nose clear with a clean washcloth can help. Some cats also do better eating if they can smell the food, so warming up his food or adding some boiled chicken that is smelly may encourage him to eat a little until you can be seen.

These signs are probably not due to old age alone and there is likely something going on with Shadoe. Unfortunately, without a full physical exam and diagnostic testing, it is not possible to determine what could be causing these signs. However, lethargy and eating and drinking very little along with weight loss are very concerning signs that warrant a visit to the veterinarian. Here are some resources that will hopefully help you afford a vet for Shadoe: 1) You can see if your vet accepts payment plans. 2) Look for a low cost clinic in your area 3) Try to apply for Care Credit online (www.carecredit.com) 4) There is an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants (redrover.org) 5) Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website (bestfriends.org)

Your cat needs to see the veterinarian today. The weight loss and lethargy are concerning for many conditions including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes or cancer. Other causes are also possible. Many of these conditions can be managed if caught early. The veterinarian will need to check from blood and urine test results. I hope this helps.

It's interesting that her blood work was normal with that information. If she is losing weight and urinating a lot, it is possible that she could be losing protein in her urine. A urinalysis would check for this. Hyperthyroidism is another cause for weight loss in an older cat. Thyroid hormones are easily tested for but not commonly found on routine lab work - it has to be specifically requested. Another possible cause for the inappropriate urination and defecation in a senior-aged kitty would be pain from arthritis. It sounds like your vet hasn't quite gotten to the bottom of Olivia's medical concerns. I would take her back in for follow-up so they can move on to the next step in diagnostics. Also, we can never completely rule out cancer, since there is no simple cancer test. It can be a little tricky to find if the body isn't showing us specifically where it could be, but I am hoping that isn't what is going on in this case.

Poor kitty! In a 13 year old cat, I strongly suspect that she has a medical problem causing these issues. Some common possible causes would include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to - he/she can do blood work and a urinalysis to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

Hello, thank you for your question about Bramley. Inappetance, weight loss, and lethargy are nonspecific signs that can be indicative of many different underlying diseases. It could be a sign of a problem within the GI tract such as inflammatory bowel disease or other disease conditions. These symptoms can also be signs of a systemic condition such as liver or kidney disease, pancreatitis, or diabetes. Based on the low walking/weakness you describe I would want to perform diabetic screening. I would recommend having Bramley seen by your veterinarian so that they can examine him and discuss performing additional diagnostics such as systemic bloodwork. Depending on the results of this bloodwork they may also recommend performing an abdominal ultrasound. Hope this helps, good luck!

Poor girl. With those symptoms, I would highly recommend a vet visit as soon as possible. There are many different possible causes and the symptoms you're describing span multiple organ systems, so I can't give you a very accurate "most likely" list. The vet will start with a detailed physical exam and go from there, likely including some blood work and x-rays.