My senior cat has swollen paws, weakness, and weight loss. What's wrong?

The paw swelling could be due to an injury to the paws, build up of fluid from the lymphatics systems, or an infection. Sweatpea sounds like he's pretty ill right now, and I think he should see a vet immediately. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Poor kitty! I would have him seen by a vet immediately. This could be related to his liver cancer in that it can lead to poor flow of blood and/or lymphatics. It could also be related to his heart and poor circulation, low protein levels, or lymphatic drainage issues. It certainly isn't normal to have this leg so swollen, and it does require immediate veterinary attention. The vet can diagnose what exactly is causing the swelling, and can discuss if there are treatment options. I would have him seen by an ER vet or a vet on call now.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With your history and knowing he is drinking and urinating quite a bit, I would be concerned about kidney disease or diabetes. I would recommend having a comprehensive blood panel run on pepper to rule these conditions out. I would also have his urine tested as part of a full workup. Blood work is a good place to start as it will help rule out many possible causes of the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

This sounds like he has a serious medical problem. He could be in renal failure, have an infectious disease like feline leukemia or aids, or this could be a sign of cancer. Regardless, I recommend a veterinary exam. They may do lab tests or X-rays to diagnose his medical condition and then they can start treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sebastian.

Since he goes outside, he could also have an abscess/infection in his paw or he may have an injury. He should definitely be examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. He may need an antibiotic or an anti-inflammatory to treat. Your vet can also take an x-ray, if needed, to help diagnose. There isn't much you can do at home until we know the exact cause of the swelling. Hope he feels better soon.

Poor Tommy! I would recommend returning to your vet for a follow-up. The swelling on Tommy's leg does not sound good, especially combined with the other symptoms you have reported. One possible cause of the swelling would be some kind of infection. However, since Tommy has also lost a lot of weight and has been off his food I worry more about a cancerous process such as lymphoma, or perhaps a bone mass. Your vet will be able to do bloodwork and X-rays, and likely will want to take some fine needle samples of the 'knot' to look at under the microscope. They may want to send these samples out to be looked at by a pathologist too. Treatment options can vary depending on the findings of the diagnostic tests. They could range from surgery, to oral medications, to injectable chemotherapy. I hope you are able to get to the bottom of things soon for Tommy and that he starts feeling better.

It may not be his time yet but he does need to be examined by the veterinarian today. The disorientation and potential blindness is concerning for low blood sugar, hypertension, a brain tumor and a few other conditions. Some of these conditions respond very well to treatment and some don't but first, you must know what is happening so you know the treatment options. Just like humans, diseases are best diagnosed and treated early so have him examined today. I hope he gets this figured out quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.