Why is my senior cat losing weight and drinking excessive water?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From your description of signs, I would strongly suspect that Flynn may have diabetes. This very commonly causes increased thirst and urination, sticky urine (from the sugar in the urine) and weight loss. Other common causes of weight loss and increased thirst and urination in cats are kidney disease and thyroid disease. I have seen many cats that have more than one of these diseases at the same time. I would strongly recommend taking Flynn to a veterinarian for blood work and urinalysis. This will be the first step in diagnosing his actual condition so that you know how to treat him. I hope this helps and that Flynn gets feeling better soon!

It is fairly rare, but ask your veterinarian if your kitty may be suffering from Cushing's disease or liver disease. Also sometimes cats can still be hyperthyroid, even though the thyroid parameters are within normal limits (this is called euthyroid sick). He could also have a tumor. In any case, this needs to be investigated further.

Poor Little Man! His lethargy, weight loss and excessive drinking make me concerned about several possible conditions, including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes, among others. At this point, he needs to be seen by his vet for an exam and lab testing (CBC, chemistry, T4 - thyroid) to evaluate his organ function. There isn't much that you can do at home without determining the underlying cause of Little Man's clinical signs.

I'm sorry the hear diamond is not feeling herself. When cats lose weight rapidly we worry about several potential diseases including kidney disease, diabetes (they tend to be drinking a lot of water with these two), increased thyroid level (hyperthyroidism), and disease in the intestine (inflammation or even cancer). I would have diamond evaluated by a veterinarian. A physical exam and Simple lab work will help start sorting out what could be going on. I hope you get answers soon and diamond is feeling better.

Cats that are losing protein through their kidneys can lose weight. With your cat's medical history, I would recommend having him examined by the vet. Blood work will check the kidneys and urinalysis will look for extra protein in the urine. The blood work can also screen for other issues that can cause weight loss.

There are three very common things that cats get as they age: 1. diabetes, 2. kidney disease and 3. hyperthyroidism (high thyroid levels). All of these can be easily ruled in/out with simple blood/urine testing. I suggest you have Monty to the vet to discuss this.

I am sorry to hear about Sugar. My rule of thumb is that any cat who is losing weight needs to be seen by a vet sooner rather than later. I am particularly worried about kidney disease which is common in older cats. After a good physical exam, your vet may recommend bloodwork to check on the kidneys and thyroid in particular. Best of luck to you and Sugar!