# Skinny Maine ****



## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

Tufty feels like he is getting skinny. He has always been a big boned but very lean cat. He has lost about a lb over a period of 4 months. He was to the vet earlier in the summer and had a clean bill of health. He is eating well, with free feed dry food: standard adult kibble & Urinary Tract care plus 1/2 can Blue Buffalo wet am/pm. No litterbox issues or potty habits. He is active & tears around like he always has. I'm not seeing any changes in behaviour. He just turned 8. [ My history with w/Maine Coons= Pixel (age 14) is also a very lean MC & healthy, Tig was a very bulky muscled MC until liver failure at 13 & then lost wt rapidly]
Looking for somebody with MC experience to validate this may just be an age related issue before I run off to the vet like an over anxious new mommy.


----------



## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

He shouldn't be losing weight at 8.
With MMCs and their magnificent pelts it's hard to tell when they're losing weight.
A very good investment is getting a baby scale and weighing your cat regularly, unexplained weight loss can be a warning sign that all is not well.
I lost my beloved MCC in May to cancer and just over 16 years old, I was rather chagrined when told by the vet that her weight was just under 10 lbs, I knew she'd been losing weight but not that much, in her prime she was a big and beautiful 17 lbs.
I now live with the guilt that if I'd kept better track of her weight I could have gotten her to the vet when her cancer was treatable.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

A middle-aged cat who is losing weight in spite of a hearty appetite would have me at the vet's requesting a Total T4 blood test to check thyroid function.

Laurie


----------



## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi Bkitty
Your best bet is to have a vet see him.
there are two many things that can cause weight loss. My cat lost 2lbs in 4mo. and I found out he was diabetic. If you can't afford a vet vist right now and want to rule out Diabetes, go to walmart and buy a reli-on B/G meter cost $10-$15 with 10 test strips
B/G's should be no higher than 120 here is a site to show you how to test


----------



## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

Used my meter & checked him. he was at 114 so within normal range. I'll have to get him for thyroid testing. Like I said he is eating & active. Thyroid issues usually presents as sluggishness & a change in coat quality & he is not showing any of that yet.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

bkitty said:


> Thyroid issues usually presents as sluggishness & a change in coat quality & he is not showing any of that yet.


That would be true of hypothyroidism, but cats very, very rarely are hypoT. Cats develop hyperthyroidism, instead. HyperT's most common symptoms are weight loss and voracious appetite. Less common symptoms are hyperactivity, aggressiveness, excessive vocalization, diarrhea, and excessive thirst. Some cats display such subtle symptoms that they can be overlooked or misdiagnosed. It's also possible for cats to have multiple illnesses that confuse symptoms.

Laurie


----------

