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Why does my indoor/outdoor cat lose weight in summer, gain in winter?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 9 lbs

My kitty is an indoor/outdoor kitty, every summer, she seems to get thinner and gain a bit during winter. I was told it could be because she eats Lizards and their Vet told them to give them milk because it dilutes the toxicity. Is this true?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 25th, 2017

River could certainly be losing light in the summer from more exposure to parasites, more activity while hunting, and many pets actually do tend to eat less during the heat of the summer months. There are parasites that the cats can pick up from hunting and keeping them on a routine parasite prevention Such as revolution or Advntage multi would be a good idea. There may have been a recommendation to give the cats milk if they were excessively foaming after hunting lizards and frogs as this will decrease the taste in their mouth to stop the hypersalivation. thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi there and thank you for your post! Milk will not dilute or counteract any toxins that I know of. Weather can affect activity level and this in turn can lead to weight fluctuations. If it is too hot or too cold, activity is typically lower so you may see an increase in weight due to low activity. If the weight continues to fluctuate or stays low, I would get River seen by your veterinarian to have some lab tests performed and an exam as well to make sure there is no cause to the weight fluctuation. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text consultation if needed.

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