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Why is my senior cat having accidents, losing weight, and wobbling?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 15 years and 8 months old | 11 lbs

My 15 year old domestic shorthair cat (female) has been defecating outside the box and sometimes urinates outside the box, even though we clean it often. Her appetite and thirst seem ok, but she wobbles while walking sometimes, seems slower than she used to be, and her coat feels somewhat different. Her stool is soft (not diarrhea) and she vomits sometimes. She also seems to have lost some weight. Any thoughts on what this could be?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 15th, 2016

Zoie very likely has arthritis, which may make it painful to get into her litter box and/or squat to have a bowel; movement. She may also be suffering from a typical old cat disease, such as hyperthyroidism or kidney disease. Both of those are easily diagnosed with a simple blood test. Diabetes can also cause weight loss, as can severe dental disease. Please take your kitty to your vet for a geriatric exam. You may also want to make it easier for your kitty to enter her litter box. The bigger the box the better and it should have a low entrance.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 29th, 2019

    It may not be time to put her down yet but you will need bloodwork and a urinalysis to figure out what is going on. These symptoms could be many things including renal disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes and she may have a bladder infection too. Other things are also possible. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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