My cat is losing weight and hiding, but vet says she's fine. Why?

Question

My cat, Annie, has lot 2 pounds since October of 2017. She has had a full blood panel and a body exam, all which my vet say are excellent. She eats in very little portions about 4 times a day. She will only lick wet food, so her usual diet is hard food with a little wet food here and there. She’s not as playful as she once was either. She spends about half her time under our bed. Any thoughts? We’re at a loss and currently waiting to see a new vet for a second opinion. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 8 years and 2 months old | 6.6 lbs

Megan, DVM, CVA · Accepted Answer

Poor Annie! I would make sure your vet has ruled out any type of intestinal parasites or bacterial infection including giardia and campylobacter. I would also talk to your vet about running an urinalysis and x-rays on her. The urinalysis will indicate any type of infection or crystals in the urine. On the x-rays, they will be able to look for any type of tumor in the abdomen or constipation/megacolon. Your vet can also send off a GI panel (cobalamin, folate, and pancreatic enzymes) to help rule out inflammatory bowel disease and GI cancer. Of course, you cannot completely rule out cancer with a normal abdominal x-ray and normal GI panel. I think the next step would be to do an abdominal ultrasound to look for any thickening of the intestines or enlarged lymph nodes. The most aggressive, yet most direct, diagnostic is an exploratory surgery with biopsies of the intestines. This is usually saved if all other tests are inconclusive. I hope this helps to direct you in a conversation with what may be the best option for Annie. I hope she starts to feel better really soon!

My cat is losing weight and hiding, but vet says she's fine. Why?

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