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My cat is so skinny and bony. Is her low weight a health concern?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 3 lbs

I am a little worried about my cats weight? She seems to be really lanky and you can really feel her hip bones. She is a small cat and always has food in her dish available but she just seems thin and boney. I'm pretty sure she was the runt of the litter, so is that normal? She was dewormed as a kitten and is an indoor cat. I don't think she's been losing weight, she's always been skinny from what I can remember. Also, she threw up today, but only once. I thought she might have a hairball coming

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 27th, 2018

Overall being thin could be a result of an underlying metabolic, endocrine, or gastro-intestinal issue. (such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes,or inflammatory bowel disease) It would be best to have her evaluated by a veterinarian, and consider having blood work and urine tests run to see if there are any abnormalities. She is listed as unspayed--keep in mind that metabolism tends be slower once they are spayed. If everything on her lab work checks out to be normal, I would recommend you have her spayed for her overall health and for pet over-population concerns; another positive for her may be weight gain! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    If Maui is really only 3 pounds that is extremely small for her age and I would be worried too. I suggest you have her to your vet for an examination. She needs some blood testing and a fecal test to see if an underlying reason can be found for her thin body condition. Hairballs should have nothing do with weight issues. I strongly suggest you get her examined as soon as possible. Best wishes.

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