My senior cat has high calcium and is losing weight. What's wrong?

Question

My cat has been gradually losing weight with age (12) and this year lost over a pound. She is now 7 3/4 lb. My vet did bloodwork which showed she has high calcium levels. He suspects lymphoma, and less likely hyperparathyroidism. We have to have another round of bloodwork and x-rays if we want to find out more. Are there other possibilities? Is it possible it could be unexplained? I have to wait several days but in the mean time I'm very anxious and trying to learn as much as I can. Thank you. Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 12 years and 4 months old | 7.75 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately high calcium levels often do point to a cancerous condition such as lymphoma. And cats are particularly prone to lymphoma. Here is some good information on feline lymphona: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/lymphoma-cats.pdf And here is information on hyperparathyroidism: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/hyperparathyroidism.pdf If you have any specific question feel free to ask. Sometimes high calcium levels may be idiopathic, ie the cause is unknown. Your vet likely will also send blood in for ionized calcium which will help determine the cause.

My senior cat has high calcium and is losing weight. What's wrong?

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