What to do for senior cat lethargy, weight loss, and vision problems?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My senior cat seems lethargic and I've noticed recently that she's lost weight and appears to be having trouble with her sight. What should I do?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 25th, 2019
Your cat needs to see the veterinarian today. The weight loss and lethargy are concerning for many conditions including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes or cancer. Other causes are also possible. Many of these conditions can be managed if caught early. The veterinarian will need to check from blood and urine test results. I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on December 10th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and lethargy can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. This may have to do with the blood pressure given his history of hypertension. I recommend that you have Beverly evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My almost 17 year old Russian Blue female has lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. She is eating and mostly acting normal, but I'm seeing her hind legs weaken. I know she is getting close to death. Should I bring her in to see our vet or let her be.
I recommend to have her examined. Certainly something like cancer is possible but there are some other conditions that are common in older cats like renal disease and hyperthyroidism that generally respond very nicely to treatment but this does depend on the severity. If renal disease is caught before things get too bad, cats require a special diet, sometimes a medication, sometimes subcutaneous fluids and the average time of quality life after diagnosis is 2 years. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-care-for-a-cat-with-kidney-disease/ Hyperthyroidism can be controlled with a special diet, with medications or with a permanent solution like radioactive iodine treatment. Many cats with this condition will live normal live expediencies as long as they are medicated. https://www.petcoach.co/article/hyperthyroidism-in-cats/ It's always best to know whats happening. That way you can made an educated decision and prevent any suffering. Bloodwork and a urinanalysis will give you an
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I'm concern about my 14 year old cat. He has gotten very thin in a short time. He eats and drinks very little. He goes though. He sleeps most of the time and has very little energy. When he does eat he's very picky I have to change foods just to get
These signs are probably not due to old age alone and there is likely something going on with Shadoe. Unfortunately, without a full physical exam and diagnostic testing, it is not possible to determine what could be causing these signs. However, lethargy and eating and drinking very little along with weight loss are very concerning signs that warrant a visit to the veterinarian. Here are some resources that will hopefully help you afford a vet for Shadoe: 1) You can see if your vet accepts payment plans. 2) Look for a low cost clinic in your area 3) Try to apply for Care Credit online (www.carecredit.com) 4) There is an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants (redrover.org) 5) Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website (bestfriends.org)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi I have a 10 year old cat who has lost all sensibility, she walks in the road and cars have to stop she has never done this before . She has lost weight and I am sure that in a certain light she has one cloudy eye. And I'm sure one pupil is a tiny
Poor girl. With those symptoms, I would highly recommend a vet visit as soon as possible. There are many different possible causes and the symptoms you're describing span multiple organ systems, so I can't give you a very accurate "most likely" list. The vet will start with a detailed physical exam and go from there, likely including some blood work and x-rays.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cats name is Garfield. He is a tomcat about 17. He has not been feeling not as well for a few months, but over the past week his condition has become much worse, but we have no idea what is wrong with him. His symptoms are weight loss, crying, sne
Poor Garfield. At age 17 that is an awful lot going on and I'd be worried there is an underlying issue such as kidney or organ failure, disease, etc. Since he's so old and is having so many symptoms, it's best to bring him to your vet ASAP. They will likely want to run a few tests such as bloodwork or an X-ray to check his organ function, etc. If you can, bringing in urine or stool samples can also help with any testing and help streamline the process. Until you can get the vet, keeping him as comfortable as possible and keeping his eyes and nose clear with a clean washcloth can help. Some cats also do better eating if they can smell the food, so warming up his food or adding some boiled chicken that is smelly may encourage him to eat a little until you can be seen.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My cat is 17 years old Up until about 2 weeks ago he’s been extremely healthy. In the past few weeks he’s eating and going to the bathroom but losing Weight hiding and sleeping a lot not playing Also he’s been scratching a lot. And shaking his head
There are many possible causes for weight loss and lethargy in a senior-aged cat, including kidney disease, cancer, and hyperthyroidism. For this reason, I would recommend taking Louie to the vet for examination and lab work. As for itching, the most common cause would be fleas, but allergies, infection, or ear mites would also be possible. Your vet can help sort out which is most likely.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is 19, all the sudden he is shedding, his appetite isn't good, he is lethargic and when he walk he kinda staggers, I'm calling my vet in the morning but I hope to get an idea what's wrong first.
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. Unfortunately it is difficult to say for sure what the problem is with Mr. Kitty. However, with your description, it sounds as if he may be in kidney failure with the weight loss, poor hair coat and lethargy. There may be multiple conditions going on as well such as kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. I would recommend starting by having an examination done as well as having his blood tested to see if there are any abnormalities that may indicate these clinical symptoms. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat, Cupcake, is a 17-year-old spayed female cat. She is an indoor/outdoor cat. Recently, she has lost weight, her eyes are running, she's sneezing, is lethargic. Cupcake no longer wants to spend the day outside, she sleeps upstairs on a blanket.
Based on what you are describing I would be concerned that something is going on with Cupcake. At her age I would be concerned about 3 diseases in particular: diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and kidney disease. All of these diseases can cause lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss. I would recommend taking Cupcake to the vet to be checked out. Your vet can run some simple lab work to determine if she has any of these diseases. These illnesses can also depress the immune system and lead to additional illnesses like upper respiratory tract infections that would explain the sneezing and watery eyes. Hopefully your vet can determine what is going on so you can start treatment and get Cupcake back to herself. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My big cat is lethargic and seems to be losing some body mass. He started feeling down about 2 weeks ago. He does not have a fever and was eating (not as much as usual) and drinking water until yesterday. Now he seems to not be interested in food but
Cats tend to deteriorate quickly, so I would recommend a veterinary visit. Starting with blood work which will include a cell count, an evaluation of organ function and a thyroid evaluation should help your veterinarian to find what the source is. Cats can develop Hepatic Lipidosis or a fatty liver after a few days of not eating, and this can be difficult to reverse. I would bring him in today if possible.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has been lethargic, has some eye discharge, lost weight quickly, and only eats a little of his food. I dont know if this is due to old age (he is between 13 and 14), or if there is something very wrong. He also has been peeing on beds, which i
Poor Nelson! From your description, I would say that something is definitely wrong. 13 or 14 years is really not overly old for a cat, certainly not old enough to cause these symptoms due to "old age." Some common causes of weight loss, decreased appetite, and acting lethargic along with peeing in odd places and difficulty walking would include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or chronic kidney disease.
I would recommend having Nelson examined by a vet as soon as you are able to - he/she can do basic blood work and a urinalysis to check for these problems and help determine what is causing his symptoms. In many cases, these illnesses are quite treatable once a diagnosis is made, so there's a good chance that your vet will be able to help.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have an 18 y/o cat. He’s been fine until recently. Two days ago he started to become sluggish, he’s gotten worse rather than better. He is lerhargic and won’t eat or drink. We’ve been syringe feeding/watering him. He has hypertension and hypothyroi
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Loss of appetite and lethargy can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. This may have to do with the blood pressure given his history of hypertension. I recommend that you have Beverly evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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