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My 13-year-old cat throws up whole food and is losing weight. Help!

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 13 years and 1 month old | 10 lbs

My cat (female spayed 13 yrs old) has occasionally threw up her dry food - still whole - for most of her life. But now that's she's getting older she's getting thin. She still is pretty active, even plays with my younger cat. But I don't like how thin she is. Any advice? I want my cat to be around as long as possible, and comfortably.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on April 25th, 2018

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that Alabama is having this problem. There are many things that can cause weight loss in older cats - this may or may not be related to her chronic vomiting issues. Some common possibilities would include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, an intestinal problem such as inflammatory bowel disease or chronic pancreatitis (these don't always cause diarrhea in cats), or even some type of cancer. Many of these problems are very treatable once a diagnosis is made, so I would recommend taking Alabama to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 9th, 2016

    Poor Boo! I see that she is an old cat. In old cats, there are three common illnesses that cause weight loss, vomiting, and excess hunger: Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and diabetes. I would take Boo into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can do routine blood tests and a urinalysis to check for the three diseases I mentioned above, and can start treatment on her for it once the cause is diagnosed.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on July 14th, 2019

    Hi there. There are some relatively common illnesses in senior cats that can cause increased hunger and vomiting, including hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and GI problems that may make it difficult for him to absorb nutrients. I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam when you are able to. Your veterinarian can do blood work to help check for these problems, and can get him started on appropriate treatment if an abnormality is found. Many of these issues are very treatable once a diagnosis is made - so if something is wrong, there's a good chance your veterinarian will be able to help.

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    Answered By Alexis de Gale, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 25th, 2017

    An older cat with these symptoms, my first thought is hyperthyroidism. Other problems like diabetes, kidney disease and cancer are possibilities as well. An exam by your vet may reveal an enlarged thyroid or other obvious abnormalities. And bloodwork and other tests can give lots of answers.

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