Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Is my cat's constant eating linked to her frequent hairballs?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Lilly has been bringing up a lot of hairballs seems like daily and she has an appetite that won't quit is there an issue with a lot of hairballs and the fact that she wants to eat so much. I try to brush her as much as I can to help with the Hairball situation but it is concerning me and the fact that she wants to eat all the time I don't know if there's a correlation.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 21st, 2018

There could be a correlation between Lilly having an increased appetite and the hairballs. There is a disease that can be common in cats called hyperthyroidism, which is when the thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormone. This causes an increased appetite, but it can also cause hair loss. She could be grooming more due to the hair loss, and that in turn could cause the hairballs you are seeing lately. I'd give the vet a call today to make an appointment for her. The vet can do a specialized blood test to see if her thyroid is overactive. If it is, it can be treated. Other causes of increased hair loss include allergies, fleas, and ringworm, while other causes of an increased appetite include diabetes and kidney disease. Your vet can check for those as well. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Lilly has constantly been throwing up hairballs I took her to the vet making sure there was nothing serious underlying blood work came out fine she is shedding a lot of hair I brush her at least daily if not more she still continues to bring up hairb
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lilly. A longhaired cat should only produce 3-4 hairballs per year. Any more than that is considered abnormal. If her initial blood panel came back normal, I typically recommend a secondary panel that checks for pancreatitis, a disease known as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency as well as cobalamin and folate levels. This can reveal the cause of the vomiting or give some treatment options for her. Inflammatory bowel disease is common cause of chronic vomiting. This will typically result in a low cobalamin levels. It can not be diagnosed without intestinal biopsies, but those are very invasive. An abdominal ultrasound can give a lot of information and rule out other causes of vomiting. If I suspect this to be the case, I will treat the patient with a prescription hydrolyzed diet to help decrease inflammation and sometimes medication as well. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Sasha is eating lots and constantly seems ravenous and has started being sneaky trying to steal food from dinner plate. Despite eating alot more than the other cats she seems skinnier than normal and tends to vomit often after. She did this when youn
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Ravenous appetite with weight loss are classic signs of a condition that is somewhat common in cats known as hyperthyroidism. This is usually very easy to diagnose and treatment is somewhat straightforward. I recommend that you have Sasha evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this possibility and treat Sasha accordingly. Good luck and best wishes!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is eating more but losing weight. Wants to be by herself. Obsessive licking her back quarters..
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! The excessive eating with weight loss is a classic sign of hyperthyroidism which is a fairly common condition in cats so this should be considered as a possibility. This is usually managed well with medications. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If this is confirmed, medications could be started at the time. The licking could be due to allergies for example and could be addressed at the time. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hi- my female cat Myla, who is almost 8, has been losing weight over the past few months. She used to be slightly overweight. I feed my 3 cats wet food 2x/day and put out a small amt. of dry food in the afternoon. Myla is very picky and doesn't seem
Hi! It does concern me that Myla has lost a noticeable amount of weight over the past few months. It's certainly possible that this could be due to her picky eating habits, but I wouldn't necessarily expect her to lose a considerable amount of weight from that alone since I'm assuming that she's always been a bit picky. Other causes of weight loss can include inflammatory bowel disease, a heavy burden of parasites, cancer, kidney disease, or diabetes, although we often see other changes associated with many of these conditions. I do think it would be best to take Myla to her vet for an exam and some diagnostic testing (blood work and/or imaging - x-rays or ultrasound) to try to get to the bottom of this situation. Until her appointment, try feeding her wet food in a room away from your other two cats so that you can more accurately see exactly how much she's eating. I hope that everything goes well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
she never stops cleaning herself, most days I have a hair ball to clean up. She is -15 and just started thyroid medication. Are all the hair balls because of her thyroid.
Hello! Hyperthyroidism can cause obsessive behaviors (ie. overgrooming), as well as vomiting. You should see a decrease in her vomiting over the next few months as the medication levels stabilize. I would recommend adding a hairball supplement to her diet in the mean time though. It usually comes in a stinky paste form that they love and helps lubricate the hair to move it along. If she lets you, brushing her regularly can reduce the amount of hair she's able to ingest. The Furminator brand brush is a lifesaver for serious shedders. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Boop by Petco! :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Why is my cat always seem hungry?
Most commonly, this could be an indication of hyperthyroidism. This is where they produce too much thyroid hormones which makes them have a ravenous appetite. I would have your vet take a look at her and they will be able to determine if this is the cause or if something else is going on. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a healthy 16 year old Tabby cat. Up until a few months ago, I would give her wet food in the morning and wet food in the evning and she had a bowl of dry food to munch on when she wanted it. It has been that way for her entire life. She is
There are two very common health issues in older cats that are known for causing a sudden increase in appetite like this: hyperthyroidism, and diabetes. I would definitely recommend taking Lucy to the vet for a check-up when you are able to - he/she can do blood work to check for these problems. If she does have one of these illnesses, they are normally very treatable with medication once a diagnosis is made :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 16 year old cat seems to lately be eating enough but being constantly hungry. Near her butt bone she is so thin that it looks like she's starving
When an senior cat is eating more frequently yet losing weight, this can be a sign of hyperthyroidism. With hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland is secreting too much hormone which causes an increase in the pets metabolism and subsequent weight loss. Have your vet check Hopes T4 levels to see if she is hyperthyroid and in need of medication to help stabilize her hormones so that she doesn't continue to waste away. This is easily diagnosed and treated with medication (i.e. Methimazole). Your vet will also want to run baseline bloodwork on your pet to make sure no other disease processes are there.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi My cat has an increased appetite yet seem to lose bit of weight. His thyroid glands are normal. Been checked by the vet. He is active. Normal stool and no vomit. Dewormed recently. My vet reckon that there is some cancer that would actually cause
There is no way to determine whether the thyroid glands are producing normal amounts of thyroid hormone just by manually checking them (palpation). Your cat will need a blood test. It is very rare for a cat as young as yours (under 2 years) to be hyperthyroid. It is also very rare for a young cat to have cancer. Bubba is still growing, and it is spring now, where he would get more active, especially if he is an inside/outside kitty. I think you may want to get a second opinion from another vet. There are a few conditions which can cause increased appetite in combination with weight loss (diabetes is one), however in order to find out what , if any, disease your cat may be suffering from, you will need to do blood tests.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat used to eat very rarely (I have an automatic feeder), but now she eats so often and so ravenously, but she keeps losing weight. Her stool has also changed, it's now runny with very little solid. I don't know what's going on and I'm scared it's
I definitely think you should have Dahlia examined by your veterinarian. A few diseases that could cause an increased appetite with weight loss include intestinal parasites, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. Your vet can examine Dahlia and her stool, and may recommend checking lab work if parasites seem unlikely. All of these diseases are very treatable, but it's important to get a diagnosis quickly.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Hairball Control Cat Food Cat Hairball Control Wet Cat Food Cat Thyroid Medication Veterinary Diet Cat Food Cat Laxatives Cat Health & Wellness Weight Management Cat Food Vet Worthy Cat Hairball Control Science Diet Hairball Control Cat Food HomeoPet Cat Hairball Control Tomlyn Cat Hairball Control Pet Honesty Cat Hairball Control Nutro Hairball Control Cat Food Wellnergy Pets Cat Hairball Control Royal Canin Hairball Control Cat Food True Solutions Hairball Control Cat Food Nulo Hairball Control Cat Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored