Q: I have a 19-year-old, female calico cat. She has been skinny throughout her whole life. She hardly is eating, and whenever I leave the room she will meow until I come back. She also has been sleeping more and drinking water more often. Is my cat sick?
A: What you describe is not normal behavior. Drinking a lot of water is often a sign of illness. So is weight loss and poor appetite. The classic signs of kidney failure are drinking a lot, urinating a lot, decreased appetite, weight loss, and sometimes vomiting. You’d be hard-pressed to find a 19-year-old cat that didn’t have some degree of kidney failure. Hyperthyroidism and diabetes are other causes for weight loss and excessive thirst, however, these two disorders usually (but not always) cause an increase in appetite. Regardless, you should have your cat examined by a veterinarian. A few simple blood tests are probably all that is needed for your veterinarian to make a diagnosis.
Regards,
Arnold Plotnick, DVM