# Is my Cat underweight?



## DireWolf0384 (Jul 18, 2010)

I recently noticed that our cat feels skinny.You can feel her back but not her ribs. Her tail is sorta bony and her legs are skinny too. Should I be worried? Should I send her to a vet?


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## sharpfang (Jul 18, 2010)

*Oh, Don't make me Cry*

I just rescently lost my Cat of 17 years....she thinned for a few though...

Would need more details to give Any advice....I hope your kitty is O.K. for what it's worth....Was gettin' some Dog food the other Night...and grabbed a bag of Cat Food 2, from Reflex....

I gotta go get some Kleenex now  

Will check thread soon - Night - Jason


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## DireWolf0384 (Jul 18, 2010)

Shes less than a year old and we adopted her from a friend. We changed her from Iams to "Taste of the Wild". I know she is eating some because there is feces in her litter box and there is always a fresh supply of them every night we change it. I'm just worried shes not eating enough. With all the crap that happening in my Life right now shes all my Wife and I have right now. I lost one of my jobs. (80% of my income).


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## DrAce (Jul 18, 2010)

She could have worms. They'd take the nutrients out before she had a chance to get them. 
Has she been wormed?


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## Kathy (Jul 18, 2010)

Jeremy, can you post a picture?


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## blacktara (Jul 18, 2010)

Agree with the concern for worms


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## jbm150 (Jul 18, 2010)

Definitely bring her to a vet, if nothing else than to get a baseline on her.  She may have worms or some other ailment.  She also may be a naturally skinny cat.  We have two brothers, one is a stocky tank, the other is skinny with bird bones.  The skinny one has had a few issues through the years but both are extremely healthy.  But I'd recommend a trip to the vet, just in case something may be wrong.


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## DireWolf0384 (Jul 18, 2010)

I'll post a Pic of her up tonight. We had some Lab Work done when we had her declawed a couple weeks ago and they said it came back normal. Do they test for worms too when they do declawing?


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## Kathy (Jul 18, 2010)

No I don't think they would check for that.  It's good her tests came back fine.  It could be she is just a thinner built cat.  If she looks like your picture on facebook she looks very healthy. Has she lost weight since then?


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## DireWolf0384 (Jul 18, 2010)

Here are some pics I took with my Blackberry so they are not perfect quality pics. She does not hold still very long either.


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## sharpfang (Jul 18, 2010)

*Ahhhhhhh - She is Purty*


And has great, Grey Ghostly coloring. How long ya guys had Her in your Household ? And how many Dry Diet changes has she experienced rescently :? She does Not look especially Skinny from the Pix - Certainly unlikely to be Feline Leukimia or anything of that sort. What did the Vet say, as Far as Over-All Health


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## Jaymz Bedell (Jul 19, 2010)

nice cat, i have a soft spot for blue animals. if she was under anesthesia in the last few weeks that could explain some weight loss. anesthesia has some lingering side effects, including weight loss. still not a bad idea to have her checked for parasites. keep us updated.


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## kingrattus (Jul 19, 2010)

Jeremy, I got your IM but I was away so I wasn't ale to reply to it. I saw you tried to get a hold of me last night but I was lost playing WoW again lol  I'm such a terrible friend at times 

Anyways, I think she looks fine. Your gonna feel the hips on a slimmer cat. Its when you feel the spine & deep grooves in the ribs is when the cat or dog is under weight & then it needs a trip to the vet!   Ignore the tail when doing a fat check. 

As for worms, they only check with a "fresh" stool sample. If its more then several hours old, it might be no good. Most vets typically check for worms, or if its a new cat, they just give it the meds as chances are, it has worms. Did your friend get the cat dewormed when they had it? if not, then it might have them.

However since she just had an operation, her eating might be less then normal for few weeks & I believe she was declawed a week ago?  

Cam lost weight after her spay, but shes now starting to eat more & has put on a wee bit of weight.. but she needs a good pound or 2 more to cover her bones... Silly cats... 

Now if only Digi could store body fat I'd be thrilled. Shes been laying on me more & more lately & I really dislike the feel of her pointy boney body on me.. its pretty gross, but I love her <3


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## jebbewocky (Jul 19, 2010)

Looks healthy to me.  You should bring it to a vet if you feel really unsure about it, just for the peace of mind, but it looks perfectly healthy to me.  Might have lost weight from the diet change.


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## DireWolf0384 (Jul 20, 2010)

They are saying they need a stool sample and checking that will cost me $18 and the Appt. will cost another $35. I hope I can afford this. The Vet Tech on the phone said shes got all the symptoms of a worm infestation so we will need to get her in as soon as I can, or as soon as I get the money.


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## kingrattus (Jul 20, 2010)

find a vet that'll just give you the meds... the vet I go to up here doesn't charge for visits... When I brought cam in to get her shots I paid 40$ & he was gonna deworm her too.. without checking... if its always been an indoor cat, its highly unlikely it'll have non-kitten type of worms... so find a vet that'll sell it to you


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## kingrattus (Jul 20, 2010)

here we go

http://www.1800petmeds.com/HomeoPet+Wrm+Clear-prod3305-3305.html


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

kingrattus said:


> here we go
> 
> http://www.1800petmeds.com/HomeoPet+Wrm+Clear-prod3305-3305.html


Being a vet tech for years, I can tell you that you need to be really careful with what type of dewormer you use if not purchased from a vet. 

I am not familiar with this brand but the ones sold "over the counter" don't work, they do not contain the same medications as the ones sold by the vet and they don't fully kill the worms.  The ones sold by the vet are stronger and actually kill the worms and those meds can't be sold over the counter.

By law the animal must be seen by a vet to dispense medications, however here in Canada, a vet will dispense meds without an appt to an animal that is already their patient.

I understand the frustration over the money, but if you use over the counter worm meds, it very well could take forever and much more money to get this cleared up, as they just don't work as effectivly. 

One of my clients was trying to worm her cats "cheaply" she bought a bunch of over the counter stuff from the pet store, treated her cats. She was still seeing worms, she bought another type etc. By the time she finally caved and brought them to us she had spent $250 on over the counter worm meds that didn't fully get rid of the worms.  The meds from the vet really aren't that expensive, and it sounds like you have a great vet. I understand money is tight, but the prices you were quoted are good ones.


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## kingrattus (Jul 20, 2010)

the site also sells prescription meds... 

I know Jeremy will do a lot of research on this before doing anything, hes good for that


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

Ok so I looked at the ingredients of the one linked. They are as follows

Arsenicum Alb, Nux Vom, 8x, Calc car, Nat Mur, Nat phos, Silicea Mar, Sulph, 6x, Chenopodium anth, Filix mas, Gran, Kamala, 3x,3c, Cina, Naph, Spigelia anth, Teucrium marum, Thymol, 4x, Cucurbita pepo, 2x,4x, Ferrum Phoas, 6x, Triticum, 3x in 20% USP alc. in purified water

Here is where the problem lies, most over the counters look pretty similar in this to make up.

The prescription meds, with ingredients that do kill the parasites contain: praziquantel, pyrantel, pamoate and febantel. These four drugs work against round worms, tapeworms and hookworms as well as the other ascarids.

While some of the over the counter will "thin out" the worm infestation so to speak, they just aren't as effective in killing the entire infestation. The only meds that contain the above ingredients that are, are only available through a vet due to being stronger and needing a proper weight to determine a dosage that will not be detrimental to the cat.


I am NOT trying to knock anyone who has tried to help, not at all. Just wanting to give my experienced advice as when it comes down to it, meds aren't always as clear cut, and the stores pass off these over the counter meds as being just as effective when they just aren't. I just don't want to see you spend more money then needed because you wanted to try it cheaper. I know how frustrating it is, vet care is not cheap and it sucks sometimes, I just wanted to help out, since this an area I have a lot of experience in.


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

kingrattus said:


> the site also sells prescription meds...
> 
> I know Jeremy will do a lot of research on this before doing anything, hes good for that


They do, I looked through it. I forgot that you can buy some prescriptions without a prescription in the U.S. lol


The one I recommend that will kill everything, is Drontal or Drontal Plus.

Jeremy, if you can get it over the counter, BUY IT!! I can pm you the correct first dosage as well as the follow up dosage, if you would like also.

Drontal is the most effective dewormer for cats  It's the only one I will use on my pets and the only one my clinic has ever recommended for general deworming (my old boss is a highly respected vet where we live.) There are others that will work (strongid etc) but they don't do tapeworms and while I would put my money on your cat having rounds, if you don't know for sure, it's better to go with one that does all of them.



PS. Kingrattus, not to derail the thread, but turtle rescue? That's awesome, I love turtles, unfortunately I don't know a whole lot about them, but that is really cool


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## NikiP (Jul 20, 2010)

Shell said:


> The prescription meds, with ingredients that do kill the parasites contain: praziquantel, pyrantel, pamoate and febantel. These four drugs work against round worms, tapeworms and hookworms as well as the other ascarids.


I could have sworn i'd seen dog/cat dewormers containing those at Petsmart. I also do horses so I remember recognizing the main ingredients as being the same for my horses. Although they might have had just one & that was the one I went for since I knew it.


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

NikiP said:


> I could have sworn i'd seen dog/cat dewormers containing those at Petsmart. I also do horses so I remember recognizing the main ingredients as being the same for my horses. Although they might have had just one & that was the one I went for since I knew it.


Here in Canada you can't buy them over the counter. It's possible in the states that you can. I just know here all of the over the counters do not contain them. I grew up on a horse farm and have owned and trained my whole life, plus we dealt with large animals at our clinic (mostly horses, as far as large animals.) So I know what you are talking about in regards to horse wormers 

 You are correct and horse wormers do contain those ingredients, not all of them (at least here) contain all 4 though, as alot of horse wormers are tailored towards different combinations of worms etc. For example Equimax for a while was one of the few that dealt with tapeworms (I believe Eqvalan Gold does also now) so it had all 4, where Eqvalan alone didn't, it was more geared towards rounds and didn't have all 4. The one that people often use for dogs and cats that is also geared towards horses, is Strongid, but it doesn't do tapes either, so again slightly different makeup (just pyrantel and pamoate in it, out of those 4.)

That's one thing that a lot of owners don't seem to know as the deworming companies don't really make it known. It wasn't until our bosses put us through an equine and parasitology class that we really got the breakdown of horse wormers and there components. I was pretty surprised that growing up on a huge show farm, and training for so long, that I wasn't as aware of that and the medication companies don't make that information known very well.

Wow, that was long winded and off topic, I apologize. I find parasites in animals pretty interesting for some reason


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## NikiP (Jul 20, 2010)

Duh! I didn't even think about other countries, lol!

Oh, I love parasite stuff also! 

Never knew that dog/cat wormer should contain all four. I've always rotated our main dewormer ingredient bimonthly for the horses, so usually everyone, horse/cat/dog/etc got done at one time. No one ever looked wormy, so maybe it was because I rotated? 

Although you have to be really careful when deworming dogs/cats with horse wormer. My mother decided to worm everyone one day while I was gone. Of course she used ivermectin, which my dog is sensitive to  (australian shepard mix) Thankfully that was the last time she decided to worm him.


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

NikiP said:


> Duh! I didn't even think about other countries, lol!
> 
> Oh, I love parasite stuff also!
> 
> ...


They only need to contain all four IF you either don't know what you are deworming against and need to cover all your bases, or you know for sure that they have tapes, as tapes are tougher to kill. That's why I recommend an "all around" with all four, for people who like in this case, may be able to buy it over the counter and because they haven't yet taken the cat to the vet, so they don't know what kind of worms are being dealt with.

Strongid is safer to use on dogs and cats, but doesn't do tapes, so we typically only dose puppies and kittens with it. Ivermectin can be dangerous stuff for some dogs, you're lucky your dog was ok!

Yes, rotating with the horses is the correct thing to do. Fall is key for making sure you use a dewormer that will kill tapes, once you get a good frost tapes become far less of a concern. We usually recommend using one for tapes in the fall and spring, and otherwise it's typically safe to rotate with the other the rest of the time.


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## NikiP (Jul 20, 2010)

Yep, I have a specific rotation calender, the month given dictates which ingredient I use to kill what parasite.

Gotto love horses & what you learn from/around them


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

NikiP said:


> Yep, I have a specific rotation calender, the month given dictates which ingredient I use to kill what parasite.
> 
> Gotto love horses & what you learn from/around them


I have always done the same, not only for my stable but even clients horses. It makes life much easier 

Hmm seems we have derailed this thread a bit  Better get back to cats.


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## kingrattus (Jul 20, 2010)

Actually its very informative.. Please continue, as I don't think Jeremy will mind as long as its on the topic of Parasites (worms).


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

kingrattus said:


> Actually its very informative.. Please continue, as I don't think Jeremy will mind as long as its on the topic of Parasites (worms).


Not much more that I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure I will think of more, my brain seems to work like that 

Jeremy, thinking on it, and strongid liquid would likely be your cheapest and most effective route, if you can't purchase drontal tablets over the counter. A 60ml bottle here, sells for about $20. It's way more then you are going to need, but it has a long shelf life, and you will need to do three treatments with it. Also, deworming twice a year regardless of whether she goes out or not is good habit to get into (with an indoor cat, typically fall and spring.) You can get it from most places that sell horse supplies, make sure it's the liquid and not the tube of paste.

Strongid doesn't do tapeworms, but I REALLY think if your cat has worms that they are round worms. If she has been hunting and/or had a heavy flea infestation at some point, then yes tapes would be a concern, but since she is still fairly young, Im really inclined to think rounds.

The only drawback with strongid is that it doesn't have a dosage on it for cats, but if you do decide to go that route, let me know, all I need is her weight and I can get you the dosage quickly 

If you can get drontal over the counter, thats still my first recommendation. Im guessing she would be between 4-8 lbs, therefore would only need one pill at a time, now and then 10 days later. At $6 a pill (here, I can't imagine it would be a huge difference there) that's really not bad, and it kills all types of worms as I said.

I should also add, from the pics you posted. She looks like a healthy, young cat. She is on the slender side, but I wouldn't say underweight, always better to have a slender cat then a fat one. It is MUCH easier to put on the fat then it is to take it off in cats. I'm not saying you shouldn't deworm her, I think it's definately the thing to do, but from those pics she looks quite good. She is a pretty little girl


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## StephanieH (Jul 20, 2010)

Very pretty little girl. At the clinic where I work, if you're a patient, bring in a fresh stool sample, you just have to pay for the fecal and meds. I would question them that if she was just in for a declaw she would've been examined, so you wouldn't need one 2 weeks later. Unless you're going to a VCA, they will charge you for everything all the time. FWIW.


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## jcrow209 (Jul 20, 2010)

*I have the same cat!!!*

My 2 yr old cat "Coal" is the exact same color/build. He's always been lean. Taste of the wild is great food. Usually fat cats eat grocery store brands that are full of fillers, so they have to eat more. In my expierience, dogs and cats with worms can't get enough food, and constantly drag their butts on the carpet.Also my cat would arch his back and run through the house like a jungle cat when he had worms. But you can get dewormer at walmart and save $30. Good luck to you!

p.s. I bet if you opened a can of tuna or beef jerky, you'd see a good feeding response!!!


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

jcrow209 said:


> My 2 yr old cat "Coal" is the exact same color/build. He's always been lean. Taste of the wild is great food. Usually fat cats eat grocery store brands that are full of fillers, so they have to eat more. In my expierience, dogs and cats with worms can't get enough food, and constantly drag their butts on the carpet.Also my cat would arch his back and run through the house like a jungle cat when he had worms. But you can get dewormer at walmart and save $30. Good luck to you!
> 
> p.s. I bet if you opened a can of tuna or beef jerky, you'd see a good feeding response!!!


Actually, dragging the bum is 99% of the time due to impacted or bothersome anal glands. The very odd time an animal with worms will do that, but it's typically due to anal glands. Your cat is cute btw 

As far as walmart dewormer, I covered that in a few previous posts (no offense meant, was a tech for years.)


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## DireWolf0384 (Jul 20, 2010)

I called them and they said they need a stool sample so we are going to go that route. Shes less than a year old and about 9 pounds. I just want whats best for her I always do research on everything and you guys should believe I will do the same for her.


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## Shell (Jul 20, 2010)

DireWolf0384 said:


> I called them and they said they need a stool sample so we are going to go that route. Shes less than a year old and about 9 pounds. I just want whats best for her I always do research on everything and you guys should believe I will do the same for her.


That would be the route I would take also, good luck with her. 9 lbs at under a year is pretty good, but always better to be safe then sorry. Good luck


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