old cat very thin :(

[rhetorician]

just that really - she is 14 (maybe 15, she came to us when she was about 1) and has survived a house move, house renovations, the arrival of two children, and a brief period of living with a dog. She is the loveliest, sweetest little cat. But she has gone very thin the last few months, despite eating well. She seems fine in herself - she sleeps a lot and doesn't go out that much any more, but she is still up for a bit of a play from time to time, and is happy to sit on a lap or in front of the fire of an evening. I haven't taken her to the vet in years (last time she'd broken her sternum!) but maybe it's time to get her checked over?

[cozietoesie]

Absolutely. Old cats do often become underweight but there is still such a range of issues that could be impacting on her and her quality of life that I couldn't list them all. Give them a buzz tomorrow and see if they do a full Senior health check.

[CharleyDavidson]

Def a trip to the vets. When our cat lost a lot of weight it was his thyroid. It was easily treated with not too expensive tablets (he was too old to risk the operation) and he lived a few more years quite happily.

[cozietoesie]

PS - she's not really that old compared to my own old boy and many of the cats who live with people here.

[NattyGolfJerkin]

14 is not that old! I have a 21 year old . Admittedly, he is on his last legs. He went thin at 18, it was his thyroid and so he had surgery. He has been fine since but struggled to regain the weight due to his age. His health is ok though given his advanced years.

[rhetorician]

google says lifespan normally 12-15 years...so old in terms of average age for a cat - though that figure probably includes all those un-neutered tom cats an strays who don't live old

[WinterWinnie]

My old boy is 16!

He's underweight, but eats a lot.

I think it just comes with age :)

[cozietoesie]

Perhaps it does. (I think that the average age of feral cats is around 3-5 years old.) The figure advances regularly for domestic cats as well - better health care, nutrition etc. When I was a child, a cat of 7 or 8 was really getting on but nowadays that would be generally regarded as prime of life for a domestic cat.