help plz

Question
My roommate has a cat(all black and average sized but unsure of breed) which she keeps in her room almost 24/7. I don't think she has been feeding it because you can easily feel its ribs and the cat looks super skinny. I let it out occasionally and it eats several large handfuls of cat food over a period of about an hour. Is that a sign of starvation? She claims to have took it to the vet and was told it had epilepsy. I don't really believe she did but would this cause the cat not to gain weight?

Thank you for your help,
Josh

Answer
I have never seen an epileptic cat be that skinny. It sounds as if she is starving this cat and that is a cause for a call to the humane society or animal control. If she can't afford to feed this cat she needs to relinquish it to someone that will and can feed it. Cats are not big eaters and any cat that gobbles down that much food in that short of time is in trouble.

You need to confront her with this and let her know that the authorities can be called if she doesn't care for this cat. It is very cruel to do this to any animal. She has imprisoned this cat for one thing and is starving it for another.

We have seen many cats with epilepsy and they are a normal weight when kept on their medication.

I hope you can deal with the situation and help this poor cat.