Cat sound and weight loss

Question
My male cat of approximately eight years has been making somewhat hard to define noises. Perhaps this wouldn't worry me so much as he doesn't seem to be in distress of any kind but he seems to have lost weight. I thought perhaps he was infested with worms of some sort but don't see any evidence. I know to look for the rice sized thing on his rear but other than that don't know if there are any other signs. I suppose he could just be vying for my attention as he doesn't seem to be doing this when outside.

Answer
Don,

Remember, I am not a vet, but, when a cat is making strange noises and losing weight, my first inkling is to go to my vet to try to get a handle on things. There are a myriad of things that may cause these non-specific symptoms. Since the cat goes outside, it is hard to know what trouble he may have encountered.

There are many types of worms and intestinal parasites which could account for weight loss. The rice sized segments is evidence of tapeworm; however, there are also various types of round worm and hookworm, protozoa, where the evidence takes a practices eye. E.g., with tritrichomonas foetus (an intestinal protozoan, it is loose tarry stool with a very foul odor.

In addition, weight loss could also occur from a variety of viral or bacterial infections, abscesses, and the like.

So, to reiterate, next stop for your cat is your veterinarian. You might also take a stool sample with. Please let me know what you find.

Concerned regards... Norm.