ill cat

Question
My cat is female, spayed and approx. 5 yr. old. She has severe skin trouble, itching and licking with a lot of hair loss.  She is also drinking a good amount of water and urinates often in quite a large amount and the urine is very strong.  She tends to like cool dark places and hides in the cupboard and under the bed, she hasn't gone out nor is she interested in going outside.  She is lethargin and just seems down right miserable.  In researching on line and in books it seems she may have kidney or liver problems or is diabetic...any ideas?  I would appreciate any ideas and thank you inadvance for your time.

Cathryn

Answer
Hi Cathryn,

Although excessive thirst and urination are common with both kidney issues and diabetes, it would seem unusual for her urine to be strong with kidney disease. The kidneys lose their ability to concentrate urine, so in these cats, the urine is most often very dilute. Sometimes it appears as little more than water. Strong urine, either in concentration or in odor, usually suggests other illnesses. It might suggest she has a urinary tract infection, but diabetes is another possibility. Liver problems will cause the urine to be very dark yellow in color.

Cats with any of these conditions can have a general loss of body condition. Protein loss in the urine due to long-standing infection or diabetes can cause dry, itchy skin with fur loss as an indirect result. But I don't know of a condition that causes both thirst/urination and hair loss directly (unless she is taking a medication like prednisone - these can be side effects).

She is young to be experiencing thyroid issues, but this is not impossible, and it can cause poor skin condition and feeling under the weather. Cats will often seek to be alone when their thyroid is overactive. Most often, they don't become overly thirsty, but they are very hungry.

While any of these are certainly a possibility, she is on the young side for diabetes, kidney, thyroid or liver issues to be the first thing anyone would think of. There are exceptions to the rule, but these generally start to affect cats after the age of 8. It could be possible your kitty just has a bad infection that needs to be treated. A fever will cause a cat to consume excessive water, and also urinate more. It will also explain her lethargy and the desire to hide away in cool places. With a quick exam, your vet can tell you if she has a fever or if any of her organs feel abnormal. Then, you can decide whether she seems to need any blood work or x-rays/ultrasounds, or if a round of antibiotics appears to be all that's warranted.

Best wishes!

Jessica