Loosing weight, dandruff, and matting

Question
Hi,

My 15yo cat, who is usually fairly fat, has started losing weight, mewling all.night.long., and now has dandruff and matting on his back near his tail. My 8yo female also has the same matting and dandruff.

Normally, I would think it was the change in weather, however, about 4 weeks ago, my elderly cat (18years) passed away. I assumed it was from old age, but looking back I think he had similar symptoms. I've never noticed dandruff on the other two, but the elderly guy always had it.

I will be making an appt with the vet, but in the meantime is there anything else I should be worried about? Any ideas what this could be, or just coincidence?

Answer
Hi Mary,

These conditions can be common with elderly cats for a few reasons.  As they get older, their bodies are not processing their food the same way as they used to, so it's even more imperative that they're on a good quality diet and getting the right amount of protein and water intake every day.  The matting comes from them not grooming themselves as well, as I'm sure you can imagine it's harder for them when they're older.  If you're interested in changing their diet, please see my previous post regarding food.  It is recommended that you see a vet when your cat starts dramatically loosing weight, as that is a symptom of a variety of health problems, and the specific one needs to be diagnosed so you know how to handle it from there.  But don't let your vet take advantage--start with basic blood work and go from there.  Please keep me updated, and I wish you the best!

Best regards,
Holly M.