my cat is skinny not eating

Question
my cat is 19 years old and he is skin and bones also has a limp leg and i think he has a worm in him what is the cost of fixing him?      And is this normal when a cat eats less when they get old like humans do?

Answer
Hi Aaron,

Take your cat to the vet and have him checked for thyroid disease. This is usually the number one cause of older cats losing weight. If he has that it can be controlled by medication. 19 is not that old. As your cat gets older you need to be aware of what he's eating. You need to make sure he is getting enough water. His nutritional needs are the same as when he was younger. If he is a dry food eater you might want to give him some wet food now. Here's a very good link about cat nutrition. http://catinfo.org/index.htm

You might want to feed him small amounts during the day. He may not like a bunch all at once. Add a little extra water, (about a tbs. to his food). This will help him. The main thing is to get him to a vet. If it is thyroid disease it is very easy to treat. He can live a nice long life with that. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen