8 yr cat eats more

Question
My tiny cat of 9 years started eating wet food about a year ago. Recently it seems she is eating up to three little cans a day very quickly. She used to just pick at her food. She is also going to bathroom more frequently. Stool looks totally normal, she's an indoor cat. Anything to worry about?


Answer
Hi Danielle.  Possibly something to worry about.  Older cats commonly suffer from a couple of endocrine disorders - overactive thyroid and diabetes.  And approaching the age of ten years is right around the time when these diseases tend to surface.  Both diseases cause an insatiable appetite, and hence, more waste.  You will often note increased thirst as well, but if she's eating wet food, much of her water may be taken in through her food.  You may notice more urinary output as well, and when the diseases become more advanced, weight loss.

Because these conditions have the potential to cause serious, irreversible damage including heart disease/blood clots, kidney failure, liver disease, blindness and nerve damage if left untreated, it would be a good idea to get your kitty in to have a blood work up done as soon as you can.  A blood glucose test and thyroid test can be run separately or in addition to full organ function checks and blood cell counts.  As a senior cat, it would probably be wise to have the whole nine yards done, just to be safe.

Less commonly, cats may have a pancreatic insufficiency (as opposed to pancreatitis, which causes decreased appetite).  In this case, the pancreas doesn't produce sufficient enzymes to digest the food entirely, so not enough nutrients are derived from what she eats.  This leaves her feeling hungry all the time, and she may produce large volumes of stool.  A supplement call Pancrezyme may help.  It's sprinkled on food before feeding to help digest it.

There may be the possibility that she has gastrointestinal parasites like tapeworms that are hogging some of her nutrients, but I think this is unlikely, since she's an indoor cat, and you'd probably notice lots of white, rice-like segments in her bedding and stool.  Nevertheless, you could have a stool sample analyzed by the vet to be sure.

If all the blood work and stool sample come back normal, then she may just be getting greedy.  As long as she's staying within the feeding instructions on the can, it's nothing to worry about.  If not, I would try to limit her portions to within the guidelines to prevent her from becoming overweight.