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[Lisamb]

Ok here is the deal I got my cat fixed about 2 weeks before Christmas and before he got the old snip he was a very large, muscular cat now he is very skinny (not sick like) I always thought that they gained weight afterwards and not lost it...Now all I want to know is if this is normal and if it isn't what would be the problem. I don't think he has worms because my other cat is still fat and healthy.

[Miss Z]

As long as he's not seriously thin, ie: you can't see any obvious bones, then it's probably nothing. Male cats do lose a bit of their muscles when they're neutered, it's most evident around the jaw, take a look at any un-neutered male and they have heads like boxers. It's probably to do with the fact that they no longer have testosterone pumping up their muscles. I would think that this is normal and if your cat is acting fine then i presume that all is well:)

[Lizzie]

Cats are notorious, both to vets and caregivers, for hiding illness until it is almost, and sometimes is, too late to help them. They are prey animals and so hide illness in order to survive. I am sure that everyone on PetTalk with cats, even those with years of experience, can tell you about a time they didn't realize one of their cats was truly ill. In other words, take your cat to a vet. We could throw a hundred possibilities at you, but they can't take the place of a professional examination. Did your vet register the cat's weight when he was neutered? Do you know how many pounds he has lost? Since you say really skinny, I assume it is pounds and not just a little. Just because one cat has worms, doesn't mean the other doesn't, and having worms has never led to my cats having a dramatic weight loss. He may have lost muscle mass, but he shouldn't have reached "really skinny".

[heidiv]

Its always best to get professional diagnosis. Its true that they don't really show illness it wasn't until my 6 yr old female started to have seizures that we knew something was drastically wrong with her. It was hindsight that we started to see changes in her food intake, withdrawing from people till it was to late. Its really for the best that you take your kitty to the vet from one feline Mom to another play it safe it could be nothing.
I really don't want you to have to go through the same as I did and lose your best friend.

[jenluckenbach]

If he is losing weight, he should see a vet. While it is a myth that animals GAIN weight after neutering, there is also no reason for them to LOSE weight because of it. There must be another reason. And for you to be able to SEE a weight loss, he must have lost a good percentage of his weight, (considering how small they are to begin with).

[kb2yjx]

I guess my first question is: how old is your cat??? Second, if to you it looks like he has lost weight, definitely get him to the vet! And please keep us posted!!!