Worried about Nipo...

**Kater** · 05-07-2005, 11:38 PM

My little Nipo-potamus went to the Vet today.

I have been watching her like a hawk for the past few weeks. I suspected she was slowly losing weight. Looking at her you can barely tell - but when I pet her and have her in my lap I can tell that the fat layer over her shoulder blades, spine and pelvic bones has lessened (although she still has her droopy little belly pouch). I am only home during the weekends this semester and so I don't have the most accurate picture of Nipo's "normals" anymore.

I had to repeatedly question my Dad about any changes and he eventually agreed that she has lost weight and also told me that she seems to be eating less.

This morning in the exam room Miss Nipo was happy to come out of her carrier, but quickly realized what she was in for! She was sooo good though

, just some squirmy acrobatics in an attempt to return to the previously dreaded carrier (LOL - "the lesser of two evils" as the vet put it) but no angry sounds or bite attempts.

The vet did a very thorough exam, including palpating her twice and listening to her heart/lungs/etc. for a good 5 minutes. On a good note, her teeth look great - fabulous for her age (she'll be 11 this summer)! YAY!

She never lets me open her mouth to examine them. Today I couldn't see a speck of tartar from where I was sitting in the exam room! He also didn't find anything wrong with her upon his physical examination. He did mention that she had only a small amount of matter in her bowel, which is in line with her smaller than usual appetite and smaller than usual tootsie rolls. As I was getting a stool sample from the box this morning I was quite surprised at the size of her deposits. I'm pretty sure they weren't that small last weekend.

The bad news is that she has lost weight - nearly 1.5 lbs.

I have to admit - I thought it would be less than that! I guess she was a little less than 10 lbs. before (9 lbs. 6-10 oz. around...) and now she's 8 lbs. 4 oz. The last time she was at the vet and the last time her weight was taken was about 5 months ago. However, I feel that this weight was lost over a shorter period of time, perhaps 2-2.5 months. So the main two symptoms are the weight loss and the decreased appetite. She was not overweight before and she is not underweight now, so the concern is the fairly rapid pattern of weight loss. I'm happy to report that her behavior, water consumption, urination, activity level, etc. are all normal.

At the end of the appointment they decided to take blood for a panel. They will call us with the results on Monday. I'm quite a nervous Meowmie as Nipo has lead a fairly healthy life with just a few UTIs in the more recent years. Please send my baby girl some good thoughts for Monday. I will continue to update as I learn more.

Thanks for reading!

**krazyaboutkatz** · 05-08-2005, 01:14 AM

Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way. I sure that Nipo's blood work comes back normal. All fingers and paws are crossed here. Please keep us updated.

**jenluckenbach** · 05-08-2005, 05:45 AM

Good luck with the blood test. If they find something, I'll pray that it is something controllable. Keep us posted.

**ChrisH** · 05-08-2005, 09:35 AM

Prayers and positive thoughts on the way.

**kittycats_delight** · 05-08-2005, 10:34 AM

lots of good vibes and be well thoughts coming at Nipo. Let's all hope everything is normal and like Jen said if something does come back on the test it is something that can be controlled. Good Luck NIPO on your blood panel results. ALL fingers, toes paws and whiskers are crossed for you here.

**Barbara** · 05-08-2005, 10:37 AM

Paws crossed for Nipo! I know how it is to have a faint idea something is wrong- and then to have to wait for the results! I hope Nipo will be ok and you can find the right treatment for her

**furrykidsmother** · 05-08-2005, 05:00 PM

Prayers and good thoughts heading Nipo's way!

**Kater** · 05-09-2005, 05:25 PM

I am soooo relieved!!!

My father just informed me that the vet called and reported completely normal blood work for Nipo. Since her physical exam revealed no problems he said to check back with them only if she continues to lose weight.

Iâ€™m thinking a change of food is in order. Is Miss Nipo turning into a food snob?

Truthfully Iâ€™m unsure about what steps I should take at this point but I know I donâ€™t want to jump into anything. I am in the middle of finals right now but will be at home all week beginning next week. I feel like I need to get to know her â€œnormalsâ€ again and start measuring exactly how much food she is eating before I can make any kind of informed decision.

I read online that cats can sometimes go through seasonal weight flux, but I donâ€™t know if that includes decreased appetite. I should probably read up on that some more.

I feel like a 15% weight loss is significant, especially when combined with a decreased appetite. Right?

Well, I guess Iâ€™ll just gather some more information and if I need to I can start a new thread to get some idea of what brands of food finicky felines prefer.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and crossed paws!

**jenluckenbach** · 05-09-2005, 05:56 PM

Hooray for the good blood test results.

And yes, I think measuring her food intake and weight is a vry good idea.

**lizbud** · 05-09-2005, 06:49 PM

I'm glad to hear the good news that Nipo's bloodwork tested
o.k. Weight loss without any other obvious outword signs of
illness would concern me also. Nipo is a pretty cat.

**AbbyMom** · 05-09-2005, 07:41 PM

Nipo's a pretty kitty! I'm glad everything seems normal.

My little RB gray tiger Quasar lost her appetite when she was 9 or 10. Three vets couldn't figure out why. They gave her an appetite stimulant, a steroid-style pill, which I crushed up and put in her food every day. She lived happily for another 6 years until succumbnig to kidney disease.

If she continues losing weight, ask your vet about it.

**krazyaboutkatz** · 05-09-2005, 11:02 PM

I'm so glad to hear that Nipo's blood work is normal.

I agree that you should try to monitor her food intake and her weight. Good luck and please continue to keep us updated when you can.

**Barbara** · 05-10-2005, 04:13 AM

Yay for Nipo!

I was really worried because that weight loss seemed significant to me too.

Looking closer at it however I feel it may be ok: Tigris has lost like 1 lb in the last year- and he is healthy- but finicky.

I think even healthy cats get sometimes thinner as they grow older. Where my mom lives (in an assisted living place) they have an old old kitty (18 or more). She is healthy and walking around and purring and sitting on the sun- but you can feel all her little bones when you pet her.

Maybe Nipo is just like us- some of us become cows and some goats when we grow older