Cats Recent Acts of Starvation

by Christine
(lakeville, mn)

Hi!

I have an 8 & half yr. old indoor house cat.

In the last 3 months, he has started to act as if he was starved. He stands at your feet & begs worse than a dog at a dinner table. He'll eat off our plates if we leave them for a minute.

He always has enough dry food & gets soft food for breakfast & dinner. When he finishes his soft food, 10 minutes later, he begs for more.

Nothing has changed or is out of the norm at home, just his eating habits.

My thoughts have been to change the brand of hard food, or even wondered if he's developed a tape worm.

He's average size, well maintained, (though my mom thinks he looks skinnier than his usual skinny), just always begging for food now. Hope you can help! Thank you!
Christine & Salem (the cat)


Hi, Christine and Salem!

Both feline hyperthyroidism and cat diabetes can have the symptoms you describe. They are the two most likely conditions to be affecting Salem. You will need to go to the veterinarian and have blood work to find out if either of those cat diseases is present.


Fortunately, both of those feline diseases are treatable. It's important to get to the vet as soon as possible because the earlier a condition is diagnosed, the more successful the treatment.

Kindest Regards,
Dr. Neely