The cat is thin but eats: because its body does not assimilate the food


Have you noticed that the cat is thin but eats? Here are all the possible reasons why it cannot absorb nutrients from food.

A healthy and healthy cat should have no weight problems, either way. An overly skinny cat can be just as problematic as an overweight cat. Certainly his physical form will not escape the eye of the owner: when the feline apparently eats but cannot gain weight, it is likely that there are health reasons at the basis of this which is, in effect, a disorder. Let’s see what the reasons can be and how to help him put on weight a cat that is thin but eats.


How to notice if a cat is losing weight

Maybe the owner who always has it in front of his eyes can miss the weight loss, since it is a gradual phenomenon, but this is also the purpose of check-ups at the vet. The cat must be weighed periodically, in order to keep the fluctuations of its weight under control. The problem of an obese or overweight cat  is often linked  to the amount of food they ingest. The matter becomes more complicated when the feline eats but does not get fat. In fact, if in the first case it will be enough to put it on a diet, in the second it will be necessary to investigate the reasons that prevent the cat from assimilating the food it ingests, since it is not a question of lack of appetite apparently. 

The alarm bell should sound when the cat loses 10% of its weight: in this case, a visit to the vet should be booked immediately. In fact, the owner is not asked to make the diagnosis, but it is important to keep the situation under control before it is late. In fact, weight loss is usually closely linked to an ongoing pathology or in any case to a health problem, such as stress, or a change in one’s diet.


The cat is thin but eats: causes beyond lack of appetite

Therefore, excluding the most logical cause, that is the lack of desire to ingest food, let’s see what the possible causes of a possible loss of weight in the cat can be.  

  • If the mistake is ‘ours’ : before thinking immediately about the worst, that is to some latent health problem, we asked ourselves if the food we give to our feline is the right one and is it nutritious enough? If the food is insufficient or not enough energy, it is likely that the cat will lose weight and also very quickly, also because, in an attempt to look for food, it could also lose other useful energy. Especially if it is a very active and dynamic cat, it will certainly need to eat enough to have enough energy. 
  • Change of diet : also in this case there could be our ‘hand’. In fact, if we prefer a brand of food to the usual one (perhaps driven by purely economic reasons of saving) there is the risk that our cat is not satisfied either from the nutritional point of view or from the point of view of the palate. In fact , cats do not like changes and can also suffer from episodes of intolerance to new foods. We take care not to give him food that has expired and, if we prepare it at home, to give it to him in a relatively short time. Precisely because they are free of preservatives, these foods can rot quickly. 
  • Depression : Cats can also suffer from depression, such as after the summer holidays. When the cat goes through a phase of sadness and dejection it usually loses weight. This happens because, while eating, an episode upset his life causing him to fall into a depressive abyss. Let’s think about the move, or the loss of the beloved owner: these and other events can cause trauma in the feline not only from a psychological and emotional point of view, but also from a physical point of view, with obvious repercussions on its weight. 

The cat is too thin but eats: if the problem is a disease

Now let’s see what can be the causes of excessive weight loss related to a pathology and other diseases in progress. Before being alarmed, however, it is good to know that, in addition to weight loss, other symptoms must also be present, such as: vomiting and diarrhea, nausea, increased thirst, loss of hair shine etc. 

  • Digestion problems : it could be an allergy or intolerance to particular foods. Frequent episodes of vomiting and diarrhea do not allow food to be assimilated as it should.
  • Parasites : especially digestive worms could feed on the food that the cat ingests. This is why it is important to give the cat a dewormer: let our veterinarian advise us on the appropriate amount and doses. 
  • Hyperthyroidism : when the thyroid glands secrete too many thyroid hormones. This affects the metabolism which works too fast, and therefore the foods are not assimilated. 
  • Stomatitis : it is the consequence of diseases such as  feline calicivirosis  or feline immunodeficiency . These are mouth sores and ulcers that make the feeding operation  very  painful and annoying.
  • Diabetes mellitus : when no insulin is produced, which causes energy to be stored in the body. So the absence of this hormone prevents the cat from assimilating food. 
  • Cancer : Weight loss is also one of the symptoms.

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