Weight loss in senior cats

Question 1

What are the causes of weight loss in senior cats

Answer 1

After 11 years of age, maintenance energy requirements increase

There is a change in body composition with aging (i.e. loss of lean body mass = sarcopenia and loss of body fat)
- the combination of reduced lean mass and body fat contributes to the frail look of many elderly cats

Changes in digestive efficiency occur with age and may contribute to weight loss and increased protein requirements
- older cats are less efficient at digesting fats and proteins
- to compensate, senior cats may need to increase their daily food intake by as much as 25%

Presence of diseases (including pain)

Decreased appetite due to dulling senses of taste and smell

Question 2

What are the potential consequences of a protein/calorie malnutrition

Answer 2

Protein/calorie malnutrition is associated with important detrimental effects:
- anemia
- hypoproteinemia
- delayed healing
- decreased immune function
- compromised function of major organ systems

Question 3

What type of feeding pattern would benefit senior cats that are not overweight

Answer 3

They would benefit from frequent small meals of energy-dense, highly digestible diets with protein of high biological value to maintain body weight and lean tissue mass and avoid protein/calorie malnutrition

Question 4

What would be your differentials for weight loss in senior cats

Answer 4

Weight loss with normal or increased appetite
- malabsorption or maldigestion (e.g., IBD, GI lymphoma, EPI)
- excessive protein loss (e.g., protein-losing nephropathy or enteropathy, diabetus mellitus, hyperthyroidism)

Weight loss with a diminished appetite
- oral diseases (e.g., periodontal disease, oral tumors)
- systemic diseases (e.g., neoplasia, CKD, liver disease)
- diseases causing pain (e.g., DJD)