We know my cat needed to lose weight, so why is the vet saying the weight loss is not healthy? Purposeful weight loss secondary to the appropriate cut back of calories is slow, steady and confined to the fat stores. But cats can lose weight due to several different reasons - such as arthritis, intestinal disease, metabolic diseases such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism, or even cancer. When weight loss is not healthy, cats tend to lose it from their fat stores but also their muscling.
To determine if weight loss is healthy or not, we assess muscle condition score (MCS). MCS is a grading system from 0-3, where a 3 on the scale is a healthy cat, and 0 on the scale is severe muscle loss, or cachexia. It can be difficult to determine the difference between loss of fat and loss of muscle at home, which is why seeing your veterinarian is the best way to determine if weight loss is healthy or not. Muscle loss is not something that happens overnight, so if your cat comes in for a couple days of not eating or vomiting and muscle loss is noted, we know that something else is going on aside from just a simple upset stomach.
While fat is easily gained back, unfortunately gaining back muscle loss can be very difficult. The sooner we determine and treat the underlying cause, the better chance we have of returning to a MCS of 3/3 and becoming a happy healthy cat. If you are noticing any weight loss at home, or any other clinical changes, please make an appointment with your veterinarian sooner rather than later! We’d love to help you discern your cat’s MCS, and, as always, are happy to help with any questions you may have.