My cat is losing weight and has bad breath. Is it kidney disease?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Losing weight despite having a good appetite is a classic sign seen with hyperthyroidism. This is just one possibility among other conditions. I recommend you check in with a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and proceed with therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

Poor Callie! Given that she has bad breath, is peeing outside the litter box, losing weight, and drinking frequently, I would be concerned she has a medical illness wrong such as kidney disease or diabetes. The bad breath could also be due to a dental problem, which the urination problems could be caused by a UTI or bladder stones. She definitely needs to see a vet right away.

There are a number of causes of weight loss in cats. I'm assuming that the information of 1 kidney being larger than the other was something that the vet noted when the belly was palpated on exam. That finding, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily mean the kidneys are the issue. I see that Neko is only 3 years old. Weight loss in a younger cat could be due to kidney failure, though its much more common in senior cats. Working only off of the information that Neko is a young cat who losing weight and has 1 kidney larger than the other, with no other history given, it is hard for us to get any impression for what may be wrong. Again, if she were a senior cat I would suspect kidney failure, and I would then recommend a canned prescription kidney diet, lots of water, TLC, and know that time is limited -- with the understanding that we don't KNOW its the kidneys without blood work. However, since Neko is young, its harder to jump to this sort of advice. It could be her kidneys, but other concerns would include inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal worms, or even something like FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). Some causes are relatively inexpensive to treat, and others are much more difficult. Additional information about any other signs would help us-- is she vomiting, how is her appetite, is she playful and active or is she dumpy and lethargic, is she hiding, etc. Please feel free to resubmit a question on the forum (no charge), or request a consultation (for a fee) and we can give information back and forth and would likely be able to assist you further that way. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Renal failure often causes cats to lose weight. The waste products that build up in the blood because the kidneys can't properly eliminate them cause nausea and gastritis (inflammation in the stomach) and sometimes even ulcers in the mouth. Talk to your vet about trying some medications to manage these conditions - either omeprazole or famotadine are often helpful, as well as the anti-nausea drug Cerenia. Also the drug mirtazipine can be used to help stimulate his appetite. Unfortunately it sounds like he has multiple problems that may be difficult to manage concurrently. I'd also consider running a bacterial culture of the nasal discharge to try to focus the antibiotic therapy and ensure that an effective drug is being used.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear Mojo has been having some health issues recently. Kidney disease can often cause nausea and vomiting. Breathing trouble could be caused by a virus, bacterial infection or something more serous such as pneumonia, fluid in the chest, or lung cancers. Yowling at night or in the early morning could be a sign of dementia which typically happens in older pets. A veterinary check up would be recommended just to check his blood work and do a chest x-ray to see what is going on with his lungs. Anti-nausea medications can be prescribed to help control his vomiting. Sometimes certain medications can be prescribed for dementia as well, however, calming chews or Feliway plug ins/spray you can find over the counter at your pet store may help with night time disturbances as well.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Kidney failure isn't contagious and is relatively easy to diagnose on blood work based on elevated BUN, creatinine and sometimes phosphorus. I doubt it was diagnosed by mistake. Your other cat sounds like she has an upper respiratory tract infection. It tends to be viral usually in cats but we worry about secondary bacterial infections. It usually runs it's course but if she isn't eating then she should see your Vet. i wish you the best with both cats!

Squiggles need to see a vet. If he has lost that much weight my guess is he either has diabetes or kidney disease. He could also have a serious mouth/dental infection or even hepatic lipidosis. I'm sorry you think vets are expensive but there is a lot of overhead involved with running a vet clinic. The staff has to be paid, the utilities, all the medications, supplies and equipment. It is your responsibility to get him care when he is sick. Letting him suffer because of financial constraints is really not a good option. Not everything can be fixed at home. So, please get him evaluated by a vet and then you can go from there. If he has a severe disease and you cannot afford treatment then it would be best to humanely euthanize him.