Heather asked: One of our cats has been behaving oddly. He has “banished” himself to the outdoors, he refuses to come inside. He has lost a lot of weight. His appetite is a bit lower than it used to be. He has skin issues as well. (a few small patches of hair missing.) Any ideas? I’m hoping to hear from someone who has some experience in the veterinary field. (yes, we are planning to take him to the vet as soon as we can.)
More details:
He is fixed.
Not sure how old he is, he was a rescue.
Vet won’t see him unless we have all of the $$$ up front, which we don’t at the moment. I’m researching low cost vet clinics in the area. Yes, I already called the vet, described his symptoms. Asked if they would work with me on payments, they refuse.
To the person who called me irresponsible, read a little closer. HE banished himself. We try to bring him in, but he refuses. So we put food and fresh water outside for him and we go out to pet and cuddle him.
No abuse, he is well loved by everyone here. (we are all cat lovers, our pets are family)
Feline leukemia is a concern. But I hope not.
Another thing, he pretty much stays in the yard, and there are very few (if any) other cats in the area.
We have tried making him stay inside, but the result was him crying at the door, running out as soon as we open the door, and him using the bathroom right in front of the door. When he first decided he wanted to be outside, his weight was fine. But it has very recently started dropping. It was hard to tell at first, because he is extremely furry.
We have 2 other cats that like to go in and out, but they are perfectly fine.
Renee, thank you for your insight.
I tried changing his cat food. (we noticed he would devour the dog’s food while ignoring his own food.) I am suspecting a possible developed adversion/allergy to his usual food. He loves the new food. Also got my hands on a good flea treatment, hopefully that will help. He has lost a total of 2 lbs. (he now weighs 12 lbs) Hopefully the rapid loss will stop if he eats this new food. I am also adding a little olive oil to his food to help his skin.
Nolan
