to all catlovers in LJ land

[supertinks]

Hey everyone. Quick question for you. There are two photos below (behind the cut). They are both pictures of our rogue visitor, Crotchspider. The first picture was taken in June 2006. The second was taken today.

He is currently what i would describe as "super-hungry", it takes him only a few seconds (literally) to inhale a plateful of wet food. Jamie and I are concerned about him. We are going to try and find out if anyone knows who owns him. What I would like you to answer is, based on these pics, do you think we have a right to be worried about him?

Edit: Third picture added which is the best side on shot I have of him. In this picture, I had just fed him a handful of kibble, and he is desperately following the scent of the food (I put it on the bench briefly) to get more.

Comments

[rhube.livejournal.com]

Hard to say, from those pictures. He looks okay, to me, but I haven't felt the bones in his back, and I can't really tell, from the front-on shots, whether he's all skinny and boney around the ribcage.

[supertinks.livejournal.com]

have added another pic to try and show his side view. He is definately a lot smaller than he was this time last year, and browner, which indicates a large amount of time spent outside

[putrescine.livejournal.com]

He's probably got worms, which would account for the loss of weight. If you're concerned, try adding a de-worming pill when you feed him.

[(Anonymous)]

not always so. When minor went thin he had a failed kidney.

[supertinks.livejournal.com]

unfortunately I am currently out of worming meds and anti-flea treatment (both of which we are sure he needs).

I'm holding back spending any cash on him till we can work out if he has an owner

[rhube.livejournal.com]

Hmmm - he doesn't look all that thin to me, but fur can be deceptive. If you're worried about him you probably have a reason. I mean, you can tell if he *feels* really thin under his fur. It's difficult to tell the condition of his coat from these photographs, but that's probably something you can tell at a glance and a touch. If you think he needs de-fleaing, it could be a sign that he's not being cared for (depending on how long he has had fleas). If you think he may have worms, watch to see if he does that thing where they drag themselves along on their arse by their front paws because their rear end is itchy. Other than that, I don't know what to advise, Caro is almost certainly more knowledgeable.

[willowy-witch.livejournal.com]

Hmmm he's fatter than my cat ever was but that may be a breed thing. If she feels skinney and you're really worried i guess you'll have to take it to a vet as you cant really tell (or get the owner to if you find them).

[supertinks.livejournal.com]

when he first showed up he was Fat. He's nowhere near as skinny as Spook (who is the same breed, 17 years old with a thyroid problem) but he's definately thinner than he was!

[madcatlady.livejournal.com]

Yup yup, feel the backbone. If it's very defined, he's too thin.

Poor Crotchspider! COuld you put a collar on him with your details and concerns (you can get ID tubes such as this one for very little cash http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=38&pf_id=0175 ) Then if he belongs to someone they may ring you saying "oi, why are you collaring my cat?"

[black-faery.livejournal.com]

To me it looks as if he has gone from being an overweight cat to being a normal-sized cat. (Quite possibly if he has been left behind by his owners, as we discussed might be the situation). HOWEVER: If he continues dropping weight, I'd get him checked out at the vets or something. And it wouldn't hurt to mix some worming granules in with a pouch of wet food for him, just to be certain.