Rapid weight loss.

Dr. Marie replied:

The symptoms that you have described do have me worried.

Parasites could cause the third eyelid elevation and possibly a little bit of a big belly but really should not cause significant rapid weight loss. Any time I see a rapid weight loss I am concerned.

In an outdoor cat, the risk of a virus such as Feline Leukemia, FIV or FIP is very high. My biggest concern for Kitty is that this may be FIP.

There are tick borne diseases that can affect cats but this doesn't sound like a tick borne disease.

Unfortunately if this is one of those viruses then there is no cure. If he were in my office, then I would likely do some blood tests on him to look for Feline Leukemia and FIV and also a general blood panel to give me hints about FIP. There is no one test that is accurate for FIP. But, these tests would cost you at least a couple of hundred dollars to do.

One thing that you could try is buying some over the counter medicine for tapeworms. Tapeworms can cause the elevated third eyelids and in some cases weight loss, but it is not usually severe. I don't believe that the Hartz treatment you did will cover tapeworms. If you are in the US then tapeworm medicine is available over the counter. In Canada it is only available by prescription.

But, if this doesn't work then there is not much that you can do. Ultimately it would be best to have a vet look at him if at all possible.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome.

I just wanted to mention that FIP is not directly contagious from cat to cat so one cat could have it and the other may not. When cats come in contact with the virus that causes FIP, only 5% of them actually will get FIP.

Regardless, I hope that things improve with the poor little guy. Thanks for helping him out.

Dr. Marie.