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Q.: I have two males at around 13 months of age who have very different weights! One eats and gets larger and larger, while the other doesn’t eat nearly as much, and I actually think he is losing weight. Both are unneutered as I plan to use them for breeding.
I know that many breeds grow "in jumps", and that they can lose weight when they are sexually mature and are longing for females, but I am worried that one of them might have a serious illness. Maybe he can’t absorb what he is eating? Is it possible to test that at the vet’s, do you think? At a kind of general health check-up maybe? Do you have any experience with that?
The cat is healthy and well in all other aspects but a little more reserved in temper than the other.
I haven’t seen any hierarchical battles between them - either at the food bowls or on other situations.
A.: If the cat is in a "growth jump" (large breeds grow for a longer time than the small breeds) that could be the explanation, but it should be accompanied by a good appetite.
At their age they should be going to the vet for a vaccination anyway. Then you could get the vet to check if there is anything physically wrong with him - but it doesn’t seem probable since he is healthy in other aspects..
If the vet rules out illness you could try to give him kitten food for a period (the cat, I mean), if it is possible to feed him separately somehow.
(Later the person who asked wrote back and said that the growth of the cat had stagnated almost at the same time as he and his brother had changed from kitten food to adult food.) This is true for most cats no matter the breed.
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