I have to imagine that your if you want your cat to stay with you that her
problem needs to be diagnosed.

Though tests can be expensive, and if you cannot afford them, have you
spoken to your bet about a payment plan for this?

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From: countinsheep@yahoo.com

That sounds a lot like hyperthyroidism and she's at
about the common age for developing the condition.
I guess "expensive" is relative, but IMO, a blood test
for hyperthyroidism is fairly cheap and only entails
drawing some blood and sending it to a lab. A full
blood workup is a little more expensive, but you can
get quite a bit of information from it.
If it is hyperthyroidism, it can be treated very effectively
with some relatively inexpensive pills.
I'd bet dollars to donuts it's a thyroid problem. I've
had 2 cats with the same symptoms and in both cases
it was the thyroid. Both cats were about 12 y.o. when it
developed. One lived to age 18, the other to age 20.
I would suggest that you get her to the vet for the blood
test, and just the blood test, immediately.
Hyperthyroidism is very easy to treat, but it needs to be
done as soon as possible to avoid other problems.

Best of Luck

It's very important that you have some basic diagnostic tests, especially
for thryroid function.  If it is thyroid, it is treatable and is not
expensive, but it can mean the difference between life and death for your
cat (and between "quality" and "non-quality" life for awhile).  Speak to
your vet about payments, or check into using a credit card.

MaryL