Sinbad won't eat

[losna]

He's normally a pig, and scarfs his food down within a few minutes.

Last night, he didn't touch his dinner. I am feeding him a mix of raw and canned cat food, and last night I tried to see if he would eat pig liver (I normally feed him chicken but the farm where we get it only had pig this week), so I wasn't concerned when he didn't eat as I assumed he just didn't like the pig. I did eventually coax him into eating his dinner by feeding him by hand. My hubby thinks I am nuts for doing that, hahaha. Sinbad ate everything but the pig liver, which he sucked off all the canned food that had been stuck to it and then spit out. So it seemed like my hypothesis that he just didn't like the pig food was the case.

But this morning, he only ate a few bites of his breakfast, which was only canned food and some chicken. And now he won't eat his lunch.

He vomited once this morning, a clear watery liquid. His stool is fine. I keep a close eye on his and Tempest's stools as we are slowly working on feeding them raw so I have a good handle on what's normal for them and I don't see anything to be concerned with.

I wasn't concerned this morning - dinner could easily be attributed to the pig liver and he did eat when I hand fed him, breakfast didn't concern me overly much either because he did eat some of it but who wants to eat much after vomiting (which I thought was related to the pig liver he did eat last night)? But now he won't eat his lunch, and all I gave him this time was canned food. No raw meat at all. 

This is the first time I've had cats, so I still don't know what is serious and needing immediate attention or not - how long do I wait to call the vet? Does this sound like just a normal reaction to a new raw food or is it something else? Normally I just call the vet when I'm concerned, but I don't know if I should be concerned here or not as I've read and been told by the vet that upset tummies and such things are normal when transitioning to a raw diet, particularly when you introduce a new meat type.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
He's normally a pig, and scarfs his food down within a few minutes.

Last night, he didn't touch his dinner. I am feeding him a mix of raw and canned cat food, and last night I tried to see if he would eat pig liver (I normally feed him chicken but the farm where we get it only had pig this week), so I wasn't concerned when he didn't eat as I assumed he just didn't like the pig. I did eventually coax him into eating his dinner by feeding him by hand. My hubby thinks I am nuts for doing that, hahaha. Sinbad ate everything but the pig liver, which he sucked off all the canned food that had been stuck to it and then spit out. So it seemed like my hypothesis that he just didn't like the pig food was the case.

But this morning, he only ate a few bites of his breakfast, which was only canned food and some chicken. And now he won't eat his lunch.

He vomited once this morning, a clear watery liquid. His stool is fine. I keep a close eye on his and Tempest's stools as we are slowly working on feeding them raw so I have a good handle on what's normal for them and I don't see anything to be concerned with.

I wasn't concerned this morning - dinner could easily be attributed to the pig liver and he did eat when I hand fed him, breakfast didn't concern me overly much either because he did eat some of it but who wants to eat much after vomiting (which I thought was related to the pig liver he did eat last night)? But now he won't eat his lunch, and all I gave him this time was canned food. No raw meat at all. 

This is the first time I've had cats, so I still don't know what is serious and needing immediate attention or not - how long do I wait to call the vet? Does this sound like just a normal reaction to a new raw food or is it something else? Normally I just call the vet when I'm concerned, but I don't know if I should be concerned here or not as I've read and been told by the vet that upset tummies and such things are normal when transitioning to a raw diet, particularly when you introduce a new meat type.

oh, no! ok, i'm not experienced with feeding a raw/partially raw diet and don't feel i'm able to make suggestions about this, but i can try to catch a couple peoples attention who may very well have more knowledge and experience in this area/with this kind of situation.

you say sinbad vomited "a clear watery liquid". was it foamy at all, little bubbles like? again, i don't feel i have the experience to be able to help, but might it be some gastro upset? i'm sure others will be able to help more.

@GoHolistic, @peaches08, @Denice -- may i ask for your knowledge and experience for the OP (original poster)?

 

[ritz]

I fed prey model raw, have for over three years.
I'd be a little concerned, but not overly. Certainly his lack of appetite can be attributed to raw. But vomiting clear liquid (versus the food he just ate) is concerning--or him just trying to vomit a hairball.
I'd try feeding him something you know he really loves; if he refuses this, then I'd call your vet.
Is he playing/sleeping/peeing normally?

 

[losna]

Thank you for the replies.

@mickNsnicks2mom   - It was perfectly clear like water, with one yellowy/brownish bit that looked like partially digested food. The clear part was the majority, and had a bit of viscosity to it.

@Ritz  - I tried that, with treats. He gobbled them up and wanted more.

I did get him to eat a little by sitting with him, but he's now in timeout. He just scratched the hell out of my wrist. He likes to grab my wrist with all 4 claws, nibble at my fingers the way he nibbles his toes and lick me when he has a shared mommy and sinbad grooming session ... but just now it was way overboard and I'm actually bleeding. 

  

This sucks. :/ When he had an upper respiratory infection, it was an easy call - he was discharging brown liquid from eyes and nose so I instacalled the vet. But today it's just a series of things that are slightly concerning.

 

[losna]

Oh I forgot to answer the playing/sleeping/peeing. His play is sort of close to what it was when he was at the worst part of his respiratory infection. A few minutes of wild normal type chase, then a flop down rest to groom, and take the occasional paw swipe at the toy, although as I mentioned above he did just claw the hell out of me which is definitely not normal - although the activity he was doing was normal.  It just seemed like he had a sudden fit of over excitement or something.

Peeing is fine. So is sleeping.

 

[ritz]

I'd wait a day or two. Though I wonder if something else is bothering him that would cause him to have decreased appetite and exhibit play agression. A new cat outside?

 

[losna]

I'd wait a day or two. Though I wonder if something else is bothering him that would cause him to have decreased appetite and exhibit play agression. A new cat outside?

The only unusual thing that I can think of is that I'm sick. I'm sick a lot (a major illness a decade ago damaged my lungs so I have recurring respiratory issues), so my being sick is nothing new - but this time it's worse than it usually is. Although - I did notice last night that my smell has changed. Tempest won't go near me today, and Sinbad keeps trying to groom the smell off me.

I hadn't thought about it until you asked, but that may well be it. Sinbad does have an overly strong attachment to me, strong enough that the shelter advised us not to get another cat because his territory is me rather than the house. He gets upset when I have breathing issues, will chase me to bed when I'm stubbornly frustrated with being sick and not wanting to spend more time in bed, and even wakes me up if I oversleep and miss taking my medicine.

That makes sense enough that I'm heaving a sigh of relief right now. ^.^

 

[ritz]

New sounds and smells can scare cats. Ritz is a skittish cat, but even after five years, she still gets spooked easily.

Sorry you're not feeling well, but maybe the explanation will make you emotionally better

 

[losna]

It does a lot. Thank you @Ritz!

It explains everything. Now I can just fuss at him and force him to snuggle with me without worry. MuaHahahaha. 

 

[goholistic]

I agree with Ritz. Keep an eye on him. I'd hold off on feeding him anything new and different until things settle down. If not eating goes over 36 hours, then you may need to call the vet, especially since this is a new and unusual behavior for Sinbad.

 

[peaches08]

My first thought was hairballs in addition to new raw feeding.  It might not hurt to dose them with hairball meds.  I prefer to do it when their stomach is empty, they just seems to work better that way IMHO.

It's also possible that the new smell is concerning.  Also, raw feeding in the early stages has it's ups and downs.  My cats love pork in general, but my new rescue Freckles has now decided to turn up his nose at the pork trim.  Ah well, such is life and I try to get him something he will eat but otherwise if he misses a meal, it's OK.  As others have mentioned, missing several meals can spell trouble so making sure he will eat something (as you've done) is imperative.  I think giving it a few days is a good idea. 

 

[losna]

Thought I would update this!

After figuring out the likely problem (thanks to all you guys!!), I unplugged from the usual routine stuff and spent the rest of the day in bed. I'm now muchly improved and I no longer have what I call the 'sick smell.' I still can't breath very well, but that's pretty standard for me.

And Sinbad has returned to normal. He just spent the whole time I was making his breakfast 'supervising' me and then wolfed it down like his usual. He even gave that excited little jump and air pawing that I haven't seen since I started taking a turn for the worst a few days ago. So it looks like he really was just very worried about me. This is the first time since we've gotten him that I've been at this stage of sick, so it does make sense...

Much to his excitement, I gave him extra chicken hearts and some extra canned food since he ate so much less than he normally does yesterday. 

SO thank you again for helping me figure out what was wrong with him! 

 

 

[goholistic]

I'm glad you're BOTH feeling better!

 

[losna]

Updating again - he's definitely sick. I guess yesterday was a temporary reprieve because he was relieved I wasn't sick anymore?

He vomited the same clear slime, is once again refusing to eat unless coaxed, and even more alarmingly his stool is now watery, it absolutely reeks and he's dropping it in a different place in the litterbox than he always uses. He's also started hiding, and he missed snuggling me during my morning nap because he preferred to stay hidden - normally he jumps into the bed to wait for me, but I carried him to bed because he wouldn't join me and he immediately jumped out and ran away.

I called the vet, and have an appointment later today. Wish me luck. I'm really alarmed now. 

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

@Losna -- oh, poor sinbad! i sure hope it's something easily treated. please let us know what your vet says.

 

[losna]

Thanks @mickNsnicks2mom  ! We call him the walking stomach, that ought to give you an idea of how worrying it is when he won't eat. 

He's such a sickly little guy. The first host family who had him really did a number on his immune system. I wish there was more that could have been done to them than simply taking away their fostering license.

 

[goholistic]

I'm so sorry Sinbad is not well and I hope it isn't anything serious. Do let us know how the vet visit goes. Stools are a pretty good indicator that something is off (I'm always on poop watch), so the stinky, watery diarrhea is definitely concerning.

Sending lots of vibes! 

 

[losna]

We just got back from the vet. She ran a full array of tests (ouch my aching wallet, wow that hurt), but found nothing. No fever, nothing wrong with his bloodwork, nothing in the fecal exam, no blockages, his heart is fine, his lungs are fine; nothing wrong with him at all.

We brought in the treats we give him (because he can't stand the ones the vets have lol), she looked at nutritional info in them and suggested that we supplement his regular food with lots of them for a few days since he'll eat them. She said the only thing she could think that it might be was a bit of an inflamed pancreas from a bad reaction to the pig liver, and she'll call tomorrow and next week to see how he's doing. 

He'll be one happy kitty with all the extra treats.

 

[goholistic]

Glad they didn't find anything alarming!

Hmm...okay. I'm not sure what kind of treats these are, but do you think they might have the potential to worsen the diarrhea? Did she suggest anything for the diarrhea? Probiotics? Plain pumpkin? Boiled chicken and white rice for a day? 

  Certainly don't want the diarrhea to continue as is since it could make him dehydrated. Are you going to hold off on the liver?

 

[losna]

All they are is freeze dried meat. Literally just little strips of wild boar meat, with no additives or preservatives of any kind. The only problems that should come from it would be malnutrition if it was his main food source for too long. The vet agreed, she commented that she'd never recommend doing that with most treats, but these should be fine for a few days.

I stopped giving him the pig liver on sunday as I'd originally thought that was the problem.

I just fed him his dinner though, and noticed something interesting. He is hungry. He got his usual excited when dinner came out, and charged the bowl. Then sniffed at it a few times and lost interest. But he was still hungry, he gave his sad little "feed me I'm hungry" sounds. What finally got him to eat was me taking the food, rolling it around in my hands, then holding my hand out to him in a little bowl shape with the food in it. So apparently it's the smell of food? Putting my smell on it makes it edible somehow? I thought of doing that because earlier I picked him up when I had a piece of cheese between my teeth - I was midbite so part of it was hanging out - and he tried to eat it from my mouth!

I'd be concerned that the  meat might be bad, except Tempest ate it just fine all day, and she is much more picky than he is - she'll only eat meat that's been in the fridge for up to 2 days. And by dinnertime on the 2nd day she's giving me eyes like how dare I feed her this subpar food. I swear she wants it fresh from the kill.  

 So I'm pretty sure if there was a problem with the food, she wouldn't touch it either.

But I don't know.  He's still hiding and low energy, but at least I got him to eat something. I'll tell the vet about the smell thing when she calls tomorrow and see what she says.