No appetite, won't eat.

Several days ago our 20-year-old kitty stopped eating. He was already thin due to his old age. But now, since he has stopped eating entirely and drinks almost no water, he is emaciated and is almost skin and bones. I took him to the vet yesterday and I'm waiting for the results of a blood test. The vet says it could be a thyroid probem which in some cases is treatable. Otherwise, without some extensive additional testing, the vet doesn't know what it could be. We have offered him all kinds of different foods to try to get him to eat at least something. He still has enough energy to walk around a little. It's amazing.

We thought maybe he had somekind of blockage and couldn't eat. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. Food seems to repulse him. He just turns his head away from it. This morning in a desperate attempt to get some nutrition in him, we used an eyedropper to squirt some chicken broth into his mouth. He seemed to take it pretty well. Might try it again later on today.

Has anyone else experienced this or anything similar with their cats? We would be grateful for comments and suggestions.

This is very very serious, and I am incredibly surprised at your vet for not being more proactive with this. Cats can only go a few days without food before the risk of liver probs, and once they get in a cycle of not eating, it is very hard to break it. You really need to be either force feeding him, or him be at the vets for them to do it, I dont think you have time to wait for blood tests. According to my old vet nurse, cats dont go thin due to age, there is always an underlying health issue. If he does have a thyroid prob, it can be either managed or cured, but to cure it means either an op or radioactive ion treatment, neither of which i woudl be happy putting such an old cat through. Have they checked his liver and kidney functions? If not, is there anyway you can get a second opinion??

my cats sometimes go a day without eating but never longer..ive heard once a cat stops eating saying a few days it is hard for them to get back into eating again..i wouldnt really leave it, i would maybe try another vet for a second opinion..i hope you get this sorted,let us know how it goes on..*thinking of you*

GET a 2nd VET asap ...

I don't know where you are located, but I don't understand why your vet would draw blood and only test it for thyroid function on such an old cat presenting with this. That same blood could have been tested for chemistry values, liver function and kidney function.

It is not uncommon for a kitty that age to develop conditions such as diabetes or chronic renal failure, neither is curable, but both conditions can be treated.

I.e. kitties with kidney failure have nausea from increase stomach acid, and decreased appetite in part if dehydrated, their potassium may be low due to usually a high volume of urine - leading to muscle weakness and more.

All of the above can be treated!

Please, get a second opinion vet, ask for a senior panel to be done as well as have a urine sample checked for urine dilution. Then, make your decisions based on your kitty's spirit..if you feel your kitty still has the will to live, then do what you can. If this is chronic renal failure, the best site for learning about this, how to treat it, etc. is www.felinecrf.org

Please keep us posted? And I agree, no matter what, get food into your kitty even if it means you are doing the feeding. Consider getting canned Hills A/D from your vet - it is a very high calorie food that has a pudding like consistency, so it is easy to pull up into a feeding syringe.