New Cat not Eating......hmmmmm ......

lmunsie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
1,326
Purraise
2
Location
Leafs Nation
My brother adopted a new cat last wednesday.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...=203677&page=3

She was very freaked out from the carrier on the way home and hid for 3 days, we put dry food under the bed and she would eat the little bits. She is now out and about, happy, using the litter box, playing, over-all normal but not really eating. I am very worried because of what I've gone through with Kismet and Fatty Liver Syndrome. She really isn't eating the dry food at all that the shelter gave him (hills).

I went over last night and hand fed her some snappy toms (fish) and she ate it, and i rolled some dry food in it and she ate it, but then took a funny bite and took off and didn't eat anymore.

He said she still hasn't touched the dry food, so I told him to hand feed her more of the fish food and that he had to get her to eat.

He is coming over tonight so I am going to give him little baggies of my foods (wellness - 2 varieties and oven baked tradition) to see if she just wants something different. But if he can't get her to eat I want him to take her to the vet to maybe get her teeth checked?? What signs would there be if there was a tooth problem, she is acting 100% normal other then not eating much.... any other ideas?

I am not thrilled with taking her to the vet (not because of cost, he has pet insurance for her and money isn't an issue) but because she got SO SICK in the car last time and she is still gaining her confidence, but I also know how important eating is. She hasn't gone a full day without eating at all, but she isn't eating the normal amount.

Suggestions?!
 

littleraven7726

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Messages
3,339
Purraise
12
Location
Next to the World's Largest 6-pack
My very picky senior decided he likes Nutro Max. Lola loves it too. As a kitten she LOVED Nutro Max kitten food. Stimpy doesn't seem as picky about dry foods.

You could also see if you can get those little sample bags of various foods for her to try.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
Wash her bowl with hot soapy water. My girl will quit eating if her bowl isn't washed on a regular basis. Try smelly canned food or meat baby food, stage 2 with no onions or garlic, or try boiling a chicken breast or chicken tender in some plain water, no seasonings added. Shred it and add a bit of the broth to make it about the consistency of chicken salad. Also, try sitting with her while she eats. She may be used to having company while she eats.

Is she using the box normally? Has her behavior changed back to hiding or anything like that? Is he feeding her a different dry food?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

lmunsie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
1,326
Purraise
2
Location
Leafs Nation
Originally Posted by stephanietx

Wash her bowl with hot soapy water. My girl will quit eating if her bowl isn't washed on a regular basis. Try smelly canned food or meat baby food, stage 2 with no onions or garlic, or try boiling a chicken breast or chicken tender in some plain water, no seasonings added. Shred it and add a bit of the broth to make it about the consistency of chicken salad. Also, try sitting with her while she eats. She may be used to having company while she eats.

Is she using the box normally? Has her behavior changed back to hiding or anything like that? Is he feeding her a different dry food?
The fish food I got her to eat is very smelly, so that's what I'm using to bait her with scent, but tonight i couldn't even get her to eat it by hand feeding her. We've tried sitting with her, different types of plates/bowls (all clean).

She is using the box totally normally (weird if she isn't eating?) and she is actually behaving really well! she is not hiding or reserved at all, still really skittish, but I think that's because she was a stray
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
Try canned. What was she eating at the shelter? See if you can find out and then get that food. If she still doesn't eat, then I'd take her to the vet just to rule out anything.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

lmunsie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
1,326
Purraise
2
Location
Leafs Nation
Originally Posted by stephanietx

Try canned. What was she eating at the shelter? See if you can find out and then get that food. If she still doesn't eat, then I'd take her to the vet just to rule out anything.
She was eating hills dry and some wet. We got the food from the shelter and she ate a bit the first day or two. I'm concerned that while she was hiding under the bed she didn't drink much and may be dehydrated. We are going to try a fountain to get her to drink more. If she won't, then off to the vet to get some fluids injected and maybe an appetite stimulant.....
I'm just worried this will set her confidence back, but oh well.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

lmunsie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
1,326
Purraise
2
Location
Leafs Nation
well I was all ready to take her to the vet. But last night I told Tim to just leave all sorts of different kinds of bowls (ceramic, glasses, low ones, high ones) full of water -- you know curiousity killed the cat..... and sure enough a tall human glass of water on the windowsill enticed her to check it out, and she drank it! (we are of course keeping it filled).

Hopefully this drinking will stimulate her appetite. Since she isn't lethargic or anything else (acting totally normal otherwise) he'll try to hand feed her again today, and if she STILL won't eat by tomorrow then off to the vets for sure........

We are going to try the baby food route today.....


If we do take her (I find vets are a little bit useless when it comes to a cat not eating with no other symptoms) I am going to have her teeth checked, a blood panel (for liver enzymes), depending on her hydration level have subQ given, and hopefully a shot of appetite stimulant.

can anyone think of anything else I can try, OR anything else I should get him to ask about at the vets? The thing that frustrates me is that I leave tomorrow morning for a conference, so if something is wrong he's going to have to deal with it without me........ But of course I'm probably just panicking because of my experiences with FHL and poison in my own cats, and this is just all a result of a semi feral cat that was stuck in the shelter for 7 months adjusting to having a home. BUT better be safe then sorry!
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
I keep an oversized coffee mug full of water on my coffee table because my kitties will drink out of it better than any other dish in the house. They also have glasses on the bathroom counter and a bowl in one of the spare bedrooms. The one on the table is most used. My Callie will follow me around if I have a full glass of water in my hand just so she can drink out of it first!
 
Top