Not Eating - Any Advice?

coolkittycat

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Hi, I am having some eating issues with my cat Casey and not sure what to do. First a little background, Casey is a Male, around 7-8 years old. A indoor cat and very healthy.

Eating was never a issue with him. He would eat almost everything you gave him (though rarely gave him people food), and he ate like a vacuum cleaner! Because of some weight issues (was 23 lbs, now around 15 lbs), he was on a prescription diet. Royal Canin Calorie Control/High Protein wet food which he loved.

Well things started to change around 2-3 weeks ago. I had to go to China for 10 days, so I put him in a kennel close to my house. This is a very good kennel which I've used before.....but for never this long of a time (10 days). It is also a veterinary clinic so if any happened he would be in good hands.

Well sometime towards the end of his stay he developed some diarrhea. The Dr. said could have been caused by stress. Well they put him on Metronidazole.

When I finally got him home it seemed his stools were getting better....then they started getting worse. That is when his appetite started to change.

He would show signs he was hungry, but when I went to feed him he would sniff and walk away. But if I offered a treat, he would eat those right down.

This went on for a few days. So in an effort to get him to eat, I picked up some Natural Balance wet food. Figured maybe a change in food would interest him. Since he would not touch his old food I could not change him over gradually. So I gave him a little of this Natural Balance and he seem to like it. I gave him a little more the next day and he only eat about half of what I gave him. Then the feeding time, again would not touch it. He would sniff it and walk away. At this point he would not even take a treat.

So in an attempt to get him to eat, I had some old dry food around which I sprinkled into the wet. That seemed to spark his interest. He was picking out the dry food from the wet. Again during this time, he would act like he was hungry.

So picked up some Royal Canin dry and tried. Well he seemed to like it. In the mean time his stools were still soft, so I took him back to the vet. The doctor said his tummy was tender (he could tell from how we was flinching when examined). So he took some blood and urine for test as well as stool sample.

They examined the stool right away and he still had some bacteria that could be cause the soft stool, so he put him back onto the Metronidazole.

Well it seemed this past week his appetite was getting better. He wasn't woofing down his food like he was, but he was eating. His stools also are pretty much normal. One thing I found he likes is these Greenies Pill Pockets. You put the pills inside these treats and it hides the smell. He loves these things.

So for the past few days he was finishing his food (get 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night). Then starting Saturday I noticed he was not finishing his food. Sunday he was leaving even more. Well today he barely touch it. He would nibble at it then walk away. And tonight he barely touched it. He would sniff, look at it and walk away. But he gobbled down the Pill Pocket with no problem.

So at this point I am lost what to do??? The urine and blood tests came back fine. So I do not know what is bothering him.

So HELP!!
 

sharky

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what kind of blood was run?? some vets just run a basic cbc which does not get into organ function
 
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coolkittycat

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Originally Posted by sharky

what kind of blood was run?? some vets just run a basic cbc which does not get into organ function
They did a full blood work up. He told me the organs seem to be fine.
 

esrandall2000

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Your kitty is showing similar symptions to my IBD kitty Whimsey. See my thread in this forum called IBD and Nausea.

Good luck!!
 

stephanietx

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He might have an upset tummy (nausea or gas) from the food or the meds and that's why he may not be wanting to eat. This happened to my cat when I put her on Natural Balance. Do you know if your vet checked for that? If not, you might ask the vet if this is a possibility. If so, you can get something like Pepcid from the vet for your kitty and see if this will help.

Something else that I've noticed with my girl is that if I don't clean her dry food bowl frequently, she'll not eat. This may not be the problem, but it's worth a shot.
 

carolina

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One thing is for sure - he needs to eat. So, get him no eat, no matter what it is... a kitty can not go without food, so, give him treats, tuna, baby food (no onions or garlic), chicken... but he needs to eat. vibes:
while you work it out with your vet, trying to find out what is behind this, have you head of Halo Dinner Party? If you have a Petco close by, or a Petsmart (check Petsmart), go there and get one tomorrow- chicken or salmon... These can really be a small miracle - you sprinkle on the wet food, and kitties that once turned their nose to the food will gobble it down.
Now - this is just a fix - you need to find out what is going on with the vet, of course... But it will very very likely get your boy eating again
I have one on the fridge, and use it on demand... If Bugsy or Hope don't want to eat, sprinkle a little, and voila!

One thing that came into my mind - has your vet considered intestinal blockage? He is not eating... His belly is tender... How is his pooping?
 
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coolkittycat

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Hi....quick update. I took him off the Metronidazole which he was on for the past 2 weeks. He may had a reaction to it, and the vet agrees. I did read it could cause a lose in appetite.

Well got him to eat a bit Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Put some treats in his food, and in the process of trying to eat them down he eat some of the regular food. Also he did poop on Tuesday which is a good sign.

So Wednesday took him back to the vet. He wanted to see if he missed something. This visit he mentioned his tummy felt good and tender like the last visit, so that is good. He checked his mouth and throat to see if there were any issues there...and none. Also he did not feel anything that would a blockage. He said if he did have some blockage he would be throwing up which he has not.

So now we'll see if it was the Metronidazole. It will take a bit to work out of his system. In the mean time the vet gave him something to help stimulate his appetite. And boy did it work! When I came home for work he was all over me. When I feed him, he was still a bit weary about eating but eventually he did eat everything in his bowl.
 

sharky

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Thank you for the update and may things keep going in the good direction
 

auntie crazy

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I'm glad your boy is eating again, CKC; hopefully, he'll stay on track to a complete return to health. It's always a scary thing when they stop eating.
 
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coolkittycat

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Well I found out he was trying to trick me! The past few days I was putting some of his favorite treats in with the food to help entice him to eat. It seem to work. He would try to pick out the treats, and end up eating some of the regular food in the process. So last night when I came home I guess that appetite pill the vet gave him was working because he was meowing like crazy when I walked in.

So went to feed him. He looked at the food...looked at me...looked at the food and started meowing. So put in some treats and bingo! He started eating. And he did end up finishing the whole bowl of food.

So now I am seeing what is happening here! He is saying, "Yea I'll eat...but bring on those treats!"

So this morning I went to feed him, but no treats in the bowl. Just the normal food.

And sure enough he poured on the act! The walking away, meowing...the whole bit.

I told him,"No, that is all you are getting" and left him staring at me as I walk out the door to go to work.

Well the second I walked out the door I peak into the window...and there was that son-of-gun eating away!

I guess he new his plan was had! When I came home for lunch, sure enough all the food was gone! And tonight he laid off the act and went right to the food and finished it!

So I wonder....who trains who???

 

otto

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Casey is beautiful! And I laughed out loud at the treat story. You must feel pretty clever having out witted the cat! That almost never happens, hahaha!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by otto

Casey is beautiful! And I laughed out loud at the treat story. You must feel pretty clever having out witted the cat! That almost never happens, hahaha!
 

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I discovered that if I lecture my finicky tortoiseshell cat, who has IBD, she will eventually eat. She will sit at her bowl and stare at me as I go on and on, very emphatically, about how she HAS to eat her food, how it's VERY important, how she NEEDS her nutrition, and after awhile, she starts eating.

I thought it was a crazy idea, but nothing else was working, certainly not the flavor enhancer we got from the vet, and we've tried all sorts of food. She won't touch "people" food or even treats. But if I talk to her the right way, she'll eat what she previously rejected.
 

esrandall2000

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Originally Posted by Bunnelina

I discovered that if I lecture my finicky tortoiseshell cat, who has IBD, she will eventually eat. She will sit at her bowl and stare at me as I go on and on, very emphatically, about how she HAS to eat her food, how it's VERY important, how she NEEDS her nutrition, and after awhile, she starts eating.

I thought it was a crazy idea, but nothing else was working, certainly not the flavor enhancer we got from the vet, and we've tried all sorts of food. She won't touch "people" food or even treats. But if I talk to her the right way, she'll eat what she previously rejected.
You are neat! And your kitty is very lucky to have you as her mommy!
 

lilyluvscats

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I laughed at your peeking in the window story. What these fur kids do to us sometimes.
 
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coolkittycat

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Originally Posted by lilyluvscats

I laughed at your peeking in the window story. What these fur kids do to us sometimes.
For Sure! I may pay the mortgage....but it is his house!
 
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