My Cat Won't Eat - Any Ideas Why?

melrose927

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Just so you have a clear idea, I'll give you as much info as I can about our seven-year-old cat, Ginger Baby (female), who we call GBs.  My fiance already had two cats - Turbo (male) and Peanut (female).  We brought her home because the person who had her couldn't keep her any longer, and I didn't want her to end up being put down.  The fiance, having had loads of cats, including many fosters, claimed they would be ok together, since Turbo and Peanut never had issues with other cats.  He was wrong.  I wanted to introduce them slowly, so they could get to know each other.  He pretty much just plunked them together, and it didn't work - duh.  GBs was anxious and scared, and would hiss and growl if they came near.  Peanut was never really nasty, but Turbo would chase and attack her.  He would chase and attack Peanut, too, but that's how those two always played - she can handle his crap.  We have a small apartment - a one-bedroom with no door - so I bought a gate to keep them apart.  She's got the bedroom and bathroom, and the other two have the kitchen and living room.  They all get lots of cuddles and play time. 

GBs is no longer stressed, and she's the sweetest little thing.  Sweetest little chunker.  When we got her, she was very skinny, but within a couple months, she chubbed out a bit.  Mostly that paunch, which I seem to see in a lot of ginger cats.  I was told it can happen in fixed cats.  She doesn't overeat, so I'm not sure how she got tubby.  All the cats used to eat Meow Mix, because that's what Turbo and Peanut had been given for years.  But Turbo would puke a lot - mostly because he eats too fast - but more than I felt was normal.  Ginger, too.  So I switched them over to 4Health - they all love it.  Now puking is down to a minimum - because someone eats too fast. 

Ever since we got Ginger, she would only eat dry food.  I've tried a number of different wet foods, kitty snacks and real food - various forms of cooked chicken, fish, etc. - but she doesn't like them.  She will occasionally enjoy small amounts of milk and cheese.  She'll devour them one day, and turn her nose up the next.  She's like that with attention, too - she'll want lovins one minute, and run away the next.  She also likes to scratch by her food dish, and cover it with papers and whatever she finds on the floor.  We've had her for a year now, and she's just a quirky girl.

Not long after getting her, I noticed that she'd occasionally get black gunk on her gums.  I don't know what it is, and she's a typical cat - she won't let me inspect her in any way.  I don't have armor for me or a straightjacket for her, so what can I do?  I've been able to get some of it off with a Q-tip, but every couple months I'll notice a patch - not even half the size of a pinky nail - somewhere around her gums - that goes away in a few days.  I found some info online that this can happen, but not much else - just that it's not really harmful.  Her teeth look good, and her breath isn't smelly - for a cat, so I just chalk it up to being one of those weird cat things.  I'm a dog person, and though I'm observant and pay close attention to my animals' behaviors and health, I have a lot to learn about cats. 

When we got her, she wouldn't share a litter box with the others, which was understandable.  So we got one just for her, which she used - sometimes.  She'll poop in it, but she won't cover it up, and she'd occasionally pee in it.  Mostly she saved her urine for the carpet.  In the middle of the night.  Sometimes I'd catch her peeing in the tub, and I'd praise her for it - still not the litter box, but much better than the carpet.  Since she's been separated, she doesn't pee on the rug at all anymore.  She prefers the tub, which makes sense, because the tub is easily rinsed, and she seems to understand that peeing in the litter box makes it smell bad (her poop is scooped daily, and she only goes once a day).

So that's about it for her habits.  I noticed that none of my cats would eat the last bag of 4Health I bought them.  I know they aren't sick of it, because I switch up the varieties.  Turbo was digging food out, looking for something better.  He doesn't turn his nose up at anything - he eats like a dog.  But Peanut was ravenous, more so than usual, as she begs for wet food every time I approach the fridge.  I leave full bowls out for all of them, because they are all grazers, but after a couple days, I noticed that their bowls went mostly untouched, so I took that food out and washed their dishes.  I get their food from the Tractor Supply Co, and with Christmas approaching and not having a car, I just grabbed some Meow Mix to tide them over until I can get back out to the TSC.  Turbo and Peanut have been satisfied, but Ginger won't eat it.  She used to love that stuff.  So I tried another brand.  She won't eat that, either.  I've given her a tablespoon of 1% milk for the last three days, which she's loved, and some mozzarella yesterday.  She picked at it and played with it, but ate it.  More of the same today.  Her behavior has been exactly the same - playful, cuddly, energetic, snoozy, loving, meowthy, silly. 

I'm sure most people would say, "take her to the vet!"  But I just don't have the money right now, and even if I did, I refuse to waste money to find out that it's just a weird cat thing and she'll be fine.  Obviously if it's serious, I'm not going to ignore it and let her suffer.  She's been acting completely normal - and believe me, this cat is not afraid to let you know how she feels about something!  I'll be keeping my eye on her and trying to see what she'll eat - maybe she hurt her mouth, or has a sore throat or something.  Do cats get sore throats?  If anyone has seen anything like this in their kitty, please help me understand what's going on with mine.  Thanks. 
 

cprcheetah

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Cats can quit eating for a variety of reasons.  It could be a sore throat, could be a bad tooth, could be something internally going wrong with her.  I would really recommend a Vet Visit to get to the bottom of it.  I have a cat right now who isn't eating very good, she has pancreatitis, a bladder infection and possibly cancer.  We have her on appetite stimulants.  When cats don't eat their normal amount of food it affects their liver and it can get quite serious quite fast.
 

that guy

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Cat's are easily stressed out with any changes and even a Christmas tree with lights can do this to them which may reduce their appetite. What have you changed in their environment that may be causing stress? Ideally cats should be eating wet food as this is closer to their natural diet and many people say Fancy Feast is a good alternative that most cats will eat so you can try that. Cat's are meat eaters and can't go long without food so it is very important that the cat eats or she could come down with serious medical issues. Cat's are also very good at hiding sickness which can be a death sentence in nature so it is not always easy to see they are sick.

You need to get her eating something so try some Fancy Feast with some kind of gravy and also try some baby food which cats tend to like. Not all baby foods are good for cats and this is not a long term food they can eat so it may help in the short term but do your research as to which ones they can eat. If you have a vet close by you can grab some Purinea FortiFlora which helps their digestion of food but it also contains something that makes them want to eat.
 
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