Please help diagnose my cats symptoms.

I have two tortoiseshell (females) cats, they are approx 14/15 years old. One has become very lethargic, her eyes are runny and she has lost weight. She will cry for food, but when given she will lick all the jelly off the meat (tinned) and perhaps a couple of pieces of meat then leave the rest. She normally finds a good spot either in front of the fire or next to a radiator in the living room, but has now taken to sitting in the same spot on the kitchen worktop, if I put her near the fire, within a few minutes she has left and gone back to the kitchen worktop. She is drinking water but I don't think she is drinking excessively, she goes to the toilet in the garden, and is still going out regularly to do so. She has been like this for over a week now but it is only tonight I noticed her eyes running. I have done the dehydration test and the skin goes back normally.  Help Please.

Your cat has to see a vet as soon as possible.  It is very very unhealthy that she is eating so little for a prolonged period of time.  You are running the risk of her developing fatty liver disease. This happens when cats stop eating or eat too little for a period of time.  It can happen within just a few days of a cat not eating, and  can easily be fatal.

If you can't get her to see a vet right away, you can try force feeding her.  However, she really has to see a vet even if you do  this, because if there is an underlying problem, and you don't treat it, the cat will just get worse.

Please let us know if you need tips about force feeding. I hope you will be able to get her to a vet very soon.

Its impossible to say why a cat is not eating right.   The reasons are too numerous.   I will say it sounds like she is in pain because the appetite is there but she just cannot finish a meal.   This could be a problem with her teeth or it could be stomach acid or just nausea from whatever disease she might have.   I wish you good luck in finding the cause.   If you need to force feed her use plain turkey or chicken baby food.  You can put it in her mouth with your finger but it is easier with a syringe

Thank you both for your advice, I will let you know how we get on. Sorry for the delay in replying, we live in England.

brent123 said:

 
Sorry for the delay in replying, we live in England.

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I figured that out when you mentioned the food was `tinned`