Help! Young Cat Suddenly Stopped Eating

Hi all, thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

My four year old maine coon mix has had the following issues recently and I am at a loss. It's Saturday night as I write this and I will be bringing him to the vet on Monday morning.

-This morning he stopped eating his wet food (usually his favorite). He smelled it from a distance and then acts as though it's repulsive and runs away. I tried all different flavors/brands (all of which he's been eating consistently for years), different dishes, and hand feeding- all with the same result.

-He also started grinding his teeth today. He's done this from time to time in the past but very infrequently.

- He's always had this strange behavior but I wanted to mention it- every time after he eats wet or dry food, he jumps away from his feeding area almost as if something bit him.

-One pound rapid weight loss ~January- February. Weight has been stable at lower baseline since February. No changes in feeding habits throughout that time. Since then, I have been feeding him wet food more often, but he usually doesn't eat it. He has 24 hour access to dry food with 1.5 ounces of wet food 2 times per day (which he usually doesn't even eat, just licks the gravy off)

- Three vet visits, abdominal xray, CBC and BMP were all normal and couldn't explain his weight loss in Jan-Feb. I was told to keep an eye on him and since then his weight has been stable at new lower baseline.

-No other behavioral issues, occasional hacking up hairball but he is a long haired cat. Otherwise acting normally.

-Food is grain free, high protein. Purina ProPlan dry food and Purina Beyond wet food. Although today he even turned away from the Fancy Feast junk food that he loooves (which I don't give to him usually since it is like the McDonalds of cat food)

-For the past week, I started giving him Vet's Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid Cat Supplement, which is a mix of Slippery Elm Bark, Psyllium Seed and Marshmallow.

Thanks for any insight you can offer!

if he's not eating, give him whatever food he will eat. if he won't eat that for more than 24 hours, take him to the vet. 

Thanks for the reply. He has access to all of his food-wet and dry and he won't touch any of it.  He did just accept hand feeding of his dry food moistened with water. Heading to the vet on Monday unless he gets worse before then.

heatherside said:

 
Thanks for the reply. He has access to all of his food-wet and dry and he won't touch any of it.  He did just accept hand feeding of his dry food moistened with water. Heading to the vet on Monday unless he gets worse before then.

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sounds like a good plan. just make sure he stays hydrated until then. i had a cat who wouldn't eat for 5 days but she got fluids at the vet in the middle of that span. 

Baby food can be used as a temporary emergency food just to get some nutrients in them until you can get them to a vet.  Use the kind that's only meat and broth--no flavoring (like onions) or other ingredients.  

heatherside said:

 

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He definitely needs a vet, and that pound weight loss is concerning.  And what do you mean by grinding his teeth?  Cats can't masticate - by that i mean grind left to right. They can only chew by opening and closing their mouths.  Can you be more specific?

I wonder if eating is painful for him. The jumping away from the food and only eating gravy makes me think he's having mouth pain, either teeth/gums or oral ulcers. The tooth grinding also sounds like something's bothering his mouth. Have you tried mashing up the wet food with water to a gravy consistency and see if that's easier for him to eat?

Hope your vet visit goes well.

samus said:

 
I wonder if eating is painful for him. The jumping away from the food and only eating gravy makes me think he's having mouth pain, either teeth/gums or oral ulcers. The tooth grinding also sounds like something's bothering his mouth. Have you tried mashing up the wet food with water to a gravy consistency and see if that's easier for him to eat?

Hope your vet visit goes well.

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My thought too.

Does he get regular dental exams? I agree with the above posters, and definitely think he needs to see the vet. Maybe a second opinion from another vet, as well, since it seems like you've been looking into his issues as is. I also wouldn't rule out a neurological problem.

In the meantime, when I've had foster kitties that wouldn't eat, sometimes I could get them to drink kitten milk replacement, or Hill's critical care soft food. Sometimes I have to syringe feed those as well. I hope it gets figured out!

If I ever find myself with a brand new cat, I will only feed that cat one kind of food forever.  Everytime I try to offer different kinds of food for a variety or for treats, the cats end up not wanting to eat anything.  They learn that the food comes from me and if they don't like what I give them, they will starve themselves until they get what they want (and I have no idea what they have in mind).  From now on if I give them any kind of treat, I will hide it and let them stumble on it so they have no idea it came from me.

Potbelly said:

 
If I ever find myself with a brand new cat, I will only feed that cat one kind of food forever.  Everytime I try to offer different kinds of food for a variety or for treats, the cats end up not wanting to eat anything.  They learn that the food comes from me and if they don't like what I give them, they will starve themselves until they get what they want (and I have no idea what they have in mind).  From now on if I give them any kind of treat, I will hide it and let them stumble on it so they have no idea it came from me.

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I'm worried that your POV could endanger the health of some cats, who if they don't eat for 48+ hours are at risk of hepatic lipidosis, a very dangerous and sometimes fatal liver disease.  You're experience may be different but so is each cat and so feeding habits should be tailored to the individual.  As an example, my cat likes 2 types of wet food, and she will happily eat one for a few days, then insists that we switch, which we do and then she is happy again. 

StephenQ said:

 
I'm worried that your POV could endanger the health of some cats, who if they don't eat for 48+ hours are at risk of hepatic lipidosis, a very dangerous and sometimes fatal liver disease.  You're experience may be different but so is each cat and so feeding habits should be tailored to the individual.  As an example, my cat likes 2 types of wet food, and she will happily eat one for a few days, then insists that we switch, which we do and then she is happy again. 

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"Frequent flavor rotation has been implicated in the development of finicky eating behavior, probably because cats fed in this way learn that if they aren’t thrilled with what’s in front of them, they can just wait for something better to come along."  http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritio...013/may/feeding-cats-a-variety-of-foods-30286

I've noticed this over and over in my experience with cats.  If you feed your cat different things, be very careful.  And I do believe it's best if the cat does not know the food comes from you or they will learn to manipulate you to get the food that they want.  This is never a problem with kittens or very young cats, but once they get older and smarter, then the finicky behavior sets in.  I've noticed that the more intelligent cats are more finicky.  Same goes for dogs... the smarter breeds tend to be picky and while mutts eat anything.

Potbelly said:

 
"Frequent flavor rotation has been implicated in the development of finicky eating behavior, probably because cats fed in this way learn that if they aren’t thrilled with what’s in front of them, they can just wait for something better to come along."  http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritio...013/may/feeding-cats-a-variety-of-foods-30286

I've noticed this over and over in my experience with cats.  If you feed your cat different things, be very careful.  And I do believe it's best if the cat does not know the food comes from you or they will learn to manipulate you to get the food that they want.  This is never a problem with kittens or very young cats, but once they get older and smarter, then the finicky behavior sets in.  I've noticed that the more intelligent cats are more finicky.  Same goes for dogs... the smarter breeds tend to be picky and while mutts eat anything.

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Well it can really go either way.  Caveat Emptor as one says in Latin :-)

Hi, I'm so sorry your cat is not feeling well. I have two CKD cats 18 years old and it can be nerve wracking when your cat(s) are not well.

But things DO work out so hang in there!

Has your cat had his blood work done for CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) or Diabetes.

Also if he jumps away from his soft or dry food after eating a bit he may have mouth ulcers or teeth issues and it's like something has bit him in the mouth as it's sore.

If it's that, then no wonder he doesn't want to or can't eat!

Slippery Elm Bark (SEB) gruel would really help if it's a sore mouth, acid or even dental problems as it soothes and helps heal inflammation of the mouth and the whole digestive system!

Here's a site that tells you how to make the tea or gruel. I always buy Organic Slippery Elm Bark. You can make it up how it tells you to and put the extra in the fridge for 5 days!

I only paid $12 for an envelope that will last me at least 18 months at a local health food store in town. Make sure it's organic! (and also don't buy the tincture as that has alcohol in it).

FROM A HOLISTIC VETERINARIAN http://www.holvet.net/slippery_soup.html . Here you'll find the 3 easy ways to make SEB gruel.

My best guess was mouth ulcers or teeth issues so I looked them up on the Internet on

http://www.felinecrf.org/nausea_vomiting_stomach_acid.htm#sniff_food_walk_away

"Sniffing or Licking or Looking at Food, then Walking Away The cat may approach the food bowl and sniff or lick the food, then walk away.

This is a pretty classic sign of excess stomach acid, but it may also indicate mouth ulcers.

Licking Gravy Only The cat may lick the gravy only and leave any solid food behind.

However, this may not indicate excess stomach acid in all cats, only if it is a new behaviour - my cats do this all the time and they are healthy, they just prefer pâté type foods.

Another possible cause is dental problems.

Teeth Grinding

Cats who grind their teeth may have excess stomach acid. Dental problems are another possible cause. It may also be a sign of dehydration.

Very occasionally, this might be a sign of "rubber jaw", caused by a condition related to CKD called secondary hyperparathydroidism."

 .

You can Google "causes of teeth grinding in cats".

YouTube has a video of a cat grinding his/her teeth.   Hope your kitty gets better soon, Ann Muffy & Daisy