Lack of appetite in FIP

suerose

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Messages
1
Purraise
1
Hello,

I'm new to this forum but very glad to discover it.

I have an incredibly sweet 14-month-old cat named Moso who has FIP. It started as the dry form, but now it appears to be progressing into the wet form. For the past several weeks, his appetite has been poor, and for the last week, he has barely eaten anything. He's sometimes hungry--he goes to the place where I feed him and waits expectantly for his food--but he doesn't eat. No matter what I offer him (a huge variety of cat foods, cat treats, human foods), he will at best take one or two tiny bites and then turn away. My veterinarian is attributing this to nausea, which makes some sense (though he never vomits). She has prescribed mirtazapine, odansetron, Cerenia, and Pepcid, but nothing has helped. I also made a syrup of slippery elm bark powder, but that did nothing.

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on how to deal with lack of appetite in a cat with FIP? I would be most grateful to learn of others' experience.

Many thanks.
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
I hate to be blunt, but when they get to the stage they will not eat, it is time to think about letting them go.  I have been through this with seven cats over the past few years.  The dry FIP can go for some time with ups and downs, but the appetite vanishing is a sure sign that they are reaching the end stages of this terrible disease.  His organs are being attacked and he is like a person in liver failure, things do not taste right, he is probably always nauseous, and it isn't going to get better, only worse.  In my opinion, it is much better to let them go while they are still able to purr, but nothing will take away YOUR pain.  Still, choosing quality of life over quantity of life is something I strongly recommend.

Here is a recent thread started by someone else who was in your situation not long ago.  Perhaps reading it will help you.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/300242/fip-and-depression
 
Last edited:

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
Hi SueRose. I am happy you found this site; but so sorry it is under these conditions.

I have lost 2 cats to FIP. One to the wet form and one similar to your Moso that started out as dry and then turned into the wet.

Unfortunately, there comes a point in the progression of the disease in which nothing can be done to increase appetite. The disease will essentially cause the cat to starve or suffocate to death. It truly is one of the cruelest diseases in the cat world that there is.

As hard as it is, you need to look at the quality of life that Moso has.

Those of us that have been in your shoes would mostly (if not wholly agree) that once appetite is gone, the very best thing you can do is let them go.
 
Top