Not eating after Vet

Hey Everyone!

I need some help. I took my cat for his annual physical - he was actually totally fine leading up to it. Getting him in his carrier was stressful for him and during the exam he peed/pooed but his litter habits were fine once we got home. As a treat for the stress, I gave him a snack (not at his usual feeding time) and his appetite has been off since. Some of his meals got skewed (more food than normal) but now he doesn't seem to want to eat. He gets half a can at night - it was barely touched by this morning. When I fed him this morning, I put a little less in and he's barely touched it. I can coax him by adding warm water to it but he only nibbles and leaves. He's had this before and his appetite reverts back to normal, but could this be a post-vet stress situation? Should I have not treated him? It's just worrying because he was okay at the vet - nothing to report on his exam. They have a stool sample, but have not heard back. He got one of his shots, but he's had it before and has never had a reaction. He also had some dermatitis and something in his ear but it was not serious and they fixed it. Any help/suggestions is welcomed.

I recently started a new job with a new schedule, so it did throw him off but didn't upset his appetite - he was just more whiny than usual. I am getting concerned coz I am not at home to monitor him and I don't want more problems to occur.

Thanks again!

I don't think the treat has caused your boy to stop eating. It's far more likely that it's an extreme stress reaction - especially as you say this has happened before. However, it IS important to get him eating again. I suggest offering smaller, more frequent meals (maybe a couple of feeds before work and another 2-3 after you get home) and coaxing him to eat however you need to - sometimes hand feeding can work when they won't eat under their own steam. If necessary, offer some plain cooked meat or plain meat baby food for a day or so - just until he regains his appetite. If he continues not to eat, call the vet and ask for advice. Not eating for 48hrs or more puts the cat at risk from hepatic lipidosis. I'm not trying to scare you - just to emphasise how important it is to get some food into him.

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So he is eating although it has been a struggle. When trying other food (a flavour he loved before and used to eat from a mixed pack) got a violent diarrehea attack. He eats his regular food but a lot gets wasted or I have to warm up and hide it and take it out repeatedly. He seems to like that I stand and watch him eat when I come home from work so maybe he just doesn't want me to feed and disappear. Either way he isn't eating with the gusto he used to. His stools are softish coz of high hydration diet and his fecal sample was negative and last 4 urine tests clean. I may purchase some feliway and hope it helps. Wonder if this is him being sad I am away all day and an intense vet experience. He is still producing pee and stool so I hope he's okay! He gets half of a 5.5 ounce can with each meal and maybe eats half of that

I think you're absolutely right that his lack of appetite is a reaction to the combination of the vet visit and your new schedule.

Feliway is a great idea, and it might be worth considering Composure as well - he's clearly pretty stressed at the moment. It is possibly worth a conversation with your vet too - I know he's just had a physical, but there might be some other factors at work here. Certainly, if he doesn't pick up soon I'd want to be sure there was nothing physical going on.

In the meantime, just keep trying yo get food into him. It might be worth trying FortiFlora for a while. As it's a probiotic it should help rebalance his digestion a little, and it's also a great tool for getting cats eating again - most cats find it irresistible.

These articles might give some ideas as to how to help him cope with the separation anxiety (if that IS the root cause).

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