Spring Cat Appetite Question

Hi all, first post here. Long time lurker, but as it's the Easter holidays and as my vet offices are closed I thought it best to branch out here. I volunteer with 'problem cats' in an animal shelter so I know how serious appetite problems can be. I'm just making sure this isn't a real problem, hopefully. 

I have a 2.5 year old black cat with short, silky black fur named Loki. He was a rescue from my local shelter and he's had a URI since he was 8 weeks old. It flares up every now and then for a day or so when he's stressed or when the weather changes, but normally it doesn't bother him. 

He's always been a little picky when it comes to food. If he jumps on the cat tree, he wants dry food (Blue Buffalo) and if he waits at his dish, he wants wet (normally Friskies pate, though I cycle these). He's a picky eater, sometimes deciding he doesn't want what his siblings (2 more cats I own, also rescues) are having. 

My current concern is his appetite. He's never eaten a lot  before. He'll pick and nibble when I feed him - all cats are on a schedule of 4 small meals a day (because I have an ex-feral with anxiety who needs the schedule) - and they get a mix of wet and dry every day, with an emphasis on wet. But ever since the weather started to get a little warmer, I'd say in the last week, things have changed in all of them. They've suddenly become more picky with wet food. All of them love the dry, but they'll leave the wet, even the ex-feral, who I can usually count on to eat anything. Now... this could just be spring. They're all still hungry and active and playing. They still cuddle, and while they're sleeping more, so am I. Spring fever hit me like crazy.

The problem is Loki. His siblings were willing to eat their wet food today but Loki left his and stubbornly refused to eat it all day. I kept trying him with it, he'd keep following me to his dish. Then he'd sniff his food, lick his lips, and step back. Then look at me like "where's the real stuff?" I gave him some gravy-based wet food and he licked the gravy up and had some turkey pieces, and when I tried him with some dry food later, he ate most of that. But he threw up a little directly after eating the dry. I think the stomach acid was kind of high. But after that he ate the rest, kept it all down, all is good.

I know this probably doesn't seem super bad. But he's one of my emotional support animals. I worry for him. He's been a little constipated the last week also. Only heard him vocalize twice. But it's still an extra symptom. 

I'm wondering if I can relax, that this is some kind of spring fever, or if it's something else. I've been brushing all of them religiously and they've been shedding their winter coats. Loki is a slightly more obsessive groomer, so maybe a hairball? I thought dental issues at first but he loves the dry food and treats my dad gives him. It just seems to be the wet that's the problem. He's never eaten a lot, but I don't like the change. Any insight on what could be happening would be great. 

Walking up to his food and licking his lips is a classic sign of nausea. If this continues, it might be a good idea to get Loki seen by a vet - just to rule out digestive issues (particularly so as he's been constipated too). Hopefully it's nothing, but it's better to play safe with things like this

With the others, cats definitely can get picker or 'go off' foods they've previously loved (oftentimes just after you've gone out and bought a case of the stuff ). Maybe try them on a different sort of wet food to get them interested again.

Columbine said:

Walking up to his food and licking his lips is a classic sign of nausea.

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This is EXACTLY what I thought when I read that

As to him wanting more dry than wet food, what you could do is add water to his wet food to make sure he gets plenty of hydration.  If you are already doing that, then I would suggest adding MORE   Since he likes the gravy best, chances are he'll at least lick up all that extra water you've added.

My cat has also seemed to be less interested in food in the last week. She's grazing, but not asking to be fed. Also acting totally normal. Is there anything to appetite changing with the change in season?

My furkids usually eat less when it gets HOT, but not in the springtime.  I'm talking the heat of the summer. 

Thanks so much to everyone who answered Loki took a good turn today and ate all his wet food this morning and actually begged for more, and started drinking lots of water. I had given him a little bit of olive oil with his URI medication (for flare ups) and he's looking a little better. No longer constipated. And I checked his teeth to be safe, and he's fine. He's always been a picky eater, it just got to high levels recently. I've definitely made a vet appointment for him so he can get thoroughly checked out, but he seems okay for now. A little less affectionate than lately but there's a storm rolling in.

And that was something I hadn't mentioned properly. I live in Canada, and while it IS getting to be Spring time here (weather has fluctuated between -15 and +10 C) there was a huge storm full of freezing rain and snow and wind that got to him. It lasted 4 days. He's always been a sensitive cat. He gets really low and moody when it rains, and his URI symptoms flare up a bit (just a little eye gunk and he folds the ear back on the same side and looks miserable. A vet already checked it; he got it from the shelter I got it from sadly ) so it could have been that too. I have fibro and my symptoms flare in bad weather too. I'm not going to stop babying him for a bit because he's still acting a little weird, but I'm just really, really  glad to see that he's eating again. 

Also I'm not ruling out the nausea at all. It's very likely that's the case. But he's always  done that, as well. I remember him doing it as a kitten, he'll do it sometimes when he's tired, or before and after food, or when he looks at me or my family. Not constantly, but it's one of his little quirks, so maybe he's just always had a slightly tricky stomach.