My Cat Won't Eat

Hello all, 

I recently adopted a male snowshoe from our local animal shelter a little over a month ago. His estimated age is around 5-8 years old. When we got him from the shelter, he was underweight, traumatized, and had a nasty upper respiratory infection. We took him home and did our best to get him adjusted to his new life. He was eating 3-4 of Sheba pre-portioned wet food a day and was steadily gaining weight. We were told by the shelter that he would always have the virus and that it would flare up in times of stress.

I purchased some L-Lysine powder (based on recommendations from this site) and sprinkled a little bit in his morning and night food each day to help with his immune system. Overall he seemed happy and loving and more open to us each day. However, on Wednesday, we noticed him sleeping a lot and staying in his little cat bed. He was sneezing and discharging eye goop. He also had been eating less and less. Additionally, was scratching his ear until it bled. Needless to say, we were very concerned.

We took him to the vet on Friday and got him checked out. He did not have ear mites, and our vet suspected he might have developed a bacterial infection because of the virus. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and gave us some topical ear medicine. I mentioned to the vet about how he had not eaten since Wednesday (just one Sheba portion). The vet didn't seem to concerned and chalked it up to his infection. They sent us home with that vet "kitty crack" that supposedly animals will eat up just like that.

Well, it is now Saturday and my cat still hasn't eaten. He did not eat Thursday, Friday, and has not eaten today. He has been urinating but not defecating, which seems to make sense. He will not eat this supposed miracle food that no pet will refuse. He will not eat his Sheba food that he normally loves. Sometimes I cook him an egg as a treat which he normally loves, and he will not eat that either. I bought canned tuna in oil and canned tuna in water. He won't eat those either.

I also bought different wet cat food and he wouldn't eat that either (one was also in gravy). I also tried baby food (per the recommendation from this site) and we won't eat that either. We took him into my bathroom and let the steam go for 15 minutes and he still wouldn't eat. We tried heating the food in the microwave to no avail. I even tried an egg with a little cheese and that didn't work. I have a humidifier going where he sleeps and that doesn't seem to be helping. I have also tried putting the bowl right up to him and feeding him by hand. He still won't eat.

I am out of ideas and options. I was going to wait until Monday to call the vet and see what they had to say. I have also considered taking him to the ER. However, I have read some of the negative effects associated with forced feedings and feel a bit hesitant. I am open to recommendations and any feedback. Any input would help. I just want my poor baby to eat again. 

Thank you. 

I think at this point, you really do need to start feeding your boy with a syringe.  If he's congested and can't smell the food, he isn't going to eat.   He is in danger of developing hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease - it may already be developing since he's not eaten for so long.  Once this process starts,  cats are even less inclined to eat and either need to be fed with a syringe or through a tube.

Is he drinking water at all?  If not, he could be dehydrated, which also affects appetite.  Pull up a small portion of skin along his back or chest and test for elasticity. When you release it, the pinched skin should spring back to normal if the cat is well dehydrated.  You can also feel his gums, to make sure they are moist.  If he's seriously dehydrated,  you might have to take him to the vet for sub-q fluids.  

 The problems associated with forced feedings are far less than those associated with fatty liver disease so I would definitely start this process soon.  

cynapse said:

 

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Hi @cynapse

I agree with @Margd and i will take it a step further: given the number of days (4) without eating, i think his life is now at some risk and i would have him hospitalized for intensive care.  He is likely going into hepatic lipidosis if he isn't already in it, and that would likely require a feeding tube surgically inserted if he is to live.  If he isn't at that point, he's close to it and will benefit from professional in-patient care. 

At the very least he needs his liver values checked as soon as possible.  And syringe fed immediately.

And if you don't want to hospitalize him or can't afford it, then your vet should teach you how to syringe feed right now.   There are no down sides to syringe feeding a cat in his condition, the only possible effect is that he can live.  As an analogy, if you fall out of an airplane wearing a parachute, the down side to pulling the rip cord is that the chute may not deploy properly, but you will pull the rip cord regardless.  Syringe feeding is his rip cord right now.

Again he is quite possibly past the point where he will regain his appetite on his own.  The primary side effect of hepatic lipidosis (besides the destruction of the liver) is total loss of appetite.  FYI, it is much easier to feed a cat through a feeding tube then syringe feeding, so if it comes to that, it will be easier on both of you.  If you're lucky though, a few days of syringe feeding will get him past the crisis, and this is a very serious situation.  Given that you are on day 4 of no eating, you are approaching an emergency.

A good instructional video on syringe feeding is here:

Hi, thank you all for the tips. I went to the store to buy a syringe, and as I walked back into my apartment, I found him eating his food 

I guess I am wondering if I still need to do anything else...he seems okay today (Sunday) but should I still take him to get checked out somewhere? He has eaten four times, all spaced out of course so as not to overwhelm his body. He is active, loving, purring, etc. 

cynapse said:

 
Hi, thank you all for the tips. I went to the store to buy a syringe, and as I walked back into my apartment, I found him eating his food 

I guess I am wondering if I still need to do anything else...he seems okay today (Sunday) but should I still take him to get checked out somewhere? He has eaten four times, all spaced out of course so as not to overwhelm his body. He is active, loving, purring, etc. 

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Remarkable recovery, i'd say you dodged a bullet.  If he's eating well, doesn't still have URI symptoms or is still on meds then you might be ok watching and waiting.  It's a personal decision.

Margd said:

 
I think at this point, you really do need to start feeding your boy with a syringe.  If he's congested and can't smell the food, he isn't going to eat.   He is in danger of developing hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease - it may already be developing since he's not eaten for so long.  Once this process starts,  cats are even less inclined to eat and either need to be fed with a syringe or through a tube.

Is he drinking water at all?  If not, he could be dehydrated, which also affects appetite.  Pull up a small portion of skin along his back or chest and test for elasticity. When you release it, the pinched skin should spring back to normal if the cat is well dehydrated.  You can also feel his gums, to make sure they are moist.  If he's seriously dehydrated,  you might have to take him to the vet for sub-q fluids.  

 The problems associated with forced feedings are far less than those associated with fatty liver disease so I would definitely start this process soon.  

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I concur with this. My cat is not eating well due to stomatitis. This is a painful condition that is making him not want to eat because the food hurts his mouth. He had also gone hoarse, maybe from the inflammation going to his throat.  He got a steroid shot when the (first) vet thought it was respiratory and that shot can make them pee a lot as well as get dehydrated if they don't drink enough. He was acting real puny but wasn't yet showing obvious signs of dehydration. Nonetheless, we began fluids at home because the food refusal, I believed, was in part due to the fact that he was starting to get dehydrated even though he didn't have the signs yet. I didn't want the danger of fatty liver (hepatic lipidosis) on top of everything else, so I pushed that first vet for the fluids. His new vet added some potassium chloride as an electrolyte for the rest of his bag and he's doing MUCH better with the eating and activity level. It's important to break the cycle of not eating somehow, and I personally would rather give fluids if it's needed than give more medicine/pills-- even though it involves inserting a needle into the very loose skin between my cat's shoulder blades. (Of course if pills are warranted, I will do that...)

I'm an experienced tech so we went the home care route rather than admit to hospital, but fluid administration is really quite simple, and most cats do fine with it. The hardest part is inserting the needle under the skin for the very first time. The cat might flinch out of surprise, or even make a noise-- but once the needle is in and the fluids are flowing, they usually settle down pretty fast. After a few days/sessions, most of them don't even blink. Some cats even just eat a meal while the fluids are running, oblivious to the treatment. So it isn't such a scary thing once you learn how and you get a few treatments under your belt. Lots of people give kitties fluids at home for chronic renal disease or other conditions where the cat needs some extra fluid help. Your vet team can teach you how to give the fluids if needed, and send you home with everything you need.

The morning after my boy's first fluid treatment-- he was a new cat. He was still sore, yes, but he felt a whole lot better and tried to eat instead of snubbing the plate altogether. I still had to syringe feed him to "prime" the pump-- but he did begin to show interest in food. I also have an appetite stimulant in reserve, but I haven't had to use it  as long as he stays hydrated.

At four days, your cat needs intervention... and he needs it now. If that means a bit of time in hospital, it's worth it. If your vet thinks you can do home care with applicable fluid support, appetite stimulants-- great, but DO stay in very close touch. If the vet thinks a feeding tube is warranted, don't be alarmed. I have seen MANY cats with tubes and protective collars that go about their normal things with the tube installed. It's much less stressful for the cat than being force fed, and it's a more effective way of getting the needed nutrients in. It doesn't take too long under anesthesia to place the tube, either. You would learn how to instill the nutrition, how to clean and care for the tube and supplies, and how to monitor your cat at home (yes, they can come home with a tube in place!) They can even eat if they feel like trying. I've seen cats that got most of their nutrition via tube, but began eating more and more with the tube still in as they recovered. Once they were eating more reliably and adequately-- the tube could be removed. A tube doesn't mean he's confined to a hospital-- it means health and recovery for many cats.

Your cat needs INTERVENTION. Don't wait-- get with the vet tomorrow morning, first thing.

~Mackie