My 10mo Norwegian Forest Cat Mix Isn't Eating

Hi everyone!

I've recently been having some trouble getting my 10 month old Norwegian Forest Cat mix (Cookie) to eat. When I noticed that she was too thin for her age, I took her to the vet. Unfortunately they said that they couldn't find anything wrong, or abnormal, and to just keep an eye on her. But she still isn't eating. 

I thought it was because she was fighting with two bigger males to get the food, so I bought her a case of her favorite wet cat food. I put her in a separate room so she wouldn't have any "competition". When I opened the can, she seemed very excited, but only sniffed it a few times before turning away. 

After a few attempts with the wet cat food, I gave her a bowl of milk as well, just to get SOMETHING in her. She didn't take to that either. I'm hoping that maybe her taste has changed, but I don't think that that's the case, because she only nibbles at her dry food.

Because she's not eating enough, she's only about 3-5lbs, and she's losing hair on her ears. 

I'm really worried about her, but I'm not really sure what to do at this point. Any advice would be super helpful. Thank you!! 

I would take her back to the vet or to a different vet.  

Is she having the heavy shedding that is normal for a Norwegian Forest Cat?  She could be having issues with a lot of hair in her digestive tract.  Has she had a bowel movement recently?  If she is constipated that can cause anorexia and nausea.

As a last resort you will need to syringe feed her.  There are several videos on youtube that show you how.  The main thing is to go slow and use  the side of her mouth rather than shooting down her throat.  A kitty can get a serious condition called hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver from getting too few calories over even just a few days.

this sounds like a classic case of nausea. smelling the food licking lips then walking away.

another vet should be seen. they may want to give something for nausea and appetite stimulant, you can try baby food meat with no onions/garlic. sometimes they get prissy about food. would there be a different flavor she would prefer?

sometimes heating it up in the microwave or adding hot water to it will help get the smell out.

has kitty been sneezing or have runny nose/eyes? Sometimes the spring allergies or an upper respiratory illness can cause the appetite to vanish. did the vet you go to look in her mouth or do bloodwork to see if something is wonky?

has there been any straining in the litterbox like constipation? Any vomiting? Eating something other than cat food?

also wanted to add since the cat is so young have they wormed? could you get some dry food to at least entice her to eat? I know dry food is not the best but right now where its been a few days since kitty has eaten-she probably has an upset stomach and is hungry but feels sick at the site of food. kind of like we get when we don't eat well.

the vet may also recommend antiacid meds. sometimes the acid in the stomach causes upset stomach like symptoms but generally this is seen in older cats with other conditions like Kidney disease or Irritable Bowel syndrome.

you can also try kitten canned food or dry food-it has more calories. the vet has canned food called A/D. this is what you would need to syringe feed.

you can try Kentucky fried chicken classic style-no bones/skin. heated up-anything to get her to eat.

The lack of weight could be anything and bloodwork is needed to see if the thyroid/kidney/liver/diabetes is something that is causing the noneating. Also worms. kittens often get worms and need at least 2 sessions of deworming. usually its a yellow liquid given two weeks later after the first dose. sometimes a third one is given. worms don't always show up in a fecal exam. If you have a stool sample bring it in to the vet anyways-they can use this as another piece of the puzzle to figure out whats going on.

@Denice  

She is having heavy shedding. She had a bowl movement this morning, but it wasn't much. But thank you, I'll take her back to the vet, or find a new one, and hopefully they can help out a little more. 

@foxxycat  

That's exactly what she's doing, smelling the food, licking her lips, and walking away. She doesn't show any signs of upper respiratory, but the vet didn't do any bloodwork. She hasn't been straining or vomiting. And yes, she's already been dewormed twice, and hasn't shown any signs. I'm going to go back to the vet to get her bloodwork done. But you've been really helpful. Thank you so much.  

Thank you everybody for your help! I think I may have actually found out the problem. I believe she was constipated because there was a rather large poo from her in the litter box, and now she's eating fine!! Thank you again for your help!