It's Like My Cat Has Forgotten How to Eat on her Own

My cat and I have had a rough two months. She's been dealing with nasal discharge and inflammation for a while now, but this time two months ago it was so bad the vet I normally go to said there was nothing they could do (they were frustrated with always giving her steroids) anyway throughout her nasal discharge which was unilateral, she NEVER had problems eating ever. well the vets referred me to this other place, and after i went there i think the stress got so bad she had another flare up and one nostril got blocked and the other free one now had discharge. they also prescribed piroxicam, which sent her appetite all out of whack and she hasn't been the same since then.

when i told them she was not eating at all, they gave me an appetite enhancer...but she had the will to eat...but just couldn't smell the food no matter what i did. she was eating pieces of chicken, but eventually i had to take her to be tube fed about 3 times.

then she finally started eating off of a syringe.

i eventually got her off piroxicam cause it wasn't doing its job at reducing inflammation. took her to another vet but when i found out i had to drive another 3 hours to another referral to spend even more on a rhinoscopy, i asked if we could just try to keep her comfortable and maybe try the steroids until i had enough money to take her to get the testing. the time i went she still had piroxicam in her system, so we tried a different antibiotic (she'd been on clavamox) doxycycline...which put her off her appetite. so i stopped and she started eating off the syringe again.

did a culture and sensitivity test and was told to put her back on doxycycline and told not to bother with steroids cause the inflammation was just going to come back. i only had the pill form at that point which i was nervous about but it's all i could afford at the moment (i've spent over 3000 on the cat so far). then after a few days she stopped eating and i stopped doxycyline. she ate only a little bit but then stopped about a week or so ago. she's eaten in intervals but she just stopped.

the frustrating thing is she has the will to eat (when the can opens or she hears the dry cat food) but as soon as you set it in front of her she looses interest. she will absolutely not accept the syringe for some reason at all costs and i keep trying to think of a significant change but i can't think of any because she did try to eat from the syringe a little after i stopped her from the doxicycline.

well i just went back to my initial vet and i said look i know you guys said there's nothing more we can do...but the fact that she's still walking around and still wants to play and all, i wont feel right putting her to sleep when it's obvious she has the will to live. especially when at this point we don't even know for sure what the cause is of this discharge. we saw some red matter and a little blood (a bad sign i know) on her left nostril and he said this means the tumor is growing and i accept it.

but after he gave her the steroid shot (dexamethasone i think?) and a TYLAN...by the next day there was no discharge. A few days after that the inflammation can't even be seen in the nose. she is in higher spirits and acting like her 'old self'.

i know that steroids can give the impression that things are fine when they aren't...but her urge to eat has become even more. i had asked the other vets if we need to feed her via tube and they said keep trying to syringe. well today, she got so excited for the dry food and she even began scouring hungrily about the plate but it's like she can't manage to chew or something. i saw a few dry foods just fall out of her mouth. she kept attempting then its like she got frustrated and walked to the room to hide under the chair.

it made me so sad i nearly started crying. i feel like my old cat is back but she just wont eat the same way. i will go to the vet and just get them to feed her via tube and try my best to feed her syringe (i don't force it down her throat for those who may be wondering)

these two months have been so draining but i can't give up on her. i'm just scared if we feed via tube it will put her in another stressful situation thus creating another flare up.

i'm so stressed and i'm running out of money to keep dealing with this. i love her so much and this is breaking my heart. this cat means so much to me. so much in my life is going wrong and she has been the only constant but if i can't help her anymore i'll be so devastated. the stress of everything including her illness is also begin to affect me physically.

oh i also forgot to mention that she has been drinking lots of water. i know steroids can make her do this but she was drinking water before she was on them and wasn't on any medication or anything. she will get excited and chew on lettuce (i checked and apparently that's safe for cats?) but once it falls out of her mouth she just doesn't care about it anymore, loses interest and walks away.

I have to wonder if the cancer hasn't spread either to her mouth or to her brain. There's also the chance that she could be nauseated and this is why she isn't eating.

I know she has been on an appetite stimulant, but has she been on Cerenia to help with any nausea?

From the sound of it, I agree with @CatPack  - either nausea or pain is keeping her from eating.  Sometimes switching to a smaller syringe works, like a 1 ml syringe, and sort of liquifying the food with a hand beater prior to putting in the little syringe and feeding slowly, just a few drops at a time.  Texture matters as well when there is pain in the mouth - softer, almost pudding-like food is much better tolerated.  You have not mentioned pain meds, which I think she desperately needs.  My babies have all done very well on Buprenex, for both short-term and long-term use.  At least you will know she isn't hurting, and often alleviating pain will enable them to eat.  I would call the vet first thing tomorrow and ask for Buprenex.  I'm so sorry you're both going through this.  I know you have bent over backwards to help her, and that you love her very much.  I will keep you two in my prayers.  Please get this baby something for the pain, because I can pretty much guarantee that is part of if not most of the problem.  If she is not currently in pain, she will be as this progresses and you must be prepared to help her  Hugs, sweetie.

I'm sorry for the late response but thank you all for the support and suggestions. While I was worrying, some time on Wednesday, she started eating on her own. She has a few sneezing fits and I know it has to do with little inflammation that's probably trying to regrow, but I've been rejoicing because more and more she's starting to eat on her own.

I know this doesn't mean the problem is solved but at least for now she seems a bit comfortable. I at time think chewing gives her pain cause she starts sneezing but it seems to be easing.

Her behavior has also changed. When she had the inflammation and discharge, she would sit in one corner the WHOLE DAY. Now she's sitting where she used to and walking around a bit more. If I'm in bed she comes to greet me making muffins like she used to. She's also 'talking' like her normal self, like giving me a hello if I come to the room.

OH another thing, she can finally lay her head down without getting uncomfortable...which seems to be a problem when she's having that snoring breathing and discharge. So she's been resting a lot and now when I try to play with her she's more excited than before. I'm happy she's like her old self but I'm keeping a level head cause i know now that it's just temporary.

The only thing I'm wondering about is whether she should be on something or no cause she seems pretty stabilized but i wont delude myself to think she's perfectly fine. I'm just going to  monitor her while I gather the money to get her a full check up.

She usually lasts a month before another flare up, so I'm just anticipating it but i know i need to work towards dealing with the actual illness and not just easing the symptoms. Thank you guys so much and for all your suggestions which I looked up as well