Cat is so hungry but won't eat

momenzie

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My female cat is 9 years old. We moved about a year ago, and she hasn't been the same since, very low energy, and lost almost half of her body weight. She is currently 7.4 lbs.

The vet ran tests and showed she is deficient in vitamin B. They also noticed something in her blood work pointing to pancreatitis. She was on anti nausea meds but now only requires one or two per week.

She is not vomiting as much as she used to. Went from heavy vomiting 1 time per day to now probably twice per week.

My concern is that she is starving, she wakes me up throughout the night for food, and will eat it off of a spoon when I feed it to her, but she doesn't seem to be eating enough.

The vet's next step is an ultrasound, but he said he doesn't suspect cancer because of her appetite. We know something is wrong and we are just guessing right now.

Does anyone have any experience anything like this? Is it worth getting a 2nd opinion or just keep performing expensive tests even though they have been inconclusive so far?
 

SeventhHeaven

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Thyroid issues?  Hyperthyroidism.  I'm new to serious cat health problems just a *guess*
 

catsknowme

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 I can commiserate - not because of my cats but because of my adult disabled daughter (she has lost over 60# and all the blood panels, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc. have yielded no clues and now she is having some sort of mild seizures), so even in the human world, those internal goings can be a real mystery. 

You might consider finding a holistic vet & asking their advice and opinions. For some reason, your cat is out of balance at the new place. Possibly, it could be the tap water, if it is treated or perhaps there is a propane leak or some other environmental challenge that makes her nauseated. 

If you do inquire with a holistic vet, you can inquire about using Slippery Elm Bark to help soothe her insides, also ask about marshmallow root and licorice root. And you could check out coconut oil which offers both antibiotic and antiviral properties (I use only fair trade, organic because coconut farmers are some of the world's most exploited and, in the tradition of my ancestors, I believe that the healing benefits in the herbs are better if they are beneficial to all in the change of harvest & use). I had a cat get attacked by a raccoon last year and her wounds wouldn't heal, despite several different antibiotic used both internally and topically; the only thing that helped, and helped quickly, as in overnite-miraculous quickly, was coconut oil. It was the kitty's idea - I had her inside & when she smelled the coconut oil that I was using for cooking, she went wild begging for it & then most happily devoured a big spoonful.

I hope that someone who has better answers and ideas answers you soon! 
 

LTS3

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A dental problem? You'd be surprise how many vets don't bother to consider dental problems as a possible cause of a cat not eating. Some many check the teeth but have no idea what to look for as dentistry and common dental issues are not really taught in vet school. You can ask the vet to check your cat's teeth or seek out the opinion of a veterinary dentist.

A second opinion with a "regular" vet is also a good idea.

What are you feeding your cat? The same food as before the move?
 

weebeasties

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Is she dehydrated? We had a 14 yo who began to make a mess with his food, dropping it on the floor as he tried to eat. Then I realized he wasn't drinking. It was a tumor on his tongue. He was so hungry but it hurt him too much to eat.  I hope this is not the case with your baby but it would be wise to have her mouth examined if you haven't already. Sending good vibes and wishing you the best of luck.
 
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momenzie

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That was one of the possibilities, but an ultrasound will not diagnose this so I don't know why the vet won't run additional tests against this possibility. It's frustrating. I scheduled an appointment to get a 2nd opinion on Saturday. I'll follow up on this thread.
 
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momenzie

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@catsknowme, I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter, that has to be so frustrating for you. Thank you for the holistic information, I will follow up and see if I can find a practice in my area. I too believe in holistic remedies for people and animals.

Thyroid issues and inability to metabolize certain nutrients were also discussed in her initial exam, but for some reason her regular vet wants to do an ultra sound next. I feel like I'm being up-sold.

We were feeding her the same thing before the move at first, but then she stopped eating dry food completely so I changed it. That started the vomiting. 

I don't think she is dehydrated, but I wouldn't put anything past her. She has a water fountain, because she will not drink still water. I have a very high maintenance kitty. She seems to be urinating frequently, and had blood work and a urinalysis done about a month ago and the urinalysis came back fine but it did report some crystals. She has a history of bladder stones.

Thank you all for the mouth exam leads, and to think of it, I cannot recall the vet even doing a dental exam during her 2 appointments. I found a vet to do an oral exam and offer a 2nd opinion for $76, and scheduled an appointment for Saturday. I started paying more attention to how she eats and have noticed that she is dropping food and it also flies off of her tongue when trying to lap it up. It also looks like she favors where she places the food on the right side of her mouth, and turns her head horizontally to the side when chewing. I'm hoping this 2nd opinion could help me find answers. 

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions. I'll follow up after her appointment.
 

LTS3

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She seems to be urinating frequently, and had blood work and a urinalysis done about a month ago and the urinalysis came back fine but it did report some crystals. She has a history of bladder stones.
Weight loss, increase urination, and hunger are common signs of diabetes and possibly a few other diseases. Have the second vet run blodowork again and make sure that the fructosamine test is included. That is the test for diabetes.
.I started paying more attention to how she eats and have noticed that she is dropping food and it also flies off of her tongue when trying to lap it up. It also looks like she favors where she places the food on the right side of her mouth, and turns her head horizontally to the side when chewing. I'm hoping this 2nd opinion could help me find answers. 
Sounds like there may be dental issues going on as well. Can you open your cat's mouth and look inside? Inflammed red gums and lots of dark yellow tartar on the teeth indicate dental disease. There are pictures here: http://www.avdc.org/dentaldisease.html
 

laura mae

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Not to be frightening, but ultrasounds will show if there is a mass somewhere that is giving your kitty problems. It could help discover something while it is early and there is something that can be done about it.
 

weebeasties

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Thank you all for the mouth exam leads, and to think of it, I cannot recall the vet even doing a dental exam during her 2 appointments. I found a vet to do an oral exam and offer a 2nd opinion for $76, and scheduled an appointment for Saturday. I started paying more attention to how she eats and have noticed that she is dropping food and it also flies off of her tongue when trying to lap it up. It also looks like she favors where she places the food on the right side of her mouth, and turns her head horizontally to the side when chewing. I'm hoping this 2nd opinion could help me find answers. 

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions. I'll follow up after her appointment.
Try looking up Gingiva Squamous Cell Carcinoma in cats. I don't want to scare you - just want to give you some info in case you want to ask your vet any questions on your next appt. This is probably NOT what you are dealing with. This is what my sweet Shady had. By the time we figured out what it was, you could see the swelling on one side of his tongue. There were no bumps or anything, his tongue just looked really thick on one side. Wishing you the best of luck .
Sending good vibes.
 

weebeasties

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Did your kitty have her appt. Saturday? Any news? Hope she is doing ok.
 

victry77

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Low vit B is suggestive of some form of small intestinal disease such as IBD. Loss of weight and vomiting are also symptoms as well as an increased appetite. 
 
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momenzie

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Try looking up Gingiva Squamous Cell Carcinoma in cats. I don't want to scare you - just want to give you some info in case you want to ask your vet any questions on your next appt. This is probably NOT what you are dealing with. This is what my sweet Shady had. By the time we figured out what it was, you could see the swelling on one side of his tongue. There were no bumps or anything, his tongue just looked really thick on one side. Wishing you the best of luck .
Sending good vibes.
 
Did your kitty have her appt. Saturday? Any news? Hope she is doing ok.
Yes, sorry for the delayed reply, I was entertaining my in-laws. Well, I have to say I'm disappointed in vet #1. The blood work from about 1 month ago from vet #1 showed that my cat's test resulted in a slightly abnormal range for Hyperthyroidism, which required a follow up test for Hyperthyroid Disease, specifically looking for this hormone. Test results should be back today or tomorrow.

Vet #2, does not think this is what we are dealing with though. His recommendation is based on what the test results show for Hyperthyroidism, he recommends getting an ultrasound. He really does think we are dealing with IBS though, because of how hungry she is, so much so he offered that we can skip the ultrasound, but really really recommends it if we can afford it. After the ultrasound, you can run the biopsy to test for IBD, but it is an invasive test and runs about $2000. Vet #1's required this test, but vet #2 said that in a large percentage of his animals that return negative results in an ultrasound, he will just immediately begin the treatment for IBD with favorable outcomes. One cat suffering from IBD began at 6 lbs and is now at 11 lbs. The treatment begins with a pill that when digested it coats the lining of the intestines. Sometimes IBD will require a cortisone treatment, but we don't want to jump ahead of ourselves.

I'm really happy I got the 2nd opinion. It was only $67 for the 2nd opinion appointment, but then cost upwards of $270 with the bloodwork and prescription food we keep our cat on. I expressed my concern with how she appears to be in a lot of discomfort, but he wasn't too worried since she is maintaining 7.2-7.4lbs over the past few months.

He explained that these types of issues are extremely difficult to diagnose, so we go with what the symptoms and test results are telling us and it's a process of elimination. 
 

weebeasties

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So glad that the second opinion was able to give you some more ideas/options. I know how frustrating it is when they have to keep testing and all you want is to start treating the problem. I hope this new vet is on the right track and your kitty starts feeling better soon. Please keep us posted.
 

foxxycat

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I would recommend the ultrasound.

I had a cat who had a horrible case of pancreatitis. Its not always detected by bloodwork. she also had elevated thyroid levels. When we tried to treat her we did the following:

Pepcid then anti nausea meds=this really helped her to eat better.

sub fluids-they showed me how to do this at home-she had pancreatitis and they said that fluids are needed to help flush this inflammation out. This along with Pepcid and Cerenia REALLY improved her quality of life.

unfortunately by the time I got the ultrasound done we discovered additional issues so I urge you to not put it off any longer.

I don't know if you have faith in either but look for one who is a board certified internal doctor if you can-meaning they can interpret the ultrasounds better than a regular vet BUT in my experience=this isn't always true.

Try to find a vet who has quite a bit of ultrasound experience if you can.

They can have you give your kitty Pepcid-its a bitter tasting pill and will need to be coated with butter or inside a pill pocket smoshed around it then pill it followed by 5ml of water to ensure swallowing.

If there is bad pain going on from pancreatitis they may send you home with an oral liquid pain killer=it depends on the vet though. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to this condition.

I would ask about fluids/Cerenia/Pepcid/pain control and also treatment for the thyroid issues- sometimes the levels of thyroid can make them nauseated=their body has more hormones swimming around than normal so it is often nauseous feeling.

also a dehydrated kitty will feel like crap so try to get more liquid into them.
 
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momenzie

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More info, the thyroid panel result is back and within normal limits. 2nd vet recommended that we see an internal medicine specialist (instead of going back to vet #1 who are not specialists), for the consultation and to get the ultrasound. I have 2 recommendations from vet #2 and we are scheduling an appointment for first available and these specialists have the ability to conduct the ultrasound and read the results in their facilities. Vet #1 only could schedule the ultrasound for when a tech could come to their office and the results would have to be sent out for reading.

I'm sorry to hear about the additional issues that were discovered during your ultrasound. I'm very concerned about this as well. I'm angry that I had to push vet #1 on coming up with a plan and it took over one month. Vet #2 has responded in less than a week with the course of action. I do feel more comfortable and trusting of vet #2 and am sticking with him.

She is maintaining a 7.2 pound body weight which is so small, and is eating a prescription wet food and we are also giving her baby food, too. She always has food around, but I make sure to get up when she wakes me up throughout the night asking for it too. I am giving her pepcid (liquid form), and her vomiting seems to be down to 1 time/week. This is still not normal though.

Both vets did say she doesn't appear to be in any pain and that she let them feel all around in her belly during the physical examination so they didn't recommend pain medicine, she just looks depressed. I did have to give her pain medicine when she had bladder stones and that was tough.

I commend you for being able to give subcutaneous fluids. I have to give her a vitamin B12 shot once a week and it hurts me more than it hurts her.

Thanks for the info, I will continue updating as we move along.
 

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Momenzie and Weebeasties--how are your cats doing? I am going through something similar and am at my wit's end. I adopted Charlie about five years ago (about 8 years old now.) He used to be 13 pounds and a voracious eater. Vet said he was actually a bit heavy, and to get him down to 10 pounds, which I did/maintained for several years. In January, out of the blue, he started getting diarrhea, getting lethargic, and no longer inhaled his food. He is now 5.5 pounds. Here is the general vet history (not including re-check visits).

Visit #1--Comprehensive check up with blood work indicating hyperthyroidism. On Methimazole (transdermal b/c he's a cat and would kill me if I tried to put pills down his throat). He perked up a bit and wanted to eat, but it was like he was getting distracted. He was hungry for food, but I had to keep leading him back to his bowl, where he'd take a few bites and then look around, until I put the bowl in front of him again. It would take 30-40 minutes just to get him to eat a full bowl. I also noticed congestion/sneezing and realized that he couldn't smell his food.

Visit #2--Told the vet that he can't smell his food and might be why he's not eating as much. He got an injection of fluids, antibiotics, and I came home with liquid suspension steroids. They seemed to work and he started to eat somewhat normally, but only for the first two days. He went back to yowling/begging for food, but when I put it in his bowl, same thing--eat a bit, look around, eat a little more, etc. I went through 12 different kinds of cat food (dry, wet, organic, grain-free, etc.), and also tried heating up his food, mixing it with water, mixing foods together, etc. It would still take 30 minutes to get him to eat just half a bowl of anything.

Visit #3--The good news is that he actually did gain a bit of weight, so we were encouraged. Another injection of fluids, and more liquid suspension steroids to take home--dosage increased. Again, he was yowling/begging for food as he always has, but again, would start picking at it. The good news is that the diarrhea subsided. When he stopped eating all of the current choices of food, I got him a new brand and he loved it. I was excited until the explosive diarrhea started again. The worst part is that he steps in it, so I have clean his paws and he yells bloody murder and gets more stressed out. It's a vicious cycle.

Visit #4--Different vet felt his tummy/intestines and felt something a bit off and says it might be IBS, which I know some of you have mentioned. I've also been reading up on dental disease, which others have also mentioned. I did notice that his eating/chewing habits have changed. He used to wolf down his food so quickly, I used to wonder if he even had teeth, b/c he rarely took the time to chew it. Lately, he's been having trouble getting it in his mouth--dropping it everywhere, chewing every bit, or just licking gravy off the wet food. Vet said his teeth "looked good" so doubts that is the problem.

I am taking him to the dental clinic tomorrow. If that doesn't help, will get treatment for IBS, per one of the posters, regardless of ultrasound. I have read other articles that indicate that ultrasounds are not always conclusive, so that info was very helpful! Please provide updates on how your little ones are doing. Thanks!
 
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momenzie

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The ultrasound was inconclusive. The internal specialist wants to run an endoscopy, but purvey is moving us forward with IBD treatment. Her pills should be in tomorrow. I will see how she does and report back.

This weekend I puréed her wet food and I think it's helping with her eating. The vet did check her teeth and said he doesn't think that's the issue. She might be swallowing funny because she has acid reflux. She seems to do better on Pepcid.

She just seems to be so depressed and it's breaking my heart. Hopefully the treatment (Budesonide) works quickly and she can begin to heal.
 
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momenzie

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Purvey should be "her vet"
 

laura mae

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Hopefully with the medication and all your care, he'll perk up. Frustrating when the tests aren't very conclusive for anything specific.
 
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