Adult Foster refuses all cat food

sonyushashuman

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I have an adult foster who refuses to eat cat food.  She came into foster already not eating and with elevated liver enzymes.  They are improving as she starts eating more, but so far what she will eat is:

steak

tuna

pot roast

chicken

my turkey sandwich

She will react to tuna flavored cat food  - she acts interested, and walks away.  I can get KMR into her by making a gravy mixed with whatever meat I am giving her so at least that is giving her a few more calories.

Today she did finally eat 2 bites of Rad Cat.  She didn't seem well pleased, but she ate it.  Then left the rest to sit.  I have tried expensive grain free brands, cheap grocery store brands and everything in between.  I don't feed dry, but I tried that as well - no interest.  I tried sprinkling bonita flakes over the cat food, but she has no interest.

We have not been able to find any medical or dental issues.  She just won't eat cat food.  She is due tomorrow for a recheck on the blood work and I will ask then if it is time to try some sort of appetite stimulant.  It's taking a great deal of time (in addition to refusing cat food, she doesn't even eat the people food well if I'm not sitting there with her) and effort to get any food into her at all and while her liver enzymes have improved she continues to drop weight.

As a foster, I don't have much history on her.  She was an owner surrender roughly 2 months back with very little history given.  After a month she was noticeably depressed and looking "off" and the past 2 weeks she has been here with me.

She will (sometimes) eat temptations.  Something else I wouldn't normally keep in the house, but at this point I'm desperate to get her to eat anything.

I'm hoping somebody here has something different to try to get her to eat, or a similar experience with a happy outcome?
 

StefanZ

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You mentioned KMR, and this is a good idea.  Another one is goats milk - which is also cheaper than KMR.   At least the commercial full fat variations are cheaper.  Raw goat milk is good but not cheaper.

Full fat youghurt, some cheese, eggs - boiled or raw  (avoid raw egg white, but raw egg yolk is good).

If she eats some of this, it may even help some.
 

di and bob

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The cheapest way to feed her would be to get chicken hindquarters in the ten pound bags, 49-69 cents a lb, then boil up the whole lot for two hours or until it falls off the bone.  You then shred it with your fingers, taking it off the bone, and freeze it in quart size packages. It is a wonderful treat for your other cats if you have some, and your finicky baby would be happy. You also have broth for her to lap up. It's a mess for an hour, but you get a lot of cheap, wholesome food inexpensively. My spoiled elderly cat will only eat Arby's roast beef sandwiches, cut up hot dogs, and tuna which I buy in bulk when it goes on sale at the Dollar Store for 50 cents a can.  I really feel sorry for her, obviously she was a spoiled little princess who finds herself in a truly horrible situation. You are her angel fro taking her in and trying to help her, may you be blessed for your caring,. She would be a perfect match for an elderly person who would lavish the love and care she needs. Please keep us posted on how she is doing.  
 

kim23

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SonyushasHuman  my newly adopted cat Susie stopped eating for 15 days. We had the vet intervene with IV fluids and appetite stimulants. The vet also tested her blood work and left us with an antibiotic. Her blood work came back fine. She began eating and is doing fine today. The new environment and death of her owner is what I think started her not eating. It was expensive but well worth the vet bill.
 
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sonyushashuman

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She is drinking raw goats milk now (I use it for my own older cat) and she loves the boiled chicken.  I've managed to cut out the tuna altogether, though on occasion I still bribe her with the only cat food she was eating - Fancy Feast Fish & Shrimp.

Little by little I am mixing in more of either Weruva, Wellness or Spot's stew and she is actually starting to eat it rather than figuring out how to eat around it. 

Her blood work is almost normal and I've been able to stop giving her fluids.  She's still not easy to feed, but at least she is eating better. 

At this point I am very attached to her and would love to keep her, but mine will never be a single cat household.  I'm sure she could eventually learn to put up with the other cats, but I'm not sure she will ever be OK with the number of fosters coming in and out.  That said - until we can find that perfect match where she can be a spoiled only cat - or least 1 of a very low number, she has a place here to wait.
 
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