How did I not notice she wasn't eating?!?!

I got to looking at her udder last night & noticed it looked "fattier" & the hair seemed thinner. I got a vet appt. for Monday. That's not what this thread is about.

I got home about 3 this afternoon & noticed Twitch wasn't arguing over Ophelia being in the house. That's not normal for "Ms. Crabby Paws". I offered her some dry food(Innova EVO-her absolute favorite) & she turned it down. I opened a pouch of Nutro & she wouldn't touch it. I opened a can of Solid Gold blended tuna & she licked as much liquid off & ate a few bites of tuna & some of the canned food. She won't eat any Solid Gold now tonight. I mixed up some Veta Lac(kitten milk replacer) that is left over from Lily as a baby. I syringe fed her about 3 ccs(1/2 a cc at a time). I then offered her more Solid Gold blended tuna & she refused it. I opened a can of Pink Salmon & she refused that, too. I don't know if she is mad at me or really won't eat.

I have gotten to thinking, when did she actually eat last? Mom fed Twitch & Lily Friday morning & when she came back all of the food was gone, she doesn't know if Twitch ate or not. Friday night I gave Twitch & Lily their supper as usual & left them in my bedroom to eat. When I came back, all of the food was gone. I never saw Twitch eat any, but she was relaly enthusiastic about the food & was licking it when I left them alone. This morning, Twitch was licking at her food, but no one stood by to watch them eat. When she actually ate last is unknown.

She also slept the entire night through....no pawing at the door to get out, no fighting with Lily, nothing. I had to pick her up & carry her upstairs this morning, which sometimes she does & other times she doesn't do. Instead of sleeping on her fleece blanket or on her bean bag chair, she slept on one of the many blankets on the floor of my bedroom. This one is particular was "silky" & feels cool to the touch.

Now, I keep asking myself, why didn't I notice these things sooner? Does she have a fever? Is a fever her reason for sleeping on a blanket that feels cool? Why is she sleeping so much? Why didn't I take her to the vet this morning? I have a weird feeling this morning but attributed it to me worrying about the HS cats(feLV tests this week-some could get euth'd). I have been jittery since Thursday.

I have been through the not eating thing so many times, I cannot count them anymore. I spent a year fighting with her, coaxing her to eat, but none of my old tricks work this time. I ckecked her mouth for ulcers or discoloration, her eyes for discoloration, & her body for any wounds. Nothing. I am going to search TCS to see what I can find to feed her. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I cannot get ahold of a vet tonight. I already called. I will call again in the morning...but it's my little sister's birthday tommorrow(she's 15). Kind of screws things up for her. If I can get Twitch to eat enough to get her through until Monday, she has a 9 am vet appt. If she gets worse, I will take her to whatever vet I have to.

do yyou have baby food and tuna juice ..??? can you forse feed her??

Twitch has me frazzled. Last night, she slept beside me, but I think that was because Lily was really wound up & kept bugging her. Her ears were cold. This morning, she licked all the gravy off of a Nutro pouch, as usual. She then had the dry heaves. She hasn't puked anything up yet. I offered her soe Veta Lac in a bowl & she drank almost a 1/2 cup. She drank some water. Her stools are loose, though. I called the vet & she told me as long as Twitch is eating, she can wait until tomorrow(she was trying to save the expense of an emergency visit). If she refuses to eat at all, the vet told me to call her & bring her in ASAP. I have been giving her small meals all day without any trouble, but she doesn't eat much during one meal.

There might be a few jars of baby food somewhere in the house. I pureed some canned EVO & warm water & syringed her some of that. She licked a little Nutra Stat(high calorie stuff) off my fingers.

I am praying for her, and tell us what happens!

It's hard to track who's eating what when you have multiple cats. It sounds like you've given her lots of options. When you talk to the vet tomorrow, you may want to ask about an appetite stimulant--I know it often helps kick-start Spot's appetite when he stops eating.

I am snowed in the lousy house! I can't get out at all. We have 8-10 inches of snow overnight. I want the snow, just not now! I called the vet & made an appt. for 11:30am tomorrow. Until then, she told me to keep syringe feeding her to make sure she is getting food in her. I Pureed more EVO with tuna juice this time & pureed Nutri Stat right into it.

I think Twitch has mouth ulcers again. I offered her dry food & she would pick it up, gum it a little, & then spit it back out. I broke the dry food bites into fourths & she ate 6 bites of kibble that way. I can tell she wants to eat, it must hurt. I can't see any ulcers in her mouth, but I never really saw them before when she had them.

Stitch
Dear girl keep eating and get well soon

Good luck! Please keep us posted!

Please dont beat yourself up. You did notice and you are helping her now.
Prayers for you and Twitch.

The vet can't find anything wrong with Twitch. She checked her mouth, no ulcers. She felt her body for anything weird, nothing. She did x-rays to check things out, nothing. She ran bloodwork, nothing. She has no idea what it could be. She might just have a cold? She did say that Twitch was a very interesting & special kitty. She gave me Science Diet i/d to feed Twitch. I gave it to Twitch when we got home & she eagly ate it. I called the vet back to let her know she ate & the vet suggested that it might be the size of the kibble affecting her eating habits. Twitch wants to eat, gums the food, but spits it back out. So, now I have to find a kibble that is small & round, similar to SD. I think Eukanuba has some & maybe Nutro? I can get some tonight from the dumpy little pet store near me.

If Twitch quits eating again, I am supposed to call the vet ASAP no mattter what time it is & bring her in. The vet is very intrigued by Twitch, but I don't think that is a good thing.

Since eating an hour ago, Twitch has been sunbathing & grooming herself. She hs been swatting at Lily to make her stop trying to play. She is starting to be herself again. I am going to get a thermometer so we can watch Twitch's temperature when she does this again. The vet thinks this will be a common problem with Twitch.

I my special little kitty.

Natural Balance is a small round kibble if that's of any help (similar quality to Nutro)

Many of the royal canin line are small ... Imho way better than Eukanuba ... Nutro and Natural balence have a flatter shape but not a small pebble like SD

Twitch ate a little of her SD i/d this morning, then ate some Nutro adult I got for her. Then, she moved in on the EVO. She only ate a few bites, but she ate quite a bit for breakfast. She has been fighting with Lily & her bottom looks really clean. When she didn't feel good Ihad to clean it for her. I think she is finally feeling better!

The Pairie is a pretty small kibble. Also, yes, the Eukanuba is a small kibble, as is regular Iams (At least the weight control formula is, not sure about the adult formula). Good luck!

-Jade