Recently my elderly cat has had blood in her urine, urine tests showed no bladder infection and blood tests showed that her kidney function is good, the vet did an ultrasound of her bladder and found a small growth that may or may not have been the problem. She has been a bit off, obviously not feeling well and was not eating. The vet gave me a syrup to give her for pain and to treat any infection. There is now no more blood in the urine and she seems more active and the vet has told me to stop giving her the syrup. However, she now won’t eat anything I give her. I was giving her freshly steamed fish to entice her to eat while she was poorly but now she wont touch her normal wet food that she used to love and won’t eat her dried food anymore either. I have bought tons of different wet foods, she licks the sauce but won’t put the actual food in her mouth. I have also bought a variety of good quality, grain free dried foods but she is having none of it. The only food she will eat at the moment is the Hills c/d dried food that the vet gave me and fish. She turns her nose up at anything else. I am worried that the Hills is not good quality and contains grain and the fish does not contain enough nutrients. i am at my wits end at the moment and don’t know what to do to get her back to eating her normal, healthy diet. I would greatly appreciate any advice!
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After illness cat won’t eat
- Thread starter Sukipuki
- Start Date
Can you check out his thread :- any-good-tips-to-get-your-cats-to-eat-share-them-here.396694
Hi. What is this syrup they gave your cat? Just curious. It is good that she at least eats the Hill's c/d dry food, but do you know why the vet wants her to eat it? Normally that is for cats who have improper PH levels in their urine and/or have crystals that the food helps to dissolve. Have you tried the Hill's c/d canned food, just in case she might eat that too? Have you tried to mix some of the fish with any of the wet foods to see if that might be enough to get her to eat them?
Sometimes, cats will correlate foods they were eating with feeling bad, so they stop wanting to eat them. But, since you have tried other foods, I am not sure why she doesn't find any she likes. Are they of the same texture as her old food, and she somehow is still connecting that texture to her old food that she thinks made her feel bad?
Is she on any other meds that you might be adding to these wet foods that she won't eat? That might be another reason for her to be refusing them.
Sometimes, cats will correlate foods they were eating with feeling bad, so they stop wanting to eat them. But, since you have tried other foods, I am not sure why she doesn't find any she likes. Are they of the same texture as her old food, and she somehow is still connecting that texture to her old food that she thinks made her feel bad?
Is she on any other meds that you might be adding to these wet foods that she won't eat? That might be another reason for her to be refusing them.
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I have heard that cats can sometimes get addicted to fish, and hold out for it rather than eat other foods, so that might be a factor?
Have you tried pates? If she is licking the gravy, she might be enticed to eat a little of pate-textured wet food. Maybe even try her on a different Hills product, like the Active Longevity? It comes in wet and dry versions, so if she has decided she likes Hills, she might be inclined to eat another similar product that is better for long-term, at least to get her eating again. Hills also has a 100% guaranteed return policy, so if she doesn't like it you can get your money back.
Something we give cats at my vet clinic, if they absolutely refuse to eat, is a pate-textured treat stick. I've yet to see a cat refuse. Not great for long term at all, intended as a treat, but worth it if it gets something in her belly, or distracts her from the fish. You may even be able to put it on top or mix with other foods to get her to eat them. The brand we use is Dine Creamy Treats , though unsure what the equivalent may be where you are situated.
Personally my cats like chicken, raw or cooked (one will only eat raw), so maybe something else if she will eat it rather than the fish?
Best of luck, hope you find a solution soon!
Have you tried pates? If she is licking the gravy, she might be enticed to eat a little of pate-textured wet food. Maybe even try her on a different Hills product, like the Active Longevity? It comes in wet and dry versions, so if she has decided she likes Hills, she might be inclined to eat another similar product that is better for long-term, at least to get her eating again. Hills also has a 100% guaranteed return policy, so if she doesn't like it you can get your money back.
Something we give cats at my vet clinic, if they absolutely refuse to eat, is a pate-textured treat stick. I've yet to see a cat refuse. Not great for long term at all, intended as a treat, but worth it if it gets something in her belly, or distracts her from the fish. You may even be able to put it on top or mix with other foods to get her to eat them. The brand we use is Dine Creamy Treats , though unsure what the equivalent may be where you are situated.
Personally my cats like chicken, raw or cooked (one will only eat raw), so maybe something else if she will eat it rather than the fish?
Best of luck, hope you find a solution soon!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Thank you, there were some good tips. I put a a bit of tuna water on her food and that seemed to get her attention and although she didn’t eat a lot she did eat at least. I am going to try the bonito flakes and also ordered some fortiflora.
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- #6
Hi, the syrup is Metacam, I’m not sure why the hills c/d but at least it’s something in her stomach I will have a look for some Hills canned food. Regarding correlating food with feeling bad, perhaps she was feeling some nausea from the pain medication and she thought it was the food. I will have a closer look at the textures of the foods I offer her. I also tried mixing the fish in with the wet food but unfortunately she was not having it! I did put some tuna water on her wet food though and that got her interested.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Thanks I’m going to look around for some more Hills food, wet and dried. Unfortunately my cat has always disliked fresh, cooked chicken. I’ve tried many times with that over the years. I haven’t tried raw chicken though. I guess it’s worth a shot. I’m in the U.K. so not sure about the Dines but will have a look online for it. She did eat some wet food with a teaspoon of added tuna water so I’m hopeful!
That's great to hear that your cat is eating a little. Don't give up. Keep trying to entice her to eat.
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I wonder if the vet would consider mirtazipine as an appetite stimulant or cerenia as an anti-nausea med?
Fancy feast "flaked tuna and shrimp" often works. Ham has been a big hit in my family, but is high in sodium and not balanced. But eating something is better than nothing. Stella and Chewy's was recommended by my vet when my boy wouldn't eat. It's freeze-dried raw. You can use it as a topper or rehydrate it (maybe in tuna water?) and serve it as a meal. Praying for you both!
Fancy feast "flaked tuna and shrimp" often works. Ham has been a big hit in my family, but is high in sodium and not balanced. But eating something is better than nothing. Stella and Chewy's was recommended by my vet when my boy wouldn't eat. It's freeze-dried raw. You can use it as a topper or rehydrate it (maybe in tuna water?) and serve it as a meal. Praying for you both!
