Cat won’t eat!

[JessicaSengchanh]

Hello,
My 9 year old cat was in the hospital and was diagnosed with moderate cardiomyopathy. After the hospital he is doing a lot better however he is still not eating. I have offered him tuna, multiple types of wet food, baby food, hard food. The most he has done is lick the juice. Even with an appetite stimulant that was previously given he still won’t eat. I have a call placed to the vet asking for advice and her opinion on Hills Science recovery AD. Have any of you had luck with this food or any other advice you can offer me on how to get my cat to eat?
Thank you

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
In addition to your vets advice, there might be something here;
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I can't answer the question about the Hill's recovery food, but you might also want to ask the vet if you should be trying an anti-nausea med in addition to the appetite stimulant. If your cat is nauseous, the appetite stimulant might not be doing enough to help with that aspect.

 

[fionasmom]

Did your cat have a cardiac event which prompted the vet visit? I have used the AD food and while it is highly recommended, my cat did not like it. I suggest you try a couple of cans initially.

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

He was having trouble breathing so I took him to the ER and that’s when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. So no actual cardiac event. Just the heart disease finally presenting itself. Thank you!

 

[daftcat75]

I'm still waiting for the next steps in figuring out why my Betty White won't eat like she should. In the meantime, she loves the Hills A/D. She also enjoys the Hills I/D in the stew cans, but not the pate. I mix the two in about a 70:30 A/D to I/D ratio. The reason I do this is because I save the pure A/D itself for hiding medicine and supplements. It is also the nuclear option in case she stops eating altogether. She is on a regimen of once daily mirtazapine (appetite stimulant) and twice daily ondansetron (anti-nausea) and famotidine (acid control.) I know her intestines are inflamed from an ultrasound. But until we can get an endoscopy appointment (consultation in early June), I don't have any answers why. Thankfully the vet assures me all of these meds are safe to give daily for the medium to long-term until we have more answers.

Yes. I would recommend the A/D for getting your cat to eat. Pick up a can or two to see if he likes it. If he does, mix it with something else and save pure A/D as a nuclear option as well as disguising medicines and supplements. If you get him hooked on pure A/D alone, you may never get him off it. For hiding medicine, I cut Betty's ondansetron and famotidine pills to the correct dose with a pill cutter. Then I repack these pill fragments into the smallest gelatin capsule, size 5: about the size of a Tic Tac breath mint. I roll up this tiny Tic Tac into a morsel of A/D and place that A/D morsel on the carpet in front of Betty. Asking her to eat it off the carpet (or another textured surface like a towel) reduces the chances of the "lick and flick" where she licks all the food off the pill and flicks the pill off the plate. When I'm satisfied that Betty has taken up the morsel and the pill, I let her have a tiny A/D chaser portion as both reward and in case she bit into the capsule and tasted either pill. I haven't seen any drool or faces or other indications that this has happened. But I know she appreciates that chaser portion all the same.

 

[fionasmom]

What are they doing for the HCM?

 

[Twylasmom]

I am also struggling with getting my cat to eat like she should. She has always been a good eater, eating mostly a variety of Fancy Feast pates and a small amount of a prescription dry food for constipation but I am trying to get her to eat foods lower in phosphorus (none of which she likes much)since she is in very early CKD. So I have been trying out some new foods once a day for the past few weeks and giving her the lowest phosphorus FF at her other meals. I have noticed that she is less interested in food overall (but still eating well most of the time) but today she barely ate her wet food, and only some of her dry.

Debating if I should go ahead and ask my vet for an appetite stimulant now or try something like Fortiflora as a topper first. A few crushed up kibble has been working so far, but not today, nor has crushed freeze dried chicken.

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

What are they doing for the HCM?

he has in 3 heart medications!

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

I am also struggling with getting my cat to eat like she should. She has always been a good eater, eating mostly a variety of Fancy Feast pates and a small amount of a prescription dry food for constipation but I am trying to get her to eat foods lower in phosphorus (none of which she likes much)since she is in very early CKD. So I have been trying out some new foods once a day for the past few weeks and giving her the lowest phosphorus FF at her other meals. I have noticed that she is less interested in food overall (but still eating well most of the time) but today she barely ate her wet food, and only some of her dry.

Debating if I should go ahead and ask my vet for an appetite stimulant now or try something like Fortiflora as a topper first. A few crushed up kibble has been working so far, but not today, nor has crushed freeze dried chicken.

My cat isn’t a big eater ! The appetite stimulants did not work for him unfortunately. But I would ask your vet for it soon to decrease the risk of your car stopping completely ! Or at least have the stimulant on stand by.

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

Hi
In addition to your vets advice, there might be something here;
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

Thank you . Nothing has helped so far. It is now day 8.

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

Hi. I can't answer the question about the Hill's recovery food, but you might also want to ask the vet if you should be trying an anti-nausea med in addition to the appetite stimulant. If your cat is nauseous, the appetite stimulant might not be doing enough to help with that aspect.

I will ask them ! Thank you

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

I'm still waiting for the next steps in figuring out why my Betty White won't eat like she should. In the meantime, she loves the Hills A/D. She also enjoys the Hills I/D in the stew cans, but not the pate. I mix the two in about a 70:30 A/D to I/D ratio. The reason I do this is because I save the pure A/D itself for hiding medicine and supplements. It is also the nuclear option in case she stops eating altogether. She is on a regimen of once daily mirtazapine (appetite stimulant) and twice daily ondansetron (anti-nausea) and famotidine (acid control.) I know her intestines are inflamed from an ultrasound. But until we can get an endoscopy appointment (consultation in early June), I don't have any answers why. Thankfully the vet assures me all of these meds are safe to give daily for the medium to long-term until we have more answers.

Yes. I would recommend the A/D for getting your cat to eat. Pick up a can or two to see if he likes it. If he does, mix it with something else and save pure A/D as a nuclear option as well as disguising medicines and supplements. If you get him hooked on pure A/D alone, you may never get him off it. For hiding medicine, I cut Betty's ondansetron and famotidine pills to the correct dose with a pill cutter. Then I repack these pill fragments into the smallest gelatin capsule, size 5: about the size of a Tic Tac breath mint. I roll up this tiny Tic Tac into a morsel of A/D and place that A/D morsel on the carpet in front of Betty. Asking her to eat it off the carpet (or another textured surface like a towel) reduces the chances of the "lick and flick" where she licks all the food off the pill and flicks the pill off the plate. When I'm satisfied that Betty has taken up the morsel and the pill, I let her have a tiny A/D chaser portion as both reward and in case she bit into the capsule and tasted either pill. I haven't seen any drool or faces or other indications that this has happened. But I know she appreciates that chaser portion all the same.

I hope you figure it own soon. When you do, please let me know!
My cat did not like the AD unfortunately.

 

[JessicaSengchanh]

Did your cat have a cardiac event which prompted the vet visit? I have used the AD food and while it is highly recommended, my cat did not like it. I suggest you try a couple of cans initially.

My cat also did not like it. What else did you try?

 

[fionasmom]

Is the appetite stimulant oral or transdermal? That is sort of along shot, but in some cats it makes a difference if it is oral. If you cat has really refused food for this long, call the vet. Yesterday you mentioned that it was 8 days already, so he may need syringe feeding at the least. But the vet has to be informed that the loss of appetite has gone on for so long.

The most reliable food I have found in these cases is the Hartz Delectable Stews or Broths. Some cats don't like the Bisque as much. These kinds of pouches of treats are made by many manufacturers, so there are other options.

Medications interfering with appetite? Ask the vet. Don't stop any heart related medication on your own.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What did the vet say about trying an anti-nausea med in addition to the appetite stimulant?