Help!! My cat won't eat

[louiseg]

Hi guys...im hoping someone can help me. My 4 year old domestic was precribed royal canin hypoallergenic dry food about 2 years ago. I would feed this regularly but alternate with wet food every couple of days. For the past 6 weeks shes turned off everything i usually give her. Ive tried new wet food and also a different grain free dry food which she will eat one day but not want a bar of it the next. Ive tried cooking mince, i even tried roast chicken but one bite and thats it. Funny thing is if she gets a hold of the dog kibble she eats it...or even her cat treats. Even bits of my breakfast!
Her skin and fur look fine and she is still playing etc but shes loosing weight and im getting worried. I have a vet appointment on tuesday.
Is she just being a fussy cat or should i be worried??
Regards
Louise

 

[moorspede]

Dog kibble, cat treats and human food does not have the nutrients cats need. She has a history of allergies? Can you give us more detail?  

 

[louiseg]

Yes i realise those foods are not ideal for cats but i was highlighting the fact that she is eating other foods....and is not off food all together.
She was put on the hypoallergenic food because the store bought food was giving her the runs. Since being on the hypoallergenic her stomach has been fine. Thats really the only info i have.
Regards
Louise

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I would  be a little worried.  Any change in habits is cause for concern.  There may be something going on, but the fact that she is eating "other food" is a good sign.  Sounds to me like she may simple be bored with what you are feeding her and wants a change.  when you say you've tried other foods, re you keeping them basically the same as she was eating before.  Maybe if she was eating chicken, are you still feeding her chicken, just a different brand or something like that?

  I have one cat that likes a huge variety in his diet.  I cannot feed him the same thing twice in two days or he won't eat it.  And my other cat will eat the same thing day n and day out UNTIL he gets sick of it and them wham...that's it.  No more of it  for several weeks, than he'll get back on the bandwagon and want only that again.  

So what I'm saying is, maybe try a new food that is way different from what she is used to. If you normally feed chicken, maybe try rabbit or venison.  And if you  normally feed pate, maybe try shreds.  OR, maybe the new food you are trying iIS shreds, and she likes pate.  You've got to try to figure out what it is she isn't liking.  In the meantime, you can even try feeding her eggs, lightly scrambled in unsalted butter, raw goat's milt, kitten replacement milk, Nutrical, anything like that to see if you can put some weight back on her  until your Vet appointment.   

 

[cosmic cats]

Hi Louise G,

Im sorry to hear your cat is not eating as she once did and I think its very good you are seeing a vet to have her checked in case its due to an underlying issue. Hopefully not and its just a case of her  being particular (as cats can be)  but in case it (any of it) is helpful to you (and others on the forum), Im posting the below info as Ive been  going through a similar experience

My elder cat friend also recently began eating less and I find it very distressing, especially as he is  already underweight...he does have various health issues (which I am addressing via by orthodox and natural methods) but I also recently did more research into cat food after he had a seizure suddenly... and its been quite a revelation, to put it one way...

for example, I now suspect one of the reason my cat eats less, aside from health issues, is because I recently switched foods - some recipies I was giving him I think had flavour enhancers in them  eg MSG in them (called "natural flavour.")

I dont  know for sure this was in the food but but I suspect it MIGHT have been ..and I  wonder if my cat was addicted to these "flavour enhanced" recipies, which he would gobble down.... when I stopped them, I think his true appetite was revealed ie. not very good. 

Maybe you cat also prefers food with "natural flavours...?  which might be flavour enhancers? (but maybe not) eg It might be sprayed onto the treats?

I know I "climb walls" if I accidently eat MSG and I wonder, if my cat friend had been eating MSG all these years unbeknown to me, if its affected his health, either chronically or acutely.

Im now trying to find safe, healthy food alternatives to what I was giving him to try and keep some weight on him etc. I have to be very careful re what i give  him as. again, he has various issues eg Chronic kidney disease - CKD-  and its very frustrating, and distressing trying to find any commercial food that "ticks all the boxes" and is as close to a "human grade diet" as possible (which is what  I prefer to give him..can be a bit expensive but luckily I usually have enough pennies to do it..)

We went off grains years ago,for various reasons (eg GMO grains  can be in foods), and I dont want him to have much fish for various reasons, I prefer he not have carrageenan (a veg gum in lots of cats food, I thin)k , no BPA lined tins in case BPA contributes to hyperthyroidism , as some people are questioning...and  now, no more "natural flavour" in case its a flavour enhancer ... and so on....

I began looking into doing a natural raw diet and trying to source good quality, safe supps for it, but Ive been flat out and didnt want to start it until I had researched it all properly to try and ensure he got the right amt of important daily nutirients eg taurine...but also, he isnt big on raw food and Im not even sure he would eat a raw diet which wouldnt be good as hed miss out on nutrients....(Ive found at times I have to chose the" lesser of "two evils" re helping him just to try and help him somehow

So after A LOT of reading, and talking to vets, Ive tried to make an informed decision re a diet tailored to his needs (and changing needs given his ongoing kidneys and heart issues etc)  I managed to find one  commercial cat recipe that basically" ticks the boxes" and he gets two pouches of that  a day- but he only drinks the sauce.- but at least he does that and Im trusting gets all his daily nutrients as its a apparently a  balanced food recepie...)

I cut raw duck, turkey, chicken - try to get free range, hormone free if possible - and a bit of grass fed beef - into small pieces (hes missing a front tooth) and give him that daily also for meat/protein , as well....Ive read there is a risk of salmonella with raw food but after reading what is apparently in a lot of commercial cat food, and as I try to buy quality meat cuts, Im more than willing to take that chance rather than give him  just a commercial cat food diet. I also try to keep his immune system healthy by safe/appropriate supplements (ones I researched in depth) to try and keep "bugs at bay" ...

I dont give him dry food anymore as I feel its not very good for kidney health (dehydrating) esp if a cat isnt one to drink much water  (wish I had got him fully or mostly off dry food years ago -he mostly got "premium" grain free dry food back then)....Even though he has CKD, again, after a lot of reading from a very wide variety of sources, and talking to numerous vets (I m a big believer in getting second, third, vet opinions often) , I decided not to give prescription dry food for CKD.. I trying to address his kidney issues via other means....thats just my choice and if Ive made the wrong decision, I fully accept it was my choice, my responsiiblliity. 

Given his recent lack of appetite  I try and give him a bit of variety re food (once Ive done the research) to try and encourage him to eat more - my cat friend also tries to eat my food (constantly have to move plates out of reach  if Im eatiing on the couch etc) and one thing was my porridge - I nownow scramble  (free  range, organic) eggs in a bit  f spring water and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil (over it (he isnt allergic to the olive oil, thankflully)... and give that to him as a treat.  eggs seem OK to give him now and then him but I understand they mightnt be suitable for all cats

Its important too, I understand, to make changes to diet gradually, as a rule/generally....of course there are exceptions to this I expect, eg if its discovered a cat is allergic to something, its best to get him/her off it asap but how one would do that as safely as possible,  Im not sure...a question for a vet, I imagine.

If, as with my boy, a health issue is present, I hope you can find a good diet suitable for her asap..I know from experience, if one wants to be a "diet detective",  it can take a bit of "homework" to come up hopefully with  a good quality, suitable diet... but if one is able to do such homework ,  I think its well worth it...I personaly try to be careful though re reading things online, in books,  as Ive found a lot of conflicting info, "half info" , even wrong info...Again, /i  talk to various vets often to try and get all the "pieces of the jigsaw." I think different vets  can have their own "take" on things at times, eg some are very orthodox,/traditinal",  others are more natural, holistic..Ive definitely found different vets can have differing opinions on such things as diet etc, and also different experiences can influence their advise at times, I expect etc etc  

Basically,  I try to be careful when I m trying to make an "informed decision re cat things". ...one can but try...

Also, if you are into natural / holistic things, as I am,  I do feel not much is known about using many natural things for cats...I have "got nowhere" many times when I approached vets, or companies with queries re using a particular natural product as not much is know about their use/safety for cats ...something else to consider perhaps if you are researching a diet including supps for cats  ...

And of course, supps can  also include  inactive ingredients/ exipients which mightnt be good or even safe for cats, or for some cats depending on their unique situation / health status...Especially if Im considering buying a supp sold for humans  eg D-Mannose, I try to be  very careful as it may contain ingredients (listed or not, on the jar/pack etc) that are not safe for cats or my cat as an individual....Ive found some health companies (human and pet product companies) are happy to provide a full list of  their products ingredients, others are not. (I personally generally dont use these one as I like to know what Im giving my cat friends)

Same with pet food companies, some do , some only give a little info or nothing.....

Its all rather complex (and at times tiring,, depressing and frustrating)  I find, trying to work it all  out and then organise  an "ideal" (and safe) diet tailor made for ones own cat friends....but I  think its time well spent if the outcome is a diet that is nutritious and suitable for ones cat friends. ..its taken me months to arrive at a diet for my cat Im basically happy with but I feel better for having done it.

Long post I know, if you made it this far, well done, I say!

Best of luck re finding a solution to getting your girl eating well again and soon and hope all goes well re the vet

"Cosmic Cats", a lady who lives with lovely, wise  cats / "teachers"

 

[louiseg]

Hi guys thanks for your replies. Turns out my poor cleo has fatty liver disease. Its not her pancreas etc all tests came back clear. May be stress...i recently found out i am pregnant.
She spent 4 days at the vet and has a tube in. She ce homw today and i am tube feeding her 7mls of food and 4 mls of water every hour. Im hoping she picks up soon and wants to start eating on her own. Any tips on getting her appetite back? Also i noticed today she was struggling to poop. Does a tube fed diet cause this?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

She may be dehydrated from all the struggles she's been thru.  Did they give her fluids while she was at the Vet?  Is she on any antibiotics?  Those can also cause "issues".  Have they figured out what may have caused the Hepatic Lipidosis?  Are they treating her for what caused it?  How about treating the liver itself...is she on anything for it?

Now, are you really feeding her every hour on the hour, including in the middle of the night?  When my guy had HL, we were to feed him every FOUR hours, and many others here were instructed to feed perhaps 4 or 5 meals per day, not every hour on the hour, but I guess every Vet is different.  The main thing is to get calories into her.  WHAT are you feeding her.  Hills A/D?  Are you mixing it with water so it goes into the syringes better?

With H/L, it takes time to get their appetites back.  My guy was on a feeding tube for 4 months.  I think that's longer than the norm, but probably a month is what you might be looking at

.  She may eat here and there on her own, but you will need to monitor the amount and make sure she's getting enough, so won't want to pull that tube until she is able to maintain enough on her own for awhile.   It's ok to leave out some of her regular food and see if she ever takes any interest in it, but I wouldn't expect her too for several days yet.

As far as the constipation, monitor that closely.  It could be related or could be the cause of the issue in the first place.  Did she show any signs previously?  Talk to the Vet about adding Miralax or plain pureed pumpkin to her food before syringing it in IF that's the problem.  Or give her more water.

There are lots of threads on H/L or Hepatic Lipidosis or feeding tubes if you want to drive yourself crazy.  I will warn you though, some of the cats did not survive

  It's a dangerous diagnosis, and the chances of survival are about 50/50.  My own sweet boy did NOT survive

, but another Advisor here still has her little guy who also had H/L, so you just never know.

 

[louiseg]

Hi there
Thanks for the reply.
Yes she was on fluids and is on something for the liver. She had the head cone on so i took that off hoping it may be easier if she wants to eat/drink.
Yes she is on hills a/d and our vet told us 7mls every hour...but not to worry over night. I got to bed around 11 and get up around 8. Yes we make a slurry with the food. And we also flush the tube with 4mls of water each time.
She ate 3 little cornflakes and a tiny piece of ham. Just trying to get her to eat anything atm.
As for the constipation...she was more so the other way so was put on royal canin hypoallergenic. Which seemed to firm up her stools to a normal consistantcy. She pooped yesterday but looked like she was struggling. She did three little hard stools.

 

[stephanietx]

Try plain meat baby food, turkey or chicken. See if that will get her eating.

 

[louiseg]

Tried chicken breast and beef mince but not interested. Although she ate about 10 of her treats this afternoon which is good. Somwthing is better than nothing

 

[louiseg]

She also hasnt urinated today...should i be worried??

 

[aaronward]

If a cats not eating, it's in pain

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Tried chicken breast and beef mince but not interested. Although she ate about 10 of her treats this afternoon which is good. Somwthing is better than nothing

Yes, trying to eat anything at this point is good

  Does she have the esophigial feeding tube (in her neck)?  I'm surprised she had on a cone if so.  I think taking it off will definitely help her.  Just make sure she can't reach any of the tube.   Usually it can be fastened down pretty well with coban or even a KittyKollar, which are super!  Here's their website:  http://kittykollar.com/our-products/about-our-products/kitty-kollars/

She also hasnt urinated today...should i be worried??

She should definitely urinate SOME during a 24 hour period.  Not sure how much you are watering down her food, but just clearing our the E-tube with 4 ml of water every hour should be enough to generate some urine.  Is she dehydrated?  Do you know how to test for that by pulling up on her skin and seeing how long it takes for it to go back into place?  If it doesn't fall back down quickly, but instead forms a little "tent", then she's dehydrated and needs more water,.  Don't forget to keep providing fresh water for her to drink on her own even though she's got the tube in.  But pooping 3 little hard balls does sound like she is dehydrated.  Keep a VERY close eye on no urination, because that can be extremely serious, not related to the H/L, but stress can cause blockages

If a cats not eating, it's in pain

This cat has Hepatic Lipidosis at this point, but we don't know the initial reason for the loss of appetite.  It could have been pain, could have been a thyroid issue or other health issue, could have been constipation, could have been one of many things.  Since she was still playing like normal, not sure you can really attribute this to pain or I would think she would have be acting differently

.  It's hard to know.

 

[orange&white]

She will pull through as long as you're getting enough calories/water into her and she doesn't have vomiting/diarrhea (dehydration risk).  You do need to take her back to the vet is she doesn't pee/poop though; something in addition to the HL is going on.

I nursed a cat through HL with oral syringe feedings.  It was a grueling few weeks.  Just when I was so sleep deprived and about to give up and take him to the vet for a feeding tube, he woke up one morning and started eating again as if nothing had ever happened.

When you cat feels better, she'll start eating again.  That maybe tomorrow or several weeks from now.  It's one of those "when the cat decides to" things.  Fortunately, cats who recover from HL almost never relapse and get it again.

Watch the pee/poop though.  That is a concern.  My HL cat was regular on litter box "output" for the duration.

 

[louiseg]

Hi again
Update on cleo...she did wee last night. It was a pretty big one with no blood or anything so i was happy about that.
Im still doing hourly feeds from around 830am to 8pm..which is super taxing as im 5 1/2 months pregnant.
She ate a tiny bit of tuna this morning along with about 10 cat temptation treats around lunchtime and then about 5 kibble in the afternoon. But i had to offer it to her by hand. She hasnt actively gotten up to eat on her own.
She was more active today especially in the morning. Scratching her scratcher heaps and wanting to go ourside. All positive signs i suppose.
Yes she does have the tube on the side of the neck. I think they gave her the cone to just make sure she doesnt try to pull it out. But i took it off as soon as i got home.
Tomorrow is the first day i have to leave her alone for a couple of hours so i am super nervous.

 

[orange&white]

That's a good report.  Eating a little bit and playing.  Sounds like she is feeling a little better. 

I'm hoping for you that Cleo will start eating on her own sooner than later.  I know it's draining.

You could ask your vet if you could feed a little more food on a 2-hour schedule.  We started with the 1-hour, plus I was setting an alarm and getting up after 4 hours for an overnight feeding, when Cosine first went HL.  After the first week, we moved to 2-hours and no getting up at night.  My vet was more concerned about calories per day than timing after the first week.  The last couple of weeks, his appetite (for food from the syringe) came back up, and I was feeding him every 3-4 hours.

Sending good thoughts your way.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

How is Cleo today?  Did you discuss with your Vet what @Orange&White suggested with the feedings?  I think that's an excellent idea, especially since that's what the majority of folks do...feed more less often. 

 

[louiseg]

Hi again...day 5 of home tube feeding for cleo. She had her check up at the vet and he said i can now feed her 14mls food every 2 hours. Which is better but not ideal atm. Oh well...if she continues the way she is going vet says perhaps 10 more days of tube feeding. This morning she ate 3/4 pouch of whiskers and 2 sardine fillets as well as some cat treats. Im hoping the eating continues. She is still jaundice though. Her levels were very high when she initially went in

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Her eating on her own sounds like quite a bit!  That's great

.  As I remember, it takes quite awhile for the jaundice to go away, and sometimes the blood values actually go UP during the treatment before sliding back down..  I've heard of that many times.   

The main issues here is determining what caused her to stop eating in the first place.  Does your Vet have any ideas.  That needs to be addressed so it doesn't happen again, in case it's a medical reason.. 

 

[orange&white]

Hi again...day 5 of home tube feeding for cleo. She had her check up at the vet and he said i can now feed her 14mls food every 2 hours. Which is better but not ideal atm. Oh well...if she continues the way she is going vet says perhaps 10 more days of tube feeding. This morning she ate 3/4 pouch of whiskers and 2 sardine fillets as well as some cat treats. Im hoping the eating continues. She is still jaundice though. Her levels were very high when she initially went in

​Sounds like she's doing really well, starting to eat quite a bit on her own.  If that continues, maybe they can pull the tube earlier than planned and you can get some rest.  Looking forward to more good reports!