I switched my cat’s food and he won’t eat it. Is he okay?

[lwndlnd]

Hi there!
So, a little backstory here. I’ve been feeding my cats home cooked raw food since June 2022. They ate chicken based food all this time, cause I couldn’t find any other meat in our town. I know, how important rotation is. A week ago I decided to go to another town and buy meat for them. I bought some beef. I prepared it for them and let them try just a little bit. They LOVED it. Like, they were growling while eating it. Sometimes I give my cats wet food too, like their second meal or whatever.
Yesterday morning one of my cats refused to eat his breakfast. He just smelled it and went away. My heart dropped. I thought, maybe it’s the new topper I bought for them and put it on top of their food? It has this horrible fishy smell. I took it away and give him his food, just raw mixed with water. He didn’t want it. I gave him his regular treats and he ate it immediately with pleasure. Then I gave him wet food, he ate it with pleasure as well. In the evening (I feed them twice a day) I gave him his regular, I mean raw food. He ate a little bit and then refused. I sprinkled some crushed treats on top of it and he ate it right away. Today’s morning he refused raw again, I gave him wet food and he ate it. Then I mixed some wet with his raw, he ate it as well, but left a tiny bit. I’m very anxious and worried. Should I take him to the vet? Or it is just him being picky or not liking beef? Cause he eats any food, except this one. Even tho for three days he ate beef and it was ok. Now he doesn’t want it.
Otherwise he seems fine. He is active, playful, his mouth is ok. I did a little home check-up, looking for signs of some enlargement in his belly or lymph nods or anywhere, I found nothing suspicious. He seems well and I don’t see any difference in his behaviour. But I’m worried sick. What do I do? Maybe someone else had this problem?

 

[klunick]

He will eat when hungry. Animals won't starve themselves to death.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Don't give him the beef for a few days and see if he goes back to his usual routine. It might have just been a novelty to him to have something different, but now he has decided he likes all of his other foods better. If he goes back to eating normally, you have your answer - no more beef.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

As long as he's eating something, whether it's the raw food or canned, you are probably good to not take him to the Vet. It's if he completely stops eating that it's time to worry. I have a couple cats who sometimes like beef, then when I offer it to them again they act like it's poison! Then later on they like it again. Cats! Got to love 'em

 

[lwndlnd]

As long as he's eating something, whether it's the raw food or canned, you are probably good to not take him to the Vet. It's if he completely stops eating that it's time to worry. I have a couple cats who sometimes like beef, then when I offer it to them again they act like it's poison! Then later on they like it again. Cats! Got to love 'em

Thank you! I have decided that I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, because I’m very anxious and worried. And I think that it is better to take him and be sure everything is ok, then not to take him and then something is wrong. I planned to take him to the vet for his annual checkup in early March, so it doesn’t really matter if I’ll do it now and stop worrying. We will be doing blood tests and abdominal ultrasound. That way we will know if everything’s fine with him and I’ll only need to take him again in March for his heart ultrasound. For yearly checkup as well

 

[lwndlnd]

Don't give him the beef for a few days and see if he goes back to his usual routine. It might have just been a novelty to him to have something different, but now he has decided he likes all of his other foods better. If he goes back to eating normally, you have your answer - no more beef.

Thank you for your advice! I’ve already decided to take him to the vet just in case, cause my anxiety disorder could never let me live my life without knowing for sure everything is fine with my baby boy. But I will try to do as you said after visiting our vet!

 

[Alldara]

Good call for your own peace of mind. Likely the change to beef could be just too fast. It might have upset his tummy or intestines.

 

[maggie101]

Thank you for your advice! I’ve already decided to take him to the vet just in case, cause my anxiety disorder could never let me live my life without knowing for sure everything is fine with my baby boy. But I will try to do as you said after visiting our vet!
[/QUOTE
He may be like my cat Maggie. She will not eat unless I mix in freeze dried treats

 

[daftcat75]

Not all cats like beef. My guess? It probably didn't sit well with him. He probably remembers this. There were at least a couple of foods that Krista liked in the mouth and hated in the belly. When she smelled them again, she remembered and said, "what else you go?" If you go back to chicken or wet food, he'll probably be fine. Don't starve him into a food he isn't crazy about.

 

[lwndlnd]

Not all cats like beef. My guess? It probably didn't sit well with him. He probably remembers this. There were at least a couple of foods that Krista liked in the mouth and hated in the belly. When she smelled them again, she remembered and said, "what else you go?" If you go back to chicken or wet food, he'll probably be fine. Don't starve him into a food he isn't crazy about.

Of course! I will never starve my kitties. I’m calmer than I could be because Simba is at least eating his treats and wet food! He even stole some bread from the table Maybe he really just doesn’t like beef or not used to it and I should’ve introduce it to him really slowly. But I just want to make sure he is in a good health. Thank you for your reply!

 

[lwndlnd]

Nope, definitely not it. I live in Ukraine, unfortunately we don’t have freeze dried here But I’ve managed to find some and all of my cats hate it for now ahah. I think this is because it smells really fishy and stuff. But I don’t give up and will try to introduce it to them. I remember those times when they refused all raw food and any treats, because it was new to them. It just takes time. Our kitties are imprint eaters and that says it all

 

[mxphs]

Thank you! I have decided that I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, because I’m very anxious and worried.

Please keep us updated on what happens! I'm also a very anxious cat owner and I feel like a lot of these threads just are unfinished stories!

 

[lwndlnd]

Please keep us updated on what happens! I'm also a very anxious cat owner and I feel like a lot of these threads just are unfinished stories!

Well, I have an update, not a pleasant one. I was feeding my cats this morning (not Simba, cause we’re leaving to see a vet rn) and I decided to give him some treat, just to see if he goes for it. I didn’t really mean to let him eat it, just wanted to see if he wants to. Well, he didn’t. So I gave him a wet food just so he can smell it and I could see if he wants to eat it. He probably didn’t want it. When Simba smelled it, he started throwing up immediately. I assume, he threw up his dinner. I’m panicking right now cause this doesn’t look good. But I’m so glad that I trusted my gut and booked a vet visit.

 

[mxphs]

Let us know what the vet says!

 

[lwndlnd]

Hi there!
So, a little backstory here. I’ve been feeding my cats home cooked raw food since June 2022. They ate chicken based food all this time, cause I couldn’t find any other meat in our town. I know, how important rotation is. A week ago I decided to go to another town and buy meat for them. I bought some beef. I prepared it for them and let them try just a little bit. They LOVED it. Like, they were growling while eating it. Sometimes I give my cats wet food too, like their second meal or whatever.
Yesterday morning one of my cats refused to eat his breakfast. He just smelled it and went away. My heart dropped. I thought, maybe it’s the new topper I bought for them and put it on top of their food? It has this horrible fishy smell. I took it away and give him his food, just raw mixed with water. He didn’t want it. I gave him his regular treats and he ate it immediately with pleasure. Then I gave him wet food, he ate it with pleasure as well. In the evening (I feed them twice a day) I gave him his regular, I mean raw food. He ate a little bit and then refused. I sprinkled some crushed treats on top of it and he ate it right away. Today’s morning he refused raw again, I gave him wet food and he ate it. Then I mixed some wet with his raw, he ate it as well, but left a tiny bit. I’m very anxious and worried. Should I take him to the vet? Or it is just him being picky or not liking beef? Cause he eats any food, except this one. Even tho for three days he ate beef and it was ok. Now he doesn’t want it.
Otherwise he seems fine. He is active, playful, his mouth is ok. I did a little home check-up, looking for signs of some enlargement in his belly or lymph nods or anywhere, I found nothing suspicious. He seems well and I don’t see any difference in his behaviour. But I’m worried sick. What do I do? Maybe someone else had this problem?

Hello everyone, who’ve been involved and wants an update!
I’m on my way home from a vet. First of all, I LOVE my vet so much. Like, she is fantastic. Okay, mowing on.
We did a physical exam, abdominal ultrasound and blood tests. His complete blood count is great, like literally, every number is within normal ranges. We’re still waiting for blood chemistry results, I’ll have those by today’s evening. Abdominal ultrasound all good except two things. Lack of intestinal motility and duodenum spasm. My doctor believes my cat has pancreatitis due to sudden changes in his diet. Like, I really changed his diet from chicken to beef too quickly, then I gave him new wet food and new treats I feel like a horrible cat parent, cause it’s all my fault, but I hope my baby boy will be fine.
Our vet gave him a few shots, there was something to prevent vomiting, vitamin b12, something to help with peristalsis and something to remove the spasm. I can’t remember names of the meds now when I’m on my way but I have them all listed in Simba’s records. I’ll be giving him this shots and pills for two-three days, until he gets better. Our vet recommended enterosgel for a few days to help him with his stomach. She also recommended to feed him chicken like I used to for at least 1-2 weeks when he is recovering and only then I can slowly start transitioning him to a new diet and other new stuff. She said he isn’t allowed any treats now as well My poor sweet baby. He was so patient and good at the vet! And then hugged me and fell asleep on my lap while we were talking about his results.
I’m so happy it’s nothing life-threatening and I hope he will be better soon. I love him so much and I feel so guilty for causing this condition. But I learned a lot. And I’ll never allow it to happen again because of my mistakes.
I’ll update you guys soon with blood chemistry results if you want! Thank ya’ll for the support ‍ Hope you and your babies are doing good

 

[lwndlnd]

Hello everyone, who’ve been involved and wants an update!
I’m on my way home from a vet. First of all, I LOVE my vet so much. Like, she is fantastic. Okay, mowing on.
We did a physical exam, abdominal ultrasound and blood tests. His complete blood count is great, like literally, every number is within normal ranges. We’re still waiting for blood chemistry results, I’ll have those by today’s evening. Abdominal ultrasound all good except two things. Lack of intestinal motility and duodenum spasm. My doctor believes my cat has pancreatitis due to sudden changes in his diet. Like, I really changed his diet from chicken to beef too quickly, then I gave him new wet food and new treats I feel like a horrible cat parent, cause it’s all my fault, but I hope my baby boy will be fine.
Our vet gave him a few shots, there was something to prevent vomiting, vitamin b12, something to help with peristalsis and something to remove the spasm. I can’t remember names of the meds now when I’m on my way but I have them all listed in Simba’s records. I’ll be giving him this shots and pills for two-three days, until he gets better. Our vet recommended enterosgel for a few days to help him with his stomach. She also recommended to feed him chicken like I used to for at least 1-2 weeks when he is recovering and only then I can slowly start transitioning him to a new diet and other new stuff. She said he isn’t allowed any treats now as well My poor sweet baby. He was so patient and good at the vet! And then hugged me and fell asleep on my lap while we were talking about his results.
I’m so happy it’s nothing life-threatening and I hope he will be better soon. I love him so much and I feel so guilty for causing this condition. But I learned a lot. And I’ll never allow it to happen again because of my mistakes.
I’ll update you guys soon with blood chemistry results if you want! Thank ya’ll for the support ‍ Hope you and your babies are doing good

So, blood chemistry is all ok, which is great, except for glucose. It is 13.9 mmol/l. Could it be due to stress or pancreatitis? I can’t talk to my vet rn and worried sick again ahah. My cat is almost 6 years old btw

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Not eating and/or vomiting or even a change in diet can cause low glucose in cats. I'm sure if they thought it was anything to worry about, they would have given you instructions on what to do .

You seem like an excellent cat "parent", so you should not feel guilty for inadvertently causing this. How could you have possibly known? But you saw an issue and took immediate steps to fix it. That's what matters!

 

[lwndlnd]

Not eating and/or vomiting or even a change in diet can cause low glucose in cats. I'm sure if they thought it was anything to worry about, they would have given you instructions on what to do .

You seem like an excellent cat "parent", so you should not feel guilty for inadvertently causing this. How could you have possibly known? But you saw an issue and took immediate steps to fix it. That's what matters!

Thank you! Hugs. But his glucose is high Normal level is no more than ~7 mmol/l. Maybe you thought about mg/dl?
Maybe that’s due to the stress. We actually were driving for approximately two hours to see our vet and this is really stressful for Simba even with gabapentin. I saw numerous studies that have shown glucose level can be higher when a cat is stressed. I hope that is the case. But we will do urinalysis to confirm that there is no glucose in the urine. Or that there is some. But my vet also said that this is not high enough to diagnose diabetes itself but urinalysis will tell us for sure. And that he is too young for this. And he also doesn’t have a single symptom of diabetes. Not even one or something vague. Nothing at all. I really hope the level was high due to stress he experienced on our way.
They also found some diffuse changes in his spleen. But the spleen is not enlarged and it’s shape is also normal. Just some diffuse changes within it or so. My vet reassured me that this is okay and she have never seen absolutely healthy spleen even in the most healthy cat. And that this changes could’ve happened due to his pancreatitis or infection he had a few days ago for a week or two (respiratory infection to be clear and he is ok now!). Maybe you or someone else know something about it and can share with me? Thanks in advance! Just don’t want to miss something.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oops! Yes, I misread the glucose. Sorry about that. But you are correct that stress can definitely raise the glucose quite a bit. So can pancreatitis, AND infections, which I didn't realize he had just gotten over. As an aside, I have never heard of a raw fed cat getting diabetes, but I guess it could happen. I have a slightly overweight cat who eats raw, but my Vet isn't concerned about diabetes simply because of his diet.

As to the spleen, it's very close to the pancreas, so could be effects from the pancreatitis ? Since your Vet isn't worried and you have a fantastic Vet, then you shouldn't worry either

 

[lwndlnd]

Oops! Yes, I misread the glucose. Sorry about that. But you are correct that stress can definitely raise the glucose quite a bit. So can pancreatitis, AND infections, which I didn't realize he had just gotten over. As an aside, I have never heard of a raw fed cat getting diabetes, but I guess it could happen. I have a slightly overweight cat who eats raw, but my Vet isn't concerned about diabetes simply because of his diet.

As to the spleen, it's very close to the pancreas, so could be effects from the pancreatitis ? Since your Vet isn't worried and you have a fantastic Vet, then you shouldn't worry either

Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to me.
My vet is not actually really familiar with raw food, but she is not judgmental and really supportive of me! I think she trusts me to do my best for my kitties, even tho she doesn’t know much about that. I’ll so my own research. But we should anyway ruled out diabetes even if my cat eats raw, i think that’s the point my vet was trying to make!