Any ideas to get cat to eat

[verna davies]

Kiwi my 4 year old spayed female stopped eating friday. Took her to the vet on saturday, temperature ok, gums a little inflamed but she has gingivitis that has never bothered her. No sign of obstruction, lots of different bloods done and showed nothing. Given antibiotics and steriod. Eat a little through the day but not much, back to vets sunday, re-ran bloods, all ok, did abdomen scan that showed all organs fine as were intestinal tract. Kept overnight on fluids and I brought her home yesterday. She eat maybe 40% of normal amount of food, today she has had a little Hills a/d restorative care food and about 20grams of tuna. She is not showing any signs of lethargy, her behaviour is normal, active and alert but licks her lips now and again as if she feels sick. She is able to eat, no vomiting or diarrhoea just doesn't seem to want food. My vet is at a bit of a loss and doesn't want to keep her in again as its too stressful for her. Has anyone got any ideas that would get her eating or experienced something similar. Getting desperate here.

 

[tabbytom]

V verna davies , have you check out this thread?

any-good-tips-to-get-your-cats-to-eat-share-them-here.396694

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Sorry for what is going on with Kiwi! In addition to all the suggestions in the above thread link, do you and the vet think trying either an appetite stimulant or anti-nausea med might be worth a shot?

 

[verna davies]

Thank you both. I have tried some of the ideas but to no avail. I spoke to my vet last night about appetite stimulants but neither of use really want to try them because it is masking the issue. I am waiting for him to phone me back and will ask about an anti-nausia injection and if he has come up with anything. I'll give some of the other tricks a try. I just tried syringe feeding her and she spat it over me..lovely.

 

[FeebysOwner]

That is pretty much what Feeby did to me when I tried to syringe feed her. There was more on me - and her - than ever went down her throat! On the chance it is the gingivitis, maybe a small, small dose of pain meds? Just as a test just to see if it would make any difference in her eating. If it did, it very well could be that her mouth is bothering her more than it used to. Of course, keep us posted!

 

[verna davies]

The steriods have cleared it for now but she will eat hard treats or chew chicken, Ive been trying that out to see if it was her gums. The vet phoned and he is ok with 40% intake for now, will phone me friday. As all the test results were ok it may be a virus and there are no tests for that. I have to syringe water into her to keep her hydrated so will get out my umbrella in readiness.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi Verna.

Just a few of my personal (non veterinary professional) thoughts/reactions/understandings in quick point form:

• when I hear of sudden inappetence, my first thoughts relate to what the cat's 'output' has been in the days leading up to it, because that's often where the first symptoms will have played out...some degree of constipation is often the root cause
• if blood analysis should show nothing wrong/abnormal........I would not expect an antibiotic to be used, nor would I allow it. If the suggested antibiotic were Convenia to be followed by a steroid, I'd be very concerned......because that combination is specifically contraindicated by the a/b's manufacturer - because severe adverse reactions can result
• any infection, bacterial or viral, causes changes in WBC values......in the absence of abnormal values, there is no infection
• steroids are used to reduce/control inflammation; IF inflammation is present, it will show up in one of the WBC values
• lip licking is a textbook symptom of excess stomach acid....and that's one of the results of not eating. Stomach acid is easily treated with an acid blocker (like PepcidAC).
• most often, 'flying food' during syringe feeding is the result of too large a quantity of food being instilled at a time; if only droplets at a time are given, the cat can swallow them, whereas larger amounts will be resisted; when cats "drink", they take in only a minuscule amount of the liquid on their tongues before swallowing...unlike humans, they are not used to having large amounts of liquids in their mouths

I'm glad to hear she's eating more.
.

 

[cataholic07]

Try giving those cat it type sticks, I find most cats will always eat that. I have one cat who is insanely picky and with him we have to give lots of different brands/flavors of his raw and sometimes give him wet food. You can add food toppers like nutritional yeast, and bonito flakes. I find if a cat is sick while eating a certain food then they tend to not want to eat that for awhile as they associate it with being sick. It's kind of like if you threw up after eating some food, you wouldn't want to eat that food again for awhile.

 

[verna davies]

white shadow . Thank you, very informative. The steriods and antibiotics were given before I was asked due to difficult circumstances, I was outside vets and not allowed inside. I have to say it seems to be common practice in my local vets, not just the practice I am with. The vet said that if no improvement by following day, to take her back and they would do bloodworks. As she is a bad traveller and the journey is 30mins, I asked vet to do bloods then. She defacated an hour before I took her in so no problem there. I will buy some PepcidAC today. Do you know the dosage to give please. I only gave a very small amount of food through syringe, small pea size, its just her attitude. She asked for food last night several times and I thought it was over but has just refused some this morning. I will see how it goes later.

cataholic07 . She has eaten the treats and I have tried a variety of brands and textures. She doesnt like bonito flakes at all but I will try different toppers. Thanks.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ My cats start a riot in the kitchen whenever I steam a chicken ! I would try it with your cat .. . ´

 

[MissClouseau]

I don't know if it would help but worth to try. My Hima gets a milk thistle-curcumin supplement called Silycumin: Silycumin

Originally she started for its milk thistle, for her liver. But I think the other ingredients help her overall immune system and inflammation. It's said to give one week break after a month like all milk thistle products I know and I see some difference in her that week, including her gingivitis. Maybe you can find a similar product with the ingredients, this is the ingredients list.

Different imaging systems show different things. Does the vet think there could be anything at all that doesn't show in the x-ray they took, and wouldn't change anything in the blood test but still could cause refusal to eat? Another dental problem maybe? Or a benign tumor? Have you tried changing the angle of the bowl or your hand when you handfeed?

 

[verna davies]

No my vet said organs looked fine and intestines. He isnt in today but I will speak to him first thing tomorrow. As he cant find anything he thinks she will have to be referred to a specialist but time is not on Kiwi's side. I've tried different bowls, placing inside house and outside. I am now out of ideas. I will look at milk thistle, thanks.

 

[MissClouseau]

No my vet said organs looked fine and intestines. He isnt in today but I will speak to him first thing tomorrow. As he cant find anything he thinks she will have to be referred to a specialist but time is not on Kiwi's side. I've tried different bowls, placing inside house and outside. I am now out of ideas. I will look at milk thistle, thanks.

And curcumin. Milk thistle and curcumin. If you haven't already tried Fortiflora is another to-go for me.

I hope she feels better soon

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sure you've already thought about it - maybe even tried it - but what about the most recent food item I have seen on here - Kentucky Fried Chicken or a similar product if that is not available to you?

 

[verna davies]

I have fresh chicken that she normally loves but now wont touch. I am giving her kitten food today, eats the jelly but not the meat. Managed about 120 cals so far (its nearly 4pm) Might try an appetite stimulant tomorrow to try over the weekend.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Would she lap up the kitten food if you made it into a slurry?

 

[verna davies]

Only the jelly with added water, not the meat. She will eat a small amount of kibble but she's just not eating the quantity of food needed.

 

[DesperateMistrustful]

Slurries are the only thing that's worked with my very nauseated boy. Try putting the kitten food with a little bit of water in a blender until it's a slurry that she can lick up without chewing. Sometimes I add a bit of tuna/tuna water if it's a fishy flavor. I blend until it's a thick and creamy consistency then portion out a very small amount to entice him and add a tablespoon of clear unflavored Pedialyte to replenish fluids. Just make sure not to water it down so much that all of the taste is gone. He will still leave a lot of the small meaty bits this way but he also gets a lot more than just licking gravy/fat.

I don't like giving appetite stimulants without anti-nausea medication. Imagine being really hungry but too sick to eat and then someone makes you feel like you're starving. If you can pill Kiwi ask for cerenia pills, otherwise an injection form is available. I find it incredibly irresponsible that your vet hasn't given her anything for nausea.

 

[verna davies]

I will mention them tomorrow but she hasnt vomited at all so maybe thats why he hasnt offered them. Why cant cats talk!

 

[DesperateMistrustful]

You know her best, if you think she's feeling sick then she's probably feeling sick. Being interested in food but then turning away from it after getting a whiff is likely nausea; she wants to eat but it's too gross. If she's loafing on her front paws (putting weight on them and not relaxed) that's potentially another sign, especially if her head is bowed.

So sorry you're going through this. I hope Kiwi feels better soon.