Cat barely eating

[ana94]

Hi guys,
My 10 year old cat has been losing weight over the last few months (from 4.8 kg to ~3.7 kg). At first I didn't think much of it as he was eating normally and he had no other symptoms (no vomiting, no diarrhea) but at the end of December he stopped eating dry food altogether and only ate very small portions of canned/wet food.
Since then we've made multiple visits to the vet to figure out what is wrong. His bloodwork came back normal, he has no fever and the eco didn't
show anything that could cause his lack of appetite. Without being able to give a diagnosis, the vet decided to try an injection treatment with an antibiotic,
anti-inflammatory and something that decreases stomach acid production. Durind this treatment he seemed to feel better and even started eating dry food,
but unfortunately 2 days after the treatment stopped he relapsed. After that the vet suggested an endoscopy, which also didn't reveal any problems
with his stomach. I am now giving him pills for nausea and Pantoprazole but he's not getting any better. He eats very little on his own, sometimes he seems to
have no interest in food and even though he is hungry he will avoid it and only eat from my hand when I bring it to him.
Have you seen this kind of situation before? Any advice?

 

[She's a witch]

did the vet check his teeth?

 

[ana94]

did the vet check his teeth?

Yes, he checked and did a cleaning.

 

[jefferd18]

There are many reasons a cat will decide to stop eating- bad tooth, digestive problems, fleas, parasites, blockage, tumors, etc...

Another reason: age and upper respistory infections can cause a cat to not be able to smell his food. It wouldn't hurt to do a round of antibiotics. Will he eat some tuna?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Without being able to give a diagnosis, the vet decided to try an injection treatment with an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and something that decreases stomach acid production. During this treatment he seemed to feel better and even started eating dry food, but unfortunately 2 days after the treatment stopped he relapsed.

Hi. What all was included in the blood work? Chemistry Profile would show much more than just a CBC, if there was a nutritional/chemical imbalance that is causing his lack of appetite and weight loss. Also, a B12 test to check for malabsorption.

Based on what you have said, it would seem that the anti-inflammatory might have been the factor that improved his eating, so ask the vet about what else to try/test regarding inflammation issues. Could this be arthritis related, perhaps? None of the tests he has had so far would have identified arthritis (aka x-rays). Pain related to arthritic conditions can cause a lack of appetite. How does he move around - notice any change in this aspect?

It wouldn't hurt to have a full urinalysis done (including urine culture) as well as full fecal PCR which would look for bacterial/viral issues, in addition to various parasites.

See if there is anything in these articles that might help to get him to eat more:

How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – Cat Articles
How To Get A Cat To Gain Weight – Cat Articles

 

[ana94]

Hi. What all was included in the blood work? Chemistry Profile would show much more than just a CBC, if there was a nutritional/chemical imbalance that is causing his lack of appetite and weight loss. Also, a B12 test to check for malabsorption.

The vet did a biochemical panel to see if there are any renal or liver problems, diabetes, etc. He previously had liver issues last summer and was on a hepatic diet for a month.
It's possible that the anti-inflammatory is what helped him.We focused more on the digestive system because he shows some signs of nausea, frequently smacking his lips at the smell of food and turning away from it, he sometimes gags after he eats, which he never did before.
As for the moving..he wasn't very active to begin with but now he only gets up and out of bed to go to the litter box and drink. I'm not sure if it's pain or just lack of energy due to not eating enough.
I will be taking him to the vet again to see what else we could try.

 

[ana94]

Another reason: age and upper respistory infections can cause a cat to not be able to smell his food. It wouldn't hurt to do a round of antibiotics. Will he eat some tuna?

He had a round of antibiotics two weeks ago, I'm not sure if repeating it will help. He eats tuna every once in a while. It's been difficult feeding him lately because what he likes today he may not even touch tomorrow, so I try a few options everyday and see which one he eats.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Does he have any other symptoms? Does his coat look normal? Any swollen lymph nodes?

 

[jefferd18]

He had a round of antibiotics two weeks ago, I'm not sure if repeating it will help. He eats tuna every once in a while. It's been difficult feeding him lately because what he likes today he may not even touch tomorrow, so I try a few options everyday and see which one he eats.

I PM'd you with an option.

 

[amandag1]

Try smelly FF, heat it a bit...
Delectables lickable biques/treats
Also ask the vet about Mirataz its a gel you can apply to his ear to get him to eat, appetite stimulAnts

 

[ana94]

Does he have any other symptoms? Does his coat look normal? Any swollen lymph nodes?

He doesn't have any other symptoms, apart from the ones I mentioned. His coat looks normal and I haven't seen any swollen lymph nodes.

 

[ana94]

Thanks for all your answers guys. Small update, I stopped the treatment yesterday morning on the vets recommendation and he seems to be doing better. He ate well and he's more active. Now I have to wait and see if it's something temporary or if he keeps improving.

 

[MissClouseau]

He previously had liver issues last summer and was on a hepatic diet for a month.

My Hima has liver issues. There are different kinds of liver problems obviously and I'm not even sure if it's related at all but note, my Hima gets gassy especially with wet food. She usually eats only one meal of wet food on her own, for the rest she waits for me to handfeed her as we figured out it's because she swallows more air when she eats her own and gets more gassy so she gets more gas cramps. There is actually no symptom other than she lies in weird postures like cat loaf, which is unusual for her, then she burps several times in a row sometimes. then she gets all comfortable. The point is that, gas, for example would show nothing on a blood test inherently. Maybe there is something like that going on?

Mine also only eats pate/mousse texture since around last year, probably due to her gum problems. I read that sometimes gum problems aren't even about tooth problems necessarily and some cats are just prone to them, like humans are. So unfortunately teeth cleaning or even tooth extraction don't always totally fix it.

Since he eats little, maybe he could use a higher calorie food. I think some foods in the market are too low-calorie to prevent obesity which is common but they don't help the cats who don't eat much. You could also try food toppings maybe. Fortiflora also helps.

 

[MissClouseau]

He previously had liver issues last summer and was on a hepatic diet for a month.

My Hima has liver issues. There are different kinds of liver problems obviously and I'm not even sure if it's related at all but note, my Hima gets gassy especially with wet food. She usually eats only one meal of wet food on her own, for the rest she waits for me to handfeed her as we figured out it's because she swallows more air when she eats her own and gets more gassy so she gets more gas cramps. There is actually no symptom other than she lies in weird postures like cat loaf, which is unusual for her, then she burps several times in a row sometimes. then she gets all comfortable. The point is that, gas, for example would show nothing on a blood test inherently. Maybe there is something like that going on?

Mine also only eats pate/mousse texture since around last year, probably due to her gum problems. I read that sometimes gum problems aren't even about tooth problems necessarily and some cats are just prone to them, like humans are. So unfortunately teeth cleaning or even tooth extraction don't always totally fix it.

Since he eats little, maybe he could use a higher calorie food. I think some foods in the market are too low-calorie to prevent obesity which is common but they don't help the cats who don't eat much. You could also try food toppings maybe. Fortiflora also helps.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

If he's interested in wet, feed him wet. better for him anyways

 

[di and bob]

Those lickable treats in the treat section may give him enough to keep him going. The stew/broth ones in chicken and tuna or tuna and shrimp. They were the ONLY thing that I have had several sick cats eat, One cat I have right now with leukemia ate them sparingly for almost two weeks, but it was enough to get him through the crisis. I keep them on hand now to give medications. They actually meow and want their 'treats' with the medication in it!

 

[ana94]

Hey! I switched vets to get another opinion, after doing another round of blood tests he tested positive for FIV. I'm now giving him medication and he is eating a little better, not enough for his weight but around the same quantity each day. Still, the vet told me his prognosis is guarded

 

[IndyJones]

Was he vaccinated for feline aids in the past? If he was it will cause a false positive

 

[ana94]

Was he vaccinated for feline aids in the past? If he was it will cause a false positive

He wasn't

 

[di and bob]

I'm so sorry. With keeping him inside and boosting his immune system with DMG, he may have quality time left, just love him as long as you can.....