Cat Not Eating, Vets Not Helpful

[Hannah531]

Let me bullet point the facts/timeline because this is concerning - and the vets' response was "This will pass" but I need more insight.

• Koda is 4 yr old 14lb big fluffy mix - Neutered Male
• We went out of town June 1-10 and the cat sitter reported everything normal
• We brought home our newest pup (7 mo GSD mix) June 11
• Koda loves dogs (we have 3 before the new one and his best friend is our other GSD) and seemed to be adjusting, has even played with the pup
• June 26 he puked up two large hairballs, June 28 1 medium hairball and bile.
• June 26, ate some breakfast but did not eat dinner, June 27 ate two nuggets (We feed freeze-dried raw) all day, June 28 ate nothing, June 29 ate 1/2 of a small pack of wet food
• He has been drinking normally this whole time
• June 28 took him to the vet. Everything appears normal and healthy, not dehydrated. Blood work and urine were fine.

I know that some cats, mine included (I know from experience), eat less in the summer and it has been HOT this week but this seems like too much less...

Any insight into this?

 

[Kris107]

How's peeing/pooping? Activity normal?

 

[Hannah531]

How's peeing/pooping? Activity normal?

Less poop than normal (In terms of amount per visit to the box, he's a 1x day pooper and has done that except for today) but seemingly normal pee.
The activity is mostly normal, the only real difference I've noticed is that he hasn't tried to run out the front door when I open it but he is right there with me

 

[Kris107]

Anorexia is a tough symptom. Make sure he eats SOMETHING every day if you can and see if your vet is right about it resolving. If it doesn't, then trust your judgment and try a different vet. One cat we had stopped eating because she had asthma. Another, we saw a dip due to cancer. I'm sure other cats eat just fine no matter what. But in my view/experience, they usually don't eat fine then stop for no reason. Others may disagree! Keep and eye on him and see another vet is my thought!

 

[Hannah531]

Anorexia is a tough symptom. Make sure he eats SOMETHING every day if you can and see if your vet is right about it resolving. If it doesn't, then trust your judgment and try a different vet. One cat we had stopped eating because she had asthma. Another, we saw a dip due to cancer. I'm sure other cats eat just fine no matter what. But in my view/experience, they usually don't eat fine then stop for no reason. Others may disagree! Keep and eye on him and see another vet is my thought!

Closest other vet is over an hour away with a 2 week waitlist (I called them right after the appointment with the vet in town)

How long to keep an eye before considering an emergency visit?

 

[Kris107]

I'm not a vet, but if he stops eating entirely even for a couple of days, then I'd take him. Cats can get fatty liver when they stop eating. Any calories can help though - treats, food tubes, boiled chicken, etc.

 

[Hannah531]

I'm not a vet, but if he stops eating entirely even for a couple of days, then I'd take him. Cats can get fatty liver when they stop eating. Any calories can help though - treats, food tubes, boiled chicken, etc.

We have a dog healing from a stomach ulcer right now and we've had to force-feed her - would that be something appropriate to do with a cat? He's simply uninterested in anything.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Less poop would make sense since he is eating less. The hairballs are the only posing question, in my mind, and how it could tie to him eating less. Did the vet by chance take an x-ray of his body? It might have shown something in his stomach/digestive tract that could offer clues.

I can't help with the eating aspect, other than to say to keep trying. You might also consider baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) just to get more food in him. They are not nutritionally complete, but that shouldn't be a problem for a few days just to see what happens.

Short of not knowing about the x-rays and if anything would have been seen, getting food into his system could offer the opportunity to try laxatone, or a motility med - as just two possibilities - to see if that would get his digestive tract working and clear what could be hairballs.

 

[Hannah531]

Less poop would make sense since he is eating less. The hairballs are the only posing question, in my mind, and how it could tie to him eating less. Did the vet by chance take an x-ray of his body? It might have shown something in his stomach/digestive tract that could offer clues.

I can't help with the eating aspect, other than to say to keep trying. You might also consider baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) just to get more food in him. They are not nutritionally complete, but that shouldn't be a problem for a few days just to see what happens.

Short of not knowing about the x-rays and if anything would have been seen, getting food into his system could offer the opportunity to try laxatone, or a motility med - as just two possibilities - to see if that would get his digestive tract working and clear what could be hairballs.

He typically eats a little less at the meal directly following a med/large hairball so initially I wasn't concerned. And he's usually a 2-3 hairball a month guy (He has med to long hair) so the frequency is also not a huge concern normally.

They only did bloodwork and urine tests but they were absolutely slammed so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't offer an x-ray so they could just get through clients and not keep me waiting.

The approach we're taking with stomach ulcer dog girl is any food is good food so that's not a concept we're unfamiliar with - I'll grab a jar or two tonight. He's just entirely uninterested in anything I've tried to give him.

 

[Alldara]

You can also try popping back by the vet and seeing if you can buy a can of recovery food. Shouldn't need a prescription for it.

Otherwise I'd recommend a can of any kind of kitten food.

Also call the manufacturer of the regular food to report just in case others have the same issue it might be nothing with the food, but if others have the same experience it may result in a recall.

 

[stephanietx]

Did they test him for pancreatitis? It can cause inappetence, but they keep drinking and will sometimes pick at food. It can also cause vomiting. It's sometimes caused by stress, which your time away from him may have been for him.

 

[jmichaelp]

In my experience, get him to eat anything at all to get back into the habit of eating. Start syringe feeding a favorite food before it is something you HAVE to do. If syringe feeding isn't working out, get a feeding tube & keep his weight up while you determine what the root cause is. Don't hesitate to be aggressive! Feeding tube in a feline. Why being aggressive saves you one of those 9 lives.

 

[maggie101]

Let me bullet point the facts/timeline because this is concerning - and the vets' response was "This will pass" but I need more insight.

• Koda is 4 yr old 14lb big fluffy mix - Neutered Male
• We went out of town June 1-10 and the cat sitter reported everything normal
• We brought home our newest pup (7 mo GSD mix) June 11
• Koda loves dogs (we have 3 before the new one and his best friend is our other GSD) and seemed to be adjusting, has even played with the pup
• June 26 he puked up two large hairballs, June 28 1 medium hairball and bile.
• June 26, ate some breakfast but did not eat dinner, June 27 ate two nuggets (We feed freeze-dried raw) all day, June 28 ate nothing, June 29 ate 1/2 of a small pack of wet food
• He has been drinking normally this whole time
• June 28 took him to the vet. Everything appears normal and healthy, not dehydrated. Blood work and urine were fine.

I know that some cats, mine included (I know from experience), eat less in the summer and it has been HOT this week but this seems like too much less...

Any insight into this?

When I took my cat in she was kept over night to give fluids. He said not to wait more than 48 hours. I agree with FeebysOwner to give Gerber or any wet food like fancy feast or weruva. Stronger smell than freeze dried. Or a can of hills a/d at the vets

 

[Hannah531]

Did they test him for pancreatitis? It can cause inappetence, but they keep drinking and will sometimes pick at food. It can also cause vomiting. It's sometimes caused by stress, which your time away from him may have been for him.

If this is included in a normal bloodwork or urine panel then most likely he was tested for it. If this is something I'd need to special request then I'm not sure.

 

[Hannah531]

I enticed him to eat a few bites yesterday by coating the freeze-dried in pumpkin (Before I had a moment to go to the store)

I got a couple of options to try last night and today. He absolutely refused last night but this morning he took a couple of licks of one of the canned foods I got for him. Fingers crossed!

I have severe human acid reflux and my pup with stomach ulcers is the same way - just looking at food that has "wronged you" can be offensive.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If this is included in a normal bloodwork or urine panel then most likely he was tested for it. If this is something I'd need to special request then I'm not sure.

Typically, PSL and amylase are included in normal bloodwork, and are just superficial indicators of possible pancreatitis. There is a more specific test, feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactive (fPLI), and it is not usually automatically done with standard blood work.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. How is your cat’s weight? What is his normal diet? Any plants in the house? Any flowers? Is he unsupervised with the dogs? By playing with the puppy, how do they play? Can you post a picture of him?

 

[Hannah531]

Hi. How is your cat’s weight? What is his normal diet? Any plants in the house? Any flowers? Is he unsupervised with the dogs? By playing with the puppy, how do they play? Can you post a picture of him?

He's 15lbs, he normally eats 2x a day freeze-dried nuggets and typically finishes a 3/4cup scoop. He's not a grazer.
We have aloe plants and he leaves them alone.
Rarely unsupervised with the dogs and no issues have happened.

Play with any of the dogs typically involves everyone laying down and licking, pawing and nibbling. He's very good at leaving if he is uncomfortable.

 

[silent meowlook]

He is very cute. Is this a current photo?
So, I would ask for a copy of your bloodwork to be emailed to you. You can post here when you get it if you want to.

Cats dont stop eating without a reason. Those reasons can be mechanical, like an intestinal obstruction. It can also be caused from nausea, acid reflux, trauma, dental disease ( has to be really bad), food aversion ( where they vomit after eating and now think food is bad.) The possibilities are pretty much endless.

The way to find out what is causing the problem is through process of elimination. You want to eliminate an obstruction first. I have seen a cat who’s intestine ruptured due to being force fed at a vet. So obviously you don’t want to make a cat eat without being sure he isn’t obstructed through X-ray and even ultrasound if nothing is seen on radiograph.

Blood work should be done to rule out internal organ problems like liver or kidney disease, and a special test can be done to check for pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is very common in cats and is painful.

A full oral exam should be done ( without sedation first) to look for a string under the tongue or signs of a painful mouth. Most cats will allow this much and also allow the back of their throat to be checked without incident.



Once this is ruled out you can try to give fluids and anti nausea medication as well as an appetite stimulant provided the cat is physically ok. You can try switching foods and feeding locations or if in a multiple animal home, you can try feeding separated in a location where they are alone. You can also try switching dishes in case there is some food aversion going on.

Syringing food to cats is never easy and you run the risk of them aspirating and causing pneumonia. It can cause the cats to not want to be handled and to associate food with fear. Plus you can never syringe enough food into a cat to sustain them.

A feeding tube is an option for prolonged periods of time if anorexia and is well tolerated by most cats. It is often used for cats that have acquired hepatic lipidosis, aka fatty liver disease, that is caused by a cat not eating.

If your cat’s appetite has not improved by now you should seek veterinary care for him. This may mean going to a different vet or even a referral to a specialist.

Hope this helps some.

Also check your cat food for any recalls.

 

[Hannah531]

We have a resolution!

I ended up getting a copy of all the blood work etc. and took him to the other vet (over 2 hrs away) and I'm glad I called first because they advised me to bring all of the food he eats (Or the labels for them)

This was probably the longest I ever spent at the vet - even when one of my dogs ate a cat toy during COVID. but luckily not the most expensive, though it was pricey.

They did some additional blood work and an x-ray (They luckily did not need to sedate him because he's a chill boy) and they talked with me about his food.... TURNS OUT while we were away the airtight box we keep his food in was likely not being shut correctly (and therefore sealed) causing his food to spoil faster (Assuming based on smell and color compared to the fresh food that Chewy auto-shipped that arrived Thursday) and sure enough, when I got home to toss the old food, there were a couple of nuggets stuck on the lip of the container preventing it from shutting all the way.

They gave him a small dose of appetite stimulant and told me I could call in for more if needed but when we got home I cracked open a new bag of food, enticed him with some baby food and he's been eating fine since.

Thank you all for our help and support!