Cat refusing to eat wet cat food

[verna davies]

Bit of a back story so apologies for the long thread.

My cat became ill a few weeks ago, diarrhoea and refusing to eat. Multiple vet visits with fecal analysis, scan, bloods and temperatures normal. He's had antibiotics, steroids, anti nausea injection and appetite stimulants Currently he will only eat 50% baked cod and 50% dry food but the cod has none of the nutrients needed and he doesn't drink water so eating just those is going to cause a problem before too long.
I have tried all the tricks I can think of, tried dozens of different brands, textures and flavours of wet food but with no luck and as he is allergic to chicken so that narrows down my choice.
Has anyone experienced this with their cat and anyone have any ideas please.

 

[dahlia]

Hi,
I am sorry you are going through this, I just had the same thing with my cat and I know how stressful it can be. I wish I had an answer for you but mine did not turn out well. My cat seemed to have an allergic reaction to the appetite stimulant and I had to put him down. My cat stopped eating anything but pill pockets (without a pill in them) and would eat a few of those, but not enough to sustain him. I wish you the best.

 

[vansX2]

Bit of a back story so apologies for the long thread.

My cat became ill a few weeks ago, diarrhoea and refusing to eat. Multiple vet visits with fecal analysis, scan, bloods and temperatures normal. He's had antibiotics, steroids, anti nausea injection and appetite stimulants Currently he will only eat 50% baked cod and 50% dry food but the cod has none of the nutrients needed and he doesn't drink water so eating just those is going to cause a problem before too long.
I have tried all the tricks I can think of, tried dozens of different brands, textures and flavours of wet food but with no luck and as he is allergic to chicken so that narrows down my choice.
Has anyone experienced this with their cat and anyone have any ideas please.

Several months ago Miles refused to eat wet food. It caused him to throw up. The Veterinarian put him on a prescription cat food, that's available in both wet & dry. Now both boys eat this brand. I keep both Wet/Dry on hand. Miles still prefers the dry over the wet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I always suggest baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut Stage 1), if you can get it. It has become a staple in my cat's diet so much so that I buy EZ Complete and add it to make the baby food meat complete for a cat. She does eat canned cat food, but not enough of to sustain her calorically. If you can't get it locally or through Amazon, Gerber advises to order it through iHerb.com. Gerber carries ham, beef, and turkey in addition to chicken.

You can also test adding some water to his dry food to see if he will eat it that way. If he does, he gets more moisture,and you can cut back on some of the cod and feed him more dry food - both dry and moistened.

Have you tried adding lickable treats or gravies/broths to his wet food. Maybe even Forti Floraa? The latter is a probiotic, but it really is nothing more than a flavor enhancer that many cats seem to like. Maybe add cod to some of the cat foods and see if you can gradually wean him off the cod.

I noticed you said an anti-nausea injection. That usually is Cerenia and it only lasts for about 24 hours, so it might be that his nausea isn't under control, unless he is getting them daily.

 

[verna davies]

Thank you. Buzz will eat dry for sensitive tummies but doesn't drink water, this caused debris in his urine several years ago. Managed to transition him onto wet but now wont eat that. The vet is not sure what to do next..

 

[verna davies]

FeebysOwner believe it or not the only stage one food here in the UK has ingredients such as veg or mostly desserts. I cant find EZ sold here but have found this

Complete Supplement

Discover Purrform's 100% natural, grain-free raw cat food. Support your cat's health with vet-recommended, balanced nutrition for all life stages.

www.purrform.co.uk

Tried adding water to the dry food but its a no go and as he's allergic to chicken it really limits my choice of foods.

Lickable treats give him diarrhoea and before this illness he devoured his food if I sprinkled Fortiflora on it but not now.

 

[FeebysOwner]

believe it or not the only stage one food here in the UK has ingredients such as veg or mostly desserts. I cant find EZ sold here but have found this (Purrform).

That is why I suggested the iHerb web site as I understand they will ship baby food meat anywhere. As far as the supplements, I totally forgot that EZ Complete contains chicken liver, so it probably wouldn't work for you anyway. I know nothing about the Purrform supplement, but you could contact them and ask about using baked cod as the meat source.

There is a site that offers a recipe for making your own supplement If you would want to go in that direction. Raw Feeding for IBD Cats - Feline IBD - Healing can happen!. They don't push anyone to use raw meat so that shouldn't be an issue.
You might also post in the Raw & Home cooked food forum and ask them about getting help to supplement baked cod.

I would still look into a continued supply of anti-nausea meds in case that is part of the issue. Not sure how long it has been since he completed his antibiotics, but as you know, they can take a toll on the digestive tract for a while after they've been stopped.

This article is about feeding cod to a cat and what nutrients exist in this fish. This might help you to more easily dialog with those in the above mentioned forum. Can Cats Eat Cod Fish? A Vet's Health Guide for Cats and Cod - Can My Cat Eat That

Maybe do an internet search for foods similar to this one? And you could add some of your baked cod to them to help encourage him to eat them.
Beyond Grain Free Alaskan Cod Paté Wet Cat Food | Purina US

 

[verna davies]

Thank you for all the above information, I have some reading to do.

 

[vansX2]

Thank you. Buzz will eat dry for sensitive tummies but doesn't drink water, this caused debris in his urine several years ago. Managed to transition him onto wet but now wont eat that. The vet is not sure what to do next..

Are you providing a water fountain ? Both of my boys use it multiple times a day. Jackpot sometimes washes his paws in it as well.

 

[verna davies]

I've tried 3 different types over the years, all ignored.

 

[susanm9006]

Going through this with 14 year old Willow, will lick the gravy off but not eat the food. I am going to pick up an immersion blender and see if I turn the food into a purée she will lick it up.

 

[verna davies]

Its so hard isnt it. I hope it works for Willow.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

That PurrForm supplement might work if you add it to the cod AFTER cooking. You would need to call the company and discuss it with them to see how much to add, etc. because they do say not to cook the supplement because of the bone in it, which makes me think there may be some rather large pieces of bone in it, which may or may not pose another issue if Buzz might leave those bone fragments behind (of course, I'm just guessing here)

Does he like any of those lickable treats like Churus? Temptations now makes them too, and I actually give one of my guys two of those every day in his food dish with a little bit of water added just to make sure he is plenty hydrated. I call it 2nd breakfast and he gets really excited when I ask "whose ready for 2nd breakfast?" .

 

[verna davies]

Lickable treats give him diarrhoea but I bought these today, they are a complimentary food but have lots of liquid and he just ate a sachet with dry food so I'm hoping there's sufficient liquid in them because he wont drink water. Also they will replace the cod. I'll discuss this with my vet tomorrow to see if its sustainable.

Encore Cat Broth Pouch Saver Pack 48 x 70g | zooplus.co.uk

Order Encore Cat Broth Pouch Saver Pack 48 x 70g now at zooplus. Free delivery from £39. Check out customer reviews to see what others think!

www.zooplus.co.uk

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Lickable treats give him diarrhoea but I bought these today, they are a complimentary food but have lots of liquid and he just ate a sachet with dry food so I'm hoping there's sufficient liquid in them because he wont drink water. Also they will replace the cod. I'll discuss this with my vet tomorrow to see if its sustainable.

Encore Cat Broth Pouch Saver Pack 48 x 70g | zooplus.co.uk

Order Encore Cat Broth Pouch Saver Pack 48 x 70g now at zooplus. Free delivery from £39. Check out customer reviews to see what others think!

www.zooplus.co.uk

Oh, sorry, you did already say the lickable treats gave him diarrhea and I forgot! I sure hope this new stuff that he just ate doesn't do the same thing, especially since it appears nice and "juicy".

 

[orangie]

When we are in desperate times we are often successful with a little grated parmesan cheese. Even when Orange is being picky he'll often give in and eat when we break out the parm. Maybe try using it on food that he already loves and then start to hide the new food under the parm?
It sounds like you are already trying a whole bunch of ideas and I know this idea is not very fancy, but it does do the trick at our place.

Good luck

 

[susanm9006]

When we are in desperate times we are often successful with a little grated parmesan cheese. Even when Orange is being picky he'll often give in and eat when we break out the parm. Maybe try using it on food that he already loves and then start to hide the new food under the parm?
It sounds like you are already trying a whole bunch of ideas and I know this idea is not very fancy, but it does do the trick at our place.

Good luck

Absolutely trying this!

 

[maggie101]

Bit of a back story so apologies for the long thread.

My cat became ill a few weeks ago, diarrhoea and refusing to eat. Multiple vet visits with fecal analysis, scan, bloods and temperatures normal. He's had antibiotics, steroids, anti nausea injection and appetite stimulants Currently he will only eat 50% baked cod and 50% dry food but the cod has none of the nutrients needed and he doesn't drink water so eating just those is going to cause a problem before too long.
I have tried all the tricks I can think of, tried dozens of different brands, textures and flavours of wet food but with no luck and as he is allergic to chicken so that narrows down my choice.
Has anyone experienced this with their cat and anyone have any ideas please.

Gosh! That is tough! My cat was loosing weight so I tried some high cal food, Smalls and Mouser Forest Hunter. Expensive but worth it. Mouser is at incredible pets so you can buy single cans. She loves it!

 

[ProMeower]

Maybe your cat could get hydration from Hydracare pouches? Vet recommended them to us as a way to get more fluid into our kitty. The manufacturer says to just serve it next to food. Ingredients don't appear to have chicken. Kitty used it as directed for exactly 2 days, and now she will only have it mixed into her wet food, but she does seem to like it.

You can also try offering (safe) human food, like hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, without any seasoning or salt. Butter and/or a little cheese might also motivate kitty! (In tiny amounts, I am very nervous about a cat getting too much fat and then getting diarrhea and painting my apartment with their butt...) I also have a cat who is partial to plain Greek yogurt, but it is "too interesting" and therefore distracts him instead of motivating him to eat his food.

+1 to everyone suggesting adding vitamins to whatever your cat does eat.

Sorry your cat is going through this. Nausea is very tough to fight because you either have to pill the cat or put them through Cerenia injections, which I am told are painful. Hopefully kitty can fight through it and get over the underlying cause.

 

[verna davies]

Thank you. Fecal test just came back and he tested positive for salmonella so that might be the cause. I've got him to eat shredded tuna in broth as well as dry, both a complete food. I've googled the hydracare pouches and cant see them for sale in the UK.