Cat won't eat after taking Cerenia in pill form

maggiandme

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Hello all,
My cat was prescribed Cerenia for profuse vomiting, I gave her half a pill of 24mg dose yesterday and since then she has refused to eat her food. I put the pill in a pill pocket and added it to her kibble and I'm afraid she associates that with the pill. Has Cerenia caused loss of appetite in your cats? Any tips on how to get her to eat? She did eat 3 Temptation treats just now and but that's all she's eaten in about 16+ hours.
Background: my cat is 4 years old and on Saturday she started throwing up everything she was eating and even could not keep even water. She hadn't lost her appetite at that point but seemed too tired to eat by Sunday evening and so on Monday morning I took her to the ER. Vet did bloodwork and X-rays and found 2 ovoid objects in her stomach which when they did endoscopy turned out to be balls of food and they said they were able to break them apart during the procedure. She was given fluids overnight and injected with Cerenia the next day on Tuesday and sent back home. They believe its gastroenteritis but could not specify a cause, she tested negative for pancreatitis and rest of her results all came out normal. I was told to give her half a pill of Cerenia once a day for a few days and monitor her appetite. Once back from the hospital she was hungry and ate all the little amounts of kibble I gave her on Tuesday night and even on Wednesday morning, while grazing a little (she is NOT a grazer usually), ate the small amount of kibble I gave her. It only started when I tried many different ways to get her to take the pill (she wouldn't have it the pill pocket as a treat, I crushed it in her wet food and she didn't like that and then I finally got her to take the pill disguised in her kibble after she got very hungry at 1 PM.
Since then she hasn't been eating or drinking at all, all she has done over the past few days is look at birds for hours out the window or lay on the cat tree like she is depressed or something. I'm really worried for her, she was found abandoned in a carrier by the shelter so she absolutely hates the carrier - it stresses her out and I can not take her to the ER constantly because of it. Besides because of her abandonment anxiety she will not eat at the hospital at all, no matter how hungry she is. I don't want her to starve, I thought of getting Forti Flora from Chewy but even that would take a couple of days to get delivered, out local PetCo does not have it and I don't have a car to travel far. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!!
 

Antonio65

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Hi, I'm so sorry for your situation.

It seems your cat doesn't allow you to pill her directly, so you're using other techniques.
Have you checked your cat is hydrated? Dehydration can cause inappetence. Gently pinch the skin on her back between the two blades and pull it up like a tent, then release. If it returns quickly, then she's fine, if it doesn't return or it's slow, then your cat needs hydration.
You can ask your vet how to do that at home if needed.

Some people use appetite stimulant to push their cats to eat. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you more about this on a forum. Again, your vet can help you. These stimulants wake up the cat's appetite in no time, generally within an hour.
My cat had IBD and cholangiohepatitis, and was coming from a pancreatitis, so her appetite was close to zero on certain days, and these stimulants did a great job.
 
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maggiandme

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Hi, thank you for your advice! I checked her dehydration and it looks like she is okay. She was giving fluids via IV overnight until Tuesday afternoon so I think she should be okay on that front but she hasn't drunk much water since. She has peed but not pooped since the vomiting began.
Yes, my cat will not allow a pill directly. I'll check with a vet regarding appetite stimulants, are there any specific foods I could try? She usually loves Tiki Cat Tuna can but since she's thrown up she doesn't want to eat that anymore.
 

Antonio65

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OK, you checked the hydration and it's fine, but since she isn't drinking much, it would be advisable to check her daily.
Did you notice she's feeling nauseous? Is she lip smacking or something similar?
If she's feeling nauseous she won't eat much, so you should at least wait the Cerenia kicks in.
As for the stimulats, they are medicines, generally OTC drugs (at least over here in Italy), that given in very small amounts, both pills or eargels, should push the cat to eat, sometimes even voraciously. They are cyproheptadine or mirtazapine, the commercial name might vary depending on the region of the world. Anyway talk to your vet about this.
A cat that is not eating for a long time is prone to a liver failure, so it is better to be proactive.
 

neely

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Yes, my cat will not allow a pill directly. I'll check with a vet regarding appetite stimulants, are there any specific foods I could try?
The appetite stimulant that is usually prescribed is Mirtazapine. It comes in a transdermal gel form that you gently rub on the inner part of the cat's ear so you don't have to worry about giving her a pill.

Regarding suggestions for food here is a helpful Article:
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles
And here's another Article with tips about how to hide a pill:
Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles
This thread might have some good advice from other members:
Need some advice with giving pills

Best of luck, please keep us updated on your cat's progress. :alright:
 
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maggiandme

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Thank you for your suggestions! I spoke with a vet and she suggested that I take her to the ER tomorrow to get an ultrasound done if she doesn't starting eating by tomorrow morning. :(
I went to Petco and got her a variety of canned food in different fish flavors, hopefully she will be willing to eat something.. I also got her Tuna flavored Greenies and she had 4 of those but no luck with her kibble so far. I really, really hope that she doesn't need to go to the ER because she is extremely anxious and needs to be sedated to even be examined. I'll keep you all posted!
 

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My 14 year old Ragdoll went through a similar experience last week. She began vomiting (and also had diarrhea) for 2 days. The vet gave her SQ fluids, an injection of cerenia, and simbadol. Upon return home, she ate a small handful of Temptations but refused to eat afterwards for about 24 hours. For the next 3 days she spent the majority of her time sitting at the window fixated on birds and moving trees, eyes dilated, but at least she was eating drinking. She finally came through it, though she remains a bit lethargic.
 

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Some cats like brewers yeast, some like nutritional yeast, and some like saccharomyces boulardii. These are all good for helping an irritable gut. A little bit sprinkled over her food might entice your kitty to eat.

Cats sometimes conduct their own slow introductions to food. Anything she takes more than a couple bites of, offer it again. Even if she only took a few bites. She might be waiting to see how it treats her before coming back to it. Wet food can be left out for hours.

Cerenia does cause inappetence in some cats. Perhaps you could skip the next dose and see if she'll eat again when it clears out of her.
 
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maggiandme

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Lacey Rue Lacey Rue Thank you for sharing! I hope Maggi's appetite also comes back in the next day or so..she has been so cuddly since she got back from the hospital. I should be happy but its not like her at all and it only adds to my worries!

daftcat75 daftcat75 I'll try to find some nutritional yeast around, thats a great tip thank you! I have skipped today's dose of Cerenia and hoping that she'd be slightly more hungry in a few hours.

She has eaten a few more treats and strangely also ate some kibble if I offered it like a treat instead of in a bowl, but she only ate like 10-15 bits. I initially thought her usual bowl maybe the problem cause she had Cerenia from that bowl so I another bowl and all she does is sniff and walk away from the bowl. I got her this Tomlyn Nutri-Cal gel that I put little bit on her paws so she can lick it off and get some nutrition off it. That seems to have worked but no luck with wet food so far.. I've tried 3 different cans of smelliest food and she hasn't shown any interest.
 

daftcat75

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Hopefully she will be hungry later when the Cerenia wears off. Otherwise, I would bring her to the vet tomorrow for an ultrasound and a prescription for mirtazapine (appetite stimulant.) Your vet may have the transdermal form called Mirtaz. Or he may be able to call it into Petmeds or Chewy. I would also get her subcutaneous fluids if she hasn't been drinking her water. Finally if they do have to sedate her for the ultrasound, ask for dental x-rays. Cats can be extremely stoic about dental pain. They don't cry out. They silently suffer through it until the pain exceeds their hunger. I always recommend a dental exam for a cat who isn't eating.
 

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My 14 year old Ragdoll went through a similar experience last week. She began vomiting (and also had diarrhea) for 2 days. The vet gave her SQ fluids, an injection of cerenia, and simbadol. Upon return home, she ate a small handful of Temptations but refused to eat afterwards for about 24 hours. For the next 3 days she spent the majority of her time sitting at the window fixated on birds and moving trees, eyes dilated, but at least she was eating drinking. She finally came through it, though she remains a bit lethargic.
Simbadol (Brupenorphine) is well known for making cats (or pets) lethargic for a long time. One has to ask oneself if the advantage to calm the pain is worth the fact that the cat is out for a couple of days.
 
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maggiandme

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I'm taking her to the ER later in the evening, my boyfriend will come over then and help me out. She can get quite aggressive and its a 2-person job. I know there's only a few hours to go but I'm extremely anxious. She was being a sweet little bug this morning and had a few treats and then when I offered her food she's started hiding and growling if I go near her. I'm so afraid that the hospital is just gonna send her back for being anxious and not able to eat there again..
daftcat75 daftcat75 I'll remember to ask for appetite stimulant and get dental checked.. I think you might be on to something. She's tried to eat her treat and kind of spit it out.
I'll keep you all updated, thank you for your help! My roommate is out of town and I've just alone worrying about my little baby.. I really hope she gets better soon.
 

daftcat75

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I'm taking her to the ER later in the evening, my boyfriend will come over then and help me out. She can get quite aggressive and its a 2-person job. I know there's only a few hours to go but I'm extremely anxious. She was being a sweet little bug this morning and had a few treats and then when I offered her food she's started hiding and growling if I go near her. I'm so afraid that the hospital is just gonna send her back for being anxious and not able to eat there again..
daftcat75 daftcat75 I'll remember to ask for appetite stimulant and get dental checked.. I think you might be on to something. She's tried to eat her treat and kind of spit it out.
I'll keep you all updated, thank you for your help! My roommate is out of town and I've just alone worrying about my little baby.. I really hope she gets better soon.
If she’s growling at you, then she’s likely in a lot of pain. Enough to lose her manners with the human she loves the most. 😿 I’d ask for them to sedate your kitty at the vet office if they need to and have those teeth checked.
 

Lacey Rue

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Simbadol (Brupenorphine) is well known for making cats (or pets) lethargic for a long time. One has to ask oneself if the advantage to calm the pain is worth the fact that the cat is out for a couple of days.
I should have asked more questions about it beforehand. Poor kitty..I don't think it was worth it in her case, especially considering how sensitive she is.
 
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maggiandme

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Tiny update: Called the ER to check for waitlist and spoke with a Vet about Maggi. She prescribed her Mirtazapine and said I should give that along with Cerenia and if she doesn't eat even then I should bring her in tomorrow morning to the ER. Going to the hospital now and hoping this works. *fingers crossed*
 
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maggiandme

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Antonio65 Antonio65 Doc suggested 1.5inch strip for dosage.
We administered Mirataz last night (everything is a 2 person job - she is not trusting when it comes to these things), it seemed to have made her hungry but she only really ate Greenies treats and nothing else. Since giving her Mirataz at night until 8 AM in the morning, she ate about 25 something treat. I had her food out at night and I could see her hovering near it but she would not eat it so I gave her the treats.
We took her to the ER this morning. It was a really frustrating experience. She hit me a couple of times but my bf was thankfully able to put her in her carrier, once we were at the hospital we had a 2 hour wait and when the vet finally took her, she did an ultrasound and said they would give her fluids with medications overnight and monitor her. Ultrasounds came out clear, teeth were already checked and seem fine. Vet called me at 3PM and said I can pick her up at 5PM and just let her get better on her own. They said gastroenteritis needs more time to heal and she told me to keep giving her Mirataz. I made the mistake of not checking the receipt properly and it looks like they did not administer fluids or any anti-nausea medication like she suggested. So I have a scared cat now who's had a stressful day which is going to make her eat even less and it feels like this trip was for nothing. If they'd given her some fluids at least she would've been hydrated.
Since coming back home about three hours ago, she has eaten 14 Greenies treats so in total she has eaten about 46 calories in the last 24 hours. I'm going to administer Mirataz soon, hopefully she won't flatten her ears and hit me like last night. I've ordered Forti Flora and Kitten Chow from Chewy, hopefully it should arrive in a day or 2 and I can get her to eat as many treats as she can in the meantime. Today has been another stressful day.. hoping tomorrow is better.
Also i don't know if its weird but she has started purring now whenever I offer her treats, she is purrs a lot more than she used to. May be she is still in pain from her gastroenteritis.
 

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She's eating too little, and as you are aware, she is taking too little calories.
I think you should sustain her with some hyper nutritious gel, paste, or anything of the kind.
There are products that can provide the daily amount of calories in a spoonful. This should be something you have to consider in order to avoid the chance of a liver damage due to a prolonged fasting or scarce feeding.
I don't know what is available in your country, over here in Europe/Italy I would suggest Nutribound or Nutrigel, manufactured by Virbac.
 

neely

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She's eating too little, and as you are aware, she is taking too little calories.
I think you should sustain her with some hyper nutritious gel, paste, or anything of the kind.
I completely agree!. :agree: This can lead to more serious problems as Antonio65 Antonio65 referred to, e.g. liver failure.
Has your vet recommended trying to feed her Urgent Care A/D? It did wonders for our cat when he was diagnosed with Pancreatitis.
Hill's Prescription Diet a/d Wet Dog/Cat Food
 
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