Cat Won't Eat

[Kjl]

My 15 yo cat has recently been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.. They put him on methimalzole and he did NOT tolerate it AT ALL... Caused severe vomiting and itchiness in his face for days... We went to the vet yesterday where he got a shot of anti nausea meds at about 2pm... Now he won't eat. He had about 12 Whiskas temptation treats this morning but is refusing everything else offered.. Tuna, 3 flavors of canned food, dry food, cold cuts.. He is still drinking but I am running out of ideas to get him to eat.. He isn't really coming out of the bathroom where he's been hiding since yesterday. He'll let us pick him up and carry him downstairs, is purring, peed in his litter box, but I think the days of vomiting has turned him off of food any advice, words of support? I'm stressing out, he's stressing out and I'm on the verge of tears

 

[lavishsqualor]

Poor cat. What about baby food? If you try it, be sure to use the plain kind--no additives such as garlic, etc. Many cats will eat baby food when they will eat nothing else. And if it is slightly warmed it may be more appealing to him. If that doesn't work it may be possible for the vet to give him an appetite stimulant. Otherwise, I'm afraid you may have to syringe feed him.

Good luck to you and your boy. Keep us up to date.

 

[Kjl]

I'm going to the store today and will pick some baby food up.. I just don't know what else to do other than force feed.. And I'm afraid he'll hide or refuse food even more if I do that...ugh
It's like he associates food with vomiting or medicine so he's just not having any of it

 

[verna davies]

Try boiled chicken. Feed small bits bu hand. If he starts to eat maybe he will then eat on his own. Please keep us updated

 

[happilyretired]

Personally, I would talk to the vet about an appetite stimulant--but be careful. When my first CKD cat was refusing food, the vet gave him an appetite stimulant and all that did was make him miserable because food just increased his discomfort from the toxicity in his body. But your cat isn't CKD, and an appetite stimulant may be good in this case.

I've tried baby food with 'non-eating' cats, and neither of my guys would touch it, but there seem to be some cats who respond.

The best appetite stimulant I've used is sprinkling FortiFlora on the food. Cats seem to love the stuff, and it got my CKD guy to eat (until very near the end).

 

[Kjl]

Update... I went to the store and bought cheap canned cat food..and he ate some and kept it down!! Then tonite he ate more and had bites of a piece of ham.. I almost cried I was so happy! I'm going to give him a bit more later tonite, but I hope it's finally the start of his normal appetite coming back.. His drinking is still good and he's been venturing out by the family more

 

[lavishsqualor]

That is such great news! I'm so happy to hear this. I know how frustrating it can be and how helpless you feel when a cat just won't eat!

Your boy is very lucky to have such a caring custodian.

Keep us in the loop.

 

[verna davies]

Well done. So pleased he is eating again.

 

[MistyDawn]

I'm so glad to come to the thread to see things are already getting better!

You can ask the vet for special canned food that is easier to keep down too, if necessary. This stuff saved the life of one of my cats, until he was well enough to eat on his own again.

 

[Dilutetortislave]

You may want to ask your vet about prednisolone (NOT prednisone-they're different).

In about 75% or more hyperthyroid cases at my clinic, the patients are taking a daily low dose of prednisolone (2.5mg once daily) to help their bodies handle the side effects of methimazole.

They may require bloodwork +/- urinalysis to check kidney function before prescribing it, if that hasn't already been done.

Prednisolone is known to increase appetite, which can be a good thing for cats who need to gain weight back.

 

[MistyDawn]

You may want to ask your vet about prednisolone (NOT prednisone-they're different).

In about 75% or more hyperthyroid cases at my clinic, the patients are taking a daily low dose of prednisolone (2.5mg once daily) to help their bodies handle the side effects of methimazole.

They may require bloodwork +/- urinalysis to check kidney function before prescribing it, if that hasn't already been done.

Prednisolone is known to increase appetite, which can be a good thing for cats who need to gain weight back.

Didn't think of this, but good call! There are a few other medications too that stimulate appetite but I don't know if they're safe for pets, so it might be a good idea to ask about meds that artificially stimulate appetite in general, but mention prednisolone in particular.