Cat Won't Eat

[Hunter2]

So about two weeks ago I took my cat to the vet. She had been acting strange by hiding more than usual (she loves to hide a lot for whatever reason) and I noticed she had also lost weight and had diarrhea.

The vet examined her, gave her medicine for the diarrhea, a vitamin b shot, and some food for gastro intestinal problems. Along with some digestive powders to help her. He determined she must have eaten something that she wasn't supposed to. He examined her poop as well and found nothing.

My problem is that she doesn't want the food he prescribed. She has taken a few bites but not enough to make her gain enough weight. She gets up and drinks water but she is uninterested in food. She doesn't want her dry food, not even kitten food, nor fancy feast. I went back and the vet gave me something that would stimulate her appetite but she is still uninterested in food. And now that I think about it, I haven't seen her poop but if she isn't eating, how would she poop anyway?

I haven't tried anything else and I'm unsure if I should force feed her at this point. I'm just scared she's gonna starve herself to death. I have tried microwaving her food as well to entice her but nothing. What else would you guys do?

Thanks.

 

[duckpond]

I would definitely get back with the vet. If you are trying all of her old favorite foods, that she ate before the issue, and she will not eat anything then i think there is still a problem. She needs to eat something, anything at this point.
Good luck, and do keep us updated.

 

[Saf]

A cat not eating is very bad situation as it can cause liver damage, if she's not drinking as well she's at risk of becoming severely dehyrated. You need to go back to the vet asap and find the cause.

 

[Bentley1960]

Cats can become dehydrated very quickly. Not eating can be a sign of IBD and this is something a vet will need to determine and/or specialist. I ended up going to a specialist/internist and my Winston is finally being treated for IBD and severe lymphopasmic cholangelitis. sorry if spelling is not correct

 

[LTS3]

You can give the liver shake a try: "liver Shake" Recipe For Inappetant Cats

Have you tried FortiFlora? A little sprinkle on top of any food is irresistible to cats. You can buy it from the vet or online from various places like Amazon and Chewy.

How old is your cat?

Did the vet do any blood work? A lot of vets give out prescription food like candy to solve every little issue Weight loss and diarrhea is not normal. Both indicate any number of medical issues which blood work may reveal the cause of. IBD is one that I can think of. Feel free to seek out a second opinion from a different vet.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

My cat recently had the exact same thing - began with hiding in strange places and wouldn't eat. Was she prescribed mirtazapine? It works pretty well, if so, how much did you give? I started with 1/8 pill and then vet said I could increase to 1/4 pill (3.75 mg). It kicked in within a few hours.

This is very serious - do not waste time trying to entice her with other things, probably won't work. If the meds don't help, vet might be able to give a steroid.

I do not know why cats do this strange thing....btw, my cat didn't like the A/D food, either.

 

[LTS3]

Mirtazapine is also available as a liquid and can probably be compounded into a chew treat or other form. Cyproheptadine is another appetite stimulant that could be used.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Mirtazapine is also available as a liquid and can probably be compounded into a chew treat or other form. Cyproheptadine is another appetite stimulant that could be used.

I strongly advise against ordering the compounded "chews". My cat hated them and it made her drool and spit up. It can be compounded into a transdermal gel, I have not tried that method.

 

[LTS3]

I've done the flavored chews before. Not for an appetite stimulant, though, but for a different medicine. My cat ate them just fine. Every cat is different. Some might not like the chews no matter what flavor is added to them.

But this is getting off the topic of the OP's concerns of how to get his / her inappetant cat eating again

 

[Hunter2]

Sorry I haven't replied.

I grabbed her out of her hiding spot...we enticed her with Tuna. She actually ate a few bites. Better than nothing but an improvement. She almost threw up but thankfully nothing came out and she hasn't vomited anything since.

This morning she was seen actually eating some of her dry food...and came back for more hours later. She found a new hiding spot but it's one where I can actually see her. Today she left her hiding spot a few times and even sat out in the open on the step of the stairs. Something she hasn't done since she got sick.

I'm hopeful...haven't gone back to the vet because two visits wasn't easy...honestly if any petless person is reading this, don't get a pet if you can't afford it. They're like children.

Her diarrhea is gone... I'm willing to try that liver shake honestly. I'll definitely be getting those ingredients. Thank you for that one, LTS3

I'll keep watching her and see how the liver shake goes. Thanks guys.

 

[hainen]

We feed ours a mix of wet and dry - Hills Nature's Best (dry food) is slightly larger and seems less dense and ours love it.

I was going to suggest adding a little water or milk to the dry, to get your cat started? But apparently (after reading around on Google) it would be best not to leave it out if you do this, because of the bacterial content of the dry food. Sometimes I put some dry on top of the wet food, just to bulk it out a bit.

I can understand why you'd like to feed some dry food - I find it more convenient, especially if I'm going out for a few hours and need to leave some food out. Or overnight, when I always leave some food available. But I also want to keep the wet food as part of our cat's diet, because of the moisture content - i think that's important. And the wet food is nearer to their natural food in texture. If you talk to the vet though, they always seem to push the dry food.... as a first time cat owner, it came as a bit of surprise to me when I read around the web that wet food is better.... but it makes complete sense! I think the vet's are possibly persuaded by the cat food manufacturer's. Money talks! (Or maybe I'm just being cynical?!).

 

[Hunter2]

I'll check out that nature's best food.

I have a question about the Liver shake...since it brings raw chicken, this should expire quickly huh? What is the holding time for something like this?

I was only able to give her a few times and afterwards she has been seen eating more. What worries me still is how skinny she looks. She comes out to chill for a bit and hides again. Eats...drinks water...but still skinny.

 

[LTS3]

It will keep in the fridge for a few days but since the recipe makes a lot, portion the shake out and freeze for later use. Ice cube trays work best. Defrost a cube or two as needed.

 

[Hunter2]

Thanks

 

[catlover73]

Do you know if she was given anything for nausea? If she was not this may be something to call and ask your vet about. Nausea will certainly affect her appetite even if she is not actually vomiting.