Buddy is more congested than usual, so I'm grasping at straws again to try to get him to eat more on his own until he's on the mend. In the meantime, we're back to assist feedings.
We've already tried the stuff the vets recommended, e.g., FortiFlora, catnip, vitamin B-12 supplements, Nutri-Cal, Parmesan cheese, etc., but alas, no luck. Buddy is on Zyrtec for his allergies, which used to work great as an appetite stimulant, but I guess that particular ship has now sailed.
For those who aren't familiar with Buddy's history, he's a relatively healthy cat, all things considered. He's FIV+ and prone to upper respiratory symptoms, has frequent herpes flare ups (like now!), has a history of urinary tract issues (which is why he can't have fish), his upper respiratory tract is all screwed up from frequent infections that went untreated when he was a stray (so his sense of smell is pretty much shot even in the best of circumstances), and has some food allergies/sensitivities (so fish or chicken based toppers aren't options for us).
I've been doing a bit of research, and saw milk thistle and yucca mentioned as natural appetite stimulants. Has anyone tried these, or stumbled upon something that has worked for your cat? *asks hopefully*
For what it's worth, last week Buddy "helped" me do some major housecleaning in preparation for the upcoming holidays, and his appetite was amazing! But I can't clean the house from top to bottom every day just to get him to eat, and that's probably what triggered his upper respiratory symptoms anyway. Oops.
We've already tried the stuff the vets recommended, e.g., FortiFlora, catnip, vitamin B-12 supplements, Nutri-Cal, Parmesan cheese, etc., but alas, no luck. Buddy is on Zyrtec for his allergies, which used to work great as an appetite stimulant, but I guess that particular ship has now sailed.
For those who aren't familiar with Buddy's history, he's a relatively healthy cat, all things considered. He's FIV+ and prone to upper respiratory symptoms, has frequent herpes flare ups (like now!), has a history of urinary tract issues (which is why he can't have fish), his upper respiratory tract is all screwed up from frequent infections that went untreated when he was a stray (so his sense of smell is pretty much shot even in the best of circumstances), and has some food allergies/sensitivities (so fish or chicken based toppers aren't options for us).
I've been doing a bit of research, and saw milk thistle and yucca mentioned as natural appetite stimulants. Has anyone tried these, or stumbled upon something that has worked for your cat? *asks hopefully*
For what it's worth, last week Buddy "helped" me do some major housecleaning in preparation for the upcoming holidays, and his appetite was amazing! But I can't clean the house from top to bottom every day just to get him to eat, and that's probably what triggered his upper respiratory symptoms anyway. Oops.