Hi, we've run into a issue and we're looking for some advice. I wasn't which forum it belongs in (Nutrition vs Behavior vs Health), but I decided it fit best here.
We've had our elderly little guy for about 6 months. He's 13 years old, very mellow and sweet. For the first 5 months, he ate normally, both dry and wet food, and was always hungry in the morning. About 3 weeks ago, he suddenly lost his appetite. I first noticed that he wasn't finishing his food. But then he also started to lose weight and has become more lethargic (he was always pretty lazy, but now he can sleep all day). He's gone from eating about 150-200 calories per day, down to less than 50. He's still sweet and doesn't have any other odd behaviors.
After becoming concerned, we experimented with way to get him to eat. He still loves treats, so I've been giving him more just so that he can still get his calories. He will also eat wet food if I hold his bowl directly under his nose, almost shoving it into his face. He won't eat much, but at least a few bites. He will also very casually eat some dry food, but not more than a few pieces at a time. He still drinks water normally, as far as I can tell.
Otherwise, he seems fine. We took him to the vet, and the vet said that everything seemed normal, and nothing was obviously wrong. But something is wrong. He was so eager to eat everyday, and now he barely eats at all. I know that cats slow down with age, but this was quite sudden, and he's still losing weight.
We're open to ideas and to answer any questions that we may have missed. Thanks in advance!
We've had our elderly little guy for about 6 months. He's 13 years old, very mellow and sweet. For the first 5 months, he ate normally, both dry and wet food, and was always hungry in the morning. About 3 weeks ago, he suddenly lost his appetite. I first noticed that he wasn't finishing his food. But then he also started to lose weight and has become more lethargic (he was always pretty lazy, but now he can sleep all day). He's gone from eating about 150-200 calories per day, down to less than 50. He's still sweet and doesn't have any other odd behaviors.
After becoming concerned, we experimented with way to get him to eat. He still loves treats, so I've been giving him more just so that he can still get his calories. He will also eat wet food if I hold his bowl directly under his nose, almost shoving it into his face. He won't eat much, but at least a few bites. He will also very casually eat some dry food, but not more than a few pieces at a time. He still drinks water normally, as far as I can tell.
Otherwise, he seems fine. We took him to the vet, and the vet said that everything seemed normal, and nothing was obviously wrong. But something is wrong. He was so eager to eat everyday, and now he barely eats at all. I know that cats slow down with age, but this was quite sudden, and he's still losing weight.
We're open to ideas and to answer any questions that we may have missed. Thanks in advance!