Low appetite cat for about 2 weeks, however with normal blood tests and x-rays

[Cutedracula]

I have a 3-year-old domestic short hair male cat (neutered). He usually weighs 11lb but he lost 0.9 lb in the past two weeks because he did not eat much.
Personal history: I got him in July 2020 when his previous owner moved out of state and didn't want to keep him so I don't know too much about his early life. From the beginning, he was a picky eater and addicted to dry food. I spent several months transferring him to all wet food to prevent any urinary problems. And it worked until recently. He usually eats 6-9 oz food per day, in 3-4 meals. During the pandemic we basically stay together 24*7, however, we moved out of state in August this year and I started in-person work then. I gave him gabapentin during the road trip and he was fine about the moving. He is a leash cat and crazy for catnips/cat grass. I usually walk him around the neighborhood at night (30min-1hr) and he might eat some grass in, and sometimes he will vomit after the grass.

Clinical sign: From mid-Sept, he refused to eat while I was not at home. Since he has always been picky and still ate (even more than before, his record was 11oz I think), I wasn't that worried. However, he vomited three times on 9/30 and 10/1 respectively, primary yellow bile with hair. He has a sensitive stomach and vomits when he is too hungry (8+ hours without food) or eats too quickly or eats too much grass, but never as frequent as that. I gave him some probiotics and his last vomit was white foams on 10/3. However, since then his appetite was very bad, eating about half or less than he normally eats. We finally got an appointment at the vet on 10/8 (no availabilities before). all blood work and x-ray were normal other than slightly lower WBC and LYM, and he lost 0.8-0.9lbs compared to his last visits for vaccines in mid-Sept (p.s. he was very aggressive during the appointment, especially when I was absent, so we ended up visiting again with gabapentin). The vet said the low appetite might still be nausea and then prescribed 4-pack Cerenia, however, it didn't work at all. Then I went to the vet again and she prescribed 7-day appetite stimulants (Elura). This time it's better, I can see that the cat is hungry, however, he only eats a small portion and then leaves. During the whole period, his litter box is normal, although he used it less frequently. I tried to offer some dense-calorie dry food to stimulate his appetite and prevent further weight loss, however, it only improved a little. He started to ask for water this week, but he only eats about 1/8-1/4 cup of dry food per day (should be 1/2). He doesn't want to go out for a walk after we visited the vet twice, and he hides more.

The vet said the next step could be ultrasound to rule out all other possibilities (e.g., IBD, pancreatitis, liver diseases, etc.). However, she can't do that and she needs to refer me to another vet, and I don't want to add more stress on the cat (if he still acts very aggressive we might need more sedation or even anesthesia. We agreed that we should monitor his appetite, litter box, and behaviors before the next step.

Any suggestions will be helpful. I can add the x-ray results but the copy was a DVD and I need to figure out how to read it. Thank you so much.

 

[Maurey]

Testing for IBD/IBS is the next logical step given the symptoms, to be honest, as is getting a referral to a trained nutritionist.

That said, several friends that have cats with bowel issues found this resource useful Feline IBD

Ultimately your cat needs a diet change, regardless, and you need to find out what’s triggering his issues. This is simplest to do with a very high quality novel protein (I.e something he’s never had before) limited ingredient diet (Rawz is one of the gold standard brands for this, though high phos and not ideal for seniors) or a homemade novel protein diet. Adding a meat completer like EZComplete to a raw or cooked protein you cat hasn’t eaten before would be simplest.

I’d be removing all kibble in his diet, as well, as it tends to have a lot of ingredients that can be triggering to an IBD/IBS cat.

 

[di and bob]

I think he is still stressed over the move, less than 3 months ago, and cats are very good at hiding what is wrong with them. He may have got a little depressed over these last few months with the changes. Especially you being out of the house. I would not stress him more with more vet trips unless something drastically changes, like to stop eating drinking entirely, not using the litter box, or starting to avoid you and hiding. Try to treat the things first that have happened since he had the change, like moving and going back to work outside the home. He may very well have IBD, but it is strange it just now came up since the move. He may be one of those cats that absolutely hates change. Spend what time you can with him until he adjusts, and tempt him with ANYTHING he will eat to get him started. Deli sliced turkey, tuna, cheaper (but more tempting) dry food, and especially those tiny packets of lickable treats and food. I keep pouched Purrfectly Chicken, and Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors around for times when my cats quit eating, and for all their meds. All the luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Since he was a aggressive during the visit, were they able to check his mouth just to make sure he doesn't have any issues going on there Often times a slow down in eating is a result of dental issues, AND lower WBC can cause mouth sores and/or congestion. Does he seem congested at all? I know that's a leap, but it's a possibility. I agree with di and bob that the timing is suspicious to when you moved and returned to in-person work, which would naturally stress out most cats. And now TWO Vet visits...oh my! His head is probably reeling (not to mention that you've had to pill him )

Here is an article on stress in cats that might be helpful: Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

One last thought, did they run the specific test for pancreatitis? It's not part of the usual bloodwork, but I'm hoping they did since his eating slowdown was the reason for the visit.

 

[maggie101]

Did she do a urinalysis? He shouldn't be vommittting so .

 

[Cutedracula]

Testing for IBD/IBS is the next logical step given the symptoms, to be honest, as is getting a referral to a trained nutritionist.

That said, several friends that have cats with bowel issues found this resource useful Feline IBD

Ultimately your cat needs a diet change, regardless, and you need to find out what’s triggering his issues. This is simplest to do with a very high quality novel protein (I.e something he’s never had before) limited ingredient diet (Rawz is one of the gold standard brands for this, though high phos and not ideal for seniors) or a homemade novel protein diet. Adding a meat completer like EZComplete to a raw or cooked protein you cat hasn’t eaten before would be simplest.

I’d be removing all kibble in his diet, as well, as it tends to have a lot of ingredients that can be triggering to an IBD/IBS cat.

Thanks! The link is helpful

I have a 3-year-old domestic short hair male cat (neutered). He usually weighs 11lb but he lost 0.9 lb in the past two weeks because he did not eat much.
Personal history: I got him in July 2020 when his previous owner moved out of state and didn't want to keep him so I don't know too much about his early life. From the beginning, he was a picky eater and addicted to dry food. I spent several months transferring him to all wet food to prevent any urinary problems. And it worked until recently. He usually eats 6-9 oz food per day, in 3-4 meals. During the pandemic we basically stay together 24*7, however, we moved out of state in August this year and I started in-person work then. I gave him gabapentin during the road trip and he was fine about the moving. He is a leash cat and crazy for catnips/cat grass. I usually walk him around the neighborhood at night (30min-1hr) and he might eat some grass in, and sometimes he will vomit after the grass.

Clinical sign: From mid-Sept, he refused to eat while I was not at home. Since he has always been picky and still ate (even more than before, his record was 11oz I think), I wasn't that worried. However, he vomited three times on 9/30 and 10/1 respectively, primary yellow bile with hair. He has a sensitive stomach and vomits when he is too hungry (8+ hours without food) or eats too quickly or eats too much grass, but never as frequent as that. I gave him some probiotics and his last vomit was white foams on 10/3. However, since then his appetite was very bad, eating about half or less than he normally eats. We finally got an appointment at the vet on 10/8 (no availabilities before). all blood work and x-ray were normal other than slightly lower WBC and LYM, and he lost 0.8-0.9lbs compared to his last visits for vaccines in mid-Sept (p.s. he was very aggressive during the appointment, especially when I was absent, so we ended up visiting again with gabapentin). The vet said the low appetite might still be nausea and then prescribed 4-pack Cerenia, however, it didn't work at all. Then I went to the vet again and she prescribed 7-day appetite stimulants (Elura). This time it's better, I can see that the cat is hungry, however, he only eats a small portion and then leaves. During the whole period, his litter box is normal, although he used it less frequently. I tried to offer some dense-calorie dry food to stimulate his appetite and prevent further weight loss, however, it only improved a little. He started to ask for water this week, but he only eats about 1/8-1/4 cup of dry food per day (should be 1/2). He doesn't want to go out for a walk after we visited the vet twice, and he hides more.

The vet said the next step could be ultrasound to rule out all other possibilities (e.g., IBD, pancreatitis, liver diseases, etc.). However, she can't do that and she needs to refer me to another vet, and I don't want to add more stress on the cat (if he still acts very aggressive we might need more sedation or even anesthesia. We agreed that we should monitor his appetite, litter box, and behaviors before the next step.

Any suggestions will be helpful. I can add the x-ray results but the copy was a DVD and I need to figure out how to read it. Thank you so much.

here is his blood test. I'm still trying to figure out how to read the DVD lol

 

[Cutedracula]

Testing for IBD/IBS is the next logical step given the symptoms, to be honest, as is getting a referral to a trained nutritionist.

That said, several friends that have cats with bowel issues found this resource useful Feline IBD

Ultimately your cat needs a diet change, regardless, and you need to find out what’s triggering his issues. This is simplest to do with a very high quality novel protein (I.e something he’s never had before) limited ingredient diet (Rawz is one of the gold standard brands for this, though high phos and not ideal for seniors) or a homemade novel protein diet. Adding a meat completer like EZComplete to a raw or cooked protein you cat hasn’t eaten before would be simplest.

I’d be removing all kibble in his diet, as well, as it tends to have a lot of ingredients that can be triggering to an IBD/IBS cat.

Thanks! So I think we need to do the ultrasound when his emotion is more stable. I tried to do some homemade cat food last year (StackPath), not surprisingly, Mr. Picky totally refused it so I just gave him wet food he loves (not that high-quality, e.g., Fancy Feast, Pro plan, and Friskies, with meat-by-product or chicken-by-product). But I think it's time to consider switching him to high quality, high protein food even he does not have IBD now. Wish me good luck with the transition!

 

[Cutedracula]

I think he is still stressed over the move, less than 3 months ago, and cats are very good at hiding what is wrong with them. He may have got a little depressed over these last few months with the changes. Especially you being out of the house. I would not stress him more with more vet trips unless something drastically changes, like to stop eating drinking entirely, not using the litter box, or starting to avoid you and hiding. Try to treat the things first that have happened since he had the change, like moving and going back to work outside the home. He may very well have IBD, but it is strange it just now came up since the move. He may be one of those cats that absolutely hates change. Spend what time you can with him until he adjusts, and tempt him with ANYTHING he will eat to get him started. Deli sliced turkey, tuna, cheaper (but more tempting) dry food, and especially those tiny packets of lickable treats and food. I keep pouched Purrfectly Chicken, and Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors around for times when my cats quit eating, and for all their meds. All the luck!

I agree and that's the primary reason I'm hesitant to bring him to the vet again and again... It's heartbreaking to think about his behaviors... He doesn't avoid me, and he is much more clingy. He insists on sleeping with me at night, and if he can find a position that I can pet him or hug him, he will purr. He used to wake me at around 7am before our moving, asking for food and play. He never woke me up since moving, and in the morning he just looks at me and waits. Now he eats from my hand so I hand feed him. I know that's very bad but I think getting him to eat is the No.1 priority. IBD is a possibility like Maurey pointed out, and I'll try to transfer his diet when he can eat more. Finger crossed.

 

[Cutedracula]

Since he was a aggressive during the visit, were they able to check his mouth just to make sure he doesn't have any issues going on there Often times a slow down in eating is a result of dental issues, AND lower WBC can cause mouth sores and/or congestion. Does he seem congested at all? I know that's a leap, but it's a possibility. I agree with di and bob that the timing is suspicious to when you moved and returned to in-person work, which would naturally stress out most cats. And now TWO Vet visits...oh my! His head is probably reeling (not to mention that you've had to pill him )

Here is an article on stress in cats that might be helpful: Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

One last thought, did they run the specific test for pancreatitis? It's not part of the usual bloodwork, but I'm hoping they did since his eating slowdown was the reason for the visit.

Thanks for the reply! Actually, our dental cleaning was scheduled last week, but because of his problem, we postponed it. The vet checked his tooth very quickly, and although he needs a dental cleaning because of mild tartar, it's unlikely he is too painful to eat. But I'll definitely get him a dental cleaning when his condition is more stable.

The link is very helpful. I tried to stay at home as much as I can and get a plug-in Comfort Zone diffuser yesterday. And he does eat from my hand... what a baby. I made a mistake that I thought he is outgoing, brave, and resilient to environmental change since he looked fine when I need to put him at friends', during the four-day driving, and even the first two weeks of our moving. It turned out not. I guess just too many things happening at the same time.

We haven't done a specific test for pancreatitis yet and the vet said we might need an ultrasound to do that. The attached included all the blood work we did for him. And the X-ray looks normal. If his condition is still not improving in the following days, I think it's might be time to visit the vet again. Such a tricky decisiton！

 

[Cutedracula]

Did she do a urinalysis? He shouldn't be vommittting so .

No not yet. Usually, he will do the urinalysis with a dental cleaning. Without anesthesia, i guess he will be too aggressive to perform that...

 

[maggie101]

He might not need to be sedated. It is a simple procedure done quick. My cat is more attached to me since She has had so many visits. Luckily the vet has no problem with her. Even through urinalysis,blood work,and ultrasound she was never sedated

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If you have mobile Vets in your area, perhaps they could come and do the blood draw to run the pancreatitis test. I'm not sure if that's a service they offer or not, but it might be less stressful. The test is called an fPLI. Here's some info on it: Pancreatitis in Cats - Pancreas-Specific Lipase

 

[Cutedracula]

He might not need to be sedated. It is a simple procedure done quick. My cat is more attached to me since She has had so many visits. Luckily the vet has no problem with her. Even through urinalysis,blood work,and ultrasound she was never sedated

Thanks we will definitely try it!

 

[Cutedracula]

If you have mobile Vets in your area, perhaps they could come and do the blood draw to run the pancreatitis test. I'm not sure if that's a service they offer or not, but it might be less stressful. The test is called an fPLI. Here's some info on it: Pancreatitis in Cats - Pancreas-Specific Lipase

Thanks! I did not find a mobile Vet available but I called a nearby vet college with all equipment and we decided that if his condition continues, we will have an official consultation with the vet there. Hope he will be better sooooon

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Keep us posted.

 

[Cutedracula]

I have a 3-year-old domestic short hair male cat (neutered). He usually weighs 11lb but he lost 0.9 lb in the past two weeks because he did not eat much.
Personal history: I got him in July 2020 when his previous owner moved out of state and didn't want to keep him so I don't know too much about his early life. From the beginning, he was a picky eater and addicted to dry food. I spent several months transferring him to all wet food to prevent any urinary problems. And it worked until recently. He usually eats 6-9 oz food per day, in 3-4 meals. During the pandemic we basically stay together 24*7, however, we moved out of state in August this year and I started in-person work then. I gave him gabapentin during the road trip and he was fine about the moving. He is a leash cat and crazy for catnips/cat grass. I usually walk him around the neighborhood at night (30min-1hr) and he might eat some grass in, and sometimes he will vomit after the grass.

Clinical sign: From mid-Sept, he refused to eat while I was not at home. Since he has always been picky and still ate (even more than before, his record was 11oz I think), I wasn't that worried. However, he vomited three times on 9/30 and 10/1 respectively, primary yellow bile with hair. He has a sensitive stomach and vomits when he is too hungry (8+ hours without food) or eats too quickly or eats too much grass, but never as frequent as that. I gave him some probiotics and his last vomit was white foams on 10/3. However, since then his appetite was very bad, eating about half or less than he normally eats. We finally got an appointment at the vet on 10/8 (no availabilities before). all blood work and x-ray were normal other than slightly lower WBC and LYM, and he lost 0.8-0.9lbs compared to his last visits for vaccines in mid-Sept (p.s. he was very aggressive during the appointment, especially when I was absent, so we ended up visiting again with gabapentin). The vet said the low appetite might still be nausea and then prescribed 4-pack Cerenia, however, it didn't work at all. Then I went to the vet again and she prescribed 7-day appetite stimulants (Elura). This time it's better, I can see that the cat is hungry, however, he only eats a small portion and then leaves. During the whole period, his litter box is normal, although he used it less frequently. I tried to offer some dense-calorie dry food to stimulate his appetite and prevent further weight loss, however, it only improved a little. He started to ask for water this week, but he only eats about 1/8-1/4 cup of dry food per day (should be 1/2). He doesn't want to go out for a walk after we visited the vet twice, and he hides more.

The vet said the next step could be ultrasound to rule out all other possibilities (e.g., IBD, pancreatitis, liver diseases, etc.). However, she can't do that and she needs to refer me to another vet, and I don't want to add more stress on the cat (if he still acts very aggressive we might need more sedation or even anesthesia. We agreed that we should monitor his appetite, litter box, and behaviors before the next step.

Any suggestions will be helpful. I can add the x-ray results but the copy was a DVD and I need to figure out how to read it. Thank you so much.

Finally read his x-rays! Attached all his results here.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If your Vet said they are normal, I'll have to take their word for it. I have no idea what a cat's insides are supposed to look like. But they did say they were normal, right?

 

[Cutedracula]

Update 10.16

If your Vet said they are normal, I'll have to take their word for it. I have no idea what a cat's insides are supposed to look like. But they did say they were normal, right?

Yes she said so. i have no idea either and i can't even read human x-rays lol.

 

[Cutedracula]

Update 10.16

First I wanna say thank you all for the resources, advice, and support as a community that loves cats. When I wrote the post I was super anxious and stressed, feeling guilty that I didn't provide care to my babe. Thank you for also helping me handle my own stress and anxiety, and that would also benefit our sweet Dracula so he won't take on my stress at the home. Hope he will be better soon.

I summarized his symptoms and possible causes.

• Mid-Sept: Ate less or refused to eat while I'm at work;
• 2021.9.30-10.2 vomited several times (4-6), primarily yellow bile with hair/grass, started to show appetite. I gave him 3-5 gram probiotics per day.
• 10.3 6.30 am the last vomiting, with white foam (possibly because of hunger), I gave him 5mg omeprazole and he ate around 150kcal wet food.
• 10.4 -10.9, no vomiting nor diarrhea, less appetite, ate 100-160kcal wet food/day.
• 10.9 - 10.13 4-day Cerenia treatment, ate even less on 10/10 & 10/11.
• 10.13-10.16 (today) got Comfort Zone calming plug-in diffuser for cat. Also on Elura to stimulate appetite (helped). He gradually asked for more food/water. And today he meowed for food! TWICE!

Here are some possible causes

1. Stress/Separation Anxiety.

• Evidence: he has been very clingy recently; loves cuddles/hugs; eats when I hand feed him (bad habit); and seemingly improves with the calming plug-in diffuser.
• Next Step: we should continue to monitor his appetite, litter box, and other behaviors.

2. Dental problems

• Evidence: He dropped dry food/treat from mouth sometimes; I found him chewing from one side once; His annual dental cleaning was due in August;
• However, the vet said his dental problem is not severe; no specific preferences for wet food over dry (though could be the addition to dry food); no reaction when touching his tooth;
• Next step: should contact our vet to see whether we can do a dental cleaning and remove all tartars there.

3. Digestive problems

• Evidence: He seems hungry and runs to me when I open the food. He licks his lips, but only eats a small portion every time.
• However, it seems Cerenia didn't help him - maybe he should be on that for a longer duration?
• Next, we might also contact the vet to consider an ultrasound with a GI blood panel if his low appetite continues.

4. Just Mr. Picky.

• Not likely, even he used to be very picky, he wasn't that stubborn for such a long time.

5. Parasites

• Not likely, we had regular flea/tick prevention (Revolution or Bravecto), and we had flea/tick spray (Vets best) and collar (Hartz) when we had a walk in the neighborhood. We also just did oral parasite control at the vet in Mid-Sept with his vaccines.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Update 10.16

First I wanna say thank you all for the resources, advice, and support as a community that loves cats. When I wrote the post I was super anxious and stressed, feeling guilty that I didn't provide care to my babe. Thank you for also helping me handle my own stress and anxiety, and that would also benefit our sweet Dracula so he won't take on my stress at the home. Hope he will be better soon.

I summarized his symptoms and possible causes.

• Mid-Sept: Ate less or refused to eat while I'm at work;
• 2021.9.30-10.2 vomited several times (4-6), primarily yellow bile with hair/grass, started to show appetite. I gave him 3-5 gram probiotics per day.
• 10.3 6.30 am the last vomiting, with white foam (possibly because of hunger), I gave him 5mg omeprazole and he ate around 150kcal wet food.
• 10.4 -10.9, no vomiting nor diarrhea, less appetite, ate 100-160kcal wet food/day.
• 10.9 - 10.13 4-day Cerenia treatment, ate even less on 10/10 & 10/11.
• 10.13-10.16 (today) got Comfort Zone calming plug-in diffuser for cat. Also on Elura to stimulate appetite (helped). He gradually asked for more food/water. And today he meowed for food! TWICE!

Here are some possible causes

1. Stress/Separation Anxiety.

• Evidence: he has been very clingy recently; loves cuddles/hugs; eats when I hand feed him (bad habit); and seemingly improves with the calming plug-in diffuser.
• Next Step: we should continue to monitor his appetite, litter box, and other behaviors.

2. Dental problems

• Evidence: He dropped dry food/treat from mouth sometimes; I found him chewing from one side once; His annual dental cleaning was due in August;
• However, the vet said his dental problem is not severe; no specific preferences for wet food over dry (though could be the addition to dry food); no reaction when touching his tooth;
• Next step: should contact our vet to see whether we can do a dental cleaning and remove all tartars there.

3. Digestive problems

• Evidence: He seems hungry and runs to me when I open the food. He licks his lips, but only eats a small portion every time.
• However, it seems Cerenia didn't help him - maybe he should be on that for a longer duration?
• Next, we might also contact the vet to consider an ultrasound with a GI blood panel if his low appetite continues.

4. Just Mr. Picky.

• Not likely, even he used to be very picky, he wasn't that stubborn for such a long time.

5. Parasites

• Not likely, we had regular flea/tick prevention (Revolution or Bravecto), and we had flea/tick spray (Vets best) and collar (Hartz) when we had a walk in the neighborhood. We also just did oral parasite control at the vet in Mid-Sept with his vaccines.

Your notes are excellent and should be very helpful for the vet.
A strange question, but is it currently very hot in his environment? My cats always eat less in summer/when it's hot.
Both Bravecto and Hartz are implicated in illnesses and worse in cats. You can search these on your computer for more information. I personally only trust Advantage flea topical and would never use a flea collar. I only put breakaway (safety) non-flea collars on my cats. If he goes out, which he does, then Advantage would be good.
Fancy Feast is not a low-quality food. It is actually not bad at all for a "supermarket" brand. But I opt for Blue Buffalo and Soulistic, available in the US through petco.com. They are higher quality foods. Soulistic is mainly seafood varieties but they also have a few meat and poultry formulae. Blue Buffalo makes a wide range of foods. Their dry food is of higher quality as well, and very palatable. I feed the mature cat formula as my cats are 17 and 14; dry food is free-choice and I feed wet 2 or 3 times a day, depending on what they will eat. Any change in food should be introduced gradually over a period of up to 2 weeks; experts suggest mixing a small portion with a larger portion of regular food, increasing the new and decreasing the regular over days until he is eating all new. My cats like a wide variety of foods, so that's what I buy for them. I try to feed poultry or meat 2/3 of the time and seafood or seafood/chicken combination in the evenings.
A little cat grass from time to time isn't bad, but random source grass can have chemicals or bacteria so I would not want a cat to eat that. You can buy oat grass or wheat grass, or seed, or kits, through petco.com or most cat supply venues. I wouldn't give it very often, though, because it is normal for cats to bring it up after eating it.
Feliway spray in the environment can help to keep cats calm.
I think he misses you very much when you are not there. He has been used to having you around all the time. I work at/from home and my cats don't even like it when I go to the grocery store or the dentist or whatever. So I always talk to them reassuringly before leaving, and greet them right away when I return. He may very well have separation anxiety.