My Cat Is Hungry And He Can't Eat

[nati85]

I've been to two vets already.
The cat is 10 years old and is clinically fine. His mood is fine. His behavior is fine. General blood test came back ok. I thought there was something wrong with his mouth but both vets said he was ok.

No changes at home or with my routine. He stays only in my apartment. He has no contact with plants or other cats or other people oter than me and my boyfriend (once a week). I've tried with another brand of dry food but it's the same. He can somewhat handle chicken but he threw it up yesterday. The same with tuna. He just licks the juice of the wet food. When he's extreeeemely hungry he eats it.

He has lost 500grams of weight in the past 10 days and this could be bad for the liver.

First vet gave him antibiotics in case there was an infection. Second vet gave him anti-inflamatory injetion. I deparaiste him too.

Anyone had this happened?
I read an old thread where most cases resulted to be cancer.

Any liquid food I could give him? 'Ve read you can give them ensure.

I don't have much money left
If it's cancer I probably can't afford treatment. I have a thread for support in cat SOS. Thanks in advance

 

[catlover73]

Welcome to TCS. I am sorry you had to join us under such difficult circumstances.

Do you know if the vet gave him an injection for nausea? If not I would ask about this and see if your vet will work out a payment plan. It should not be really expensive. This would be my next step if your vet is willing to try it. Cats tend to stop eating when they have nausea. My next step if possible would be to try an injection for nausea because getting him to eat would be easier if he is not vomiting.

Can you get either KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer- Pet store or online), Goat Milk (Some Pet Stores or higher end grocery stores), Baby Food (No Onions or Garlic-I have used Gerber 2nd stage which can be found in most grocery stores)- Can be mixed with water to make a glop. I used meat flavored.

Have you tried watered down wet food? I have had luck with Fancy Feast Classic Pate.

You can even try mixing KMR and wet food together.

One of my cats years ago go sick with the kitty equivalent to human stomach flu. She was throwing up quite a bit and could not eat. My vet gave her a shot for nausea which stopped the vomiting. The appointment was in the afternoon. In the evening she was able to keep water down. She went back to eating wet cat food the next day. She ate only wet food for a few days and then started eating dry food on her own.

 

[silkenpaw]

I second @catlover73’s suggestion to try an antiemetic. Does your cat lick his lips a lot? Sit in front of a food dish but not eat? Those are signs of nausea. Does he have a runny nose? If so, treating it will improve his appetite.

Good luck and let us know what happens, please. We really care

 

[nati85]

Thanks. I'm desperate because he's hungry (he is hungry) but he just cannot put solid food in.

No vomit, no diarrhea.

 

[Furballsmom]

Where are you located? Can you obtain the things catlover73 suggested?
Try heating canned food a little bit.
Try canned kitten food, mackerel, deli chicken - just to try and get him eating again - it's too herby and salty for long term, pouch foods have more gravy, unseasoned broth, shredded cheese, treats, fortiflora, bonito flakes.

Maybe something here will help;
Financial Aid for Pets

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

 

[maincoonmama]

there is canned food called recover by royal canin. it is used for pets after surgery, and pets recovering from all sorts of other issues. it has an olfactory component added to make it more enticing and palatable.
catsure can help as well.

 

[maincoonmama]

my only other suggestion is to check for a blockage or gastric distress. if your cat has i.b.d, eating a lot of foods standard cat foods is painful. my one cat had these issues. she is doing nicely after having surgery to remove her blockage and switching to raw after she recovered. my cat didn't eat for days, and it wasn't until we did an x-ray that we saw a ball of fur the size of my fist in her stomach that alerted us to the issue. everything else came back normal

 

[maincoonmama]

if (god forbid) your cat has cancer or a blockage) there are pet financing options depending on where you are. some vets will take your cat as a surrender to treat it, and once you have made a payment option with payments they will return your pet, or rehome it for you if you have been judged incapable of caring for them for whatever reason.

 

[maincoonmama]

I had to force-feed lily a slurry made from recover food, and water. and give her subcutaneous fluids to replace electrolytes, until I had the funds to get her her surgery

 

[LTS3]

OP is in Argentina as stated in his / her other thread in Nutrition: Can I Give Ensure To My Cat?

 

[nati85]

there is canned food called recover by royal canin. it is used for pets after surgery, and pets recovering from all sorts of other issues. it has an olfactory component added to make it more enticing and palatable.
catsure can help as well.

Yes! I actually found it in the pet shop before reading here. Recovery worked.

 

[nati85]

***********UPDATE****************

So I went to a free vet hospital to get a diagnosis. They did x-ray with contrast and said that there was an obstruction in the intestine. They say he needs surgery asap. They referred me to another free clinic because they were fully booked until the following month. So I left with my ugly diagnosis.

Afterwards, I went to my first vet to get a second opinion on the results. She said that she wouldn't be so quick to just put him through surgery. She had sent kitties through surgery when she considered it necessary but now was not the case.

The cat is in good normal mood. He (barely) eats. He pees. He poos. He plays.

What my vet says is that the cat is clinically fine. She doesn't fully agree with the surgery. Plus, she said that the contrast on the x-ray was not done properly. In the hospital they gave him the liquid and waited 10 minutes. She says that the contrast can even be seen the following day in the intestines. It cannot get all the way through the stomach and the intestines and the colon in ten minutes. (DUH!). I thought about it in the moment. I thought it was too fast to get all the way through. But I was so stressed for my kitty that I wasn't thinking right.

By the way, this moring my cat got an ultrasound that was perfect. That vet said that there were no tumors or anything weird.

So, 4 hours after my cat being fed the contrast liquid I went to another place to get a second x-ray. Voilá! The liquid was only half way through the poo (not even that).

This new doctor who did this new x-ray told me to come back tomorrow because the liquid wasn't all the way through yet. He showed it to me and it was clear then that it wasn't. He also said that it was OBVIOUS that there is no obsturction (at least so far). He showed me that it was all poo.

So I'm sitting here with my cat who seems to be perfectly fine but won't eat solids. Ocasionally vomits (past thursday and ttuesday).

No one knows what's wrong with him. If you had this happened,, insight is appreciated. <3

 

[LTS3]

He can somewhat handle chicken but he threw it up yesterday. The same with tuna. He just licks the juice of the wet food. When he's extreeeemely hungry he eats it.

He has lost 500grams of weight in the past 10 days and this could be bad for the liver.

IBD might be a possibility. Chicken might be one possible cause. A sensitivity to chicken or any ingredient in cat food can cause a flare up which can be painful and cause a cat to not eat even if hungry. Ask your vet about this and other possible gastrointestinal issues.