My Cat Won't Eat

[Marisa496]

Hi,
I have a 5yo cat named Sam. Sam used to be overweight and lost weight rapidly. He also seemed to be eating less. I took him to the vet who ran labs, and says Sam's liver is in bad shape. He stayed at the vet for 2 days to be force fed and when I picked him up they said he was ok and eating. He returned home with some liver supplements, an iron supplement, and antibiotics. The thing is Sam won't eat more than a few pieces of dry food at a time. The total amount can't be over 25g per day. He's been home for 2 days and hasn't improved.
The vet says the cause of Sam's anorexia could be stress cause we adopted a puppy (around the time he stopped eating). We keep sam separate from the dog.
Does anyone have any tips of how I can help him? We've tried several brands of dry and wet food (cold and heated up) and it doesn't seem to work. He's a sweet cat but it's impossible to syringe feed him (that's why he stayed at the vet).
Any tips will be appreciated.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

There is a member on here that has a running list of food enticements for cats. Hopefully they will pop in and post it soon! In the meantime, you could try giving him meat baby food (pureed meat only, no added spices) or plain boiled chicken.

 

[dkb817]

When my Ally at would refuse to eat (which was more often than not towards the end), the vet suggested I give her whatever she would take - human food (as long as it wasn't one of the super toxic ones like onion or something), baby food, etc. He said she needed nutrients from eating and we could always worry about fixing any subsequent problems once we got her eating again.

 

[jen]

The key is to try everything. 24-48 hours of no eating can be very damaging to his already damaged liver. At this point ANYTHING he will eat. Hopefully the person with the list will be along as mentioned above.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

I want to say it's Furballsmom ?

 

[LTS3]

Furballsmom's list of food enticement suggestions can be found in this thread: Difficult Getting Cats To Eat Regularly

The "liver shake" might be ok to use: "liver Shake" Recipe For Inappetant Cats

The vet can also prescribe an appetite stimulant. A feeding tube may be necessary if the cat still won't eat.

Here are some tips on how to introduce a cat to a dog: How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog

And stress reducing tips to help the cat feel more comfortable:

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?

 

[1 bruce 1]

I want to say it's Furballsmom ?

Yep, she'll be along and has a great list of really tempting foods to try.
Did the vet say what was wrong with Sam's liver? There's lot of problems that can happen with the liver, and many require different types of treatment. I'd call the vet and tell them that he's not improved and get some more details on what exactly is going on.
We've had good luck with plain baby food, no onions or garlic flavor, just meat and probably corn starch and water. If he's a dry food lover, crunchy treats might get him by until you can talk to the vet.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
LTS3 got that list of foods for you I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something works for your baby

Also try some music, there's MusicForCats . com, an app called Relax My Cat and there is classical harp music, which are all known to help cats be more calm

 

[stephanietx]

Do you think this is because of the dog? Does Sam get along with the dog?

 

[Marisa496]

Do you think this is because of the dog? Does Sam get along with the dog?

He doesn't like the dog, but his behaviour looks normal aside from the not eating. I hope it isn't cause there's no way around the dog.

 

[Marisa496]

Furballsmom's list of food enticement suggestions can be found in this thread: Difficult Getting Cats To Eat Regularly

The "liver shake" might be ok to use: "liver Shake" Recipe For Inappetant Cats

The vet can also prescribe an appetite stimulant. A feeding tube may be necessary if the cat still won't eat.

Here are some tips on how to introduce a cat to a dog: How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog

And stress reducing tips to help the cat feel more comfortable:

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?

Thank you, I'll try those

 

[Marisa496]

Yep, she'll be along and has a great list of really tempting foods to try.
Did the vet say what was wrong with Sam's liver? There's lot of problems that can happen with the liver, and many require different types of treatment. I'd call the vet and tell them that he's not improved and get some more details on what exactly is going on.
We've had good luck with plain baby food, no onions or garlic flavor, just meat and probably corn starch and water. If he's a dry food lover, crunchy treats might get him by until you can talk to the vet.

I'll call the vet as soon as they open monday morning. The thing is I can't afford to have him committed again. His last vet bill was over 300€

 

[Marisa496]

Hi!
LTS3 got that list of foods for you I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something works for your baby

Also try some music, there's MusicForCats . com, an app called Relax My Cat and there is classical harp music, which are all known to help cats be more calm

Thanks. I've heard of music for cats but didn't know if it worked. I'll give it a try for sure

 

[Furballsmom]

.

 

[Marisa496]

The key is to try everything. 24-48 hours of no eating can be very damaging to his already damaged liver. At this point ANYTHING he will eat. Hopefully the person with the list will be along as mentioned above.

He'll pick at the food when I bring it near him. And will sometimes walk to his bowl, smell it or lick it and walk away. The frustrating thing is he ate by himself while at the vet. I saw him eat out of the nurse's hand when I picked him up. I don't know why he won't eat at home

 

[Marisa496]

I'm worried cause Sam was the kind of cat who would eat anything. No food was safe near him. And now he won't even eat tuna.
Can stress really do this to a cat?
I can't lose Sam. I lost a 15yo cat not long ago (I'm 23 and it's been so hard getting used to not having her around).

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'll call the vet as soon as they open monday morning. The thing is I can't afford to have him committed again. His last vet bill was over 300€

Understood completely! They should at least be able to tell you what problems you're dealing with from his last visit, so at least you know what the problem is.
We've dealt with liver problems in the past, and have had really good luck with Sam-e/Milk thistle to bring their numbers and symptoms back under control. It might be worth looking into.

 

[dkb817]

I'm going to level with you - and I promise I don't mean this as harshly as it's going to come off sounding:

If the only thing that has changed is the addition of the dog, that's the most likely source of trouble - especially if the cat ate at the vets when he wasn't around your new puppy.

In the long term, you might be able to consider Prozac or something to help calm Sam's nerves, maybe even a Feliway air diffuser - but in the the short term, definitely keep the two separated (Preferably in different rooms with doors that can be shut) and try the music that Furballsmom suggested to drown out the sound of the puppy barking in another room.

 

[LTS3]

Is your cat nauseous? That may cause a lack of appetite and just picking at food. Lip smacking and sort of hunched over in the meatloaf position and typical signs.

A feeding tube may be necessary if your cat won't eat.

Would you consider giving the puppy back? It really does sound like the puppy is the cause of your cat being stressed out and not eating. Keeping the puppy away from the cat may or may not help.

 

[Marisa496]

.

Is your cat nauseous? That may cause a lack of appetite and just picking at food. Lip smacking and sort of hunched over in the meatloaf position and typical signs.

A feeding tube may be necessary if your cat won't eat.

Would you consider giving the puppy back? It really does sound like the puppy is the cause of your cat being stressed out and not eating. Keeping the puppy away from the cat may or may not help.

I'd give the puppy back 100% but she's not mine to give away. My sister adopted her while I was away at college and didn't tell me to "surprise me". I love all animals but I don't have the patience to raise a puppy.
I manage to syringe feed Sam this morning, got 7x6cc in him. Will do it again later today.
I can't afford to have Sam committed at the vet again. His last vet bill was over 300€. Will getting food in him increase his appetite?