*need Advice/help* 15 Yr Old Cat Having Appetite Issues

[Antonio65]

Well, it isn't mandatory that it has to be administered with or without food
Of course, if a cat is not eating at all, then the pill will be given before a meal. The pill will push the cat to their dish in a few minutes.
If the cat is eating a little, then you can give them the pill with food, it will work anyway

Your vet said nearly the same thing I did. If Sassy is not losing weight, then it isn't necessary to pill her.
Follow his advice, weigh Sassy regularly and keep a log. Be sure you have a scale that gives reproducible values, I mean that for the same subject it gives the same reading even 10 times in a row, otherwise you will not be confident that the next week you weigh Sassy you are reading the right weight.
And make sure you weigh Sassy always in the same condition, I mean before a meal, or after using the litter, in order not to count in the weight of something that is not there the next time.
I hope I made myself clear enough for you

 

[miguel99nyc]

Is 2mg a safe amount to have once every 3 days?

Also, Yes, it's clear. Really appreciate it Antonio.

I just wonder what would make her scare after eating? Again, because she still comes out to kitchen quite quickly as if she WANTS to eat, still eats but just stops usually mid way then walks away or something triggers her. That's the only reason why I kinda don't want to start on the medication yet.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Wow, for a fifteen year old cat, her blood work is impressive. FYI . . . My vet prescribed five milligrams of loratadine daily for my almost three-year-old cat, Thirteen, who has allergies. Thirteen immediately began waking me up early in the morning, meowing for food! She had NEVER done that before! Plus, every time I got up from the sofa she would STREAK into the kitchen and jump up onto the counter thinking I was going to feed her again. Given the unwanted side effects and the fact that the loratadine was not particularly effective on her allergies, my vet took her off of it.

 

[miguel99nyc]

Yeah, that's what im afraid of the most, side effects. Because she's 15, Im like beyond scared any side effects and be more sever on her, and/or permanent too.

 

[Antonio65]

Is 2mg a safe amount to have once every 3 days?
I just wonder what would make her scare after eating? Again, because she still comes out to kitchen quite quickly as if she WANTS to eat, still eats but just stops usually mid way then walks away or something triggers her. That's the only reason why I kinda don't want to start on the medication yet.

Couldn't you "spread" that pill over a daily administration rather than a strong shot in a day and then nothing for three days?
I think that side effects (and any possible risk) could be lesser too.
Given I'm very much into strange theories, I am starting thinking that in the house there could be something that only Sassy can see or hear!

Yeah, that's what im afraid of the most, side effects. Because she's 15, Im like beyond scared any side effects and be more sever on her, and/or permanent too.

I don't think that side effects from Mirtazapine would be permanent.
And your vet knows the age of Sassy, he wouldn't have prescribed them if the age was a concern.
My cat is 16 years and 7 months old

 

[miguel99nyc]

Well its 2mg, and it's rather small tablet, very little tiny ball like shape. I can take a pic of it later. Not sure how much further down I can chop it ?

I JUST read on the Tanya site about giving 1.88 mg once every 72 hours better to start out to lessen any potential side effects...so 1.88mg and 2mg is not much difference? the 1/8 of 15mg pill is about 3.75....so thats even more I think.

 

[Antonio65]

Well its 2mg, and it's rather small tablet, very little tiny ball like shape. I can take a pic of it later. Not sure how much further down I can chop it ?

I will take a pic of my fractions later too, I will show how small they can get

I JUST read on the Tanya site about giving 1.88 mg once every 72 hours better to start out to lessen any potential side effects...so 1.88mg and 2mg is not much difference? the 1/8 of 15mg pill is about 3.75....so thats even more I think.

My 1/8 pill is from a 4 mg pill, so it's 0.5 mg.
I had read most of the Tanya's website in the past, but I missed the section of the appetite stimulant... or I have forgotten it.

 

[miguel99nyc]

Wow, just 0.5mg?? And thats what your vet told to giver you cat?? That's so little. Far less then 2mg.

 

[Antonio65]

Wow, just 0.5mg?? And thats what your vet told to giver you cat?? That's so little. Far less then 2mg.

The vet told me to give her 1/4 pill a day, 1 mg, but later on I thought it was safer to reduce the dosage.
The side effects I was noticing were a constant meowing (which was rather fine for me), and a faster breathing, that I didn't like at all and was included in the expected side effects.

The vet who prescribed the pills isn't my vet, but the vet who ran a TC scan two months ago, at a different clinic. My vets were told and they were fine with it. I used the pills for a week after the prescritpion, then I put them away until about ten days ago, when my cat started eating less again. It was ten days ago that I decided to reduce the dosage.

 

[miguel99nyc]

but thats 1 mg a day....ours was prescribed 2mg once every 2-3 days. So I guess its about same amount?

And you noticed the side effects less / none after reducing it to 0.5mg? How long ago after that week usage...she she maintain her hunger before using them again?

 

[Antonio65]

but thats 1 mg a day....ours was prescribed 2mg once every 2-3 days. So I guess its about same amount?

And you noticed the side effects less / none after reducing it to 0.5mg? How long ago after that week usage...she she maintain her hunger before using them again?

It was 1 mg a day, now it's 0.5 mg a day.
And however I think that you could have a peak of dosage if you give her 2 mg in a single shot. I don't know... this is what I had been told.
I have noticed less side effects, especially on the breathing rate.
She mantained her feeding habits for about 5-6 weeks before I had to use the pill again. But I don't think that those weeks were under the effect of the med, it was just that she was hungrier.

This is the pill I'm using, along with a 1/8 pill fraction. In the pic it doesn't show, but the pill has a mark for cutting it in two. I cut it in two halves, then I cut every half in two and every quarter in two, so I have the 1/8 pill.
I don't know if you're located in Europe, US or UK, so I used three different coins for comparison

 

[miguel99nyc]

How much food, as far as ounces should she be eating to maintain weight?

All these years I have been feeding her roughly about 5.5 - 6.5 ounces of food (wet/dry). Now on average she'd eat about 4.5 ounces... Shes a 12lb cat.

 

[miguel99nyc]

So now suddenly, I get home from work, my cat comes to door to greet me and meows for food like always. She this time ate an entire 3 oz food of Fancy Feast Beef Gravy Lovers. What i tried was serve her little by little at atime...

Does anyone thinkg it could be maybe I serve her too much at one shot? Usually Id pour out the entire 3 oz can or half of the 5.5 oz cans onto her plate to eat, usually neever finishes it.

Thoughts?

 

[carebare]

No but it could be she likes to eat socially. My cat will not eat if I am far from the food dish. Sometimes I have to hold the dish for him to get him to eat enough. Sometimes he has to relax in between bites, and it takes him an hour. I have to lock the other cat out or he gets too agitated. He used to eat competitively with the other cat, but now he likes to be catered to.

 

[miguel99nyc]

Well she would eat usually whether im there or not. And if im there I got to be sooo quiet. Not even a step.

But now I ggave her food little by litte and ended up eating the whole can.

 

[Antonio65]

It's not a matter of how much weight of food you have to give her, it's a matter of how many kcal you have to give her.
Not all foods have the same energy content, so it depends on how many calories your food has.
Follow this formula
kcal = 70 + (30 x kg)
kg is the weight of your cat in kg
Your cat is 12 lbs, which is 5.45 kg, so you have to feed her about 235 kcal.
Read the label of your cans