Petal Not Eating Much

[Cat Grrl]

Hello catfriends: My 17 yo, Petal, has stopped eating very much. I went to the vet and picked up some Fortiflora probiotic and some Hill’s Prescription A/D wet yesterday. She ate a couple of teaspoons, one on her own, one being hand-fed in her bed. She will eat tuna water, lactocse-free cheese, Temptations (junk food!), some supermarket bbq chicken, and a little Purina Cat Chow indoor. She is complely off her dry I/D and her Purina One, which she was eating regularly until now. Her feeding station looks like a kitty-buffet, all the kibble has to be ground up, otherwise she vomits because she does not chew. She is not temped to eat. She is drinking water ok.

I have an appointment on Thursday with the vet. I’m hoping the vet can give prescribe some appetite stimulants. And do some tests so we can see what is going on. A while ago 2 vets said they felt something was “not normal” in her abdomen. I am reluctant to have her sedated due to her age.

I can’t feed her much at once, she tends to vomit if she eats too much. She is getting Cerenia every 3 days and stool softener PEG 3350 every day.

Do I try to feed her the A/D and whatever else she will eat every couple of hours? She is sleeping a lot more than is usual. I know that if she stops eating for more than 24 hrs, it can be fatal.

What else can I try to feed her?

Thanks for your ears!

 

[Lunathecoona]

I would let her eat what ever she will eat at this point! The junk food is better then nothing! See if the vet can do an ultra sound with out the sedation! They should be able to!! And yes! It sounds as if she had ate something that may be stuck In her belly.. best regards! Hope she feels better soon!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When the Vets said something was "not normal", what happened? Did they suggest any tests, do an xray, an ultra sound, or just leave it at that? I'm sorry you and Petal are going through this, and if she'll take small bits or you can syringe feed her a little bit of the A/D every few hours without her throwing it back up, then by all means, do that. You can also try stage 1 or stage 2 Baby Food meats. They aren't 100% nutritionally complete, but are probably better than temptations. At this point, whatever she'll eat, let her eat until your appointment. Is she overweight? Thinner cats can go longer without eating than overweight cats, and even the bigger cats can normally go 36 hours before any non pre-existing health issues might set in.

Please keep us posted on what's happening with your little one.

 

[LTS3]

Try any brand of pate canned cat food. That will be easier to eat than dry food. Maybe try watering down the canned food and even the A/D a bit with water and syringe feeding if necessary.

Make sure the vet checks your cat's teeth. Dental issues can be painful and cause a cat to not want to eat very much. A dental procedure is needed to treat the issues but given your cat's age it may be risky. Discuss with the vet.

 

[Layla Riley]

What happened when the vets
said that anything was "not normal"?
Have they suggested any scans, or did they do an
X-ray, an ultrasound, or just leave it at that?
I'm sorry that you and Petal are going through this, and if she's going to take little bits or you can syringe
her every few hours with a little bit of A / D without her vomiting it back up, then do that, by all means.
You should also try the Baby Food
meats from stage 1 or stage 2.
They are not nutritionally full at 100
percent, but they are probably better than temptations.



At this point, let her eat
whatever she's eating before your appointment.
She's
overweight?
Without feeding, smaller cats can go longer than overweight cats, and even larger
cats can typically go 36 hours before any non-pre-existing health conditions can set in.


Please keep us updated on
what's going on with your daughter.

 

[Cat Grrl]

Thank you for all your help. I’m going to try the baby food and the pate cat food. So far I don’t have to syringe feed. I will do that if required. She is moving around more this morning, she ate enough A/D yesterday (hand fed). She seems to be more like herself. Not in bed all day. She is skinny. Becoming bony, as they do when they age. The vet said an ultrasound would require sedation, so I opted not to do that for safety. Might have to though. Good idea about checking her teeth. I will ask the vet to do that also.

 

[Layla Riley]

Leave her to
eat at this stage


Whatever she eats in
advance of the appointment.


She
is, uh,


Being
overweight?


Smaller cats will go longer than
overweight cats without food, and even larger


Cats will normally go 36 hours before they
can set in with any non-pre-existent health problems.




Please keep us
updated on this issue.


What's happened
to your daughter?

 

[Cat Grrl]

Petal saw the vet yesterday. The vet says Petal has a large abdominal tumor that is painful. She prescribed subdermal mirtazapine for her appetite. Petal got her appetite back almost immediately. Vet said we could consider steroids to make her comfortable. There is no good outcome for this for Petal. I am going to check-in with the vet on Saturday. I am very sad.