Please help! Cat lethargic and licking mouth a lot

[FeebysOwner]

Lola was eating new food for about 2.5 weeks before these issues arose - that’s the only thing that makes me think it’s not her food. Then again I have not transitioned a kitten to adult food before, is it common to have a reaction after several weeks of the new food? It’s a good point you have made though, if that is the cause, maybe her little stomach is still recovering.

I have not had issues with food with any of my cats - from a digestive tract perspective (TG), but have read that if there were some sort of allergic reaction or something in the food that is upsetting a cat's system, it can take a while to manifest itself, and then to resolve once the food is removed. Have you compared the ingredients in the two foods, just to see what is different? If you find differences make a note of that for the vet as well. Add to the list to talk to the vet about trying something like Pepcid for her. I don't know if that can counteract an irritant in the food, but might help if she would by chance be experiencing acid reflux.

 

[stephanietx]

I have a kitty with a sensitive tummy. Any time we change food, it takes about 2 weeks for any negative side effects to fully present. The last time he ended up in the vet clinic for a few days.

 

[TobyTims]

Thank you both for that info! I’ve looked at the two foods and they are basically identical (royal canin kitten jelly versus adult jelly).

So I’m struggling to see how that could be the cause... but I realised that she has been occasionally snacking on her sister’s food (who eats a different brand). So maybe that could be it! She’s never been sensitive to food changes before, takes to new treats etc well but maybe there is something in this new food brand that she keeps stealing!

 

[Tagrendy]

My cat also ate royal can kitten food, and for a while royal cat adult food, but at some point he started becoming intolerant of that food. Whenever I buy it he will always end up vomiting after 1-2 weeks of eating it. So it might be the food. However, regardless if it's her food or the other cat's food, if she has upset stomach, it could be a good idea to give very bland, super easy to digest type of foods for a few days, to let the stomach recover. Every time my cat vomits, I stop feeding him for 9-10 hours, just giving water, and I put some medicine in the water that generally is given to animals with stomach issues. Then I slowly introduce boiled chicken breast, with nothing else. At first he will be given very little - 1-2 spoons of it, then will give more. There are also probiotic filled products they sell here, that is prescribed to humans for upset stomachs. But vets prescribe a few spoonfuls of that as well to cats. Usually all of this helps, but it takes a few days before I feel comfortable giving him commercial food. Try grain free high quality dry food, just to test if grains could be irritating the cat.

 

[stephanietx]

T TobyTims you could be onto something with her sneaking from her sister's food. I hope that's the case.

 

[TobyTims]

Tagrendy thank you for sharing that! I decided to give Lola plain boiled chicken last night and this morning, and it seems like this has reduced the gagging after meals a lot

So I think everyone who identified her food as the cause was right (or at least, the food is too harsh on her stomach right now) Thank you!

I am still booked into the vet in about 5 hours, and I think I will take her for abundance of caution and to soothe my own nerves. But hopefully she is on the road to recovery!

 

[TobyTims]

For those interested, I just got back from the vet. He has scheduled Lola for an X-ray and ultrasound next week.

He still isn’t quite sure what’s going on but wants to keep checking/ruling things out to ensure there is not something medically wrong. He said while it’s rare in cats, her symptoms are consistent with megaesophagus, so that is one option to consider.

For now I’m going to keep feeding her the boiled chicken, at a raised height if possible, and see how she goes