Please Help, My Cat Won't Eat

rachelbearden

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Please help.
About two weeks ago one of my cats died (I had three)Now I have two.
A week ago, to help my heart, I started fostering a mother cat and kittens. They are kept in my guest bedroom.
My male cat (the litter mate of the one who died) has barely eaten in the past week. I've tried feeding him all types of food and so far, he will only take a few bites of a fatty kitten food.
My older female cat didn't want to eat the food I always fed them, but I found another kind she will eat. Now, she has diarrhea.. but she is acting normal and it must be the change in food.
I ordered Feliway and it will arrive tomorrow. I'm hoping that will help both of them adjust to the new smells of the fosters and the loss of their brother, but do you guys have any other advice?
Has anyone else experienced this with their cats?
 

Pjg8r

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I’m sorry for the loss of your cat. Were your other two eating after your cat passed and before you broughf home the fosters? If so you may need to postpone fostering at this time. Your two must eat. The vet can give you appetite stimulants that may be enough to kick start their appetites again.
 

di and bob

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Yes, I do think they are still grieving and upset about the new arrivals. They WILL get over it, it's only been a week since you brought them in, cats take a long time to get used to strangers. Have you tried swapping blankets to get them used to the new smells? Give them extra attention and empathy too. Feed them whatever they will eat to get them going, extra treats too. Deli sliced turkey, bacon, anything. Lots of water too. get a new cat tower or toys and some catnip to keep them busy.
I'm so sorry for your loss, i'm sure with all this going on it is keeping you busy, I know keeping busy helped me through a lot of heartache. I'[[ pray for you all, and wish you the very best luck that normalcy returns quickly!
 

Saber_Wing

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A vet appointment might be in order. Although, when one of my boys had surgery a couple months ago, he wouldn't eat a bite for days - I managed to coerce him into eating human grade tuna, canned chicken, lunch meat...anything to get something into him, and a bit of moisture (he wasn't drinking either). I even considered syringing wet food to him. It didn't end up coming to that, but it's an idea. That'll only work short term of course, but it'll buy you some time. If you do buy tuna, make sure it's the kind in water, not oil.

Best of luck! Let us know!
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
I'm so sorry for your loss!

For your older female, try a 50:50 unseasoned boiled chicken and white rice for a couple of meals-vets will often prescribe this to hopefully get her stomach settled.

Try something here below regarding food for your other kitty, but also try some classical harp music for your cats. It's known to help them relax, there's also an app called Relax My Cat, and MusicForCats.com

Try one or two of these items below - (just a note, I've seen that some people are using nutritional yeast but I'm wary of this one-too much can cause the uric acid to become too high and the cat could end up with kidney issues.)

Finger feeding could help as well.

You could double-check with your vet just to be sure these things are ok.

Try some raw egg yolk. Egg white must always be cooked, and some people cook the white and make a slurry of sorts by adding in the raw yolk.

Try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.
  • Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients
  • Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch
  • Salmon, mackerel
  • Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
  • boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings
  • canned kitten food any brand
  • Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought
  • Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)
  • Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food
  • kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
  • Bonito flakes
  • fortiflora
  • fish oil
  • green beans, asparagus mushed up
  • goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
  • whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
  • broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
  • There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  • Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables
  • There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
  • shredded cheddar cheese
 

mahniah

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My can won't eat much, a few bites now and then, maybe one small can/day. He's a big guy and usually eats 4 cans/day. I took him to the vet yesterday and this morning he just didn't want to eat. And then I read - maybe on another thread here, but I can't find it - a tip that has worked well. Duke loves Greenies treats. I ground a bag up in the food processor to nearly a powder, mixed some with his food, and sprinkled a coarser grind over the top. My thinking was that the fine ground would flavor the food, and the coarser grind would have the bite he's used to. And he ate it, around 2/3 of a can, which is about what he usually eats at one meal. I'm waiting for the results of his blood test yesterday.
 
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