Starting All Over With Snickers :(

[amysuen]

It was such a struggle to get him to eat homemade food, then he was doing fairly well until he got sick a week ago. The first day on his antibiotics he had a good appetite but since then it's been a struggle to get him to eat anything but kibble, and even then he doesn't eat more than a handful at a time.

The antibiotics had to be given with food so the first day I gave him Friskies treats just to get him to eat something and as a reward for taking the meds. Since then he's been eating less than 1/2 oz of wet food per meal, regardless if it's homemade or Rachael Ray. I've tried all the toppings he usually likes with no luck - he won't even eat the kibble if it's on the plate next to the wet food.

I'm wondering if:
1. He's just "spoiled" by the kibble and I've got to start transitioning him all over again.
2. He associates food with his antibiotic, which he doesn't like to take.
3. We put a calming collar on him last week (he's been licking all the fur off his belly) and it's so strong he can't smell the food.
4. There's something else wrong that we don't know about yet.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[orange&white]

Oh Amy, I'm sorry to hear that about Snickers.

You may have posted in another thread, but what did the vet diagnose Snickers with when he prescribed antibiotics? Snickers may just still be feeling a little puny and that would make him less hungry.

On your possibilities, yes, any one or a combination is possible. The only one you have direct and immediate control over is the calming collar. It's scented? If so, I would take it off at least temporarily to see if that may be a player in his lack of appetite. An unscented e-collar may be preferred to keep him from licking.

Hopefully it's just the antibiotics and residual illness making him not want to eat, and he'll be good as new in no time.

If he starts to eat less than he's eating, I would worry about him going off his food and call the vet back. Until he feels better, offer him anything he will eat. Sounds like you already know to do that.

Feel better, little Snickers.

 

[amysuen]

The vet wasn't sure. I brought him in because he was crying and strained in the litter box but didn't pee so I thought it was an obstruction. Our older daughter lost her cat to an obstruction several years ago so I knew how serious they can be. His bladder was too small for the vet to get a sample and he didn't pee in the 2 hours we were there so the vet thought it could be a UTI or irritated bladder.

I took his collar off last night but it didn't seem to make a difference. This morning he only ate half a handful of dry food, then jumped on the counter when I was vacuuming (he's rarely on the counter) so I thought I'd offer his food again while he was there and he ate some of it. Then about 30 min ago he came into the kitchen so I offered him another ounce, which he ate. I'm wondering if he prefers to eat when the other cats aren't around.

 

[Ardina]

Sorry to hear about Snickers! I've found that cats will often revert back to their old comfort food when they're stressed or sick. I would focus on getting him feeling better and feeding him whatever he wants. Once he's back to his old self, you can work on transitioning him again. It generally goes faster the second time.

 

[amysuen]

Duh - I want comfort food when I'm not feeling well, I should've thought that maybe he did too. Good to know it goes faster the second time! My biggest worry about him preferring the dry is that UTI issues require extra water, but he found the water I put in the kitchen and drank a LOT of this morning so I'm less worried about hydration now.

 

[maggiedemi]

Would he eat a cheaper canned food like Friskies, Fancy Feast, Purina One? Or Sheba Cuts? My cats are so picky, they won't eat their dry food either if it's on the same plate as a wet food they don't like.

 

[amysuen]

Maybe... I've got Friskies on the grocery list for DH to get tonight. I'll have him get a variety of brands to see what might spark Snicker's appetite. He loves fish, but I've read that it's not good to feed fish on a regular basis.

 

[orange&white]

A little fish until he gets his appetite back wouldn't hurt. My senior went off food for four days when I brought the new kitten into the house. I went out and purchased stuff I don't want him to eat and laid out an "all you can eat buffet": raw, several flavors of canned, human tuna, and even bought some kibble as much as I hated to do that.

When a cat's appetite is off, I let them have plenty of choices.

 

[amysuen]

AYCE cat buffet...

DH bought 4 different cans of food and some sardines. Hopefully something will pique his interest. He goes to the vet next Tuesday - I'll feel better after he gets a clean bill of health.

On another topic, my brother's almost 1 yr old kitten died unexpectedly last night. They took him to the emergency vet for breathing problems and he passed before they could start the procedure. Now I'm even more paranoid about our cats' health.

 

[amysuen]

Update on Snickers - Our 22 yr old DD took him (he's technically her cat) to our regular vet today for a urine test, which we're still waiting for the results on. The vet said it's hard to tell what caused the issue, and sent home info about urinary tract health, stress, etc.

The big excitement was when she let him out of the carrier - he was dripping with pee!! We don't know if the vet gave him extra liquids to help gather urine or if he was scared or what, but it was a HUGE mess! We didn't realize he'd peed until he was in the middle of the living room carpet, then he dripped all the way through the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hall as I carried him to the bathroom. The daycare kids were oblivious, but since they play in the dining room we had to clean that up before we could tackle him. My daughter dried him off, then washed him and dried him again, then let him finish up. We cleaned the carpets and floors with soapy water, an enzyme spray, and finally white vinegar but it took hours for the cat pee smell to go away.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm so sorry you had to clean such a big mess. But I'm happy that he peed! Did he like any of the canned food you bought him?

 

[amysuen]

It wasn't fun but it's part of having a cat. The vet called and his urine results were normal, so that's good news!
He loves the Friskies Shreds and will eat the homemade when there's a thin layer of Shreds spread on top.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm so glad! The Shreds are my cats' favorite too.

 

[amysuen]

Me too - he's back to his bratty self.

 

[orange&white]

So happy to hear that his tests are normal! Terrific news!