Stopped eating - no real medical cause - other cat passed four weeks ago

[Snootypuss]

this is my first time posting, but i'm desperate and hoping someone can share experiences or thoughts that might help.
i had two cats... four weeks ago my oldest girl passed away after months of a quickly progressing CKD... my other girl, Sommer, is an exotic shorthair and about 10 years old. they were not particularly "bonded" bffs. they tolerated each other and would sleep near each other if i was there (on the couch with me) but never on their own. they never fought but they also never purposely hung out together without me. they never really had a feeding ritual together - both free fed dry and i would separately give them wet whenever each wanted it.
a few days after my baby crossed the rainbow bridge, Sommer stopped eating dry food - her main calorie source. she kept eating her daily Churu treat mixed with lysine to help her underlying herpes/allergies and breathing (smush face common problems). i gave her some mirataz via the ear. that night she ate some dry food. but then didn't go back and eat again so again about 36 hrs later i gave mirataz again. no response. still eating at least 1/2 the Churu a day... but NO dry food. tried offering MANY other options. real tuna. real chicken. chicken broth. baby food. every kind of dry and wet food possible. she would often run over to the sound of it being poured into the bowl, sniff, then run away. continued eating at least SOME Churu. then three days ago stopped eating anything.
long story short regarding vet stuff: she has had bloodwork, x-rays, mouth exam, ultrasound... no remarkable findings that would explain inappetence. slight heart murmer and score of ~400 for ProBNP. waiting on GI blood panel. thinking POSSIBLY inflammatory bowel disease but seems very unlikely to be the real cause for suddenly not eating at same time we lost our baby. there is no indication IBD worsens with a sudden stressor. she was hospitalized after 24+ hours of not eating anything. that's where she had the ultrasound. they are giving her another kind of antinausea, another kind of appetite stimulant, and a low dose dexamethasone (steroid). i dropped off all kinds of food they are going to try to offer her throughout the night. if she still doesn't eat tonight it will be almost 72 hours of not eating. obviously they are testing her and watching her closely for fatty liver... if she doesn't eat tonight, they are saying the next step is a feeding tube. i am so worried. it seems like she this is very much a partially mental/behavioral thing related to the death of her friend... my stress... etc. has anyone ever experienced a cat not eating for no real known reason and having to have a feeding tube? it breaks my heart. she was otherwise fine. acting loving, playing, running around, not vomiting or anything... she just WONT EAT... please... any thoughts or advice... i'm worried to even have her sedated and have the feeding tube put in... it seems like torture to her... she's a tiny little girl who is sensitive and has a smushy face and stresses easily

 

[di and bob]

She may be mourning the loss of her 'sister'. Cats thrive on routine, a family member missing would be a BIG change, and really upset her. For her herpes/allergies, check into DMG, it is great for building up the immune system and is what I give my cats with leukemia. When they get sick and refuse to eat, sometimes only licks of food for two weeks, I give them Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. I also give their medicine in it every morning. It is the ONLY thing I have found that they will eat when sick or stressed. You might try it and a few other lickable treats. I will pray for your little girl.....RIP to her dear sister.....

 

[Snootypuss]

Thank you
Yes, I have found the churu lickable treats to be all she was eating for three weeks. Then when she decided she wouldn’t eat anything is when we had to hospitalize.
trust me I understand grieving the loss of my Maddie. This has been the most stressful awful few months of my life.My girls are a huge part of who I am. To lose Maddie after having her by my side for 15 years has been incredibly difficult. To now think of Sommer is just …. Next level.
I assume you never got to the feeding tube? That’s the worst part. Not knowing if an invasive procedure is best. Also blaming myself feeling like I should have handled aspects of the loss differently and been more positive in front of her etc…. sigh

 

[BellaBlue82]

Hi there,
Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss, that is never easy on anyone's heart.
But I've had this happen not too long ago, and it honestly flabbergasted my vet. I've had cats that would not eat, so please don't be scared of the feeding tube. It's there to help them in the worst case scenario, and should help her start eating on her own eventually.

IN a relatable story, when DH and I first got married and moved in together, he surprised me with Sonny our of and tabby. A year later, we got Casper as a companion for Sonny and we love cats. I never really thought they were close, I'd say more like they tolerated each other lol. Maybe a rare instance where they laid together, but honestly Sonny was a gangster of a cat always up to his own devices and Casper was the lap cat.
Fast forward 14 years to 2017, we lost Sonny very abruptly to a stomach tumor. We were beside ourselves with grief, but my goodness Casper took it the worst. He stopped eating, barely drank anything, and paced around the hours hours on end meowing as loud as could be, searching for his brother. I mean, talk about break your heart even worse.
Many trips to the vet, many medicines, and no change for months, our vet finally suggested that maybe he needs another companion. So, we thought about it for a while, pulled up our bootstraps and found his beautiful sister Sadie at the shelter. In my mind I remember thinking here come this hisses and spats and months of introduction work etc etc lol. I have never ever seen this in my entire life, and I've had many cats while growing up, but the minute we brought Sadie home Casper immediately was smitten with her, licking her, purring, laying with her, you name it. That was it. That was the day he started eating well again and stopped pacing the house yowling.

If you have room in your heart and would consider another cat, maybe think about it as a possibility in the future. Sommer may surprise you. I hope your lovely girl starts feeling better soon, I will keep her in my prayers.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

this is my first time posting, but i'm desperate and hoping someone can share experiences or thoughts that might help.
i had two cats... four weeks ago my oldest girl passed away after months of a quickly progressing CKD... my other girl, Sommer, is an exotic shorthair and about 10 years old. they were not particularly "bonded" bffs. they tolerated each other and would sleep near each other if i was there (on the couch with me) but never on their own. they never fought but they also never purposely hung out together without me. they never really had a feeding ritual together - both free fed dry and i would separately give them wet whenever each wanted it.
a few days after my baby crossed the rainbow bridge, Sommer stopped eating dry food - her main calorie source. she kept eating her daily Churu treat mixed with lysine to help her underlying herpes/allergies and breathing (smush face common problems). i gave her some mirataz via the ear. that night she ate some dry food. but then didn't go back and eat again so again about 36 hrs later i gave mirataz again. no response. still eating at least 1/2 the Churu a day... but NO dry food. tried offering MANY other options. real tuna. real chicken. chicken broth. baby food. every kind of dry and wet food possible. she would often run over to the sound of it being poured into the bowl, sniff, then run away. continued eating at least SOME Churu. then three days ago stopped eating anything.
long story short regarding vet stuff: she has had bloodwork, x-rays, mouth exam, ultrasound... no remarkable findings that would explain inappetence. slight heart murmer and score of ~400 for ProBNP. waiting on GI blood panel. thinking POSSIBLY inflammatory bowel disease but seems very unlikely to be the real cause for suddenly not eating at same time we lost our baby. there is no indication IBD worsens with a sudden stressor. she was hospitalized after 24+ hours of not eating anything. that's where she had the ultrasound. they are giving her another kind of antinausea, another kind of appetite stimulant, and a low dose dexamethasone (steroid). i dropped off all kinds of food they are going to try to offer her throughout the night. if she still doesn't eat tonight it will be almost 72 hours of not eating. obviously they are testing her and watching her closely for fatty liver... if she doesn't eat tonight, they are saying the next step is a feeding tube. i am so worried. it seems like she this is very much a partially mental/behavioral thing related to the death of her friend... my stress... etc. has anyone ever experienced a cat not eating for no real known reason and having to have a feeding tube? it breaks my heart. she was otherwise fine. acting loving, playing, running around, not vomiting or anything... she just WONT EAT... please... any thoughts or advice... i'm worried to even have her sedated and have the feeding tube put in... it seems like torture to her... she's a tiny little girl who is sensitive and has a smushy face and stresses easily

S Snootypuss - I am so sorry to hear of you losing Maddie, and now your worry and fear over Sommer not eating. I think it's true that cats feel grief when they lose a cat friend, so her initially not eating could be attributed to that. It's good she's in the hospital now, in good hands, and I hope she ate during the night! Like you, I've never (yet) had to experience a feeding tube for a cat of mine, but I know many members here have -- and they might chime in and post about their experiences. I think anyone who hasn't had to go through that (like me or you) is bound to be frightened of the whole idea.

I think it's a hard thing, having a cat who will not eat at home and then having to take them in to a vet or hospital, where they might get even more stressed that they still won't eat. At some point the risks get too high and a feeding tube might be the best way to get food into them.

If it helps, my last cat had a period of not wanting to eat at home (interestingly, it was after a 5-day hospital stay), and she also would not pee at home. Within a day or so, we had to take her back to the vet. She had a more 'old-school' vet who managed to get her to pee and then gobble up food while in his office (this was not quite the extreme of being hospitalized, nor within the comfort of home - but just at his office). It had to do with de-stressing her and relaxing her. She improved dramatically from there! Sommer's vet(s) might have different ideas or tricks to try to get a stressed or ill cat to eat, but I thought I'd link to a post of mine describing a bit of it, in case you'd want to discuss it with your vet:
My Cat Hasn't Eaten For 5 Days

Your vet may prefer other ways for trying to get food into a cat, but it might be something to consider, before opting for a feeding tube.

 

[BeccaCat]

She may be mourning the loss of her 'sister'. Cats thrive on routine, a family member missing would be a BIG change, and really upset her. For her herpes/allergies, check into DMG, it is great for building up the immune system and is what I give my cats with leukemia. When they get sick and refuse to eat, sometimes only licks of food for two weeks, I give them Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. I also give their medicine in it every morning. It is the ONLY thing I have found that they will eat when sick or stressed. You might try it and a few other lickable treats. I will pray for your little girl.....RIP to her dear sister.....

What is DMG?

 

[Snootypuss]

The hospital just called with an update… she did not eat and now is showing signs of what they believe is fatty liver so she needs a feeding tube but they can’t place it until tomorrow morning so she will have to go another 24 hours without food… they say she should be fine another 24 hours and is totally alert and in good shape… obviously my hands are tied what am I supposed to do or say? I have no choice but to believe that she will be ok and wait until then. They say there is a possibility what they are seeing in the liver values may not be fatty liver and may be something else so may make sense to biopsy the liver when the tube is placed. We will decide tomorrow morning. Since we really don’t know the underlying cause for not eating I have mixed feelings about biopsying. It seems like it’s obviously fatty liver from not eating and I can’t imagine her liver is the problem so I’m not really inclined to do the biopsy but will speak with the vet further. I am going to go see her this afternoon which I’m sure will be so hard on me but I can’t have her go under anesthesia without seeing her first. God all of this is just AWFUL. And I’m going to obviously have to feed her now through a feeding tube which sounds incredibly laborious and stressful and ugh it is all horrible. How bad is this feeding tube going to be? She has hardly any neck to begin with as she is an exotic shorthair. This just sounds like the wrap is going to be stuck in her mouth as soon as she sticks her head down to lick her little chest.

 

[fionasmom]

I am sorry that this has become so complicated. Try not to get ahead of yourself and wait to speak to the vet. Write down a list of questions so that you won't have to think on your feet if you become upset. As for the feeding tube, they are more manageable than you might imagine. Your vet will give you specific instructions; ask for clarification on any part of the procedure that is not clear. Members here have used them successfully.

Ask the vet what else he thinks might be going on with the liver if it is not fatty liver, steps forward after biopsy depending on what is or is not found.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

S Snootypuss - Thinking of you...

 

[BellaBlue82]

Aw, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll be thinking of you and Sommer, hang in there.

 

[BeccaCat]

Hi Snootypuss, just checking in to see how you and your kitty are doing

 

[Mighty Orange]

Hoping for the best. Cats are tough, so hang in there.

 

[Snootypuss]

thanks everyone... i had to say goodbye to my girl this morning
she developed congestive heart failure. she already had a murmur and we tried a very low dose of steroids to help with whatever was making her not eat (suspicion of IBD). we knew it was a risk but we also knew we could use Lasix to reverse it... but then even before we used the Lasix her kidney values shot up. then they continued to climb. the Lasix started to try to help her heart but she had acute kidney injury for no known reason. the vet did an ultrasound and felt like it could be a stone that just happened to dislodge... but it was the kidney itself that was dilated and not the tube... so we really don't know. but we couldn't give her a bunch of fluid to treat the kidney issue because of the heart issue. we never got to a point of being able to put the feeding tube in because of all this. i had to decide whether to risk the feeding tube procedure knowing she may die during it due to her weakened heart under anesthesia and that if she survived she was facing an extreme uphill battle between the kidney and heart problems + fatty liver... or let her go peacefully... she is so miserable being somewhere other than home.. and so fragile anyway. she's always had breathing troubles because of her smushed nose.. and she has hated being picked up since the day she chose me at the adoption clinic... so every time someone at the hospital moved her it was stressful for her...
i went this morning to be with her while she crossed the bridge.... she was definitely having a hard time breathing... and even in a weak state she still let out a meow when they picked her up to put her next to me.. that's how much she hates it... i hope she knew i was there with her. it seems to me that Maddie needed her... and that she needed to be with Maddie. it is all surreal. i went from being a family of the three of us girls to just me in four weeks... she was only 9 years old.
to anyone in a similar situation that reads this thread, even after talking with the doctors i don't know that we would have done much differently... we would have placed the feeding tube earlier but the things that happened to her heart and kidneys were unrelated to the malnutrition... i guess in the best case i would have placed the feeding tube right away and not risked steroids but to be honest, she had a slight heart murmur, not much and we probably would've ended up doing some form of steroid at some point due to thinking she had some IBD or underlying cause. i feel like everything happens for a reason and i think she would have been kind of miserable for the next few months if we had been able to turn it around and then would have been in a precarious state for maybe another 2 years if we were lucky... i never would have been able to give her fluids to treat the kidney disease that had already mildly started before all of this, so i know it would've been a tricky stressful balance for both of us. one i would have happily done but she would have hated the vet visits and the manhandling... she doesn't even like me manhandling her... or "didn't" i should say... i guess the moral of the story is that cats can be fine until all of the sudden they are absolutely not. if she were a few years younger, a different breed maybe, i believe she could have made it through but i guess she just needed her sister... devastated and unsure where to go from here... a cat lady thru and thru, without a cat...

 

[Snootypuss]

to honor my babies... the first pic of the sweet peanut in the bag is my Sommer... and the second is my beautiful Maddie girl...

 

[Jcatbird]

I am so very sorry! I lost two last year, one battled cancer and one went so very fast. Now I have mourning cats too. One of them has developed a very unexpected health issue that we are trying to figure out but I suspect it has a lot to do with losing her Dad.
Your kitties are so beautiful. They are together now. The only thing that has helped me during mourning the losses is helping other cats. I know we need to mourn and I know that any other cat will never replace yours but maybe, since you describe yourself as a cat lady, you could just go visit a shelter to give a little of your broken heart to a cat that needs to be held for a little while? You could comfort each other for a time. Shelter workers would understand and be grateful for any love you have left to give. As a rescuer, I would welcome you into my home to just help me hold grieving kitties. It would help. Who knows but that your girls might direct you to a kitty they want to help. Maybe this is not the choice for you or not yet but please know that my heart is right there with you. We all are right there with you. I am so very, very sorry. Rest well Sommer and Maddie. Dance with the clouds and watch over your amazing mom.
Thank you for sharing this story and all the information with us. You have helped others who will come here by doing so.

 

[Snootypuss]

thank you i'm sorry for your loss as well.
i know you are right about giving love to some kitties that need it... i don't think i will be ready to adopt again any time soon but i already even today thought i might take in some kittens to foster this kitten season to help us heal each other... i need to work with a good rescue that needs volunteers... if you know of any in San Diego, let me know... I fostered once with LYFF but they haven't been responding to emails lately so i guess i'll look for another... it all feels overwhelming right now obviously... i'm in a fog.

 

[BeccaCat]

Oh Snootypuss, I am so so so sorry for your heartbreaking loss. I recently lost my sweet Freya after a long time of trying to get the poor kitty a proper diagnosis. I understand your feelings of not being ready to adopt again just yet. I love the idea of your fostering kitties that need some loving as well as Jcatbird’s idea of helping at a shelter. I’m on the opposite side of the country from you, but there’s a shelter here that asks for volunteers to give an hour a week to just cuddle and love on the kitties. Maybe there’s a shelter near you that needs the same.
I noticed in your post you said of your girl “since the day she chose me at the adoption clinic” and that made me smile. I think when the time is right, and the kitty is right, that will happen and you will find each other. Thank you for sharing the pictures, your girls are beautiful

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I am so sorry for your loss

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your losses. Sommer and Maddie are beautiful cats and you can see the love in their eyes in those pics. You did everything you could and considered all options. As you decided, continuing on with treatment may have provided no quality of life and you did the hardest and bravest thing which was to release them. My own father passed in his later years from a combined CHF/kidney complication. It is impossible to treat both of those successfully at the same time.

If you are inclined to foster, it is a great idea. I am not close enough to San Diego to know of rescues, bur from time to time I get this from the ASPCA. I assume that they run this ad nationwide, as Los Angeles is not the only city in which kittens are being born in huge numbers. They may be able to give you a lead.

We Urgently Need Kitten and Cat Fosters in Los Angeles

 

[Mighty Orange]

My Condolences. What a shocking loss. Stay strong.