Visible Swallowing and Limited Appetite

jack_and_gin19

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My cat Ginger is roughly 2 years old. She was taken to the vet about 2 weeks ago due to coughing/heavy swallowing. She had some x rays and was diagnosed with asthma and sent home with a steroid. About a week later she vomited (she had been vomiting her food up about 1x per week the month prior) her appetite took a nosedive. She was given cerenia, which has reduced the visible swallowing. However her appetite has not come back, and with 2 more visits to the vet all we know is she has no visible obstructions and her bloodwork looks good. They think she may have a food allergy and want her off chicken/fish, but thats a moot point of she won't eat.

If her appetite doesn't pick up the vet is saying she may nees to be hospitalized for the day for some more intensive fluids. She is mostly eating small amounts of baby food multiple times a day. I'm wondering if there is anything else I should be exploring?
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Ginger may be associating her 'normal' food with the nausea she was feeling and is now reluctant to eat it. I have heard of other similar cases where a cat will connect feeling sick with their food. Since the baby food is something she will eat, you might try some Tiki Cat Mousse - very similar consistency to baby food meats. Also, the perfect portions made by Sheba and Nutro are not too far off from the baby food texture.

You also need to ask the vet if the steroid she was given could possibly be part of the issue. Is the vet considering an inhaler (bronchodilator) as a treatment for her asthma? I've seen so many asthmatic cats on this site who were given inhalers to help. And, generally speaking asthma is brought on by air-related allergens. So, it kind of seems curious that the vet now thinks she might be allergic to specific foods at the same time - just IMO.

EDIT: unflavored Pedialyte for children might help with the fluid issue.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Cerenia can also cause loss of appetite. She may need a change in medication there.
 
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jack_and_gin19

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So two different vets gave the different diagnoses. The first vet I saw said asthma, then maybe laryngitis, then pancreatitis even though they only did the x ray. I took her to a new vet who said they weren't sure about the asthma as they didn't have the x rays, but that they didn't think it explained the other issues. I will ask about the steroid again, I finally got the x rays from the previous vet so if she does have asthma I'm hoping once we get her eating back on track we can explore alternatives the inhaler.

I will look at the Pedialyte and cat food options you suggested. Thank you!
 
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