It's been a frustrating and stressful last two months! Thanks to you who answered our previous questions.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...941#post965941
6 year old Willow has gone from eating dry food anytime, to eating nothing at all, to being diagnosed with diabetes, to trying to get her back on anything - hard or soft. She was eating 1/4 cup of dry kibbels a day last week (originally 1 cup/day) which was an improvement! She has gone from 10 lbs to only 6. She's very thin!
She has numerous tests and Xrays at the vet. Other than diabetes he can find nothing else wrong! Willow is now on 1unit of insulin a day. My husband had to learn how to give injections. We had to go out of town for a week and left her at the Vet last week. They did blood tests on her and tried different foods. Found a soft one that she liked. She seemed peppy when she came home and even chirped at us the first few days.
Now it's worse again - She eats a bare minimum. The vet's diabetic hard food, she doesn't like at all. We found one (out of dozens) that she only eats a few kibbles daily. It's not the best ingredients for her (first ingredient is corn) but now we just want her to eat anything in quantity!
She always goes to sit by the treats cupboard. We give her 5 to 7 dried kibbels each time. Some she likes. Sometimes she looks at them and leaves.
We are feeding her soft mushy food as well. The ones she likes, she just licks it a bit and then leaves. Later she will come back and eat a few more small mouthfuls as it drys up.
Sometimes she walks to her soft or dry bowls and then just looks at them and leaves. She may come back later and then eat a bit. It's almost like " I am hungry but I am not going to eat THIS". Does that make sense?
She will come into my husband's home office once or twice a day to get his attention. Then she will lead him to the kitchen and the food bowls. If he pats her while she stares at her bowl, she will eat. She may turn away, but if he pets her some more, she will stay a bit longer and eat a few more dried kibbels.
She is eating less than 1/4 cup of dry a day, plus 6 to 10 dried treats, plus a teaspoon soft food. Not nearly enough in my opinion. She is very thin. Sleeps a lot during the day. She used to love being brushed every morning, but now is not interested in that. Sometimes she just sits in the middle of the kitchen while the two of us eat supper. She has no spark to chase things like she did two months ago.
Some mentioned force feeding. But do you do that if Willow is eating something every day, regardless of how little?
Today we gave her treats, cooked chicken, dried kibbels, dried treats. She ate a BIT of everything. Usually 2 or 3 mouthfuls, and then she moves on. What she eats this week may be of no interest by next week. Sometimes she puts her head in the dried food bowl and then turns away. She's gotta be hungry by now!
Does any of this make sense?
How do we get her to eat more?
What other tests can the vet do?
Suggestions?????
Many thanks for your concern. :-)
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...941#post965941
6 year old Willow has gone from eating dry food anytime, to eating nothing at all, to being diagnosed with diabetes, to trying to get her back on anything - hard or soft. She was eating 1/4 cup of dry kibbels a day last week (originally 1 cup/day) which was an improvement! She has gone from 10 lbs to only 6. She's very thin!
She has numerous tests and Xrays at the vet. Other than diabetes he can find nothing else wrong! Willow is now on 1unit of insulin a day. My husband had to learn how to give injections. We had to go out of town for a week and left her at the Vet last week. They did blood tests on her and tried different foods. Found a soft one that she liked. She seemed peppy when she came home and even chirped at us the first few days.
Now it's worse again - She eats a bare minimum. The vet's diabetic hard food, she doesn't like at all. We found one (out of dozens) that she only eats a few kibbles daily. It's not the best ingredients for her (first ingredient is corn) but now we just want her to eat anything in quantity!
She always goes to sit by the treats cupboard. We give her 5 to 7 dried kibbels each time. Some she likes. Sometimes she looks at them and leaves.
We are feeding her soft mushy food as well. The ones she likes, she just licks it a bit and then leaves. Later she will come back and eat a few more small mouthfuls as it drys up.
Sometimes she walks to her soft or dry bowls and then just looks at them and leaves. She may come back later and then eat a bit. It's almost like " I am hungry but I am not going to eat THIS". Does that make sense?
She will come into my husband's home office once or twice a day to get his attention. Then she will lead him to the kitchen and the food bowls. If he pats her while she stares at her bowl, she will eat. She may turn away, but if he pets her some more, she will stay a bit longer and eat a few more dried kibbels.
She is eating less than 1/4 cup of dry a day, plus 6 to 10 dried treats, plus a teaspoon soft food. Not nearly enough in my opinion. She is very thin. Sleeps a lot during the day. She used to love being brushed every morning, but now is not interested in that. Sometimes she just sits in the middle of the kitchen while the two of us eat supper. She has no spark to chase things like she did two months ago.
Some mentioned force feeding. But do you do that if Willow is eating something every day, regardless of how little?
Today we gave her treats, cooked chicken, dried kibbels, dried treats. She ate a BIT of everything. Usually 2 or 3 mouthfuls, and then she moves on. What she eats this week may be of no interest by next week. Sometimes she puts her head in the dried food bowl and then turns away. She's gotta be hungry by now!
Does any of this make sense?
How do we get her to eat more?
What other tests can the vet do?
Suggestions?????
Many thanks for your concern. :-)