Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My husband's aunt passed away & I got her 2 12-13 year old cats.
All was well for the first 4 months than one slowed down eating. Have had senior blood tests & x-rays with everything turning out good. The things I changed about 2 months ago were food & letting them have run of the house 24/7. Have gone back to locking them up at night & tried the old food with no luck. The cat that won't eat well is a very scardy cat. She will not eat any new food including turkey, chicken, ham etc. for more than a few days. Have never heard of a cat not eating for no good reason. She is on some medicine to increase her appetite now but only seems to work a little. Any advice? I don't know where to go from here....Thanks

Hi There,

It's important to remember that even though bloodwork and x-rays were normal, there can still be a problem. If this were one of my kitties, I would take the next step in diagnosing what is going on, which would be a barium series or an ultrasound exam. It's always a good idea to have a urinalysis done as well as bloodwork, as some problems will show up in urine before blood.

There is always a reason when a cat's appetite drops off or they stop eating entirely. If the appetite stimulent doesn't seem to be working, I would ask the vet about discontinuing it. I'm assuming that your cat is getting cyproheptadine, which can cause some cats to feel "drugged", and therefore act different. Also, I would ask about giving Pepcid AC, in case nausea is an issue.

Please keep us updated on what happens.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Thanks for the advice!!! The crazy cat likes dry food over wet. Seems really strange to me. I don't think this cat can go through much since she is such a scardy. Just having to force a pill down her throat one night has made her not come out at feeding time. The vet told me she has a heart murmer [sp?] but does not seem worried about it. I am thinking I will talk to my vet and if no luck will have to try another. I am just very frustrated. I had a friend tell me that maybe she just wants to die. Never heard of such a thing....
Thanks,
Twitty

I am glad to hear you are working with your vet. You did mention something about her not coming out at feeding time. Is there a reason you don't leave dry food in the room with her to eat when she wants? If she doesn't come out at feeding time, does she have to wait until another time to get food? I say this as if she is scared from all the major changes she's gone thru since moving into a new home/family, it can cause her not to come out. If you aren't can you leave dry with her and she can get to it when she is more relaxed and safe feeling in the room?
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Also wanted to mention, eating dry only and not liking canned/wet food is pretty common. Cats develop a preference... My two 15 1/2 boys won't touch wet food. Hate it. Only eat dry. I have heard of many others in that situation. If their previous owner only fed her dry, it is all she is used to.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

When I said she does not come out I ment she won't come out from under the computer desk since I forced a pill down her thorat. She has a very good memory! I have dry out 24/7 for her. Still not eating well. Have bought a cat food for fussy cats. Seems to like it ok for now. I guess I don't understand why she would have a delayed reaction to the new house. She was doing really well for 4 months.
Thanks,
Twitty

Have bought a cat food for fussy cats. Seems to like it ok for now.

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Good to hear! They do have long memories... A friend once stepped on Stanley's paw accidently and Stanley took at least 3 weeks before he forgave him and came near him again... Prior to that, Stanley loved this person. He did forgive him and things went back to normal.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Well the vet told me to try pepcid. Seems to work for now. I figure the cat probably has cancer & if she does what is the point on finding out where. It might satisfy me but would make no difference in the outcome. Can only make her as happy as I can. She seems to like can food that has gravy. I also add water to try & make sure she gets enough. Thank you all for your help & advise!!!!!

Twitty

This is not unusual at all.Your cat needs its own little spot away from all noises and others in the house where she can feel safe & secure again,but not a spot in an open area-they, prefer an enclosed dark spot(closet)if you have one.Make her a little bed in there and set up her food dish with water & litter box just outside of the closet & let this be her domain & don't let children and people go to see her in it as this will make her feel threatened. Always have food in there for her.I have been rescuing cats for 25 years & currently also have a scardy cat which took 1 year for her to finally come around & do rollie pollies on the rug as she now feels comfortable.Let her decide when & if she wants to socialize.This will eventually work itself out but only with lots of love and patience.I would also suggest that if you don't know how to give pills to her properly you have your vet do it or ask for a liquid form of the medication.The liquid should never be squirted down the middle of the throat as this can cause an pneumonia & can leak into the lungs.When administering liquid medicine don't tilt the head back very much & always only drain the liquid between the cheek and teeth so it never drains down the middle of the throat.Keep us posted & recognize how scared & out-of-sorts this poor little cat must be.Just as people are different so are cats.

Brother cat had an ultrasound on the 4th showing thickening of the bowels. This can be either Inflammatory bowel or lymphoma. The specialist thinks lymphoma. The vet put her on clavmox & metronidazole. She was eating well for 3 1/2 days than was throwing up about 12 times in 24 hrs. Took her back to the vet & he did a needle biopsy. It did not turn up anything. He said he would not do a biopsy with surgery because her protein levals are to low. He gave her [yes her] metoclopramide for upset tummies & a shot of methylprednisolone. She ate 1/4 cup of food by early evening today [which is really good for her]. With her treatment seems to work for 2-4 days than back to not eating. We will see what happens....
Twitty