HELP- Cat won't eat or drink!

[jackie1021]

Hi, we have a 9 year old cat who is overweight, but has been otherwise healthy until last Friday- he vomited clear spit once, then took a drink of water, but kept swallowing after tiny sips and hasn't been back since. He also is not eating. I have offered canned tuna(sips the juice just a little) baby food beef- won't touch, and soft canned with water(ate no more than a teaspoon). He won't clean himself either. He was constipated for a few days, and then has had 3 very small bm's diarrhea since Tuesday. He went to the vet on Saturday and didn't seem to be much wrong so they sent him home. I took him back on Monday and they took full x-ray, looked normal, but said he had a couple of pockets of "gas" in stomach and intestine- showed up a dark areas on x-ray. They ruled out kidney and liver failure with blood tests. His blood glucose was 209. The sedated him and also did a scope on his mouth and throat to make sure there wasn't anything to keep him from swallowing. His temp. was normal, and no hairball blockages. They also gave him fluids under his skin to keep him from getting dehydrated. He had a fecal test for parasites too, negative. He seems pretty happy and purrs, but listless. His nose is wet and cold, and eyes clear. Vet said he didn't appear anemic, and has had fel. luek vaccines. We are at a loss, as the vet seems not to know what is wrong- he is new at our usual clinic and I don't know if I trust him or not. I will be taking him back to the vet or a different one soon if he doesn't start eating and drinking soon. Don't know if I should force water down him or not!! Any suggestions???

[MA]

Your main concern is to get this cat to eat and drink- long periods of going without food can wreak havoc to a cat's internal organs and even cause death.

Here are some tips-

nuke the canned food prior to serving, to wake up the flavor, only do it seconds though and test the food before serving it.

mix water, and juice from canned food together or make a gruel with water and canned food- put a little bit on the tip of the paw, or on the tip of the nose and see if he eats.

feed on a flat saucer, not a bowl

try shredded cheese, cottage cheese chicken or turkey baby food, sardines, chopped cooked egg yolks, boiled hamburger and rice, to see if anything tempts this kitty to eat.

[jackie1021]

Thanks for the ideas- I got several types of canned food and mixed with a little water- he has lapped at it a couple of times and probably eaten at least a tablespoon today. I will try cottage cheese too. I have given him some pedialyte since he still won't drink on his own, and he has not vomited it up. Gave 2 cc's twice- I will try to do it every hour or 2- but I don't know how much water cats need???

[Traci]

I would call back your vet first thing in the morning and express your concern that kitty is not truly eating/drinking on his own....I'm also willing to bet he is dehydrated again and may require more sub-q fluids.

While he was under GA, did they check for fecal impaction at all? Did they note inflamed intestines or any inflammation anywhere?

Until you reach your vet tomorrow, your kitty needs a sufficient amount of fluids, if he is taking to being syringe fed, give him at least 3 cc's of water (slowly) every few hours. If he happens to vomit directly after, call your vet or ER vet promptly. Be prepared you might want to take him back in for an additional x-ray to try to detect any changes from the last visit (gassy bowel loops, inflammation, obstruction, etc)....while there, ask your vet to make sure IBD is not a potential concern, or even infection of some sort (was a CBC performed with the other blood work?)

[Guest]

Hi again- I forced some pedialyte into him with a syringe and got him to take a little tuna juice every couple of hours- he got worse Wed evening, and I was ready to fly out the door Thursday morning to the vet, he had visible cramping in his gut(looked like it was contracting), and vomited twice, yellowish liquid, and had diarrhea about 4 times on Wed. evening. I gave him more of the diarrhea medicine (endosorb) vet gave us- It made him gag terribly, but he kept it down this time and seemed to feel better an hour later. I left him some watered down canned food, and he ate a little bit of food overnight, so I kept watch and gave him pedialyte in the morning and - he started nibbling on some wet food without forcing it on him, and by Thursday afternoon he jumped in the bathtub for a drink on his own!! I saw him licking his paw in the evening so I guess it was a 5 day intestinal virus or something. He seems back to normal now, cleaning himself and eating every 3 hours- just wanted to update the post in case anyone else has the same problem in the future. I have another issue about feeding but will post in another topic- thanks for all your help!!

[Guest]

Hi Jackie: I am having the same problem with my 6 year old female cat Genna. She is such a vibrant cat, and the sudden drop in weight and change in disposition is very alarming. She seems to almost gag when eating, or seemed to have a hard time swallowing. I am so discouraged to hear "We can't figuer it out" after just one blood test and two weigh ins. We have been fighting this with a lot of love and constant prayers. My Vet was not very friendly when I asked to please give her IV fluids to keep her kidneys from shutting down due to dehydration. I was told no, nope, no way.

Yeaterday, I took matters into my own hands and encouraged Genna to eat kitten food. It is high in calories and easy for her to lick and swallow, (She had lost 2 pounds in 5 week). Her vet, however, did decide to refer her to a specialist. However, due to her weakness, I doubted she could make the 50 mile drive without too much stress. Last night, to my amazement, she ate the canned kitten food (1/2 of a small can) and again this morning and more this afternoon. We encourage her to go outside (we take her into our back yard and sit with her). Although she is weak and fatigued, we feel the nutirients in the kitten food will help her get stronger. This morning, she actually brought herself into the kitchen and ate another 1/2 can of kitten food.

I will keep this up until she shows improvement in her dietary intake, and then slowly add adult food to the process. As for her drinking, we have not seen her drink. With her vet refuding to treat her with fluids, I am taking her to another vet (close by) for a second oppinion and hope for a better outcome.

I will pray for your cat as well. Good luck and let me know what happens
Nanci

[Traci]

Nanci, how long has Genna gone without sufficient nutrition and what blood test was done, was it a CBC or full chemistry profile? The sudden weight loss and anorexia should have alerted your vet to investigate further. Sudden weight loss is a serious concern, please get your kitty to a new vet ASAP.

Hope you are planning on the second opinion IMMEDIATELY?

[Paramedic]

Hi Tracy:

I have to give you the low-down to understand the full problem.

We noticed somthing different with Genna first week of December. She has always been frisky (chasing birds, protecting the yard against other cats, attacking our feet as we walk through the house), but the she started becoming more lethargic, and non-sociable. Allowing us to hold her for long periods of time (usually it's love me and let me go quickly). She always played out side during the day and came in around 5:00p, for dinner and stayed in until the next morning. Now she stays in and doesn't have any desire to go outside, chase birds or us. She use to run if we would put on perfume or hairspray, etc. but now we can hold her and love her right after applying the stuff.

When she lost interest in her dry food, we thought it was a phase, then she started turing her nose up at her wet food too. Then it was hard to get her to eat at all.

I took her to the vet they did a "complete" cat blood count. at this visit she was weighed. Two weeks later I tooker her back for a tapeworm shot (just in case) and they weighed her again, and she had lost 1 pound. The vet advised me that the blood test came back negative. We also treated her for fleas as well as the house and yard.

We took her back for another weigh in and her next flea treatment and she had now lost another pound and was looking pretty bad. She was so stressed that she urinated all over herself in the cat carrier (she has never done that either, she loves rides in the car and carrier). I asked the vet if we could give her IV fluids so her kidneys wouldn't shut down. The rest is noted in my last letter.

This week I started feeding her kitten food and the family has watched her close. We shower her with love and encourage her to eat by praising her. We do force her to use her legs with games to have her "push off" our hands. Her appetite has improved to one small can a day, and almost to a small size can and a half today!

We also watched her walk and it looks as if she has had a stroke. Her left side shows some deficits. I keep praying and hoping. I hope this helps you. Thanks for asking, I am not about to give up on her her or rehab.

Nanci

[Traci]

Nanci, forgive me for being so blunt, but has Genna seen a new vet yet???

All of the symptoms you describe are alarming, they need attention NOW. Since she is allowed outdoors and for so long during the day, you truly do not know what she could have encountered while outside (toxicity, bite wounds from another cat or a dog, hit by a car, etc). Just because bloodwork was normal the first time around does not mean they will be this time. I would strongly suggest getting her to a new vet ASAP.

Her weakness and prolonged anorexia are really concerning. The limping, or the deficits you are noticing on the one side need addressed immediately...to rule out abcess, hidden bite wounds that are infected, a host of other problems. Opt for a new blood panel this time, because chances are, without sufficient hydration and sufficient nutrition for this long, she might be suffering renal damage or liver damage. The longer this persists (despite small observations of improvement), the more damage can be done, don't wait to find out, please, get her to a new vet immediately.

[Paramedic]

Traci:

Thank you for your concern. I have an appointment for Genna on Monday, with another Vet. I did call a different Vet this week, but it turned out that this man works in the same office as Genna's first Vet. I decided to not speak with him because of that reason.

Genna is doing better, she is eating (Kitten food only), and is drinking (we monitor her water intake).

Genna no longer is an outdoor cat, she is kept indoors, and goes outside, only when one of us is watching her, and only in the back yard.

I will let you know what the new Vet has to say. I took time to locate another vet, because of the first experience. I will seek advise from the specialist, after she is seen Monday, and am convinced she can make the 50 mile journey.

The new vet is only a few blocks away. However, I am getting kisses and purrrrrrs and a meow greating when I come home at night. The she leads me to the kitchen for her dinner. So I am happy about this.

Thank you for your concern and advise. You are a wonderful person to help me through this.