My cat won't eat

10 years ago

Hey guys, I'm new to this page and I found it while searching for answers about why my cat won't eat. It's been a little over a week now since my 10 year old cat has just stopped eating completely and hardly drinking. I know he's up there in age but the fact that it just happened over night basically concerns me. He used to be a big cat weighing in around 30-40 pounds... now he's half that. All he does is sleep ALL day... maybe uses the litter box once every couple days (#1 not #2) and I have to wake him up and set him in front of his water bowl to drink. And the other day I picked up a can of tuna and he has been nibbling on that every 6 hours or so. I have also caught him eating his kitty litter. Like I said, I know he's old and him losing a few pounds probably isn't such a bad thing, but i'm just worried something else is wrong with him. I've tried taking him to the vet but I don't have the $500 they want up front so I'm left here feeling like a bad animal parent because my cat is sick and I am doing what I can to take care of him. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!!!

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Comments (9)

cat_mom
10 years ago
You need to get him to a vet, and if yours will only look at your cat AFTER you pay $500 up front, then you need to try to find another vet. At the very least, your cat needs to be examined. You can discuss different diagnostic test options, and perhaps billing/payment options as well during the exam.
spedigrees z4VT
10 years ago
I agree, find a different vet. Your cat needs medical attention. Ten years is not that old. My cats all live(ed) into their twenties. Not eating or drinking is a sign that something is very seriously wrong. Not eating or drinking for a week is life threatening. If one of my pets goes 24 hrs without eating, and especially without drinking, they see the vet ASAP. Please take your cat to the vet. He's probably seriously dehydrated.
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Sounds like typical nutty cat shtick. I had a similar experience. Odessa had been eating out of a crappy old plastic (brite orange :-() dish that I had used for 20 years for my other cats. We remodeled the kitchen and I decided it would be a good idea to get a better looking dish that is also healthier stainless steel. I hope my husband never reads this, but I spent $80.00 for the Alessi cat bowl set...it really is adorable and looks great in the kitchen. But guess what...Odie refused to eat out of it...just like your cat! I had to take the food and put it on the floor, spoon by spoon. I finally got her to eat from the bowl...what I did was sprinkled 1/2 a soft cat treat over the food...just as when I switched her from FF to Wellness during her tummy troubles. She would eat off the top layer of food, then would wait for me to spoon the rest onto the floor. Eventually she got the message...It was a gradual process and took a while, but now she licks her stainless steel bowls clean. I think she was objecting too the change in texture and shape...cats are creatures of habit. Also, I don't use dish soap on her bowls...I just rinse them thoroughly with very hot water. Good luck.
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What anguish I read these comments with. My beloved Maine Coon Cat at age ten gradually stopped eating after his requisite vaccinations. He gradually lost a third of his weight. I took him to the vet. Blood work was done. Palpations were done. He stopped eating, or, as far as I could tell, drinking. I was distraught, and, finally, on a weekend took him to the Pet hospital, where he is now. After reading many of these comments, I am very afraid. He is ten years old and we have had him since he was three weeks old. He is laid-back, thoughtful, and has command of much vocabulary. How can we get along without our beloved cat? He is to have an ultrasound tomorrow, and I shudder at what the news might be. . .
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Many thanks for your comments. I should have made clear that liver and kidney function were checked satisfactorily - no lipidosis. Our very senior Vet (he is Cruft's Chief Veterinary Officer - yes, dogs, I know) saw Sam again today. He was not in favour of either an Xray or ultrasound - he reckons that there is no evidence that anything they might reveal is amiss. However, he did force-feed Sam some Hills A/D by syringe, then Sam licked more off his fingers. Having got Sam home, he ate a treat stick by himself and we've syringe-fed him twice more - he wouldn't eat off our fingers (maybe after 14 years he's trying to tell us something). He is still unwilling to feed himself from a dish (you wouldn't believe all the stuff we've bought to try to tempt him - liver, chicken, haddock, beef, tuna, etc, besides a variety of cat-food) but has drunk a fair amount of water. We're happier that he has got some food and drink inside him now but will be much happier when he's back to feeding himself. We will be even happier if we ever discover what stopped him eating/drinking in the first place. For the benefit of anyone else who reads this with a similar problem, we had read elsewhere about putting honey on a cat's gums - some people had apparently had success with this as a starter to get their cat eating normally again. We tried it last night and syringed about 4ml of watered-down honey directly into Sam's mouth. He licked around and swallowed all of it but, sadly, I can't report that he restarted eating.
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I will just reiterate the above = both spot on imho - you really need to get an updated diagnosis and emergency care... if need be from someone who can work out a payment plan. Have you communicated back to this vet to update him - both about what's happening now and also I think the fact that all the symptoms incl digestive cleared up with antibiotics is revealing - (what happened after two weeks, the course of antibiotics ran out?) It could be the tooth infection/ inflammation keeping from eating, it could be it is systemic (has spread throughout his system) or it could be something else entirely yet to be diagnosed Unless youd rather not deal with this vet (him seeming to blow off some key symptoms is not good), Id certainly start with him and lay it all on him including your finances and see what if anything he will propose. A good vet understands that his job is to help the human along with the animal patient - if that's not this guy, then it sure doesn't hurt to ask around and look for someone else. So sorry to hear your guy is so ill - all the best to you.
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sylviatexas1
10 years ago
Try giving him a little Karo syrup in warm water through a syringe.

$500 is a huge amount of money, much more than any vet should charge anybody for looking at a cat.

I wish both you & your cat the best.
jenna1
10 years ago
PLEASE get him to a vet today! This isn't somethng that you should wait on, especially since it's already been a week. Ten years is not old for a cat.

Jenna
newbuyer2007
10 years ago
You really need to take your cat to a vet immediately. It sounds like you need to find another vet. $500 up front is a ridiculously high amount. But really, don't delay any longer on taking your cat to the vet.
Debbie Downer
10 years ago
What everyone else said - this is serious, cats not eating for extended periods are at risk of fatty liver, a life threatening situation, so please keep him going on some food, whatever you can get into him - meat babyfood is good, seems to appeal to cats who are nauseous.. .

Not sure what you mean by "big" cat - if you mean overweight, then diabetes comes to mind. Now, diabetic cats typically consume tons of water and flood the literbox - did you ever notice that happening? However when ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes, kicks in a cat can become extremely nauseous and lethargic & go off food and water.

Can you at least get a simple exam & bloodwork that could rule out some of the more obvious things (such as diabetes)? A good vet should understand about income limitations and offer you some options.

Wishing you and your kitty well
laurief_gw
10 years ago
An obese cat who goes without eating for more than 24 hrs is at risk of developing potentially fatal hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). An obese cat who hasn't eaten in over a week and has lost half of his body weight is, I would dare assume, almost certainly in liver failure or VERY close to it. This cat needs to get to a vet immediately. Call your friends and family. Call all animal shelters, rescues, and veterinarians in your area. Explain the situation and BEG for help! Offer to clean cages or any other available grunt work at vet's offices in exchange for help for your cat. GET HIM TO A VET NOW!

Laurie
jenna1
10 years ago
Please tell us how your cat is doing.

Jenna
newbuyer2007
10 years ago
I would love an update, too.

My cat won't eat

Comments (9)

cat_mom

spedigrees z4VT

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