help...older cat not eating much

16 years ago

I have a cat that I adopted 7 years ago from the SPCA, and by his records he should be 17 now. Lately he's become far more vocal than he used to be and even tries to wake us in the morning (which he never did before). He seems to want food but then he won't eat much of what we feed him.

A few years ago we started feeding him Iams on the recommendation of a pet sitter and his stool became much firmer (and we were thankful). As a result, we could feed him almost all soft food w/o problem. For the past several months, he's been having problems w/ diarrhea. I took him to the vet who didn't find any biological cause for the problems, and she recommended we mix hard food w/ his soft food and switch to Nutro. We shifted to Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care for senior cats and mix the soft/hard together 2 times daily. Initially it was a hit- he ate, firmer stools, less crying. Now he's over it. Won't eat much and cries a lot.

Any advice? Is there a high quality food for senior cats that is yummy and easily available?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

laurief_gw
16 years ago
I'd take him back to the vet for a full blood panel and dental exam. At his age, his kidneys could fail at any time. Renal failure is very common in old cats, and one of the primary symptoms is inappetance.

Since he's acting like he might actually want to eat but just can't, a dental exam is also in order to check for mouth lesions, tooth or gum infections, or other mouth and dental problems. Mouth ulcers are also common in cats with renal problems.

There's a reason why your boy won't eat, and I doubt it has much, or anything, to do with the food. A more thorough exam and diagnostics are necessary to determine the cause of his inappetance.

Laurie
annzgw
16 years ago
I agree with laurie. He needs an exam and.in addition to the possible ailments she mentioned, it could also be stomach problems. It does sound like he's very uncomfortable..........
Related Discussions
How much poop can a cat eat?
Q
Comments (9)
Yeah, we'd lightly trimmed his butt, but it's time again. This mush came out of his behind and didn't drop down into the litter box--it just clung there until he hopped out and sat down on the floor. ICK. Poor baby...hope he doesn't get sick from licking so much of it off his butt hair.
...See More
My cat has stopped eating after surgery for crystals
Q
Comments (10)
Alexis, it can be so frustrating when a vet can't diagnose a problem. Did he run any bloodwork or do abdominal xrays? Did he at least administer fluids (assuming your boy is dehydrated from not drinking or eating much for the last few days)? Food and water are the most important things for your boy right now, and A/D gruel or baby food are a good way to provide both. Just make sure the baby food doesn't contain any onion or garlic. Check the labels and make sure they contain ONLY meat and nothing else. Syringe feeding can be made somewhat easier by warming a bath towel in the dryer, then wrapping your cat snugly in it to prevent him from clawing you, and placing him between your legs as you kneel on the floor. You can even use large diaper pins to pin the towel together so that he can't squirm out of it. That'll free up both of your hands to do the syringe feeding. NEVER EVER shoot anything down a cat's throat. The only safe way to syringe food is to place the tip of the syringe in the side of the mouth at the corner of the lips and slowly drizzle food onto the tongue, NEVER straight back toward his throat. This is necessary to give him time to swallow properly so that he doesn't aspirate the food into his lungs. There are tips and tricks at the link I am providing below for convincing an inappetant cat to eat. That link also provides links to the assist feeding website and assist feeding mailing list, both of which can be extremely helpful to you. Always give your cat the option of eating on his own before you syringe feed. The goal is to get him eating on his own again as quickly as possible. If you have to continue to syringe feed for a while and you want to give him more food variety, you can get most canned cats foods smooth enough to go through a syringe by running them through your kitchen blender at high speed with a little hot water added. Since hydration is critical for an ailing cat, put more water bowls around your house and keep them very fresh. If your cat likes to drink out of a dripping faucet or likes to lick water from around the bathtub drain, make those water sources available to him, too. If your vet suspects an infection, then antibiotics are advisable, but they may cause additional problems with your cat's appetite. Unfortunately, some antibiotics can make some cats nauseous. If your boy starts vomiting or develops diarrhea, ask your vet for a different antibiotic. I hope your cat's appetite improves quickly. Please keep us updated on his progress. Laurie Here is a link that might be useful: Persuading a cat to eat
...See More
cat eats venus fly trap
Q
Comments (2)
Love your post. I have two two year old cats and since they can now get out and climb real trees my houseplants started looking good. About 7 weeks ago I took in two little 3 week old kittens now they are about 10 weeks old and all over the houseplants. I have a 7 foot tall palm they love it. I spray them with a sprayer with water when they climb, but they climb when I'm not looking.lol. They also think plant pots are better litter boxes. I hang what I can and just love the cats so much I forgive them all the time. I make sure all my plants are not toxic to animals. I sleep with atleast one cat,they are in at night, and never squished any. I think our bodies remember when we sleep, so we are careful. I am sure you and Jasper are going to have a long and love filled life together. One thing my animals taught me is that life if blessed and live it with love and play.
...See More
Cat not eating much
Q
Comments (2)
Thansk for your reply. Her situation isn't that different than being at the shelter. At the rescue she was housed in a large room with 10-20 other cats depending on how crowded the shelter was. All the cats are free roaming and not in cages. Now she is in a bedroom. Has the bedroom and the attached bathroom to roam, a closet to sleep in if she watns and a window to look out. She does know how to be a cat- she LOVES to play. I think it is a stress relief for her. She enjoys playing with string. The other day (when I got back from vacation, I bought her one of those cardboard scratch boxes that you sprinkle cat nip on. I told her it was all hers and she was very pleased with herself and her new toy. I doubt she's had anything that was just hers before. She sat on that thing for days. She would sleep on it. She knew exactly what it was for though becasue she was always sharpening her nails on it. She does run around the bedroom a lot. Especially at night. She gets that crazy-cat look in her eyes and takes off in a mad dash. She is probably bored in there all alone by herself but being around my other cats seems to stress her out way too much and she is always mean and angry when they are around. She can be very sweet though. She loves to lay on top of me (my back or stomach) at night and always demands to be petted late at night when I'm trying to fall asleep.
...See More
quasifish
16 years ago
I have to agree with the others. My old kitty was not eating and was losing weight despite seeming hungry all the time and begging for food. She was diagnosed with kidney disease (and 1.5 years later is doing well with management). The vet explained how they are hungry, but nauseas from the disease, so while they seem to want to eat, they can't stomach it. Aside from that, there are a number of other things it can be obviously.

Take him to the vet for a simple exam and blood panel and don't waste time wondering, worrying, and trying to coax him to eat--- that's the voice of experience; I thought my girl was having appetite/attitude issues due to a human baby entering the house and procrastinated for a short time because of that incorrect assumption.
learn_as_i_go
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, everyone. Perhaps I should try getting a 2nd opinion since we didn't get any helpful info at the first vet visit. I hadn't thought much about the effect of his teeth, either.
laurief_gw
16 years ago
Unfortunately, there are vets out there who don't seem to want to waste time on elderly animals. I left one vet for exactly that reason. He clearly didn't see the point in treating my very old cat, and I didn't see the point in paying him to ignore her needs.

If the first vet didn't offer you proper diagnostics and care, find one who will.

Laurie
3katz4me
16 years ago
I have a cat who is about 13 who had symptoms similar to what you describe. He has been diagnosed with inflamatory bowl disease. I have an 18 year old cat who suddenly became lethargic and quit eating - he was just diagnosed with chronic renal failure. Your situation sounds more like my IBD cat. He had stool problems, was vomitting and losing weight for at least a year before his problem was diagnosed in a blood profile. He even had the bloodwork done a year earlier but it didn't show up at that time. He's on prednisone now and doing quite well.
Meghane
16 years ago
How long ago was the last trip to the vet? A lot can change in a couple of months, or even a couple of days, especially in older animals. Even if bloodwork was completely normal last time, keep in mind that you can lose 66% of kidney function before seeing any changes in the urinalysis, and you lose 75% of kidney function before you start seeing rise in BUN and/or creatinine. So your cat could have been close to renal failure last time bloodwork was done and there is no evidence on bloodwork.

Another thought, especially in an older cat, is cancer. Cancer does not show up on bloodwork, it has to be diagnosed by biopsy. IBD cannot be diagnosed on bloodwork either- it is a histological diagnosis. Anyway, there are lots of reasons that even a very sick animal can have completely normal bloodwork. It is not a reflection of bad veterinary care, just a need to do further diagnostics.

A trip to the vet is definately warranted. Not likely that the behavior you are describing (not eating, crying a lot) is strictly due to not liking the food.

Good luck.
luvdogs
16 years ago
I'm jumping in on this thread with a related question.

How can you tell if a cat is old? Dogs I can tell for the most part but cats - i don't know.

thanks
vicky
harriethomeowner
16 years ago
I know how old my cat is because I adopted him as a small kitten 17 years ago.

I was reading this because I'm having the same problem with my cat not eating, but I think I'll start another thread.

help...older cat not eating much

Comments (9)

laurief_gw

annzgw

Related Discussions

quasifish

learn_as_i_go
Original Author

laurief_gw

3katz4me

Meghane

luvdogs

harriethomeowner

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

help...older cat not eating much

Comments (9)

Related Discussions

learn_as_i_goOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

learn_as_i_go
Original Author