Getting kitty to eat
Posted by Courth on Mar 18, 2009 · Member since Apr 2007 · 3362 posts
Hi. As some of you might know, my cat suffered congestive heart failure over the weekend. He's home now, resting and taking meds. We got him back Monday night, but he hasn't eaten anything at all. He does drink water. He's been drinking LOTS of water. I've tried everything I can think of. I've given him his favorite human and non-human foods, treats, everything. I can't get him to eat. He's so listless. I hate it. He's gone from being a 9 pound kitty to a 6.5 pound kitty. If anyone has any tips to entice his appetite, please let me know.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/GravitySucks/CestmoiCestDaria038.jpg
When my kitty went through kidney faliure he wouldn't eat as well--it was so painful to watch him waste away and not know what to do--in my research one of the things I found was that sometimes they need to have their appitite stimulated by warming up their food--heating it creates a stonger smell--so you might want to try getting wet cat food and warming it lightly and see if kitty takes an interest in that--you could also try broth--it sound like kitty is drinking pretty well--so maybe that might help? Check with your vet just to make sure that is OK for them!!
I hope you both feel better soon!!!!! ((((((HUGS))))))))
:)>>>
I hate the smell of tuna, but that was the only thing my cat would eat when she was sick. She perked up as soon as I started opening the can!
Is there a ranch supply store in your area? Get a feeding syringe and put soft food he likes in it. With Cat, I tried some of the nutritional goop and he HATED it, so I put regular canned food in it. I fed him a little multiple times per day and after a couple of days he started eating more on his own. Soft food is a little clumpy, so get a syringe with a large enough aperature not to get clogged.
If he continues to drink a lot of water, contact your vet again - it could be a sign of something else.
Hi Courth, sorry to hear about your kitty. We recently went through something similar with our cat. He refused everything, so I did what HH has suggested & slowly (he's still not eating as much as he should) he started eating on his own. Lots of little meals throughout the day should help him regain an appetite.
Good luck
I got a syringe and baby food ("real nutrients") that fit into the syringe. He held it down for about an hour and threw it all up. :(
I'm really sorry. :'(
If he'll let you, try again, but with a very, very little amount and then work your way up. I know how gut-wrenching this is for you. All I can say is keep trying.
Thanks HH. I tried again with less than 1/4 of a teaspoon. He then hid from me, so I don't know if it came up. This happened to my mother's cat a few years ago, and I was the only one that could get the syringe in his mouth. It's the same story this time. Eventually the vet gave him something to make him want to eat. My mom's going to call about getting some for my baby.
How are things going today?
We went to the vet today. He got 2 injections to help with his fluids. I was told to keep syringe feeding him, and we were given an appetite stimulant. Another pill. Currently he has to take 1/2 pill twice a day, another 1/2 of a diferent pill once a day, a baby aspirin every three days, and now 1/4 of an appetite pill every three days. I feel bad giving him all of these pills. It will decrease when he gets better. I can't wait for him to eat by himself.
I didn't know there was such a thing as appetite pills. I hope they work. Did the vet say how long it would take to work? Did the vet say anything about helping him keep food down?
We're still feeding him by syringe, and we went to the vet again and got a new appetite stimulant since his old one isn't working. Then I went to the pet store and bought him some high calorie dietary supplement and mushy kitten food for the syringe. He actually ate one bite of food the other day, and then nothing else. I've tried eerything I could think of, and the vet was stumped too. My poor cat weighs 5 1/2 pounds. He used to be almost 10. He has to get better.
He had liquidy poop all over my lap on the way home. Ew.
I'm happy to know he's hanging in there. Hiopefully you and the vet will figure it out. How long have you been using the new appetite stimulant? Can you tell if there's a change?
(((courth)))