Cat not eating

[Ratchello]

Hello everyone! Long time lurker here, and am now officially using my account to see if anyone has any insights about this.

So, my cat has stopped eating. He is 14, has hyperthyroidism which I keep under control with medication. He loves his food usually, but he just completely stopped wanting to eat on Wednesday night. He seems interested in the idea of food - does a trick for a certain treat, follows me when I go to feed him, but when I give him the food, he turns his head away, and refuses to eat. Or tries a bite, then refuses. On Friday, I whizzed him to the vet - bloods done, all normal, thyroid slightly higher. He’s lost a kilo in weight since July - I confess, I haven’t really noticed this, so it must have been coming off slowly. Vet has suggested trying to get him to eat this weekend - no progress really - he took a piece of meat out of my hand, and ate a lickistick half heartedly. He rejects boiled chicken, his usual wet pouches, his hard kibble, milk (his favourite, which he never gets and can’t resist!). He’s very lethargic, and less vocal than normal.

So does anyone have any ideas on what I can tempt him with? Maybe mashed boiled egg?! And any ideas on what this could be?! I’m thinking teeth, with the interest then rejection of food, but vet says that they look okay for his age?!

Any insights would be gratefully received! Gin and thanks if you have got this far...!

 

[Spanny]

I'm certainly no expert but I didn't want to read and run. Teeth/mouth pain was my first thought too, so trying anything soft and tasty would be where I'd start. (Our two are gluttons who eat anything - hopefully someone else will have some tempting food ideas!) How detailed was the dental check? Could there be an abscess hiding under a tooth?

I think hyperthyroidism can sometimes cause loss of appetite (although increase is usually the most common), so maybe if his levels are up a bit his meds need adjusting?

Keeping fingers crossed that the vet can get to the bottom of it for you soon!

 

[AmyMay]

Could be the start of kidney failure. Did they give him a thorough physical exam, including temperature check?

 

[PurBee]

When was he last wormed? Is he an outdoor cat? Excess tapeworm can cause weightloss and mouse eating will introduce tapeworms readily. Could this progress to no appetite? Maybe if there’s intestinal damage/pain due to parasite burden. Seems unusual though, just putting the idea forward.

I have a male cat and several in the past - all hunters of mice,rodents/rats, and would have to tapeworm very regularly.

Maybe others can clarify but from my battered memory, whole egg isnt good for cats, something in the whites they cant digest...but egg yolk fine. My male cat loves cooked yolk!

I hope you can tempt him and he feels better soon. Maybe try fresh cooked fish?

 

[Circe]

Has he vomited shortly after eating?
My cat was sick after eating, then developed a food aversion. The vet was at the stage of recommending that she was tube fed. Finally we tempted her with a donut, but I realise that probably is unusual. Maybe something like sardines ( usually a favourite ) might tempt, and would be easy to eat if he has a sore mouth.
Kx

 

[WandaMare]

Does he use a litter tray and if so does it look normal? Constipation can stop cats eating.

 

[asmp]

And he’s definitely not been hunting? My 11 year old cat is ignoring me this morning as she’s obviously been out catching mice all night.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

You said the vets ran bloods - did they check for kidney function? If this were me I would definitely be calling my vet again for advice. If they checked all the usual suspects and it all seemed normal then I would be asking for some further investigations. I really hope he improves soon - it was very upsetting when my Daisy stopped eating, there was nothing I could do for her.

 

[Britestar]

Sadly my hyperthyroid cat stopped eating and 3 days later diagnosed with lymphoma. Very sad goodbye ?

 

[Ratchello]

Hi everyone, just wanted to thank you all for your thoughtful and helpful replies!

I think the vet check was fairly perfunctory - due to covid, you drop the animal off in the car park and only they are seen. He was only in for few minutes for a check and then the bloods. She did take his temperature, which was normal apparently. He is an outdoor cat, and was wormed in October. But I think I will ask the vet tomorrow about reworming and check to ensure that they did look at kidney function. It was all a bit rushed and stressful with the restrictions for covid! He is a very adept mouser usually. Definitely not been hunting at all. I don’t think he is vomiting, or constipated, but as an outdoor cat it is quite hard to tell (I did dig over a patch of garden today, and wait to see if I could watch him do anything, but he was clearly embarrassed!).

He’s been very quiet today and hasn’t eaten, but seems slightly brighter this evening, and then had a tiny bit of food. I’m going to call the vet in the morning and see what she advises. He does seem to be favouring one side of his mouth over the other, which is making me think teeth again.

Boiled egg yolks are apparently okay for cats, though he wasn’t bothered. He did manage a meat stick this evening, but using one side. I’ll see where we get to, and let you know. Thank you again - it’s made me feel much less alone. I’m was a dog person (my boy has turned me now!) and all my family and friends are dog people, so I feel a bit lost with all this, and didn’t know where to turn.

 

[Shady]

Reading your posts I would say teeth and it is not always possible to tell unless you sedate.
If he's gradually been losing weight that suggests it's not something that has just happened but something that's getting worse, so if bloods show nothing,kidneys are ok, thyroid levels are fine , I would start with the mouth and then move on making sure there's no virus's/cancer present.

 

[Carlosmum]

Reading your posts I would say teeth and it is not always possible to tell unless you sedate.
If he's gradually been losing weight that suggests it's not something that has just happened but something that's getting worse, so if bloods show nothing,kidneys are ok, thyroid levels are fine , I would start with the mouth and then move on making sure there's no virus's/cancer present.

Definitely check teeth, one of our farm cats lost a huge amount of weight last year and I thought she would be making her final journey, all of a sudden she had a huge abscess burst on her jaw line. After some antibiotics she was fine and is now fit and healthy for a 13 yo cat.