My cat won't eat!!

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Alison Clare Hickman — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 15:58:52 GMT

Tx for pancreatitis is usually fluid therapy, analgesia and supportive nutrition. Try reading this:

http://www.idexx.com/pubwebresources/pdf/en_us/smallanimal/education/dx-consult/managing-pancreatitis-and-concurrent-conditions.pdf

Ali x

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Celine — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:16:03 GMT

Thanks all for the moral support!

Sal, myself and two vets have looked at his mouth - I can't guarantee there's no problem there, but as far as I can see (short of knocking him out for a really good look) there's nothing to see, and as I say, I did try meloxicam,,, hmm... He had a full clinical exam and has been wormed too. What can I do to establish if it's pancreatitis? And what is the management for that?

He eats upstairs in the bathroom, the dog stays downstairs (enforced by baby gate) and he is king-pin - No-one messes with Daniel! The next-door neighbour often used to have him wander in through her catflap and she leaves food down (and also outside) for her and any visiting cats!!

Right, have been to PAH (think I need a shower or something, shudder) and bought the most expensive furball paste because everything else is out of stock, gah!! Also supermarket and bought wafer ham, chicken pieces and mackeral in tomato sauce. This was a bewildering experience for a vegetarian of 20 years! haha.

Fingers crossed, thank you very much everyone! xx

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Lor12 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:06:10 GMT

Did the vet check his heart?

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Sal the 1st — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:11:49 GMT

Is there definitely nothing amiss in his mouth? how about his tongue and gums? is he the sort of cat that would pick up and swallow something he shouldnt? The cat mentioned below was ill for some time after swallowing the button off one of my duvet covers, didnt show on rads and took quite some time to arrive in litter tray.

one of mine gets constipation/ileus pretty regular and I know usually the day before or sometimes a little earlier that he is heading that way because he goes off his food or becomes very picky about what he eats , he will become very clingy and cry for food but when it is put down for him he will walk away after at best one mouthful - he is another cat that eats almost exclusively a dry diet of his own choosing (hills natures best - I wish we had never found the stuff as he wont eat anything else now!) Is there any chance you could get a bit of katalax/ lactulose/laxapaste or similar into him in case it is a persistant hairball and a bit of a belly ache

The other condition I was thinking about was the possibility of a low grade pancreatitis especially if he was on hunger strike for a while - one of my old cats had this for a little while before she became diabetic and had similar signs but did drink more. On her bloods the amylase was only slightly up for a long time but liver values were a little elevated too

Cats! I love them to bits, would never be without them - but hell they like to keep you on your toes

one of the few things mine will eat when he is feeling a bit ick is pilchards in tomato sauce or at a push tinned tuna

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Alison Clare Hickman — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 21:26:00 GMT

Bit controversial, try some pinkies (closest thing I can think of near to 'wild food')? Much less controversial, try warmed convalescent support? Fresh fish or chicken? Different serving dish? Different height of feeding? Is it a stress issue? Is another cat bullying him? Try feeding in different areas of the house away from exit/entry areas? Try Feliway? Put a flyer through your neighbours doors explaining about him and asking if they know anything they may be doing differently (e.g. not feeding him, shooing him away, a change of neighbour who is not cat friendly anymore...?)... repeat tests in case something shows up this time...

Good luck and I hope his appetite returns.

Ali x

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Celine — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:39:22 GMT

Def not drinking more, not sure about faeces as he doesnt usually use a litter tray and the time i did lock him in he didnt pee for almost 48 hours!! So didnt want to make the situation worse, but obv cant be PU/PD if he can hang on that long!!

Re: My cat won't eat!!

Sal the 1st — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:27:47 GMT

what is his drinking like? Is he drinking more? and are is motions still hard?