OT How do you make a cat eat?

My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight steadily
over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week and they did all
kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't have diabeties,
thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit enlarged but the vet
said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged spleen was related to that.
They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness. They
put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running rampant and
they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to get all then tests
done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her stay, but I
cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting her meds into her
and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do their job. The vet
said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show improvement after
a week, there is something else more dastardly going on and we may have to
have more extensive tests done to rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since coming
home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the vet) and some
other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very interested in either
of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am worried
that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

I have never been very successful in getting a cat to eat when it is sick.
Have you tried canned tuna - not tuna cat food, but regular tuna, or little
pieces of chicken breast? Those are my only suggestions.

Sherry Starr

"AliceW" wrote in message
. ..
My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight steadily
over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week and they did
all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't have
diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged
spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness. They
put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running rampant
and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to get all then
tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her stay, but
I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting her meds into
her and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do their job.
The vet said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
improvement after a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
and we may have to have more extensive tests done to rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since
coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the vet)
and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very interested
in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is
drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am
worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

Nothing very original here, but have you tried a diluted egg
and milk solution?

When my furries are off their food I buy the tiny tins
(expensive!) of varieties they don't usually eat and try
small serves of different types to tempt them. The one they
can rarely resist is tuna in set aspic/jelly. If your
Scraps is used to dry food - mine absolutely cannot resist
IAMS dry food. And small serves of good quality lean mince
meat might work (but don't handle it, use a fork or spoon to
put it in the dish).

In desperation to restore appetite I have been known to
resort to icecream and cream. But Scraps might want to have
the icecream melted as her infected tooth will be making any
eating difficult. If she is used to crunching on dry food
that would be painful right now, and that might be putting
her off eating anything.

I took in a cat that had been hit by a car and he had a
broken jaw. He was near death from starvation when I found
him. The vet could not do anything for his jaw, but he
lived very well (and happily) for years on the gravy of
canned foods and other softed and mashed foods.

I must admit that except for IAMS my cats have never eaten
any food from the vet. I suspect it is like getting little
kids to eat vegetables 'cos it's good for them.



Kind kitty purrs to Scraps from B, D and R. Gentle ear rubs
from me.
--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
Boofhead Donut Rasputin
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"AliceW" wrote in message
. ..
: My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing
weight steadily
: over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this
week and they did all
: kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't
have diabeties,
: thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet
: said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged spleen
was related to that.
: They did not see any obvious tumors.
:
: She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her
illness. They
: put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are
running rampant and
: they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to
get all then tests
: done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her
stay, but I
: cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting
her meds into her
: and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do
their job. The vet
: said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
improvement after
: a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
and we may have to
: have more extensive tests done to rule out
:
: Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched
any since coming
: home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by
the vet) and some
: other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
interested in either
: of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is
drinking.
:
: So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to
eat? I am worried
: that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.
:
: Thanks in advance!
:
: AliceW
:

Thanks - I have lots of tuna in the pantry and will try that right now. She
loves milk and I might try a bit of that just to make sure she is staying
hydrated. Will keep you posted.

AliceW


"CATS" wrote in message
...
Nothing very original here, but have you tried a diluted egg
and milk solution?

When my furries are off their food I buy the tiny tins
(expensive!) of varieties they don't usually eat and try
small serves of different types to tempt them. The one they
can rarely resist is tuna in set aspic/jelly. If your
Scraps is used to dry food - mine absolutely cannot resist
IAMS dry food. And small serves of good quality lean mince
meat might work (but don't handle it, use a fork or spoon to
put it in the dish).

In desperation to restore appetite I have been known to
resort to icecream and cream. But Scraps might want to have
the icecream melted as her infected tooth will be making any
eating difficult. If she is used to crunching on dry food
that would be painful right now, and that might be putting
her off eating anything.

I took in a cat that had been hit by a car and he had a
broken jaw. He was near death from starvation when I found
him. The vet could not do anything for his jaw, but he
lived very well (and happily) for years on the gravy of
canned foods and other softed and mashed foods.

I must admit that except for IAMS my cats have never eaten
any food from the vet. I suspect it is like getting little
kids to eat vegetables 'cos it's good for them.



Kind kitty purrs to Scraps from B, D and R. Gentle ear rubs
from me.
--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
Boofhead Donut Rasputin
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"AliceW" wrote in message
. ..
: My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing
weight steadily
: over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this
week and they did all
: kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't
have diabeties,
: thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet
: said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged spleen
was related to that.
: They did not see any obvious tumors.
:
: She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her
illness. They
: put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are
running rampant and
: they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to
get all then tests
: done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her
stay, but I
: cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting
her meds into her
: and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do
their job. The vet
: said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
improvement after
: a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
and we may have to
: have more extensive tests done to rule out
:
: Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched
any since coming
: home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by
the vet) and some
: other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
interested in either
: of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is
drinking.
:
: So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to
eat? I am worried
: that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.
:
: Thanks in advance!
:
: AliceW
:

Good grief, Alice, with all of that going on, I don't think I'd eat either.
Probably her sense of smell and taste are affected and her mouth hurts.
Perhaps she would be tempted by just a little seafood (perhaps sieved) or
strained baby food meat such as chicken.When we were desperate to get our
Sweet Pea to take a few bites, one of us would get on all fours and pretend
to be eating his supper. Apparently some kitties enjoy companionship at
mealtime and that worked. Scraps may think you've lost your mind and leave
home for her personal safety but you could give it a try. Polly

"AliceW" wrote in message
. ..
My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight steadily
over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week and they did
all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't have
diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged
spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness. They
put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running rampant
and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to get all then
tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her stay, but
I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting her meds into
her and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do their job.
The vet said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
improvement after a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
and we may have to have more extensive tests done to rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since
coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the vet)
and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very interested
in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is
drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am
worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

I forgot - BBQ/rotiserie chicken from the supermarket.
The cats come running to the smell!

And roast meats will normally do the same. What's on for
Sunday lunch?

--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
Boofhead Donut Rasputin
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"CATS" wrote in message
...
: Nothing very original here, but have you tried a diluted
egg
: and milk solution?
:
: When my furries are off their food I buy the tiny tins
: (expensive!) of varieties they don't usually eat and try
: small serves of different types to tempt them. The one
they
: can rarely resist is tuna in set aspic/jelly. If your
: Scraps is used to dry food - mine absolutely cannot
resist
: IAMS dry food. And small serves of good quality lean
mince
: meat might work (but don't handle it, use a fork or spoon
to
: put it in the dish).
:
: In desperation to restore appetite I have been known to
: resort to icecream and cream. But Scraps might want to
have
: the icecream melted as her infected tooth will be making
any
: eating difficult. If she is used to crunching on dry food
: that would be painful right now, and that might be putting
: her off eating anything.
:
: I took in a cat that had been hit by a car and he had a
: broken jaw. He was near death from starvation when I
found
: him. The vet could not do anything for his jaw, but he
: lived very well (and happily) for years on the gravy of
: canned foods and other softed and mashed foods.
:
: I must admit that except for IAMS my cats have never eaten
: any food from the vet. I suspect it is like getting
little
: kids to eat vegetables 'cos it's good for them.
:
:
:
: Kind kitty purrs to Scraps from B, D and R. Gentle ear
rubs
: from me.
: --
:
: Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
: o o o o o o
: ( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
: Boofhead Donut Rasputin
: http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
: catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau
:
:
: "AliceW" wrote in message
: . ..
:: My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been
losing
: weight steadily
:: over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this
: week and they did all
:: kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't
: have diabeties,
:: thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
: enlarged but the vet
:: said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged spleen
: was related to that.
:: They did not see any obvious tumors.
::
:: She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to
her
: illness. They
:: put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are
: running rampant and
:: they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to
: get all then tests
:: done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during
her
: stay, but I
:: cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting
: her meds into her
:: and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do
: their job. The vet
:: said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
: improvement after
:: a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
: and we may have to
:: have more extensive tests done to rule out
::
:: Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not
touched
: any since coming
:: home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided
by
: the vet) and some
:: other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
: interested in either
:: of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she is
: drinking.
::
:: So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to
: eat? I am worried
:: that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.
::
:: Thanks in advance!
::
:: AliceW
::
:
:

Mental picture - hysterical!!

(Tottering back to bed chuckling to myself)

--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
Boofhead Donut Rasputin
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
: Good grief, Alice, with all of that going on, I don't
think I'd eat either.
: Probably her sense of smell and taste are affected and her
mouth hurts.
: Perhaps she would be tempted by just a little seafood
(perhaps sieved) or
: strained baby food meat such as chicken.When we were
desperate to get our
: Sweet Pea to take a few bites, one of us would get on all
fours and pretend
: to be eating his supper. Apparently some kitties enjoy
companionship at
: mealtime and that worked. Scraps may think you've lost
your mind and leave
: home for her personal safety but you could give it a try.
Polly
:
: "AliceW" wrote in message
: . ..
: My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been
losing weight steadily
: over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this
week and they did
: all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She
doesn't have
: diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her
spleen is a bit
: enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so
the enlarged
: spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious
tumors.
:
: She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to
her illness. They
: put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are
running rampant
: and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed
overnight to get all then
: tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit
during her stay, but
: I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are
getting her meds into
: her and they have stayed down so the meds should start
to do their job.
: The vet said to give her a week on the meds. If she
doesn't show
: improvement after a week, there is something else more
dastardly going on
: and we may have to have more extensive tests done to
rule out
:
: Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not
touched any since
: coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D
provided by the vet)
: and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't
seem very interested
: in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box
so she is
: drinking.
:
: So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to
eat? I am
: worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to
eat again.
:
: Thanks in advance!
:
: AliceW
:
:

Thanks, Polly, I needed that! I just gave her some very finely minced tuna
and she loved it! Thanks to all who recommended tuna. I did sit with her
while she ate, though, and Polly, I think she enjoyed the company.

We have her in the "guest" room since our other kitty, Gypsy, will eat
anything put on the floor so in order to give Scraps a fighting chance at
eating when she felt up to it, we had to separate the two. Kirby is a food
thief too but at least now I know he'll gobble the A/D food from the vet if
Scraps doesn't warm up to it.

I have Finn for the day so he likes to go up and see how she is doing. He
has a very sensitive heart for the critters (like his mom) and Scraps really
purrs up a storm when he visits. She doesn't do that for everybody.

One day at a time I guess, but at least now I know she's eating. Phew!

AliceW


"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Good grief, Alice, with all of that going on, I don't think I'd eat
either. Probably her sense of smell and taste are affected and her mouth
hurts. Perhaps she would be tempted by just a little seafood (perhaps
sieved) or strained baby food meat such as chicken.When we were desperate
to get our Sweet Pea to take a few bites, one of us would get on all fours
and pretend to be eating his supper. Apparently some kitties enjoy
companionship at mealtime and that worked. Scraps may think you've lost
your mind and leave home for her personal safety but you could give it a
try. Polly

"AliceW" wrote in message
. ..
My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight
steadily over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week and
they did all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't
have diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged
spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness. They
put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running rampant
and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to get all then
tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during her stay,
but I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting her meds
into her and they have stayed down so the meds should start to do their
job. The vet said to give her a week on the meds. If she doesn't show
improvement after a week, there is something else more dastardly going on
and we may have to have more extensive tests done to rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since
coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the
vet) and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
interested in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box so she
is drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am
worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

Alice, if Scraps has a bad tooth, that may make eating anything
difficult. Try some "CatMilk", which is designed for cats, won't give
them the intestinal problems that regular milk can have. The milk will
provide nutrition, and you could soften her regular food with it too.

Good luck, I am also dealing with a cat that doesn't want to eat. (But a
mama cat who needs to eat to take care of the babies. )

Hope Scraps feels better soon.

Pati, in Phx

AliceW wrote:

My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight
steadily over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week and
they did all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She doesn't
have diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen is a bit
enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so the enlarged
spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness.
They put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running
rampant and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to get
all then tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit during
her stay, but I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are getting
her meds into her and they have stayed down so the meds should start to
do their job. The vet said to give her a week on the meds. If she
doesn't show improvement after a week, there is something else more
dastardly going on and we may have to have more extensive tests done to
rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since
coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the
vet) and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
interested in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box so
she is drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am
worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

As well as all the other ideas you've been given, Alice, try poaching
some plain white fish in a tiny bit of milk (the cat milk even better)
(microwave is fine). My reluctant eaters love that.
..
In message , AliceW
writes
My sweet little Scraps (12 year old tabby) has been losing weight
steadily over the last few weeks. We took her to the vets this week
and they did all kinds of blood work, x-rays and urinalysis. She
doesn't have diabeties, thyroid, kidney or liver diseases. Her spleen
is a bit enlarged but the vet said her RBC level was decreased so the
enlarged spleen was related to that. They did not see any obvious tumors.

She does have an infected tooth which may be linked to her illness.
They put her on antibiotics to help fight what ever bugs are running
rampant and they pumped her full of fluids. She stayed overnight to
get all then tests done and they noticed that she ate a little bit
during her stay, but I cannot get her to eat since she is home. We are
getting her meds into her and they have stayed down so the meds should
start to do their job. The vet said to give her a week on the meds.
If she doesn't show improvement after a week, there is something else
more dastardly going on and we may have to have more extensive tests
done to rule out

Scraps normally only eats dry food but she had not touched any since
coming home. I have tried two forms of wet food (A/D provided by the
vet) and some other wet food from my daughter. She didn't seem very
interested in either of those. I have seen her use the litter box so
she is drinking.

So, to all you kitty fans out there, how do I get her to eat? I am
worried that she won't recover if she doesn't start to eat again.

Thanks in advance!

AliceW

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill