Max won't eat any foods: very worried..

[swampmaxmum]

he does get katalax sometimes or defurrum but hates it but if he's not got a runny tum and is off his nosh again, I'll give that a go. You've reminded me to zoomgroom too as some small amount of brown burmese fur got whoopsed up yesterday am. Carpet, naturally.

[Hippykitty]

Sounds like  he gets furball, and the vomitting helped to clear it a little. Would suggest that you give him weekly furball treatment to prevent a recurrence, and also fish IN OIL once a fortnight.

Samantha gets this from washing herself and Polly, and the symptoms sound similar.

[swampmaxmum]

Max nearly ate the plate this morning so clearly he WAS ill (listen to Max's mum next time Mr Vet). This am was a can from a tray of i/d he especially likes (there are always minor diffs which is very annoying QC by Hills).
I told OH that he nearly missed a chocolate surprise pudding hidden in the fridge and I'm still cracking up at his face   
hoping for smooth running for a few days at least
thanks everyone x

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Good boy Max 

[Bazsmum]

Glad Swampy's had a good day food wise.....hope things turn out okay for him....glad OH's exam went ok 

[swampmaxmum]

Well if it goes on, I'll have to take it and pop it in the back of the fridge. Will hide it well among the other goosnarghs (meaning of Liff: the grungy stuff you forget is there and find months later...) and hope it goes undetected 
Max has eaten well today so hoping to avoid this for the mo' at least.
thanks for the exam wishes. It went ok apparently but he was so tired the whole flat got 'rearranged' at the weekend so Max hid in his tent (hates change). I'm too fat to fit in too or may have joined him!

[Bazsmum]

Hoping your OH isnt a chocaholic  id have to tell mine 

ps....."Good Luck" to your OH for the exam 

[Bazsmum]

 

[swampmaxmum]

Max ate 1/6th can i'd tonight. That's a lot for lately. Just in case you thought I could now relax, Swampy's thrown up his food twice today (he's only ever whoopsed once a day before since being better) and has gone down from 5kgs (100g overweight/normal weight) to 4.8kgs in just a few hours. AAAAAAAAAAAAH. I'm withholding water for 20 mins after eating in the vain hope that that will help. I think drinking and his swallowing of snot make a potent puke combo sometimes????

[swampmaxmum]

Thanks for the advice. I suppose I'd have to do some delightful litter scraping off before decanting. Something else to look forward to eh.
I don't think I'll mention to OH that a specimen of that nature is in the fridge.....
Touch wood, but Max did eat a bit more this morning, about 1/3rd can which is the most for a week. No ugly nasties overnight so fingers crossed. He did hide in his tent though but OH was rushing around roaring dementedly as the printer wouldn't interface with the PC for his exam notes (open book exam TODAY ....!!!!) but he's moved and is now sleeping the sleep of the (cough) innocent on the best chair in the lounge. That's Max that's kipping; OH is on his way to the exam
I will see how he is over the weekend. Thanks again everyone 

[Millys Mum]

About an inch square of poo is ok (not a pefect square lol, hard to describe a blob!), sometimes its neccessary to do a 3 day sample so keeping it overnight before dropping it off is ok (in the fridge!)
The least litter the better.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Sorry you are still struggling with him - incidentally, the fact he is eating dry doesn't mean his mouth might not be sore, I have had a few cats with dental issues that have preferred to eat dry - Ginger came back from a dental, ignored the soft food I had bought specially and tucked into Snowy's biscuits!! I think Dawn explained that as they can just swallow the dry, it can actually be less painful for them - and I would assume that with the consistency of some of the prescription food, that could be true in his case. I would certainly be pushing the vet soon.

[swampmaxmum]

found another large and fairly loose poo this morning in Max's tray. That is the second since 5pm yesterday which is not normal for him at all, especially since he's eaten so little. He ate 1/6th can i/d this morning and is quite happy. Just given him Diasonyl (yuk) and I think I should be careful what I give him to eat because it does seem his tum's upset for sure. His tum's really hard.
What continues to be very weird is that normally when he eats his normal diet ie a can a day (156g) and poos a bit, he drops to 4.6kgs easily. Weighed him again and he is still at 4.7 despite his pooing and eating 1/2 his normal diet?????

Also does anyone know how much you need for a stool sample and how fresh does it have to be and is litter stuck on it a problem as I can't see any way around that last one

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

as Lynn says tinned fish is an excellent appetizer . I am never sure though whether tomatoe is the best choice because they are  so acidic and might possibly  cause tummy upset ?  I know toms can churn my tummy although I luv em.
Maybe if they are  in brine and rinced off so they are as neutral as possible. Very nutricious. Also Chicken is another good choice because it is strong smelling and inviting. I usually get a pre -cooked wing or sliced  breast . As long as it is at room temperature and not straight from the fridge you might tempt him with that. Fine sliced ham ( the cheap packet stuff) is another popular food for cats because they just love the saltiness. Just a little might encorage him to eat .

[CurlyCatz]

At the end of the day i believe you are within your rights to request they send off a stool sample even if its just for basics checks , as you say its your money.

My initial thoughts would be there is something amiss..i cant say what as it could really be anything but your vet shouldnt be so dismissal.

also i have seen quite a few times, and its well known siamese for no apparent reason..nothing on tests just give up and stop eating, lord knows why but in my experience if a siamese decides to stop eating then its a bigger job to get them going.  If he gets really bad then you can syringe fluids into him, you can get "lectade" which will give him electrolytes aswell.

You could ask the vet about "periactin" tablets, often used in anorexic cats as it increases the appetite, or if he got really really bad the vet could inject some iv diazepam..which makes them instantly eat a bowl of food..not good long term obviously but if a couple of bowls of food is the difference between life and death is can be an invaluble tip...also having a belly full of food can sometimes just stimulate them back into eating again.  The sardines/mackeral in tomato sauce is a good food for the non eaters.

Keep in your mind you have tube feeding options aswell if it became very necessary.

Hopefully it wont come to all those options and he will hack up a hairball or something, keep on at your vet though ... remember YOUR CAT YOUR MONEY !!
 I do hope he improves soon 

[swampmaxmum]

thanks for your support; I honestly don't know what I'd do without all of you! I do worry so much about my 2 boys (er, you know that).
What's really strange is although today he's eaten (rough guess here) about 70 -80g of Hills food, mostly i/d and has done a Very Smelly and Horrible Nasty he has actually put on weight, unless my scales are stuffed (but they show me - sadly - and the Swamp at the same constant weight).
He should be losing weight as for a week he's eaten about half what he normally does a day. The vet won't listen to me based on his lack of visible weight loss. Is there anything out there illness wise that could do this as I find this so weird.

In the meantime we are giving our own little Headcase (not a p.c. term) lots of love and tlc. Even caught OH singing to him in a silly voice tonight, cos he caught him hiding in 'his' shoebox behind the chair (Max thinks he's invisible in there).

I think that you are all right and that if he's not better by next Monday and if the vet still isn't bothered about his problems, I will get some bloods and maybe stool sample and urine done just to be sure. I'll just insist. Must not be intimidated by those who dismiss me as a hopeless neurotic eh 

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

If he is bringing his food back up then there is definitly something wrong with him even if its just a furball he can't shift . Good advice here already  especially pinkbear's .

I think vet's tend to do the same as Doctors and wait untill the situation either resolves itself or the animal gets a lot worse and the symptoms are obvious and more diagnostic. At the moment it could be almost anything.

If you are not reassured by the vet's decision then insist on lab tests and bloods. You are the one paying remember. You will never forgive yourself if you don't follow your instincts Don't feel embarrased about being concerned about your cat  You know far more about your own cat than any Vet could hope to know. Trust your own judgement . You have given it a week to resolve and it hasn't so push for some tests

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am sure that Lynn would know about the sample but would have thought that they could send it to be tested.

I agree with Ruth little and often for the food.

Its a terrible thing when you know your cat is not right and you have no other vet choice........do you have a car? How about a vet much further away?

I was also thinking about a good behaviour ist, didnt know if they can help with probs like this if it is an anxiety or similiar problem.

Do hope that you can sort Max out 

[swampmaxmum]

He's only had a couple of teaspoonfuls since breakfast, one of k/d and one of i/d. However he did a big nasty in the tray so I asked OH to ring the vet to take down a sample and basically the nurse just told him no point (?!!!!) as 'we won't really find anything'.
I've tried 3 of the other local vets and they are hopeless so I am pretty stuck. Will see how he is in the morning. I feel pretty upset - it's my money, if I want to pay for a stool sample to be sent off right?
Plus he just did a wonderful 'sample'. How much do you need to get btw and of course it has some litter on it. Does that matter?

[Bazsmum]

Defo hungry poor babe.....little and often seems to be the trick 

[swampmaxmum]

thanks for the support and sardines tip and tesco's own nosh in jelly! My vet is a sole practitioner btw. This morning Max was hungry and ate 1/4 can i/d. Turned my back and whoops up it came on the rug.
Vet said to try to stick with i/d because it could be psychological or could be part of a sensitive tum thing so lots of different foods are going to make him fussier and maybe vomit more. He's given him some Diasonyl (which he hates) to settle his gas in the tum.
I fed him again at 8 and he ate (rhymes that....maybe should try that more often) just under 1/4 can so enough to keep him going I suppose although the minimum. Will see how we go later 
I zoom groomed him this morning after he ate cos he looked like he was going to be sick again  - he sits there looking a bit green and hiccing - and that helped as he relaxed. He bit my toe so think that he was happier. I did think of his teeth as they aren't that great but my vet did have a good look and says it's not that. I don't think he'd touch the dry food if his mouth was sore. We were hoping that that was what it was as that's quite simple. I still think it's anxiety but may have bloods done again early next week if he's still so difficult.

I talked to him right through his eating; IF he starts out, he'll usually eat a little bit. The problem is often he just rejects on sight and turns away.  I'm resisting moving him to 'human' foods as long as possible. Mostly cos that'll be it, also Swampy is doing really well on his RC renal pouches and if Mr Swamp sees roast chicken etc may be on offer, I'll have 2 fussy eaters in the flat and renal food will be in the bin too. I"ve tried feeding them separately but the Swamp took 2 mins to cotton on and waddled down the passage to see what was up.
Things used to be so simple!!!!! Bang down a bowl of RC dry and munch munch munch.
thanks for the support guys; it's very tiring as so many of you know. 
PS OH in bath so able to check your posts! Probably not until tonight again now though as mega studying being done 

[Bazsmum]

Hope nothing serious is wrong  defo second vet opinion "Good Luck"

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

 

It does sound like you need a second opinion. I don't know how many times we see stories of vet out of their area of expertise getting things v. wrong.. Mine just lurve presenting me with this 'I'm dying' attitude and I swear they do it on purpose. 

Before you let yourself get trapped into worse case senarios, rule out the simple.

You say Max seems anxious and unhappy. That, coupled with a sudden refusal to eat anything might simply be he CAN'T eat anything.... the culprits to rule out initially in Pinkbear Towers would be toothache and furball. We can assume you defurr him regularly, but has he had a full scale and polish dental recently? A quick inspection of his teeth is not sufficient. He could have cracked a back molar.

You'll figure it out... 

[clarenmax]

I've got no advise to offer I'm afraid, but just wanted to say that I hope you resolve Max's eating issues very soon, it must be extremely worrying 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Poor Max and poor you    There lots of tips on the CRF website (they are not CRF specific) for persuading a cat to eat... http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

With Tiggy she just needed her appetite kick starting sometimes and then she would return to normal, Pilchards in tomato sauce was normally the kickstart for her.  Hope that Max starts eating properly soon, I know how distressing it can be to have a cat with appetite issues.

[Mark]

As you know I have had a lot of eating problems with Clapton due to CRF - his eating is a lot better now but not like it used to be. I think all cats have different tastes and even those change over time. Some cats even hate fish (willow used to love it but won't eat tuna imperial now). All you can do is try various foods. Oddly enough, after all the gourmet treats and trying every food going, Tesco own brand in Jelly is the one thing that will tempt him, along with fresh roasted chicken and packet ham (which I don't like hin having due to al the phosphates in it). The steroid injection he had 2 months ago seemed to kick-start his appetite and now he is taking the Fortekor religiously, his eating is fine and he is so much better in himself. btw - he won't touch sardines or prawns (although hs favourite food is tesco salmon & prawn in Jelly) I would push for a one-off steroid injection if you think it might help - I think it worked wonders.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I would ask for a second opinion, or push for your vet to do something - didn't Max's recent blood tests show some health issues? If so, they could be what is making him not want to eat. I agree with Dawns suggestions of sardines etc to tempt him. Good luck.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I know you said the vet is a good one but sometimes even the best vets can be wrong    It might be worth trying another one within the practise and see if they can up with anything.......I used to do this when I was concerned about mine and I wasn't getting a good result.  I know when Little Bob wasn't eating, Sean suggested Liver Pate to try and tempt him, he loved it, also most cats can't resist Sardines in Tomato Sauce.  I would try him with anything tbh, to try and tempt him, I use ham, etc.  Have they took his temperature to make sure he isn't coming down with anything?  I'm not sure what to suggest really apart from the above, I hope you get to the bottom of it,  , xxxx

[swampmaxmum]

Max, my 13 yr old half Tonkinese/Siamese just won't eat. He seems to be hungry sometimes but is refusing food put in front of him. Up until a week ago he was eating i/d well and fast and enjoying it. He sometimes got some other foods and ate them fine too and was on a can a day.
He suddenly just stopped eating as much i/d and in the last 2 days is refusing it (he loved it for months); he ate some d/d yesterday and today (about 1/4can) but now won't touch it. In desperation I tried him on some of his 'old' food, RC senior dry and he has eaten a couple of teaspoons today, but wouldn't touch it tonight. All he would eat tonight (having refused 4 different foods) was one teaspoon of some of Swampy's l/d - but he refused to eat any more than that, even when hungry - I assume hungry as miaowing. Every meal time is now a nightmare as I just don't know what to give him. I can't starve him until he's ravenous as even when he's not eaten for 7 -8 hours overnight, he would only eat 1/8th can in the morning, instead of 1/2 can.

I took him to the vet yesterday who said there is nothing wrong with him and I must 'wait and see'. I've waited a week and it's getting worse! He also made a crack about 'cat psychiatrists' and said the problem is he's old (13 isn't that old) and that I brought it on myself by having a pedigree cat. Well, hello, he's 13 and up until a week ago has always eaten well.
Max also appears to be very anxious and unhappy and it's hard to get him to purr. He is cuddling up with Swampy and grooming himself and did purr when I zoom-groomed him, but hid under the bed yesterday and is very tense.
I was meant to go to France for 3 days but couldn't leave him like this. I'm unhappy with the way the vet has treated it, like oh neurotic woman has brought in her cat and there's nothing wrong.
No, he didn't see any bags or know I was going away either - it all started long before that.
His weight is surprisingly fairly stable right now so I assume just a tiny amount of RC dry is helping, IF he'll continue to eat that a bit. But he's eating so little and so many diff foods that I really don't know what to do.

Sorry this is long and repetitive but it's late and I'm so tired. Waited up late to see if he'd eat anything (no). He's hiding again too. There have been no changes at home or anything to upset him.
The vet's saved Swampy's life and is by far the best one in the area btw in case anyone says try another opinion, there's no-one to try here in London.
Please does anyone have any suggestions on how to treat this?  Max had an anxiety disorder once before, when he peed all over the house, but that was cured by our moving (dog smells from previous owner!). He's immune to feliway. I gave him some catnip which he liked a few days ago but is now completely ignoring.

Sorry forgot to mention that yesterday he did something weird in that he peed in Swampy's litter tray. They've had separate ones since Swampy came back from hospital in October 2006 and he's not done that before. Our best guess is that his problem is psychological although I suppose we should rule out physical illness (how?!) but how on earth can I treat this when I can't see any obvious recent stress/change that could have triggered this anxiety related eating problem???? He and Swampy are getting on well as normal.
btw I will check in when I can tomorrow. OH is monopolising the computer for an exam