# Cat having issues eating



## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

First off I am sorry to *****/steal your thread. I cannot start a new thread yet(idk why, posted in the intro section) 

Anyways my cat Bandit, who is about 11-12 years old quit eating. For about 4 months he has stopped grooming his self. He now will not eat, he will still eat the gravy of the soft cat food. But he seems like he has a hard time eating soft chunks, let alone dry food. He still has a great appetite though. He'll run to the food, but then he just smells it/ looks at it for awhile. He has lost about 4 pounds I'd guess he is starting to get very skinny. We will take him to the vet again monday to get further looked at. BUt he was there a week ago and his blood and urine work came up clean. As far a the vet could tell he was in good health, besides the weight loss. I tried to force feed him some stuff, and decided to force feed water..
When I acidenttly put too much water in his mouth (where he need to open his mouth up to get more room) I heard this awful grinding noise. I think maybe he has some type of tooth/mouth problem 
That would explain everything I think. Doesnt want to eat, not grooming and stuff. Could he have a tooth coming in like a wisdom tooth or somehtig? Or what could cause that noise... That has got to be what is causing him to stop eating I think. He is starting to get pretty weak. Thank god he was a big boy so he had some fat to live on for awhile. He is starting to get weaker though. When he goes down stairs both of his back legs go at the same time like hes just being lazy, also has a harder time jumping onto my bed at night. 

I guess what Im wondering is what types of mouth problems cause this grinding noise? 

He does not have diarrea, not throwing up, not tilting his head to one side. Acts pretty normal other than not eating... Even though the appetite is deff still there. 

Mods you can move this to its own thread if need be, like I said i wanted to start a new one anyways.. Thank you all for reading


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

Did the vet check his mouth when they did the blood work last week? Dental problems will often stop cats from eating. I'm not sure what the 'grinding' noise would be but no, he wouldn't be getting new teeth come through now. I'd definitely have him re-checked by the vet though, maybe even see a different vet for a second opinion.


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## hdunne (Jan 2, 2011)

He wouldn't be getting any new teeth in now, but some kind of tooth problem would fit with what you're describing. Definitely have the vet check that out. In the mean time, since he's willing to eat the gravy, maybe you could try getting food with a lot more gravy in it (or giving him more than one serving's worth of gravy), just he won't be starving quite so much during the wait.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

It does sound like it could be a tooth problem, maybe even a problem with his jaw. If his teeth looked ok, did the vet take any xrays? (I'm not a vet, and don't know if that would be normal procedure.) 

I'd definitely agree about giving him more gravy. You could also try cutting the soft food up into tiny chunks that don't need to be chewed. 

I'm assuming this is some kind of soft chunked food in gravy, not simply canned food? If that's the case, maybe he would eat some regular canned food, even if you have to mix it with a little bit of water? 

If he isn't dehydrated you probably don't need to force feed water, but if you want him to get more, you could try dipping his front paws in a bowl of water to see if he will lick it off instead of trying to force feed it to him. That might be less stressful for both of you. 

Four pounds is a pretty significant weight loss. If your vet doesn't have any idea what the problem could be, it might be a good idea to take him to another vet for a second opinion. 

I'm glad to hear that his blood and urine tests came back ok. If he is having trouble jumping up onto your bed, you might be able to help him out by putting some kind of "step" next to the bed (like a box, a step stool, or some type of bench) so he can jump up more easily. 

I hope that you can get it sorted out soon!


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for the replys. He had some cancer removed last febuary and they cleaned his teeth then. I think the vet said about 2 weeks ago that he lost 2.5 pounds between then and now. But he looks smaller in these 2 weeks so Im just guessing at the 4 pounds total though. No don't recall them checking his teeth this last visit so thats what were taking him in for tomorrow. Most of the weight lost was muscle mass so that. He will drink water on his own, I dont need to force feed that. Just wanted to help wash the food down. I haven't noticed him drinking a ton of water which is good I think, IIRC that could be a sign of fatty liver or a kidney shutting down? He was crunching on some hard foods earlier for a few minutes but most of it fell out of his mouth lol. I will keep you all up to date on whats going on


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Just to help alittle. The grinding sound I'm talking about sounds almost like a cat eating dry cat food. I will say that it makes you cringe when you hear it


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

How awful! Would a broken jaw sound like that? I'm glad he's going to the vet tomorrow, he could be in pain, cats hide it very well.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I don't know what could be making such a sound, but it does sound like dental issues are causing him not to eat. In the meantime, perhaps you could blend his food to make it more like a soup to help him eat it.


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

I've been blending up some soft food thats already in gravy for in today. I'm not sure how much he is supposed to eat really. I fed him 3 times today with it. This last time was 2 tbsps thru a oral syringe. But yes it is a horrible sound. I held him upside down in my arms with his head resting on my forearm. I could feel the grind when it happened. Thing is it doesnt do it every time he chews, about half. Makes me think it would be more of a jaw issue than a tooth, but I'm not vet nor a dentist.


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

found this video on youtube. this is the same thing I'm talking about. i researched it a bit. People say it could be a sign of CRF or kidney failure.. It may also be stress related. Wouldn't something like kidney failure show in a blood test?


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

It seems to me like kidney problems should show up in the blood test. 

The amount a cat eats depends on his size and other factors, but I've read that an "average" is usually between 4 and 6 ounces a day (a tuna-sized can of cat food is often 5.5 ounces, for comparison).

I find that a lot of times it can be very worrisome to look symptoms up online without the help of a professional. I don't want to admit the number of times I've scared myself silly using WebMD.  I can't see the video link you posted. =/

My cat Tyrael has made a strange grinding sound once or twice, as though he were grinding his teeth. I had no idea why he was making the sound or how, but when the vet checked him over she found nothing medically wrong. He had his teeth cleaned back in February and I don't believe I have heard him make the sound since. That could be a coincidence. 

Your cat had his teeth done at about the same time, so I would think it's not a heavy tartar buildup (though cats accumulate it at different rates). It seems to me like he could have developed a problem tooth since then though, or possibly something to do with the jaw - as you suspected - though I have no idea what that could be. 

Has Bandit been making this sound frequently, or has it only happened a few times? 

I'm glad he's going to the vet today. Most vets I've known are happy to answer your questions, so hopefully you can get to the bottom of this. Please let us know what you find out!


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I'm so sorry for your cat's difficulties. Overweight cats who don't eat adequately are at high risk of developing hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver), which can occur quickly and be life-threatening. Just because Bandit's bloodwork was normal last week does not mean that it's still normal now. I strongly urge you to request a full blood chemistry, CBC, and Total T4 (TT4 is to check thyroid function) blood tests today to see how he's doing right now. Make sure to also request copies of ALL of his blood test results - both from last week and this week - so that you can compare them yourself and use them at home for reference when researching and asking questions online. Once you have the test results, it would be helpful if you'd post them to this thread so that we can see them, too.

It is essential that you get adequate food into Bandit, one way or another. The following links will provide you with a lot of tips, tricks, and techniques for nourishing Bandit, even if that means assist feeding him:

Tanya's Feline CRF Info Centre - persuading your cat to eat
AssistFeed.com: Advice to help a sick cat who will not eat
Feline-Assisted-Feeding : Feline-Assisted-Feeding

Laurie


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Here is the video, sorry i forgot to add the link. 



Appearently they checked out his teeth last visit and they all looked good. Also internet tells me that the grinding sound is just from stress and its nothign to worry about. He has been there since 9 this morning and the doc just got to him at 2. He is still there and I'm waiting for the vet to call me..


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Illness IS stressful, so the teeth grinding very likely is a symptom of Bandit's illness. Also, approaching food and then refusing to eat it is common behavior in cats who feel nauseous. For that matter, teeth grinding can also indicate nausea.

I do hope you requested the blood tests I identified above. It's very important to see if his blood values have changed over the last week, and you should also test his thyroid to see if that's part of his problem.

Laurie


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Bandit is going into surgery Wednesday morning. They found a lump under his ripcage about 1x2. The vet thought it maybe a tomur on his pancrias or somewhere in that area. We don't know much about it, but we decided an ultrasound is not nessacery, we'll just go right in. You really need to reach up under his rips to feel it but its deffenitly something there. They are gonna start him on fluids tonight because he is dehydrated. I pray and hope for the best.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

our thoughts and prayers are with you and Bandit! Let us know how the surgery goes.


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Thankyou for praying, that means alot. I don't even want to think about it, but I don't want him to suffer. This mass whatever it maybe is blocking his stomach to an extend. He wants to eat, but he really can't. I don't want him to suffer the pain of the surgery on top of starving. So if the vet doesn't think he can remove it or its spread too far he will be uthinzes right there and then while he is already under. I don't want him to be in anypain. Its hurts me more than it would hurt him I think. I love this cat soo much, I picked him out of the litter when was 8 years old. I may have said earlier that he was 11, but actually is 12.5 born on May 1st of 98. I'm only 20 now so he's been with me more than half my life. He was always the big eater of the family, the big fat cat. My dad told me last that he saw him trying to eat. He just hovered over the food, didn't have any. But when Prowler came over to have some too, Bandit just hissed at him.... He still wanted all the food to him self even though he couldn't eat it Many great times I've had with him. He's always been a survivor though! About 6 years ago he got out during an ice storm/bad winter and he survived out there by himself for 45 days. unclawed inside cat. He beat cancer lastyear in his back leg. I hope he can pull through this one too, but I'm prepared for the worse. Pray that I won't need to be though, and that I will have my big boy back with me soon.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is what's best for your kitty and not you. It's a decision many of us have had to make, so we do feel your pain. 

I hope he pulls through once again. atback


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## hdunne (Jan 2, 2011)

I hope the surgery goes well! It sounds like something you may have been lucky to catch in time. Definitely let us know how it turns out.


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

Turned out great!! Got him stitched back up, came out of the anistisia and everything now. He'll stay the rest of the week to recover abit. Like I said my cat was a big eater. Apperantly he had so much stuff collected over the years in his intestant that it finally totally blocked it off. By stuff I mean ribbons, artificial christmas tree needles, a small pantihoe style sock (not sure what those are called but I know my mom has them) etc etc.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

Wow, that's wonderful news! Sounds like he's in for a full recovery. You must be so relieved! I am very happy to hear it.


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## x MadMAX DIESEL (Jan 2, 2011)

I got my cat back home yesterday, today hes starting to meow again. (for awhile there he didnt make any sound about 4 days before surgery. They did remove a 2x7cm tumor though on his gut. Not sure where really,anyway he hasnt pooped yet. He was supposed to go home saturday but he never pooped then and thought it would be good to make sure everything was all workign right again before they sent him home. Monday we got him any even though he hadnt gone. They removed about 2 inchs of his intestant because of the cancer. So its almost been a week since he has gone number 2(thats what Im counting atleast) I dont know if he was going in the weeks before surgery or not... But is it normal for a cat to not be able to go that long after surgery? He has been eating on his own again though. Should I give him latative?


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

It sounds like a pretty intensive procedure, the poor guy. 

I would not give him a laxative or anything like that without asking the vet first. Some over the counter medications for people can be toxic to pets, and it might do more harm than good - his system might not be able to take it after his surgery. 

I would suggest that you keep an eye on him and contact the vet to see if this is normal considering the surgery he went through. You might need to leave a message with the receptionist and have the vet call you back, but most vets I have worked with have been happy to return my calls and make sure everything is on track with my cats health.


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