# My cat just nibbles at her food.



## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Hello everyone. I haven't been here for a while, but I am back with a question. A few days ago, my cat Abby, who is 9, hardly is eating anything. She will take a bite or two of dry food. Then she won't eat for almost an entire day. She is sleeping alot, but she will come out of her bed and come and visit me. She isn't herself, but I don't think she's exactly deathly ill. She still walks around and jumps on tables, couches, etc. I have a vet appointment on Monday morning to see what's going on. So my question is, with her not eating much, should she be ok until Monday? Or would a emergency vet be a better option?


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I wouldn't say an emergency vet at this point, that's extremely expensive without an immediate emergency, but I would try and get a faster appointment, if not one at your usual vet then maybe a different one.

In the meantime, it is very important that your cat eat. Cats don't do starvation well... their bodies start storing fat in the liver instead and they can end up with a potentially deadly fatty liver disease, which is fast acting.

I'd buy a wide range of wet foods, feed eggs, offer meat, give fish foods (cats often like fish)... there's also gel pastes like Nutri-Cal that can help out with a cat that isn't eating much that you can find in pet stores.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Thank you for the reply. I called my vet first. He can't get her in until Wednesday. I called a few others, and everyone is pretty well booked through the weekend. The Monday appointment is the earliest I can get her in. I almost forgot about that Nutri-Cal you mentioned. I used that with a cat I had years ago that wouldn't eat. Thanks for reminding me about that stuff.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

Baby food works in a pinch too.
I'm wondering if at 9, she is having thyroid/kidney issues. Please post back with updates.
Hope all goes well.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

wallycat, I am thinking about that same thing. I had another cat years ago that was around 10 years old and he stopped eating and he ended up having kidney failure. I will post back when I find out. Thanks for your concern.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

It is VERY important that you get nutrition into your cat, even if that means assist feeding with a needleless syringe. The following links will provide you with lots of tips and tricks to get food into your cat before your vet appt:

AssistFeed.com: Advice to help a sick cat who will not eat
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Persuading Your Cat to Eat

You will, however, need to fast your cat for 8-12 hrs BEFORE the vet appt in order to ensure accurate blood test results (if your vet doesn't recommend a full blood chemistry, you should INSIST on one). Also, make sure you get a copy of all lab results from your vet. You'll need them in order to research the results online and get useful advice from forums like this one. When you get the results, post them here so that we can take a look and let you know if there are any red flags that you should discuss with your vet further.

Laurie


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I agree with the above. I would try to get her into the vet sooner than Monday - with so little food getting into her she can go downhill VERY fast. Two, consider an emergency vet if you can't get in sooner (see reason above in first sentence).

It could be her teeth, her kidneys or simple common cold coming on. A vet will be able to tell you a lot with a full visual and blood work.

Laurie - my vet has never told me to fast my cats before blood work. Is this common practice? I understand it because I have to fast myself to get an accurate reading, just saying the vet has never mentioned it.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Marcia said:


> Laurie - my vet has never told me to fast my cats before blood work. Is this common practice?


A recent meal can affect some blood values, making it impossible to determine whether the meal is causing the anomaly or if there is some other underlying cause that requires further medical attention. By fasting the cat before bloodwork, you eliminate the meal itself from being a potential cause of blood anomalies in test results.

This is one reason why I ALWAYS acquire copies of the lab reports when I have tests run on my animals. The lab report will note whether there was lipemia (fat in the blood) in the blood sample that may have affected the results.

Laurie


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update: She will eat canned food, just not too much, maybe a quater of a can. I guess that's better than nothing.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

My Lacey only eats 1/4 of a small can, but she want's to eat every 2 hours! Unfortunately she has me totally trained to accommodate her whims - otherwise I get my leg swiped! Ungrateful snit.

You need to assess how much food she is actually eating. If all she is eating is 1/4 can in an entire day, then no, that is certainly not enough.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

I am just happy she is actually eating something, unlike the past few days. Your Lacey sounds like my Abby. Usually, when she wants food, she knocks stuff off of the counter until she gets fed.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Glad to hear she will eat the 1/4 can of food, that is good news! At this point, with her being ill, even though a diet change is not ideal while they are sick, but since she won't eat anyway, and will eat canned, this is a good thing. You should keep her on wet food anyway. No telling what is wrong with her, but at least with wet food, she is getting some extra water into her diet, which is really important. Maybe just offer her these small amounts throughout the day. And if she starts eating them more vigorously, add some water to her food and mix it up, so she will get even more water. Poor baby, I hope you figure out what is wrong soon.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Thank you howsefrau32. She did eat close to half a can earlier this evening, but she vomited most of it back up 20 minutes later. I am guessing that's the diet change, since she isn't used to canned food. Next time I feed her, I will just give her 1/4 can again and hopefully, it will stay down.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update on Abby. I took her to the vet this morning and I found out she has Hepatic Lipidosis. She is currently in surgery having a feeding tube installed in her neck. My wife and I are going to have to feed her through this tube 5 times a day. Hopefully, she will improve in the next few weeks.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Sorry to hear that she has hepatic lipidosis. I'm so glad you were able to get her in, and hopefully with more food she will improve and hopefully will not need that tube for too long. Poor baby.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Thank you for the kind words, howsefrau.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update: We took Abby home this afternoon, and started feeding her through the tube. We have given her almost an entire can of food. She seems to be keeping it down. Now she hiding under the bed. I am guessing she is still recovering from her ordeal. She had quite a day with the car ride, strangers handling her, having the feeding tube put in, and now I think she just needs rest.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update: Abby is still taking in the food through her feeding tube. She seems to be doing ok, she still hides, and seems out of it. She has had 2 bowel movements since this started three days ago. Can't tell if she is urinating because of our other cat using the litter box. Her juandace seems to be slowly going away. Her skin inside her ears aren't so yellow anymore. I really hope this is a positive sign.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I am so glad Abby is on the mend. How long will the feeding tube have to be in? I can only imagine how this is quite a frightening thing for her - and certainly bewildering. Bless you for sacrificing for her!!


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Good for Abby. Often, much of the damage from HL can be reversed if caught early and it sounds like that's what's going on with Abby. Good job.


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## patchesmaid (Jun 24, 2013)

My cat had his feeding tube in for about 3 weeks. He started eating a little on his own after about a week and was eating well after 2 weeks. The vet left the feeding tube in for another week as a precaution and I continued feeding him with it until it came out. The vet continued taking blood to check enzymes and the one she was watching was the ALT. It continued to rise even after he was feeling better and eating on his own. When it started to drop it dropped really fast. She said the ALT was the enzyme that liver cells release when they die. It takes a while even under the best circumstances for a cat to recover from this.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Marica, the feeding tube has to be in until she can eat on her own, even when she does, it needs to stay in for a little longer after that. She still is a little freaked out over the whole thing.

NebraskaCat, thank you for the support. I really hope it can be reversed. I found a pretty good puddle of urine from her this morning. I am glad that things are "moving" through her now.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

patchesmaid, only 3 weeks? I hope Abby's only stays in for that long. I take her back in 2 weeks for another test. Thanks for letting me know about the ALT.


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Awww poor Abby. What an ordeal for all of you. I am glad you are taking good care of her. She is lucky to have you as her guardian. Wishing for a speedy recovery!


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## Risami (Nov 18, 2007)

how did your poor cat develop that ?  it must be heartbreaking. I have always wonder when there is a tube does that mean there is a hole in that area? is it permanent. makes me worried if i will have to have the same experience one of these days.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

From not eating, as I mentioned can happen very quickly. 

I hope Abby continues improving. Was there any diagnosis on why she wasn't eating to start with?


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Junglibilis, thank you for the kind words!

Risami, she stopped eating about 2 weeks ago. It caused her liver to start failing. They can't live off of stored fat for very long, so this feeding tube was put in. After she starts to eat like she used to, the tube will be removed and the little insicion hole will fill back in. You shouldn't worry about it unless your cats stops eating. If your cat does stop eating, take it to the vet as soon as you notice the cat not eating. 

Carmel, thanks for the support, the vet couldn't really determine what caused this, he asked all the stress questions, like did someone move in, loss of another pet, etc. Which I replied no to pretty much everything. Everything else with her is ok, her kidneys are fine, her heart is fine, and he didn't feel any growths or odd things when he examined her. So I have no idea why she stopped eating.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

that's so sad for your cat. I hope she heals quickly. is that her in your avatar? because it looks so much like an old picture of my black cat (she's 16) that I don't even think I have anymore. I've killed about three computers in her lifetime and lost a lot of photos because I didn't make albums on tinypic or photobucket. i'm trying to get all my pictures of her together though.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Cinderflower, no that is my other cat Leo in my avatar. He does look like your cat though.
Here is a pic of Abby:


DSC00369 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## patchesmaid (Jun 24, 2013)

Patches was finally diagnosed with IBD but he doesn't have the normal symptoms. He would have the nausea and constipation. I had taken him to other vets when he had a flare but he wasn't diagnosed. He stayed at a vets twice on an IV and they kept xraying him for a blockage. That last time he was sick I tried yet another vet a cats only vet and he was diagnosed. Unfortunately he's a kibble addict so I can't do much with food. He is on a small daily dose of a steroid to control it. In the last 2 1/2 years he has only had two short mild flares.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update: Abby is still eating through the feeding tube. She is starting to gain a little of her weight back, she is jumping up on the couch and she is sitting and laying with my wife again, like she did before she got sick. She is out with us in the living room and walking around the apartment like she used to. My wife said earlier this evening she actually ate a small bit of syringe food. She is about 90% herself now. I am hoping this continues to improve.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Good for Abby. Thanks for keeping us posted.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Update: Abby is pretty much herself again. She goes in for a liver test Friday and if all is well, hopefully she gets the feeding tube removed. She is eating all by herself, still only eating the a/d the vet gave us, but she will eat that food normally. She has gained most of her weight back, her jaundice is gone, and her gums are almost 100% pink again. I really hope the test is ok and that she's fine now.


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

Glad that Abby is doing so much better. I have a cat that I have to get food into because she has eaten a little bit. I think from you story I am going to try and force a half can of wet food that I have into her each day. I hope your Abby continues to improve.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm glad to hear Abby is doing better too and I'm sure you both can't wait to have that tube removed. Poor little girl.


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## hrlw817 (Oct 4, 2012)

Last update: Took Abby to the vet and he gave her the green light. She is all better, and the feeding tube has been removed. She is fully eating and is her old self again. Right now, she is comfortably sitting on my lap sleeping as I type this. In the past few days, she has been really clingy. I will take that as a bonus!! Thank you all for your kind words and support for Abby getting better. It really meant a lot!!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Yea!! I love happy reports like this!! I'm glad Abby is well and getting stronger and feeling like her self!! Congratulations.

:yellbounce


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

That is wonderful news that she is doing better now and eating on her own. Such a relief.


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