# why might a cat suddenly lose her appetite?



## catnapped (Nov 11, 2010)

I'm worried about my cat. She has been a picky eater ever since we adopted her, but having become addicted to Fancy Feast and deciding to refuse anything else, she had settled into eating well. In the last five days she has lost her appetite and is only licking the gravy off the food and eating very small quantities. She will eat a little kibble (not that much) if I put it out, so it doesn't seem to be a physical problem. I've tried her with some other food (previously rejected) and she's still not interested. She appears to be hungry and meows enthusiastically when I take out new food, but then won't eat much. I can tell even from picking her up that she's lost a little weight already. Otherwise she seems normal. The only things I can think of that have changed is that I was mixing in a bit more varieties of FF and have only been able to get the fish (which was always her favourite) for the last week. Also, her favourite recent playmate - _da bird_ - was decimated last week and only replaced yesterday, and she has seemd a bit down about it. Finally, there's a _bit_ more tension around the house from the resident humans that she could be picking up on... What could cause her loss of appetite and what can I do about it? Any advice appreciated!


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Well, you've already mentioned a few things: different varieties of FF mixed in her food that's not her preference, tension in the house and replacement of her old toy _Da Bird_. I think that tension in the house likely has most to do with her loss of appetite. Cats are very sensitive, and if there's a lot of yelling or loud angry talk, most cats do not like it at all. Some will even react physically. My girl, even if I'm not mad and yell at my hubby in another part of the house, will meow furiously and get in my face and actually bat me on the nose, as if to say, "shut up!". It could also be hypothyroidism or some other problem.

A cat that does not eat for more than 3 days is in danger of developing "fatty liver disease" which can be life altering.

you should take your cat to a vet to be examined, as there could be a physical cause for her lack of appetite.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of potential causes of inappetance in cats, most of which are physically based. For this reason, it's important that you get your cat to the vet for a thorough checkup and bloodwork to assist in diagnosis.

It is possible, of course, that your cat may be reacting to the increased stress in your household, but stress can cause physical illness that will still need to be addressed by your vet.

Here are just a few of the potential causes of inappetance in cats: constipation, fever, renal failure, URI, pain, abscess, cancer, IBD, poisoning, obstruction, etc., etc., etc. The list is almost endless.

Get thee to the vet!

Laurie


----------



## catnapped (Nov 11, 2010)

We have been working with the stress hypothesis for the last five hours and being sweet to each other and her and playing lots. Now she's eaten most of an 85g pouch of wet food and some kibble, so it's looking up! I'll bring her to the vet at the weekend though definitely if the situation doesn't continue to stabilise. Thanks for your advice!


----------

