Getting my Cat to Eat More

lc07

The Kitty saga continues....

We are down to 5.5 lbs! ACK. I cried today at the vet about it. She's all skin and bones. She was 14 lbs last year and dropped to 10 lbs which was deemed healthy, but now this is super unhealthy. She's 18 years old. Refuses to eat anything but dry cat food all her life (but would drink milk cow's milk and loves cheese although that's probably not very healthy for her even though she seems to digest it fine?) 

We went to the vet today and was given antibiotics for an infection, talked about her weight and they also gave me an appetite stimulant pill. We are going to wait for the infection to clear up before doing anything else like giving steroids but since this community really does seem to know everything, any get-your-cat-to-put-on-weight tips? I've already tried switching to Kitten food. She literally cannot lose much more weight before dying.

missdelilah

I can't really offer a whole ton of advice here, because we have the opposite problem with our cats.  I have studied cat and dog food in much greater detail than I should have (a professor forced me to take a class I didn't want to take, so I wrote her a paper she didn't want to read) so maybe some of what I learned doing that will be useful.  

Is your vet sure that there is no underlying medical condition causing the lack of appetite and weight loss?  

I'd recommend getting in touch with a really reputable pet food store.  They'll be able to suggest some things that might work.  The dog went through a period of not eating a lot, and all it took was warming up the wet food in the microwave.  Less helpful if she only likes dry food, but you may be able to put a little something warm on top of it and see if that helps, like some partially cooked ground meat.

I'd also suggest switching to a lactose free kind of cows milk, if you want to continue giving it to your cat.  Just because she seems to be digesting it fine, that doesn't mean that it's not causing her other problems.  Because cats are generally lactose intolerant feeding them dairy products on a regular basis can disrupt their gut bacteria, which could be exacerbating this problem.  

I've been writing this post for five minutes, because I wasn't sure whether or not to say something upsetting to you, but if the vet hasn't mentioned this, I want you to be aware that this is a possibility so that you have time to prepare yourself as much as you can.  It's not uncommon for animals (humans included) to go off food when they are preparing to die.  18 years is a really good run for a cat, and it could be that she realizes that she's reaching the end of her life.  I'm really sorry for having to bring this up, but I think it's definitely something you should talk to the vet about.

I really hope you find a solution and can help your gorgeous kitty put some weight on.  I can only imagine what a terribly painful year this has been for you.

CMGragain

Kidney infection?

birdybride2014

I have no advice- not a kitty owner. But I hope your kitty gets better soon! Hopefully the appetite stimulant pill helps! 

lc07

Thank you, ladies. She has a little bit of vaginal discharge which is why I took her to the vet specifically. The vet says it is unusual in a spayed cat and suspects a yeast infection. 

We have recently (within the past month) tested for everything under the sun with the exception of doing a brain scan for a brain tumor because she presented with Ataxia out of the blue which has mostly gone away on it's own. 

 Thank you for the tips about food and milk, @missdelilah, and general love. The vet said they'd be surprised if I could get her to put on a significant amount of weight and that we are probably nearing the end of the road. I had a good talk with him (and another vet at the office the month prior) about quality of life. And I know I'm super lucky to have had a happy healthy cat for so long (I'm almost 33 and I got her when I was 14!) but she's a fighter and there is a part of me that thinks she is going to pull through again. I will NOT make her suffer if it gets to that point just to have her alive, though. 

Edited: to try to add paragraphs

theartistformerlyknownas

Whenever we've needed our dogs to put on weight we give them cooked egg yolks. Don't know if she would eat that.

lc07

lolo883 said:

Whenever we've needed our dogs to put on weight we give them cooked egg yolks. Don't know if she would eat that.

Totally worth a shot! Thank you! There have been strange instances where she would eat something that was not a horrible brown kibble. Like she loved my mom's pulled pork.. could not get enough of it. For about 5 days and then she quit eating it and would look at me like "what the fuck is this" when I tried to give it to her *face palm* 

She is super interested in human food. She follows me into the kitchen and would climb in the fridge if I didn't hold her back. Maybe I throw sanitation to the wind one day since it's just me, and let her climb in there and see what she likes. 

amelisha

One of best friends has an elderly cat in renal failure who barely eats, but the two (vet-approved) things that work to get her cat to eat are mixing her dry food with either tuna juice from a can or peanut butter (the no-sugar kind). Makes her WAY more interested in eating it.

Good luck, and don't give up!

lc07

amelisha said:

One of best friends has an elderly cat in renal failure who barely eats, but the two (vet-approved) things that work to get her cat to eat are mixing her dry food with either tuna juice from a can or peanut butter (the no-sugar kind). Makes her WAY more interested in eating it.

Good luck, and don't give up!

I've tried fish in the past with no luck, though not tuna juice specifically. I had no idea about peanut butter being safe for cats. Very cool. I am going to try this as well. 

Yay! Thank you guys!

missdelilah

To be honest, I've had to pull my cat out of the fridge more than once.  Never got food poisoning from him jumping in there.  I wouldn't recommend that you let the cat get in there though, but if she jumps in while you're distracted, I wouldn't worry about it much.  

I did once try to feed an egg to my friend's cats, and they weren't interested.  But I imagine it's very much about personal taste.  

You could also try putting in a teaspoon of something high calorie like oil any time you can convince her to eat anything other than dry food.  It may result in strange stools, but it worked for the dog.

I'm sure that no one here doubts that you have anything but kitties best interests at heart.  You'll work out what's best for her.  Hopefully the infection clears up quickly so that you can start trying other options.

lc07

missdelilah said:

To be honest, I've had to pull my cat out of the fridge more than once.  Never got food poisoning from him jumping in there.  I wouldn't recommend that you let the cat get in there though, but if she jumps in while you're distracted, I wouldn't worry about it much.  

I did once try to feed an egg to my friend's cats, and they weren't interested.  But I imagine it's very much about personal taste.  

You could also try putting in a teaspoon of something high calorie like oil any time you can convince her to eat anything other than dry food.  It may result in strange stools, but it worked for the dog.

I'm sure that no one here doubts that you have anything but kitties best interests at heart.  You'll work out what's best for her.  Hopefully the infection clears up quickly so that you can start trying other options.

Thank you. You're right. Letting her in the fridge is a horrible idea. Maybe I will put random options on the kitchen floor and see what she is drawn to. 

The vet suggested steroids a little while back when she hit the 7 lb mark. I didn't want to do it because it's traumatic for her to receive medicine daily and we're already showing signs of winding down in life. I was actually pretty surprised when they weighed her and she was 5.5 lbs today. I had gotten her up to 7.8 lbs with kitten food but hadn't weighed her in a while. If I can't do it without steroids, I'm not sure I will try steroids. So I'm really excited to try everyone's suggestions and I'm super grateful for the ideas.

JCbride2015

My Stella generally only likes kibble, but for some reason she loves refried beans. A quick search seems to suggest this is a common thing and probably safe as long as there aren't a lot of spicy things in there.

jynxiie

You could also look into a product called Nutrical. It's a high calorie suppliment.

amelisha

JCbride2015 said:

My Stella generally only likes kibble, but for some reason she loves refried beans. A quick search seems to suggest this is a common thing and probably safe as long as there aren't a lot of spicy things in there.

If you try this, make absolutely sure there is no onion in them. It's poisonous for cats. On that note, some people apparently have good luck with baby food mixed with kibble, but you do have to check the labels for onion powder in that case too.

rubyotter217

I'm mostly a lurker here, but I've been working as a vet tech for several years, so I thought I would throw my two cents in.

First off, you said that your vet has your cat on antibiotics for a vaginal yeast infection? If that's the only reason for having been prescribed antibiotics I would talk to the vet, because antibiotics will typically make a yeast infection worse (or have no effect on it) and can be hard on the digestive system, which could further put her off of her food.

As a someone else said, nutrical is a good option. Some prescription canned food, like Hills a/d, mixed with some warm water can be pretty enticing as well. It's also easy to syringe feed using an oral syringe. Force feeding may seem mean or unpleasant but could buy her some time. Your kitty may start to eat a little better if she puts on a little weight and improves her physical condition.

How is she drinking? Hydration is something else I would be concerned about, especially in an older cat. Dehydration can make them feel pretty crappy. If that's an issue, and you're comfortable with it, most vets will teach owners how to give fluids subcutaneously at home.

lc07

longevans4eva said:

I'm mostly a lurker here, but I've been working as a vet tech for several years, so I thought I would throw my two cents in. First off, you said that your vet has your cat on antibiotics for a vaginal yeast infection? If that's the only reason for having been prescribed antibiotics I would talk to the vet, because antibiotics will typically make a yeast infection worse (or have no effect on it) and can be hard on the digestive system, which could further put her off of her food. As a someone else said, nutrical is a good option. Some prescription canned food, like Hills a/d, mixed with some warm water can be pretty enticing as well. It's also easy to syringe feed using an oral syringe. Force feeding may seem mean or unpleasant but could buy her some time. Your kitty may start to eat a little better if she puts on a little weight and improves her physical condition. How is she drinking? Hydration is something else I would be concerned about, especially in an older cat. Dehydration can make them feel pretty crappy. If that's an issue, and you're comfortable with it, most vets will teach owners how to give fluids subcutaneously at home.

Thank you for coming out of lurker-dom for my post. I really appreciate it! 

I think I mis-spoke. I think the vet said "vaginal infection" and then he elaborated that cats can get infections much like people do and I immediately thought he meant yeast infection, although I'm not sure he ever actually said "yeast infection". He might have. I'm kind of losing my mind these days. I've never had a vaginal infection ever, personally. He said it was that or "Pyometra" (sp?) but since she has been spayed it's not likely to be pyometra although it's possible because they don't remove *everything*? He said either way the treatment is antibiotics. I trust them. So I am probably wrong about the word "yeast". I will call to double check, though, thank you.

She is drinking and urinating as normal. She has always been a big drinker. (And we've checked for kidney failure regularly because she actually drinks and pees a LOT).

I will try the nutrical. I hadn't thought of syringe feeding for the purposes of just getting her to gain weight in hopes that she will feel better and eat more after that. Thank you for that idea.

She does have a slight heart murmur (diagnosed about a month ago). Could not find the cause of Ataxia - Thyroid, other rando blood work, urinalysis, temperature, kidneys, X-rays, ultrasound all look normal per one month ago. I opted not to do brain scan. I know a lot can change in one month, though.

vulpiepop

I don't have cats but I used to be employed at an animal shelter. I specialized in dogs but I had to work with cats as well whenever the cat person didn't show up. I usually mixed kitten food with baby food (the meat kind) when a cat was brought in that wouldn't eat (usually a stray or feral cat that was too frightened to do anything). That worked most of the time. Other than that, I don't really know what else to suggest. I hope she gets better! Good luck!

jynxiie

I'm wondering as well - what dry food you're feeding?

lc07

jynxiie said:

I'm wondering as well - what dry food you're feeding?

I am currently trying two different ones - Nutro Natural Choice Kitten - Chicken & Whole Brown Rice Forumla

And Avo Derm Kitten - Chicken & Herring Meal Formula

jynxiie

Have you looked into grain free options? They usually tend to be higher in fat/calories. 

Something like...

larrygaga

I don't know anything about cats, but are they like people and just require less food and lose a lot of weight when they are old?

Wegl13

There are long term injectable steroids that you can use if pilling her is too difficult. I also second the subcutaneous fluids and the syringe feeding. But finally and this is terrible, but steroids are generally an option of last resort, to give her a few days/weeks of feeling good to say goodbye. They do increase appetite, and they make a pet feel better, but it's pretty short term. I'm going to give you a link for a "quality of life scale"- it generally helps people when they are faced with making a hard decision.
http://www.pawspice.com/downloads/FelineQualityofLifeScale.pdf
That being said, I recommend discussing this with your vet. If he believes that your cat can get through her "stump pyometra" (it's an infection of the bit of uterus and cervix that's left after a spay) and go on to live a quality life, he is going to know best. You may find that she has some undiagnosed periodontal disease that is causing her not to eat and if she's otherwise healthy, getting that taken care of helps he rest better. But you may also find that she is getting close to the end, and having that talk with your vet is heartbreaking (and vets will try to avoid if even if they know they shouldn't, because it's heartbreaking for them too), but it really is a good talk to have.

littlemushroom

I have had to do subcutaneous fluids for a cat in renal failure. It was absolutely horrible for both me and the cat. It was my roommate's cat, and I helped withthe tough medical stuff. My BFF would get too emotional when it was time to do the shots and IV, so I would do it for her.

It got to the point where the cat hid all day and wouldn't let anyone, even BFF who had her since she was a kitten, touch her because she was so terrified of getting her shots and IV. I would never subject a pet to that again when all it is doing is prolonging the decline and not actually making them better.

As for food, have you tried giving her chicken or turkey giblets like the liver and heart? At the end, that was the only thing my aunt's cat would eat. She would cook them and cut them into itty bitty pieces and the cat would eat that after eating nothing but kibble the rest of her life.

MrsMack10612

I haven't read all the responses yet, so someone may have suggested it already. You said your cat is a life long dry food eater, but when my 16 yo cat had surgery two weeks ago and wouldn't eat I tried the new Fancy Feast Broths. Obviously not the healthiest or best food, but she lapped it up like nobody's business.

gladyscf

One of my cats is prone to bladder stones and I had to switch him to Hills C/D diet. The vet pushed for the canned kind as it has more moisture which helps with this issue. My cats have always been dry kibble eaters so getting them to switch to the wet food was a huge ordeal. I sprinkled the canned food with parmesan cheese and that finally got them interested. Maybe this could work for you? You don't have to douse it, but maybe that will peak her interest? 

lc07

The food she likes best is actually grain free.

Larry, I do think she requires less food since she is less active than a kitten but her weight loss is not healthy or normal or okay even for her age.

Wegl, Thank you. Both vets who see Kitty regularly have spent a lot of time talking with me about "the end". Like Nikki mentioned, Kitty is pretty traumatized by being given medication. I wouldn't give it to her unless it wasn't time to say goodbye and she was in pain or we actually thought we could solve something by giving it to her. The vet has advised against the long term injectible steroid since they can't control how much she is getting or stop how much is in her system once its given. 

Scribe - she had her thyroid tested and it came back normal.

Her teeth are not in great shape but the vet has advised we don't do a dental cleaning since she has to go under for it and that's too dangerous. She doesn't have any broken teeth, though from what they can tell.

She is interested in food. Last night I put some food on my night stand so that she wouldn't have to get out of bed and go to the kitchen if she got hungry. She ate a lot of it. I'm hoping to just encourage her and make access easier and bring it to her wherever she is in the house more often to see if it helps her gain weight.

Thank you guys so much for taking the time to help me.

melbenso

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. I've been there. It sucks. A friend of mine who fosters kittens feeds them kefir when they are underweight to help put some weight on them. It's also good for their digestive system. Also, if she likes milk, what about giving her some KMR (kitten milk replacement)? It's full of calories. Generally for kittens who have been weened to early. But no ill side effects for adult cats. We used to give it to my cat who had cancer in his GI track to keep weight on him. ETA - I know you said she's adverse to meds (all cats are) but when one of my cats started losing weight like crazy and we couldn't figure out why, the vet put him on prednisone. It was not expensive - about $6 for a month's supply. And while giving him a pill twice a day was a huge pain in the ass, he lived for another 2 years after that, and gained most of his weight back and all of his energy back.

lc07

I have never heard of KMR. Thanks Mel! I'm going to try that, too.

Luckily I work most of the time from home. So I've just been snuggling her all morning and then we both went to the kitchen together and I sat down by her food bowl and petted her and talked lovey to her and she started eating a ton. Maybe she just needs me to give her the soothing mom noises.

levioosa

I'm so sorry.  I kind of skimmed through the responses and saw that she drinks and urinates frequently.  Have you checked for diabetes too?  

At the end of her life my cat only weighed 3.5 pounds, but she never weighed more than 8 her whole life (she was a really tiny cat).  She was 23 when she passed away, but the last years of her life we had to make some big adjustments and change up her food.  It was a chore getting her to eat wet food, but we finally got her to like it.  It took a long time though, and we had to work up to the wet food by adding a little at a time.  

lc07

Time2strtliving said:

I'm so sorry.  I kind of skimmed through the responses and saw that she drinks and urinates frequently.  Have you checked for diabetes too?  

At the end of her life my cat only weighed 3.5 pounds, but she never weighed more than 8 her whole life (she was a really tiny cat).  She was 23 when she passed away, but the last years of her life we had to make some big adjustments and change up her food.  It was a chore getting her to eat wet food, but we finally got her to like it.  It took a long time though, and we had to work up to the wet food by adding a little at a time.  

They did check for diabetes and she didn't have it. 

Wow! Your cat must have been super tiny and what a long life. That's wonderful. Kitty isn't really that small frame-wise, so I think she'd be dead if she was that small. Thank you for the sympathy and sharing what worked for you.

melbenso

@lc07 - you can find KMR at any pet supply store.  They will have small containers of liquid and large containers of powder you mix with water.  Get a small container first to make sure she likes it (I have one cat who loves cow milk, but refused to drink KMR).  If she does, the larger containers of powder make more sense in the long run.  If she doesn't, my friend who fosters also gives her kittens goat milk, so you could try that.  Apparently, it has less lactose than cow milk and is easier on their stomachs.

Good luck.  Hope your kitty starts feeling better.

ETA - punctuation is my friend