8/9 Champ PMPS 281, +1 302, +2 340, +4 266

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Patty & Champ

Patty & Champ

Member Since 2011
Yesterday

I have no idea what the problem is, but Champ is refusing to eat. Yesterday I barely got him to eat anything, even chicken breast which he usually loves. I made steak last night and he ate that just fine. He's always been a very picky eater. Unfortunately, I don't have the choices like I used to of having so many different foods to rotate so he won't get bored. I have no idea if something is wrong with him or if he's just being a pain in my butt. He acted like he didn't feel well yesterday, but I chalked that up to the higher than normal numbers for him. I do think something must be wrong because he kept dropping yesterday and he wouldn't eat the MC food, only lick the gravy off it and left the actual food part.

For the very first time, I've decided to not shoot. I just don't have time today to deal with begging him to eat so his numbers don't drop too far. I'm really at my wit's end and, to be honest, I just don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired and I'm constantly worried, especially now that my piggy cat refuses to eat which always used to be his favorite pasttime. I'll keep an eye on his BGs as much as I can this cycle and see where he goes. I was planning on decreasing his dose to 1u this morning, too, because he had gotten below 50 twice on the 1.25. Because of his past failure with reductions, I like to make sure he means business before I decrease.

And don't worry....I won't let him go too long without eating. I just hope a trip to the vet is not needed. I seriously don't have the money for this right now!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

Aww, sorry about Champ not eating. I hope it is just a temporary temper tantrum. Eat Champ, eat!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

(((Patty))) I hope Champ is just being a picky guy and will eat soon for you. It is very frustrating and makes no sense, especially when we try so hard. I understand about the tired part and just wanting to not do it. I think we have all felt that way many times, at least I know I have.

Hang in there and let me know if you need anything, even just someone to vent to.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

Has Champ had a dental any time in the recent past? I'm just wondering if a tooth is bothering him.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

He hasn't had a dental, but he was just recently at the vet who said he really didn't need it yet. The vet did check his mouth and smell his breath. This was within two weeks ago. The same thought had crossed my mind, too, but Champ did eat the steak last night. The way he's turning down food looks to me like he just isn't hungry because he's not even attempting to lick up the liquid in the bowl (I always put a little water in with the food, though I don't mix it up into a soup). He even turned down freeze-dried chicken and he usually goes crazy for that. Once my DD is up and about, I'm going to have her hold him while I try to take a look in his mouth myself. I probably won't be successful, but I'm going to give it a shot. He did pee and poop this morning so the plumbing is working. I just don't know what could be wrong.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

(((((Patty)))) I'm sorry Champ won't eat, I really hope he is just going thru a fussy phase and its not something more going on.

Eat Champ EAT!!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

Sometimes when cat's bg goes low, they wont eat much like today with Moonie--She was just 72 just now, so I took FF chicken, made it soupy with water, & she ate what she wanted-Mostly the juice, as it too has some carb content.-If you were home today & wanted to give shooting low a try, you could have shot.. BUT He has had 2 40's numbers in the last few days--and has been on many doses..I understand why you didnt shoot, but maybe you need to try hand feeding like I do at amps & pmps--I use a paper plate, add water to food in the can, & feed it to her right by her mouth--
She laps it up, as she loves the personal touch of mamm bean!! Maybe it will work with Champ
He has been doing great!
ASk dosing helpers if you should take another reduction, or wait till shed is empty, like tonite & see where he goes..Not to worry--try & feed him steak or something you know he likes--I think he's OK just being picky!

Hugs & Lubs--You are doing a fantastic job, dont be upset-It will be fine--Shed will empty & you can start over..!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83 - won't eat so no shot

Good call, Patty.....it is always tough to not shoot, but when they are not eating...even tougher! I hope Champ is just being picky for you....sure can make you tired! Zoe goes through stages like that, she gets bored with everything and doesn't like anything. I hope he perks up, quickly!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109 - won't eat so no shot

Aargh....Champ chomp it baby!

My Zener is a very picky eater and goes through phases of not eating, it is VERY frustrating, almost more so than high numbers! Someone on the message board told me about Fortiflora, a probiotic, that we sprinkle on his food when he is not interested in eating and that often does the trick. Sometimes I have to rub a little of the food with the fortiflora on his nose, then he licks it and looks at the plate like "oh, that's what's on there." Then he eats.

The other thing we have used is an appetite stimulant prescribed by the vet called Cyprohedidine, or something like that, shortened to cypro. The prescription was not very much, and 1/2 table once a day would stimulate Zener's appetite. We used it as a last resort, since it tended to make him tired. However, if he wouldn't eat, we could still give him his insulin, and a cypro. In about an hour he would be hungry and crying for food.

All our best wishes are going out to you. I feel like I can't do this anymore about every other day!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109 - won't eat so no shot

Thanks for all the support!!! I really need it, that's for sure. I'm a serious worrywort, so this is getting me frazzled, and I'm not a frazzly kind of person!!

Even though Champ has completely refused to eat Wellness over the last month or so, I still have some cans in the cupboard. I opened a cat of the Chicken & Herring, which is the one he hated the least. I mixed it with a lot of water and he actually lapped some up. He probably ended up eating about 0.5 oz worth of the soup. I mixed up a bowl of it and set it out along with a bowl of a fish type of FF so he can have his pick if he chooses to eat. I probably could have shot after he lapped up the little bit of Wellness, but I've decided to treat this as a fur shot and see where his numbers go today. I've been kind of curious anyway as to how he could do if he didn't have insulin on board since no matter how many reductions I give him, he still falls below 50 if I'm not very careful. I'm just hoping like hell that this not eating business is nothing more than a cat with an attitude problem.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109 - won't eat so no shot

:YMHUG: :YMHUG: I too know how frustrating it is when our cats won't eat. Tess does the dame thing every so often, although she is getting better. I think she is resigned to the fact that she is getting Wellness to eat. I hope that is all there is to it for Champ. I keep her vavorite raw in the freezer and after a day or two can get her back on the regular routine.

Champs! Eat!!!!!!!!! -- Tess
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109 - won't eat so no shot

Okay, Champ! Time to get to eating!!

any chance he could have the sniffles, Patty? Willie had been unenthusiastic about eating, but a combination of L-Lysine in his food plus some shrimp dust (made by whizzing up some freeze dried shrimp in the mini processor) has him much more enthusiastic... though Willie would NEVER turn down purebites!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Fingers and paws crossed that Champ is back to feeling like his furry purry self soon!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109 - won't eat so no shot

((((patty)))) i'm so sorry - little pain in the neck that you love anyway! parmesan cheese? heating it up?

ok champ, time to get back to normal so your bean doesn't worry so much about you!!!! just do it, big boy!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148 - won't eat so no sh

You all have good ideas. Unfortunately, I've tried them all. Champ has never, ever turned away from freeze-dried chicken or salmon and he's done both yesterday and today. Champ has never turned his nose up at fresh chicken breast, but he yesterday after just a couple bites. I always heat his food in the microwave for a few seconds if its been in the refrigerator so that doesn't work. I try to limit his FF fish flavors, which are his favorites, and I tried two different flavors and they're both a no-go. I again got him to lap up some very soupy Wellness, but not enough to make me feel better.

I just took a look inside Champ's mouth. I think his teeth look awful and his gums are red around the toothline. But the vet told me he didn't need a dental yet!!! Yeah right. Looks like I need to find a few hundred dollars so he can get his teeth cleaned.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148 - won't eat so no sh

still, i wouldn't think that would keep him from eating unless it was worse than just red gums. wonder if anything is loose?
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165

I have a call in to the vet, but he's in surgery and is supposed to call me later today. I just don't know that it's mouth related, though. I've just spent the last hour sitting with Champ, brushing him, scratching him, and trying to get him to eat something. I nuked a small bit of chicken breast and he actually ate that and didn't seem to have a problem with chewing, but when I offered him his favorite FF fish flavor, he actually got up and went to lie down somewhere else. He needs to eat cat food, though, because he won't get the vitamins and minerals he needs otherwise, and I don't want him getting used to only eating people food. That's a habit he does not need to get into!!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165

listen to your gut, patty. if a piggy cat (i have one) refuses food for the most part, some thing is wrong.

i understand not wanting to shoot when a cat's not eating, but i have to disagree with the others. you want to get some insulin into the cat... even if it's just half the normal dose. not eating + insufficient insulin + a possible medical issue can quickly result in ketones developing. a cat can be riding in low numbers and still throw ketones... contrary to popular belief. checking urine for ketones isn't a bad idea.

feed him whatever he'll eat... including kibble if that's what it takes. alex's has a weakness for cheetos and cheeze-it white cheddar crackers. :mrgreen:
oftentimes if you can get some food into them they'll begin to eat on their own.

I've been kind of curious anyway as to how he could do if he didn't have insulin on board...
Click to expand...
remember the ol' shed... it'll take longer than 12 hours without insulin on board to see how he does.

sending lots and lots of hugs your way. i know the range of emotions we go through when our kitties aren't eating. it's not fun. :(
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

Thanks for your input Jill. I'm going to shoot tonight no matter what. I also got him to eat some shrimp. I had put it on top of the FF that I had in his bowl, but he wouldn't touch it. I put the shrimp in a bowl by itself, and he ate it. It just seems weird to me that he'll eat chicken breast, shrimp, and steak, but he won't eat his cat food. Is it because those foods are so delectable that he can't say no even if his mouth hurts or is he just being a douche and holding out for the good stuff? I've palpated his stomach and he doesn't pull away so I don't think he has any pain there. He's not acting much different than he normally does...except not wanting cat food.

His BGs haven't gone through the roof yet, but there's still a lot of time before dinner. I'm going to take this opportunity to get back to his 6:30/6:30 schedule. I'll get him to eat whatever he wants to eat. Champ loves saltines and graham crackers, but I just can't make myself give him any of that these days!!!! Alex is lucky, Jill, if you'll still feed him junk food!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

heh! he's holding out for the good stuff!

there's only one other thing i can think and i hope this doesn't gross you out...
how are things in the litterbox? is he pooping normally? is his stool hard and/or dry? if you break apart part of his stool can you see a whole bunch of hair in it? i only ask because when two of mine shun food it's usually because they have a whole lot of hair stuck in their system. there's only two ways to get rid of it if you know what i mean. when it doesn't come out the front end their appetites wane and they may even stop eating. when this happens, i give them about an inch long strip of hairball gel for 3 days in a row. it seems to be enough to get things moving again and then they'll eat.

obviously, if things don't improve real soon a vet visit is in order. just trying to think of things that you may be able to resolve yourself...



eta: alex only gets junk food when she's sick and not eating. since she's prone to ketones and has liver and kidney problems, i refuse to let her go without eating for any length of time. eating trumps diabetes! :mrgreen:
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

I emptied Champ's litterbox last night. This morning, after his refusal to eat and no shot, I found two pee deposits and one poop. The pee clumps were absolutely normal size and the poop, though covered in litter, appeared very normal. It was fresh when I cleaned it out so I know it was moist, but very firm. Champ has never had a hairball problem in all the ten years of his life which, of course, doesn't mean he doesn't now. Champ used to (still does sometimes) cough, and before I knew it could mean he has asthma, I thought he was trying to cough up a hairball. I gave him some of that hairball paste that comes in a tube and he refused to eat it. My sister says her cats think its candy, but Champ wouldn't touch it. I resorted to smearing it on his paw so he would have to lick it off and I just ended up having splatters of sticky paste on my walls and carpet!! If it is hairballs, do their tummies usually hurt when palpated? Champ isn't exhibiting any signs of not feeling well at all. As a matter of fact, I went into the kitchen to check if he had eaten all the shrimp I put out (I only gave him three shrimp, but they were large). Champ usually tries to climb up my leg when I'm cleaning shrimp because he loves it so much. He would choke himself from eating it too fast. Well, out of three shrimp I put in his dish, he only ate about two of them. I saw him under the ironing board, giving himself a bath, lying on his back, legs all splayed out, looking quite normal and happy. He's confusing the hell out of me. For Champ to not eat something that is his FAVORITE, something has to be wrong....but he's acting perfectly fine.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

Ok, Champ...no more fooling around and worrying your MamaBead...eat, little man, eat!

I know the worry...we went through it last week with Zen. For him, it was the sniffles; aside for a few stray kibbles, he didn't eat for 3 days. We did ultimately start assist feeding him, and I ended up taking him to the vet, who gave him an appetite stimulant. That certainly kicked him back into gear!

Maybe Champ does have a hairball, even though he has no history. I can almost predict a hairball, because my guys' appetites always drop off the day before the "big event", but - like Champ - they act fine otherwise.

I'll be thinking of you guys...
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

(((((Patty))))) I feel your frustration. I wish I could suggest something, but I'm at a loss. You seem to have tried everything! Maybe it's the heat? (Although, living in Las Vegas, I'm sure you must have air conditioning.) Does Champ like butter? If it's a hairball, butter might help get it out. If it's his teeth, it would be good to get him to the dentist.
Hang in there! It will get better soon.
Ella

Hey Champ: let's EAT, pal! Big kitties like us need to eat to keep strong!
Rusty
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

It certainly doesn't look like the gum inflammation is effecting Champ's numbers. It's possible that he has a resorptive lesion. These can be painful and it may limit Champs eating but not be noticeable with respect to chewing.

While it can be difficult for a vet to do a good oral exam of teeth when a cat's awake, if you could see reddened gums, what the heck is up with your vet? I'm wondering what the vet will find during a dental.
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

Hi patty - not too much I can add to the discussion that hasn't already been said. I understand your frustration. I hope things improve soon, if not, guess a trip to the vet is in order.... thinking of you guys!

Hey Champ - I is worried bout you... eat your fuds, OK? Please? ~~ Mannie
 
Re: 8/9 Champ AMBG 83, +13 109, +15 148, +16 165, +18 174

Sending Champ EATING vines!!! Come on boy!!!

I know you are worried. I would also get another look at his teeth. Gus had a resorptive lesion and you couldn't tell by looking at at. HUGS!!
 
Re: 8/9 Champ PMPS 281, +1 302, +2 340,

My DD stopped at the store for me and we went over Janet & Binky's food list over the phone. I had her pick up a bunch of different foods to see if anything would entice Champ. I did try to keep the carbs to 15% or lower, though most are 10% or less. I even had her buy some parmesan cheese, tuna fish, and graham crackers, anything to entice the dude. Opened up a can of cat food, I think it's made by Whiskas, that was a pate that they had the audacity of calling filet mignon!! Champ said no way. So I opened up a can of tuna. Champ said no way. I opened up the graham crackers. Champ said no way. I had a bulb syringe in a drawer from when my daughter was little and cut the opening a little bigger and slurped up some of the filet mignon (after adding water to make it a liquid). We burritoed poor Champ and I had him eat a bit that way. It ended up more on our arms than in his mouth. He was not amused. I then gave up as I watched him snuggle up with one of my daughter's shoes (he has a very strong shoe fetish). I then decided to do as Marje suggested and go to the store to get some baby food. Before leaving, I decided to try one more flavor of food...Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys Shredded White Meat Chicken Fare with Garden Greens. I wanted to cry as Champ ate it!!!! I tiptoed over and put another spoonful in his bowl. He ate it!! Of course, he didn't eat it all and he hasn't eaten anything since, but he ate!!!

Also, I've given this some thought. Usually if a cat is having dental issues, his numbers raise. We haven't had any problems with that at all. In fact, we have had the opposite problems with numbers falling too low. Also, Champ doesn't act like he's hungry, but just doesn't want to eat because it might hurt. He actually acts like he has no appetite. While his teeth look nasty, I don't think that's the problem. For some reason, he's just lost his appetite. He's not sniffling, sneezing, acting sick. He just isn't hungry!! I just might have to go the appetite stimulant route, with a trip to the vet of course, if he doesn't reverse the behavior in a couple of short days. As long as he'll eat this new FF flavor, I'm happy, but I would like him to eat a bit more.
 
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