Marky isn't eating

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Sue Maus and Marky

Sue Maus and Marky

Member Since 2020
Marky is starting to refuse everything, even cooked chicken and treats. I never thought I'd have trouble getting or keeping weight on my former 19.75 lb. cat, at least not at this age. He'll lick juice or broth off of the food, but eat very little of the solid. I still had the Science Diet prescription dry here as well as the Natural Balance Fat Cat dry. I know about the carbs but at this point I've been worried about getting calories in him. I researched the wet food chart. I discovered many Tiki Cat varieties seemed OK in regards to carbs. While more expensive, we tried several varieties. At first he devoured it, then it went on the refusal list, too. I did the curve a few weeks ago, and his numbers throughout were from the mid 200's to just over 300. The vet actually DECREASED the Vetsulin, which seemed odd to me. We are due to perform another curve on him. I cannot do it alone because of his fussiness (still) with the testing and because with my health issues I struggle to stay awake more than a few hours at a time. Setting an alarm won't work because I usually don't hear it. My rescue friend sent me a link to an article about how to try to get a diabetic cat to eat. I haven't tried the FortiFlor (sp?) but have tried just about every other tip. We plan to get him seen in the next few days if we can get him in with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up. Those that truly know me know that it upsets me to no end that finances have to get in the way here, but that I love him enough that I would open a vein like Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors if I thought it would help him. I think my husband's aunt would help if it's hundreds, not thousands, of dollars to get him back to health. I'm not opposed to switching to Lantus, as I found I can get a pen through SingleCare for around $70. This is killing my husband and me inside. It's just too close to the holidays, and we feel we're fighting a losing battle.
 
Hi Sue,

I feel for you because I know just how distressing it is when our little ones won't eat. :bighug:

Have a look at the following link to see whether you recognise any of these behaviours:

Nausea Symptoms

If it is nausea then ondansetron and Cerenia can help a great deal. I'd also suggest asking the vet to check for pancreatitis. Kidney and thyroid issues can also affect eating. In the meantime, as a general safety precaution I suggest checking Marky's urine to make sure he's not throwing ketones. You can get the strips at Walmart or any pharmacy. (Anything above trace ketones requires emergency veterinary treatment.)

Tips for collecting urine samples

You could also perhaps try giving Marky some cat-safe baby food (no garlic or onions!). There are some suitable ones plus other tips at this link:

Persuading your cat to eat


Mogs
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JanetNJ said:
Do you have ketone strips at home? I would check for ketones. Anything above a trace is a very emergency.
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I don't have the ketone strips. I can have my husband pick some up on his way to work but won't be able to test until this evening. Other than the lack of appetite, he doesn't seem to be exhibiting signs of ketoacidosis in cats. He still plays and has good energy. I found I still had just a few of the Temptation treats left in another room, and those he couldn't seem to eat fast enough. It's like he is really hungry but nothing is smelling or tasting right to him. I have to wonder if there's an oral or dental issue since he's licking broth or juices off of the food like it's going out of style and leaving the solids. He vomited a tiny bit about 2 weeks ago and hasn't since. Even though we tried seafood flavors of food and he seemed to eat a bit more of those than poultry flavors, I have to wonder if there isn't a connection to that and his cyclosporine. Since it was always a struggle to get him to take it, I discontinued it a bit early. He started with the scratching and hair pulling again, so I started him with it again, but only every other day because of the struggles, which were more than ever. It has chicken flavoring, and I have to wonder if that's causing his aversion to poultry flavors...if that's making those flavors taste off or bad to him now. I usually put him on the bed when I give him the medicine because that's where it is easiest for me to work with him. It used to be that if we left the house even briefly, when I'd go in the bedroom to change clothes he would jump up on the bed and "tell" me about his day while I was gone. Now, he seems afraid of the bed, so that's why I'm wondering if there's a connection there.
 
Sue Maus and Marky said:
I don't have the ketone strips. I can have my husband pick some up on his way to work but won't be able to test until this evening. Other than the lack of appetite, he doesn't seem to be exhibiting signs of ketoacidosis in cats. He still plays and has good energy. I found I still had just a few of the Temptation treats left in another room, and those he couldn't seem to eat fast enough. It's like he is really hungry but nothing is smelling or tasting right to him. I have to wonder if there's an oral or dental issue since he's licking broth or juices off of the food like it's going out of style and leaving the solids. He vomited a tiny bit about 2 weeks ago and hasn't since. Even though we tried seafood flavors of food and he seemed to eat a bit more of those than poultry flavors, I have to wonder if there isn't a connection to that and his cyclosporine. Since it was always a struggle to get him to take it, I discontinued it a bit early. He started with the scratching and hair pulling again, so I started him with it again, but only every other day because of the struggles, which were more than ever. It has chicken flavoring, and I have to wonder if that's causing his aversion to poultry flavors...if that's making those flavors taste off or bad to him now. I usually put him on the bed when I give him the medicine because that's where it is easiest for me to work with him. It used to be that if we left the house even briefly, when I'd go in the bedroom to change clothes he would jump up on the bed and "tell" me about his day while I was gone. Now, he seems afraid of the bed, so that's why I'm wondering if there's a connection there.
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Very well could be. Maybe crush a couple temptations on top of the food to get his nose in it.
 
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