Need Help-Basil won't eat

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scissorchik

scissorchik

Member Since 2011
Hi guys. It's been a while since I've visited the board. We have been insulin free for a few years now. Basil is controlled by diet (fancy feast/friskies) and up til recently was doing great.

My other cat got outside by accident and has been missing for almost 3 weeks. From the day he got out, Basil could sense a difference. He has since turned up his nose to food-barely grazing on kibble if offered. He has decided he needs the tap dripping in the bathroom at all times-my first 'uh oh'. I am out of strips but will pick some up to test.

I have been using a live trap baited with tuna and sardines. I even offered Basil a bit of that-just to see if he would take it, but he turned up his nose at it.

To add to the picture, we have a new little kitten in the house. He is a pesky little guy, who delights in harassing Basil. I make sure Basil gets alone time and smother him with attention.

I am really beginning to worry about him though. Any idea on what I could try next?

Thanks.
Leanne
 
Hi, it sounds like Basil has a lot of changes at once. You could try Fortiflora. It's a powder supplement that you can get at a vet's office or online and you sprinkle it on the food. It smells like beef boullion and it entices them to eat. It works for a lot of cats who don't like a new food. Or you could try sprinkle parmesan on his food.

If neither of those work, I would maybe take him to the vet to get checked out in case something else is going on. It could be diabetes or something else. Good luck, I'm sorry to hear he's not eating. :(
 
We were talking about this in another thread. For a while, I had the same problem with Merlin not being hungry. Here is my list of things that I have tried.

* Pepcid AC - 1/4 tablet in am and 1/4 tablet in pm. This helped a lot especially when I thought he have an upset stomach. Sometimes when he wouldn't eat, I would syringe his Pepcid AC and then wait about 30 minutes before I would try food again. Sometimes, I would use this daily even though he was eating.
* Coconut Oil (Cold Pressed, Organic) - Sometimes I would put this on his food and other times, I would have him lick it off a spoon. For some reason, my dogs and cats love the taste of coconut oil. When I go to the pantry, and they hear me open the can, they all come a running. I don't think it has any carbs and it helps with allergies, itching, etc.
* Organic Chicken/Beef either Broth, Granules or Bouillon Cubes - You need to make sure that there is not any additives or sweetener. I would make a little au jus and let him drink it (when I was desperate) otherwise, I would put it over his food. With the bouillon cubes or granules, you can make it stronger. I would freeze the broth and put it in a bowl for in between meal snacks.
* Add Pure bites, Forti Flora, Bonita Flakes, Parmesan Cheese and sprinkle over food. For some reason this did not work as well but I always went back to try it. I bought the Pure Bites at Petsmart. Because my other cats love it, I go to the dog section and by the bigger pack. It is much cheaper than the little kitty packet, but you have to break it down to little pieces. I would buy the Bonita Flakes at an Asian Market.
* Medium Carb Food - It seems that the higher the carb, the tastier it is. Again, in desperate events, I would mix the medium carb food with the lower carb food. By medium, the carb percentage was 8-17%. That seems to work pretty good and it only affected the BG for a day or two. I would rather get him to eat and deal with the BG numbers.
* Miralax - Sometimes, his constipation led him to not want to eat. So as long as he was not completely blocked, I would give him Miralax. At first, I gave him daily (1/4 tsp BID).
* Salmon - I am a vegetarian so this always hurts to go shopping for this, but I go to the Natural grocery store and buy organic (no dye or additives), wild salmon. I would dehydrate and sometimes cook it and sprinkle on his food. One of my cats don't like tuna much but they love the salmon.
* Exercise - About 15-30 minutes before feeding time, I would get the old fuzzy thing on a stick and would have him chase it or something. Even if the other cats join in and Merlin would watch, he still is getting into it.
* Puree Meat - Merlin doesn't like shredded chicken whether I boil it for him or if it is in one of those Tiki cans. So I would puree the chicken or any meat or fish. I think it is because he only has three fang so he seems to like the soupy stuff better.
* Brushing Time - This sounds funny but I have to brush him a lot otherwise his coats gets matty and greasy. So I give him a really good brushing just before his meal time and it tires him (cause he kind of fights me) out hence I think it stimulates his appetite.
 
If you are still having trouble getting Basil to eat, I'd suggest taking him to the vet to rule out any medical issues. If appetite continues to be a problem, perhaps an appetite stimulant such as cyproheptadine may help but you should address whether this would be appropriate for Basil with your vet.

Hopefully his #'s are still good. Please keep us updated.
 
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