Newly Diagnosed Kitty Refusing Food

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SummrGrl623

Member Since 2014
Hi, all -- new here as of today. Our 10 y/o kitty Bella was diagnosed on Friday, Jan. 3. She initially was receiving 1 unit of ProZinc twice/day. Prior to her diagnosis, she had been eating her dry food well, was always very demanding both first thing in the morning and at dinnertime, and continued to be for a while post-diagnosis. We supplemented her dry food with Kitten Chow, as it is higher in protein, but she still seemed to prefer her old Indoor Cat formula dry food and completely rejected wet food -- still does.

This past Sat. morning, Jan. 11, she went back for her one-week checkup and the vet increased her insulin to 2 units, twice/day. Later that day she started vomiting. It was just one little spot at first, but she was not acting normally and seemed very lethargic. All day, she just laid around upstairs, and seemed to have started drinking lots of water again (which was why we initially took her to the vet -- so much water consumption and peeing). Well, she regurgitated an entire bowl of water. My daughter called the emergency vet, as it was by then Sat. night, and they gave us lots of suggestions on how to get her to settle and eat something, all of which failed. She otherwise seemed to be acting fairly normal, although still lethargic. She was continuing to refuse food though. She did lick some cream off my fingers, but if I put it in a saucer for her, she wouldn't go near it. Wanted nothing to do with eating. She had gone close to 48 hours without eating, I would say, by the time we got back to our vet this morning.

A couple of different times (once at the vet visit on Jan. 3 and then again on Sat., Jan. 11), Bella meowed loudly/hissed when my daughter was setting her down after holding her, as if she had touched a sore spot on Bella. We told that to the vet when we took her back there today, so he manipulated her and sure enough, she growled at him when he touched that area. He said it could be either bladder or kidneys. He ran a bunch of tests on Bella today, including an ultrasound, but found nothing amiss. Her blood glucose was 280, which was good, as she was at 350 the day she was diagnosed.

After an abundance of tests today, he concluded that he thinks she has an infection, as her white blood cell count was high, although not excessively so, which could be why she is refusing food he thought. He gave Bella an antibiotic shot (Cerenia) that is supposed to be good for a week, gave her an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine), gave her some Supplical and sent us home with a tube of it in case she still was refusing food.

Well, that was all this morning and as I write this now at past 8 PM, Bella still has eaten nothing and we are still very concerned. We gave her a syringe full of Supplical around 6 PM and will give her another shortly, and the vet will call back tomorrow to check in on her, but what the heck?? Has anyone else encountered anything similar?

My sister is an RN, not a vet, but when I described all of Bella's symptoms: the tender area in her tummy, elevated white cell count, vomiting, she suggested Pancreatitis and asked me if the vet had run an amylase, which I believe is a test for a specific enzyme, and upon looking at our receipt, he did not. Based on Bella's symptoms, should he have done so??

My daughter spent two sleepless nights, Fri. and Sat., worrying about Bella and actually ended up taking the day off from work today after the vet visit as she was just so exhausted. We are beyond frustrated that Bella is still refusing food, even after getting the appetite stimulant. She's always been such a demanding eater. Words of wisdom appreciated!
 
Was it cerenia or convenia? I believe cerenia is an anti nausea drug.

I've been there. Pancreatitis is a possibility. You can ask your vet to test for it.

When did your cat last eat? Sometime 1/4 of a 10 mg Pepcid can help a sick tummy.

Try warming the food? Offering a food she really likes? Putting treats in it?

If she won't eat I would take her back in the AM. Also, I'd test for ketones if you can. If she won't urinate, smell her breath. Any nail polish remover smell means ketones and she needs to go straight to the vet.
 
Hi, Rachel!

Thanks for the quick reply. It was definitely Cerenia -- I checked the vet receipt -- but you are right. It is not an antibiotic. I will def ask about that!

She last ate on Sat. morning, before we went to the vet, but just a few nibbles of dry cat food. And then, after we got back, she ate maybe one mouthful and that was it -- what she threw up and she's not eaten anything since with the exception of the Supplical which the vet and then we forced down her throad.

Yes, we did try warming food. Offered her all of the treat things she usually likes -- even cheese, which she usually begs for, she is refusing.

She IS using the litterbox, peeing and pooing, but I will do the breath test to see if I smell that nail polish smell. Will be curious to see if she decides to eat overnight. I sure hope so!

Thanks again!
 
If you can get some ketone test strips that would be best. You can get them at any pharmacy. Anything over trace needs an ER visit.

I'd head to the vet first thing. If she didn't eat, a condition called hepatic lipidosis can occur. It can be fatal so I'd go to the vet. Ask about the antibiotic and possibly a pancreatitis test. They can also give sub q fluids or an IV if she is dehydrated. If she still won't eat after that, you can syringe feed. I've never done it but others have and it helps until she eats on her own. First though, vet.

I will keep an eye out for you in the AM. Back to work, but I check on my breaks.

Try to get some rest tonight!! Just do something relaxing. Remember, you are doing everything you can.
 
I would test your Kitty for ketones, and make sure that those are negative. Then just keep trying to get food into her.

I just got Cerenia tablets today from my vet as J.D. didn't eat last night or today. It seems to be working (1/4 tablet).

Covenia, is an antibiotic. A lot of us have "NO METACAM. NO COVENIA." written in bold capital letters in red on our cat's charts. Metacam has a black box label, and Covenia is a week long antibiotic that you can not get out of your cat's system should your cat have a reaction to it. So I'm glad you got Cerenia, not Covenia).

J.D. has cronic pancreatitis. When he has a flare, he gets anti-nausea meds (which Cerenia is) and an appetite stimulant and pain meds (buprenex) as needed. Some cats need subQ fluids.

Here is a Primer On Pancreatitis.

I hope your Kitty's ketones are negative and you get her eating soon. I just got home from the store where I bought a bunch of different flavors of Fancy Feast, some cat treats, some Tuna with water only (no soy or vegetable broth), some roast beef lunch meat (no onions or garlic), and some steak to be broiled plain with no seasonings. I have done these kinds of shopping trips before, to get my cat to eat. :-|

I wish you The Best Of Luck with your Kitty.
 
Only 2 of 3 ketones cause a nail polish remover or fruity smell, so you can't rule out ketones by sniffing her breath. You may be able to rule them in.

Two or more days without food can trigger hepatic lipidosis (FHL) where fat breakdown for calories swells the liver, blocking bile and other digestive processes. It can be fatal.

Some tips on dealing with GI upset may be found at Feline CRF, because renal kitties often have upset GI tracts. Slippery elm bark is one of the options. Antacid - Pepcid AC - is another (1/4 tablet 30 min before meals, twice a day).
 
You can also syringe feed (watered down food in a needleless syringe at the edge of her mouth, tiny amounts at a time) or try spiceless beef flavored baby food.

Once you get this figured out, I would definitely start testing at home. I wonder if she was possibly dropping low and it made her feel lousy and put her off her food.
 
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