OTJ but not eating well - ideas?

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SugarFreeLucy

SugarFreeLucy

Member Since 2012
Hello all,

It has been a while since I posted here! Lucy has been OTJ for a little over two years, and has been generally in good health.

Over the last little while we have been having some challenges with her eating. She used to eat 1/2 can of Grreat choice for both breakfast and dinner and then had a can of FF in her auto feeder. Now, i can barely get her to eat 1/4 can for breakfast and dinner, and sometimes even that that is a stretch! She has always preferred the FF so I tried that this morning, she seemed more interested in it, but still didn't eat as much as I would have liked. She just seems to be adverse to the food, she will eat on her own and seems to want it, just not enough of it

When she came up to cuddle me last night and had TERRIBLE breath!! I have also noticed that her coat looks awfully "greasy" (for lack of better description). I checked "Dr.Google" and it seems like it could be a liver issue? I know she is at risk for fatty liver since she isn't eating properly - does anyone have experience with treating that at home?

I called the vet this morning, she is currently about 7.4lbs and the last weight the vet has on record is from October 2012 at 11.4lbs!! That seems like a pretty big drop to me!

Also, I have been testing (with a new Relion meter) about once every six weeks or so before this happened and she was always at a level that was acceptable (low acceptable since I tested before meals)

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated - we do have a vet appointment tonight at 7pm with our favourite vet, so hopefully I can get some ideas from her
 
Do you have any recent BGs?
Could be due to many things. How old is Lucy?
Two of mine do not eat well, I have been syringe feeding them for a couple of years as well as periodically using an appetime stimulant. They are 15+
 
I do have recent BG's....but they are in the log book at home (I'm at work now!) but from what I remember they were all in the mid 50's to higher 60's. I can post updated SS when I am home tonight. The tests that I have been doing didn't lead me to think of anything being amiss, it was the stinky breath and her coat.

Our best guess is that she is approx 10 - maybe 11 years old.

I'm hoping to avoid syringe feeding, but I have done it before with another one of mine and can do it if I have to :)
 
It might be dental issues. That would cause her to not want to eat as much, especially if she's in pain. It would also explain the bad breath. Hopefully the vet will be able to help figure out what is going on. Please let us know how it goes tonight.
 
Ooops! I should have mentioned that she had most of her teeth removed when she was first diagnosed. She does have a few left, so I guess it is a possibility.
 
I hate to say it, but that sounds a lot like what we went through here last week with our civvie, who turned out to be in kidney failure. Take the cat to the vet please.

Also, I found on the Health Links board the following post for a recipe for something that cats will eat when they really dont want to eat at all....

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=30432
 
Linda, I'm hoping you're wrong about the kidneys - but I just *know* something isn't quite right, so I'm nt going to be surprised if it is kidney related. Her appointment is at 7pm, so we are just packing up and will be on our way! I'm taking her civvie sister along for moral support (and a weigh in lol)

Thanks for the shake recpie! It sounds disgusting lol but then again I'm not a cat!!

I will post an update when we are back from the vet :)
 
Hi all,

Sorry I'm late posting....it's been a hectic night!

We all trekked to the vet tonight. The first words out of the vet's mouth were "oh no! Is her diabetes back?!" She poked and prodded miss Lucy, no concerns..tried listening to her heart, but Lucy was purring so much that the vet had a challenging time getting to hear it!

We talked about thyroid issues, but she doesn't really fit that bill, she asked what I thought (she knows I'm all over this stuff - she tried to convince me to become a vet tech ha ha!) I told her I suspect kidney, she agrees that it is a likely possibility,

She took Lucy to the back to get some blood for a full work up and some urine too....do you think that worked? Ha ah ha! miss Lucy does not pee on command lol The vet told me to come back in 20 min so Lucy could get some fluids (a little dehydration going on) and then hopefully we'd get a sample. Well, true Lucy style she was having none of that either!! ohmygod_smile

We came home with non clumping litter and a collection jar and instructions to get the sample back ASAP! This of course wasn't going to happen either! I finally resorted to following her to the other boxes and lurking behind her with gloves and a specimen container! :oops:

Sample was delivered to the vet at 9:45.....they close at 10! Phew!! Now we wait until tomorrow to get the results of the urine and the blood work!!

Sorry for the long post, and thanks to those who were thinking about us this evening, I will post again tomorrow with an update when I get one!
 
They do challenge us, don't they? If the urine is good another thing might be pancreatitis. That can be diagnosed with a blood test, the fPL. When Max got it, his only symptom was inappetence. People say that their cat just isn't acting right and all the labs are usually good. Max did have an elevated ALT. Good luck.
 
Thank you everyone for the healthy thoughts!

I just got off the phone with the vet's office......Lucy has a UTI :thumbup Kidneys and pancreas both came back clear!

We are starting antibiotics tonight (Clavamox I think) and I'm going to pick up some gravy type foods to try and get some food in her along with the meds! She did eat a little Whiskas pate this morning - maybe about two tablespoons or so
 
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