Suggestions please: Charlie has no appetite

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CatCharlie

CatCharlie

Member Since 2023
I've really been struggling to get Charlie to eat more than a few bites. He's pretty much just eating the gravy and refusing the meat part of his meals. I've had to let him have biscuits again as at least he's eating a few. I've dropped his insulin from 1.5 to 1 already. Any suggestions to get him to eat?

Please note the vet's automated system does not consider this an emergency and I will not be able to get hold of them until Monday. There's no provision for 'if your cat has an issue which means they need immediate attention'. I am also housebound without support and can't nip to the shop to buy anything but can ask a friend to bring something round if someone can suggest an irresistible food or over the counter cat safe appetite stimulant. I don't have any meat in the house (apart from in cat food form) as I don't eat it. I don't know what to do.

His AMPS was 27.5 / 495 , he ate around the same yesterday and had 1u of insulin and I did a curve and he didn't dip below 7/135 so I will still give him that dose but I'm worried that he won't eat. I can give him snacks over the day but he will do the same- eat the jelly and leave most of the substance.
 
Update: I'm going to have a friend bring some tuna over later, it's always proved irresistible in the past when I've fed them their yearly can at christmas. I know it's not good cat food but at least it'll get something solid in him. I hope he eats it. Suggestions for other possibly irresistible foods welcome. Vet will be called Monday unless his appetite returns.
 
It is a concern if any cat won’t eat and especially a diabetic cat as he needs insulin.
I would ask your friend to also pick up a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy so you can test the urine for ketones.
Diabetic cats that are not eating enough and not getting enough insulin can develop ketones which must be dealt with promptly so they don’t progress to something more serious.
He may need an anti nausea medication such as cerenia or ondansetron from the vet.
Here is a link to HOW TO STIMULATE KITTY’s APPETITE
I found Parmesan cheese irresistible for my kitty.
Let him eat anything at this point as he must eat. If he will only eat higher carb food, then let him. Eating anything trumps everything

is there any reason why you are not putting the BG data into your spreadsheet?
 
I'd also be concerned if your cat isn't getting enough calories. A cat can develop an acute liver condition if undernourished. Are there any other changes in behavior? You indicated that Charlie gets constipated. Has there been any change in his litter box habits? I'd feed him whatever he will eat.
 
Hi everyone, thanks for your suggestions.

I do have ketosticks and am testing periodically.

I have been inputting the BG data into the spreadsheet but have only got BG results for 31st to today. Evening of 1st is testing every 2hrs after evening meal. I can see the info when I click my link, can you not?

Unfortunately he can't have dairy as he's intolerant- he'll throw up!

I don't think he's constipated just is eating so little he's not producing enough poop to want to go. We did speak to the vet friday and mentioned the accidents (which happened twice last weekend but not since), lower appetite (lower but not as critical as it has been today) and the vet seemed entirely unconcerned (as well as pooh-poohing the idea of home testing!) I am very fed up with them.

I wonder if he'll eat if I blend up his food?
 
Update: blending didn't work but I did then syringe about 15ml of food into his mouth. (Don't want to push too much too fast in case he has an upset stomach or something)
 
The licking and not eating is exactly what Bobo does and he has IBD. He’s on both ondansetron and Cerenia, I suggest you try both if you can. Call your vet and see if they can give you a prescription. Ondansetron is a human drug so you can get it at any pharmacy. Sprinkling forti flora over his food also helps him eat more and you can get that at any petsmart. Is he eating any treats at all like the tuna? Have you tried baby food? I’d keep syringe feeding till you can figure it out. I would go by the food amount not the mls. What’s the wet food you’re feeding and what’s his weight?
 
He's not even getting through a full 85g pouch a day.

No vomiting or lip licking. He seems hungry- gets interested when I open the pack, meows at me to put it down faster. Then licks off all the gravy or jelly, has a few bites and leaves it. If i remove it a couple of hours later and replace it we repeat the same process. Seeming hungry for it then only eating the jelly.

Friend arrives with tuna in about an hour.

No history of pancreatitis. This has been a gradual loss of appetite for just over a week since our last vet visit. I'm wondering if he picked up a bug or something.
 
CatCharlie said:
He seems hungry- gets interested when I open the pack, meows at me to put it down faster. Then licks off all the gravy or jelly, has a few bites and leaves it.
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That 'could' be nausea...
But, whatever the cause, the gradual loss of of appetite for 'just over a week' is concerning. Diabetic kitties really do need to eat... ....He also needs to stay hydrated though. And even if he only eats the jelly from the food that will help with that.

...Another thought... Any chance of dental issues? Any pawing at his mouth, or seeming uncomfortable having food in his mouth...?
 
I wondered about dental issues. Can't see any signs of it though. He's also not using many calories- pretty much sleeping and lying around- so maybe it's a cycle. It is worrying. If he doesn't eat the tuna I'm going to have my mom lie her way through the emergency questions to get through to someone tomorrow. His blood glucose isn't going hypo, though. Staying fairly normal (ie high).

He's still drinking and peeing, so I don't think he's dehydrated.
 
@CatCharlie as I said above, exactly the same with Bobo. You really need to try some anti nausea meds because I’m almost certain that’s the issue.

I still need to know his weight and what food you’re feeding to tell you how much to syringe feed daily. It’s about calories not the weight of the food.

did you see my question about baby food? I’d ask your mom to get some if she can. Minnie would always eat baby food when she would let eat anything else.
 
CatCharlie said:
If he doesn't eat the tuna I'm going to have my mom lie her way through the emergency questions to get through to someone tomorrow.
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I agree with that course of action.... A diabetic cat not eating enough really 'should' be checked by a vet. So, maybe stress the fact that the kitty is diabetic, and has had gradual loss of appetite for over a week. And his dietary intake is way too low... ...Maybe mention concerns about ketones and fatty liver disease....
 
I did see the question about baby food, sorry, my brain isn't working very well at the moment. If he won't eat the tuna I'll try and get some tomorrow. Just any baby food?

He weighs 4.8kg and is only eating the gravy and a few bites of a mix of gourmet gold chicken and something in gravy, and fine flakes poultry in jelly. He should be fed according to a 4kg cat according to the vet as he is still overweight.

Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
@CatCharlie as I said above, exactly the same with Bobo. You really need to try some anti nausea meds because I’m almost certain that’s the issue.

I still need to know his weight and what food you’re feeding to tell you how much to syringe feed daily. It’s about calories not the weight of the food.

did you see my question about baby food? I’d ask your mom to get some if she can. Minnie would always eat baby food when she would let eat anything else.
Click to expand...
 
I’m assuming you’re not in the US right? He should be getting about 180 calories a day so try to syringe feed him the equivalent of that.

here we have Gerber baby food and it’s mainly protein like chicken, turkey, ham and beef. You want food that has no seasonings added like onions or garlic. A jar here is 80 calories so one a day would be helpful right now
 
I've just had a look at the baby food available at the local supermarkets and they ALL contain onion. Or are fruit only, no protein.


Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
I’m assuming you’re not in the US right? He should be getting about 180 calories a day so try to syringe feed him the equivalent of that.

here we have Gerber baby food and it’s mainly protein like chicken, turkey, ham and beef. You want food that has no seasonings added like onions or garlic. A jar here is 80 calories so one a day would be helpful right now
Click to expand...
 
Ok- I've found ONE that doesn't contain onion or seasonings. It's 85% veg and 15% chicken, 160cals per 200g jar. If he won't eat the tuna i will ask my friend to come search for it.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
It is a concern if any cat won’t eat and especially a diabetic cat as he needs insulin.
I would ask your friend to also pick up a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy so you can test the urine for ketones.
Diabetic cats that are not eating enough and not getting enough insulin can develop ketones which must be dealt with promptly so they don’t progress to something more serious.
He may need an anti nausea medication such as cerenia or ondansetron from the vet.
Here is a link to HOW TO STIMULATE KITTY’s APPETITE
I found Parmesan cheese irresistible for my kitty.
Let him eat anything at this point as he must eat. If he will only eat higher carb food, then let him. Eating anything trumps everything

is there any reason why you are not putting the BG data into your spreadsheet?
Click to expand...

Bron, after eating most of the can of tuna over the last 4hrs his BG is very high but he didn't eat much in his set mealtime. Am I good to give him the vet 1.5u as he has eaten properly do you think? Even tho it's been over a few hours? I'll be up to monitor him for the next 6hrs or so.
 
@Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) @Bron and Sheba (GA)
He's had nearly a full can of tuna over 4 hrs (I let him have some when he asked rather than risk him not being hungry at dinner. His pmps is 30. Do you think the full 1.5 of insulin is appropriate (even tho he ate over the last 4hrs)? While he's not been eating much I've been giving him 1. I'll be awake to check his BG at probably +3 & +5 to make sure it's not dropping dangerously.

It's so hard to stabilise him when he's not eating properly :( just absolutely spiralling trying to keep him alive rn
 
I ran out of time so I went ahead and did 1.5, will keep an eye on his levels and we have our hypo kit if it's dropping low. Thank you all
 
Sorry, I am only just seeing this…it is early morning for me.
The 1 unit took him down to 7.5 (135) so I would keep a close eye on the BGs. Keep giving him snacks of tuna and whatever else he will eat.
If he is looking hungry then just licking the gravy part, I think he could be nauseated.
I would ask the vet for some antinausea medications such as cerenia or ondansetron.
I wrote this a bit earlier but it didn’t post!
 
So a couple hours later he asked for more Tuna, which I gave. I'm running out now though! I can get some more tomorrow, but I'm a bit worried as obviously I can't just keep feeding him tuna and absolutely nothing else.
 
Thanks Bron. He can't have dairy and is doing ok with the tuna for now but I'll look into fortiflora and get in touch with the vet on Monday and see what they say before splashing out as it's quite pricey and I've spent over budget on blood tests, ketone strips, b12 and vet visits this week already :(
 
CatCharlie said:
Hopefully the vet will see the urgency and agree to see us before friday and will also figure out what's wrong and prescribe accordingly
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Well, if he is any sort of good vet he will see you Monday, because he should see cats with diabetes asap if there are issues.
I was very lucky with my vet with Sheba. He would always fit me in because she was a diabetic.
 
Unfortunately as I am low income it's a charity vet and they don't seem to have the resources :( We can only really hope they will see it as urgent and fit him into an emergency slot.
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Hi, I can pop some of my Fortiflora in the post to you tomorrow if you wish. Then you can 'try before you buy'... x
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Oh thank you so much that's very kind. I will see what the vet says and let you know- perhaps he has a stomach bug or something in which case I wouldn't want to waste yours!
 
CatCharlie said:
Oh thank you so much that's very kind. I will see what the vet says and let you know- perhaps he has a stomach bug or something in which case I wouldn't want to waste yours!
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I always keep some around. My girl has health issues that mean she sometimes goes off her food, and this stuff is SO useful. But I have plenty, and can gladly send you a few sachets to try. No pressure though, it's your call. x
 
I would take Elizabeth up on her offer. A diabetic cat not eating is an emergency as it puts them at risk for ketones which would require a hospitalization and is life threatening.
 
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So far we have not been able to get through their automated line to speak to an actual person. Have been cut off after waiting in the call queue and now the welcome message is just looping with no options :(
 
Is he eating any better today? Did you try baby food? You can also try one of those lickable pouches. Not sure which brands you have there, although they’re not a ton of calories.
 
I have lickelix but i don't want to spike his BG? I have ordered some baby food which will arrive today. However he is seeing the vet at 11 so we will see what they say

Apparently the vet told my mom to withhold insulin if he wasn't eating much but I know from the BG testing that he still has high BG and isn't dropping to hypo. Have i been doing the wrong thing continuing to give him a reduced dose?
 
The vet said they don't recommend monitoring blood glucose unless via a CGM, they can only prescribe caninsulin unfortunately here, they are basically dismissing my concerns and said any advice I get online "might just be people lying". This vet is horrendous. I wish I had the money to see a better one.

they've taken him back to test his pee and walking ability. Will update once they come back.
 
They're keeping him in overnight to stabilise him. I am not doing well. She said if i want better care i need to go private as if i have thousands of pounds
 
The problem with withholding insulin or reducing the dose when the BG is high, is the risk of ketones. You can test for ketones by getting a bottle of keto-diastix from a pharmacy and testing the urine.
CatCharlie said:
here, they are basically dismissing my concerns and said any advice I get online "might just be people lying". This vet is horrendous
Click to expand...
It would be funny if it wasn’t so terrible. They obviously have no idea of what we do here.
I hope they can treat him appropriately and things improve.
Can, you ask about antinausea medications?
 
I will ask when, hopefully, he stabilises enough for me to pick him up.

As I was blood glucose testing and had an idea of how much insulin swung how much blood sugar, I didn't withold insulin. The vet was honestly horrible about it.

Feeling miserable and helpless.
 
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