Why Your Cat Won't Eat and What to Do About It
46,904
Publicado 2020-11-03
In the video I run through some of the non-medical reasons a cat stops eating.
1. The cat food bowl has been moved to a new location.
2. The food bowl is not clean.
3. You changed the cat food to something he does not like.
4. His cat food is cold.
5. He is bored with his cat food.
Your cat might not be eating because of tooth or mouth pain.
But none of these fit Mr. Muffin. On day three, my cat stopped playing and acted lethargic, another bad sign. Also, my cat would not drink water. Because Mr. Muffin eats only wet food he does not drink much. So I got worried that he was not getting enough water. Cats, need to drink and eat and can have complications from not eating and drinking, including liver problems, urinary infections and more.
I made a vet appointment. While waiting, I did several things.
Maybe he was not eating because he got into something poisonous. So, I checked for possible poisons that the cat might have gotten into. Cleaning materials, glues, paints, varnishes. But nothing was broken into or opened. I checked to see if the cat ate the house plants. But they were intact.
Eating a small toy or string can also cause a cat’s eating problems.
Because the cat was not eating and to prevent dehydration, I helped my cat drink a little using a plastic syringe squirting a little water on his tongue. (The vet later checked to see if my cat was dehydrated by seeing if his skin snapped back or tented. Mr. Muffin was not dehydrated.)
The cat vet thought my cat had a virus or bacteria and was feeling nauseous and that was why my cat was not eating.
1. Indoor cats can catch viruses from outdoor cats, even if they never go out. And because they don’t go out indoor cats don’t have resistance to many common viruses cats carry.
2. You can transfer the virus from your neighbor’s cats or neighborhood strays, just by stepping on old poop, petting them or other types of contact.
So, my cat got medicine to reduce his nausea and give me a window to help him eat. My cat also got an antibiotic in case it was a bacteria. I fed my cat pureed baby food of a flavor he likes and put a little on the side of his mouth.
All these steps helped my cat get better and start eating again.
Todos los comentarios (21)
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My elderly male cat started urinating on the walls and meowing whilst doing that. I immediately took him to the vet since it was definitely an abnormal behavior. He had an UTI which required antibiotics twice a day for 10 days. The first day, more medicine was on the table or floor then in his mouth (I used a syringe). He always got away from me by backing up so I thought about where I could put him so he couldn’t back away and I came up with the bathroom sink as the perfect place. I covered the faucet with a blanket so he wouldn’t knock out a tooth and I covered him, wrapped my left arm around him making sure his hind feet were in the sink, squeezed him against my body, lifted his chin with my left hand and squirted the medicine in with my right hand. It worked perfectly. He got a treat after, right in the bathroom, and by the 10th day there was little resistance, he knew he would get a treat and he was feeling 100% better.!
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My cat had stopped eating for days at a time & was losing weight. I was gonna take her back to the vet, then I saw this video. Never occurred to me that I wasn't washing her dish often enough. Now, I'm washing it with every feeding, she's eating normally again & gaining weight. Great tip.👍
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When I added water to my kittens pate to make it soupy it was a total game changer. She would eat it as soon as I put it out for her and she would eat it all. Some cats just love their food to be extra wet I guess.
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My cat has the exact same symptoms, but it’s been 24 hours since the vet gave him his injection for nausea and an appetite stimulant. He is still not eating. I’ll try the baby food trick. He must have the stomach flu or some kind of flu as well. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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One of my cats stopped eating and was breathing really heavy,it'schest was going like a pair of bellows,blood work at the vets ruled out any kidney,liver or thyroid problems,a scan showed huge amounts of fluid in its pericardium and abdomen,cat is doing much,much better after being prescribed medications to support its heart function and to reduce the internal fluids.he's eating like the champ he is.🤗🤗
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My cat has never gone outside for 4 years since she was adopted. She was deworm when I adopted her. Last month we found out she has worms. Then we figured It's very likely that our shoes brought in the worm/eggs after stepping on the lawn, then onto the floor inside the house. When the cat lays down on the floor, she actually involuntarily eats those worms or eggs when she grooms herself. So even your cat never goes outside, you should always deworm your cat every 2 years.
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Awwww....Mr. Muffin is so lucky to have you. 😻
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I just went through this with one of my cats. She got very ill and had significant fever. I took her to the emergency vet and they found nothing so they gave her the antibiotic and anti nausea and a shot to help bring back her appetite. I took her to my vet the next day and he was concerned due to her fever still being high and she still didn't want to eat but she was drinking quite a bit. So 2 more shots and some Hills wet cat food for all of them to share and by the next morning she did eat a little. It took a full week of her mostly sleeping and gradually eating a little each day but she is now 110%. Her diagnosis is one we cat people hate to hear...Fever of Unknown Origin. Something tells me this won't be her last time to get sick and whatever this was, it really made her very ill.
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Thank you so much you helped me a lot Now I can know when my cat is thirsty The editing is also very good keep the content up
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This is one of the most in-depth and most extensive videos on the subject I have seen. Love the editing, too!
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Thank you for documenting this experience and sharing it in such an orderly and concise way. I recently had a very similar experience and it's nice to feel reassured that it was likely just a flu. I hadn't considered how it could have got in our home. I'll be reminding my daughter about the importance of washing hands after touching all the animals of the neighborhood before handling our fur baby.
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To 9 Lives to Live :- Your video is perfect, with an excellent amount of useful information. Your suggestions have helped us immensely with our cat not eating much. Much better than the vet videos we watched. Thank you 😊.
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Really enjoy your video and journey with your cats. I really learn a lot from your video.😺
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So glad Mr.Muffin recovered. We had the exact same thing happen with our Maine Coon, Luke, about 2 weeks ago. His vet gave him the same treatment as Mr. Muffin, and he recovered as well. Happy for both of us and our fluffy boys 🙂!
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Great information, thank you
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My cat has been eating very very little for almost a week now. She goes over to her bowl frequently and eats a very tiny bit. She is not lethargic, her stool has not changed, and she’s purring and cuddling as usual. I tried to give her a different food with no results. I bought her some all natural fresh tuna and salmon cat food and she laps up the liquid but doesn’t eat the fish. That is not unusual for her she’s a very picky eater. I took her to the vet two days ago. The vet said her dental is fine, her blood work came back beautifully, she did an x-ray and thought she was a little constipated and she gave her two enemas, And some fluids. I’m not sure what to do now. The vet said she could send my cat to a specialist to get her insides looked at more closely for another $500. She said she could give her something to stimulate her appetite. She said she could take a closer look with some $75 procedure. She told me that I could try meal feeding the cat (only offer her food twice a day at her meal times)….I’m so confused. I don’t feel like I’m being given much guidance and while my cat is worth spending another $500 on, I’m not sure I trust this vet. My cat also has some hair loss in her belly and her back legs. Does anyone have any feedback for me?
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Useful Tips 👍
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Thanks for sharing im glad hes doing better
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You have to be a detective to figure this out... interesting story thank you for sharing. My cat won't eat either and went down a similar path...I think she is bored with the food i am feeding her and started to experiment with different wet food. She won't go near the stuff I normally have been feeding her for the past 5+ years.
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Thanks for sharing your experience... it help me a lot dealing with my sick cat. When i visited the vet they also said my cat may got viruses or bacteria and they prescribe oral antibiotic and vitamin ..
