I need my sick cat to eat tonight. Help please!

[ipadmad]

My poor little cat has to eat tonight or she will be back on a drip at the vets tomorrow. She is turning her nose up at the special food the vet has given me - not sure if I have done the right thing, but I've given her a little plate of tuna and cheese and she has had a bit of that.

Do you think that is OK? Any other tips i can try as I'm not sure she has had enough?

It's better than nothing, have you tried Felix as good as it looks, gourmet and encore?.

The poncier the better.

Warm the food a little bit. Tiny quantities. Offer and then take it away after 20 minutes and try something else. Jelly from tinned food can be easy to eat.
Don't be afraid of the vet and drip, it can really help them feel a million times better. I often keep a cat for the day on fluids, send them home for the evening with the catheter still in and take them back the next day so that's a possibility that minimises needle-sticks and can be the best of both worlds.
There's a tablet called cyproheptadine that can boost appetite, given twice a day. Ask your vet.
The other thing I sometimes do is to syringe-feed a bit of a pate-like diet called a/d. Sometimes the taste of a bit of food can convince a stubborn hunger-striker that actually this isn't so bad.

Thanks for your messages. I've just had a look and the food she has been given by the vet is a/d critical care. She had it at the vets earlier today. I've tried putting a bit on my finger and a bit on her paw but she isn't having it.

She is drinking a lot of water and last night had lots of milk. Can I try her with milk or is that a bad idea? There was a messy poop by the litter tray last night which may have been as a result of the milk

It might be a bit of diarrhoea from the milk - some animals can digest it and some can't. Does she usually drink milk? If yes, then give it.
The more fluid she drinks, the better.
Would she be grievously offended or bite if you gently popped a blob or two of a/d in her mouth?

What's been up with her? (I'm inferring that she's already been on a drip at the vet's.)

Seniorboy, by the way, sniffed the vet's 'special food' as if it was something he'd found on his shoe in the street and walked away from it. The only food that he'll tuck into regularly and without question is Felix AGAIL Double Meat with jelly. It's not the best but he's maintaining his weight well for an old boy. You should be able to find AGAIL in a local store easily enough.

Yes, she has milk most days as she drinks what is left in the cereal bowl .

She won't bite me if I pop a bit of a/d in her mouth. Will give that a try now, thanks

I wouldn't give ordinary milk, an upset tum sounds like the last thing she needs, but special cat milk would be okay.

When our cat was ill the only thing she'd have was those lick -e -lix yoghurt type treats, which were better than nothing.

I hope your girl gets better soon.

Yes - don't give her milk. They love it but it doesn't usually love them.

Update, she has lapped up a small bowl of milk but has crept further under the bed now so I can't reach her ...

Oops too late ... just read the earlier replies re milk

She stopped eating at the weekend. It appears she has an ulcerated mouth and her liver isn't functioning as it should. Her kidneys are fine which was the original worry. She has been on a drip at the vets all day and has had painkillers/antibiotics for her mouth. We're trying to get her strength back up as the vet wants to treat her mouth on Wednesday if possible.

Okay - no more cow's milk. The odds are that she's lactose intolerant - most cats are.

Eveb though it's late, can you nip down to a store and get her some goodies? Cat food if possible but - say - some meat such as chicken if that's not possible.

You can buy special cat milk which would probably be better for her.

When my cat stopped eating a week or so back she eventually was temped by a little tuna.

How old is your cat?

She has had a little tuna - she is normally crazy about tuna.

She is twelve

Poor cat.
There is a product called Lectade that you can get it from your vets (and maybe pet stores)
Its a powder that you dissolve in water. It replaces the electrolytes, salts, sugars and minerals I believe.
I wouldn't replace all her water with it (in case she doesn't like it) but have it available. Also you can syringe it into the side of her mouth on the outside so she will lick it. My dog used to love it! It really helps an animal when they are not eating to get this down them. I am not medically trained - just speaking from my experience with my poorly dog - this stuff helped her recover many times.
Good luck!

Is she pooing and peeing?

Have you tried a bit of warm scrambled egg?

She hasn't been in her litter since coming home at 6pm.

My better half has gone out to find a cooked chicken.

You can get special cat milk from the pet food aisle at the supermarket. Or offer goats' milk. Both are lactose free.

It's heart breaking when they won't eat . One food my cat would never refuse (until the very end) was wafer thin smoked ham. Hth, and hope she recovers.

My cat goes nuts for lick e liks. Like cat yoghurt but salmon or chicken flavour
They sell them in most supermarkets

First PLEASE DON'T DO THIS UNTIL/UNLESS one of the nice veterinary professional mumsnetters has confirmed it's not dangerous, but my very old (who knows, rescue cat) boy who had a bad heart and later on a bad everything would eat raw egg yolk, and raw chicken liver, at times when he really wouldn't eat anything else and I was worried about calories and protein.

He was very affectionate and after either of these delicious snacks would climb up and do the lovely face-wiping thing, on my face. Thank you for the entrails, cross. Why, my pleasure. He was the best cat ever, and he was revolting.

cold ham out of the fridge - hand fed

also try dairylea triangles

both soft and cold on a sore mouth :)

Cats won't eat what they can't smell. Cold food has virtually no smell so they are unlikely to eat it. In the clinic we often buy hot cooked chicken off the counter in the supermarket as it is really smelly and gets their appetite going.
Though don't be scared of overnight on fluids at the vets the difference between a cat that has had 8 hours I/v fluids and a cat that has had 24 hours is massive.

Gourmet mousse if you have it or can get it. I have most luck with the fish flavour one with the blue label, mixed with some water and I put a blob on my fingers and gently tap it on the end of the nose. Cat will automatically lick it and sometimes gets an interest and will lick a few scoops off my fingers. I do this until interest stops, then leave it on the chair next to cat, sometimes it vanishes, if not I start again in a little while.

I will be doing this myself from tomorrow, assuming we all come back from the vet and nothing happens.