Cat off her food - please talk me down from my anxiety high!

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

For the last couple of days, our cat has been off her food. She’s a fussy madam anyway, and will often just take a scunner at something she previously loved, so I wasn’t overly concerned until earlier tonight when she refused treats. She’s absolutely fine in herself, has been rampaging about the garden, begging for ham when DP was making sandwiches for his lunch this morning and wolfing it down, but I have fallen into a terrible google hole and am scared something’s badly wrong. DP has taken Monday off and is taking her to the vet - they didn’t seem concerned when he booked the appointment or suggest he bring her in sooner, so she’s booked in for 9.30.

Has anyone had similar and all been fine? My searches keep coming up with kidney failure. She’s five, and currently sprawled beside me on “our” heated throw, purring like an engine. DP is out, so there is no-one to calm me down! (I should say also that he has always had cats and isn’t particularly worried about her, whereas she is my first, and I am a naturally anxious person. It was me who insisted she go to the vet, it’s just harder for me to get time off work in term time.)

If she's eaten ham already I would say she's just being fussy! It's good you have a backup vets appointment just in case ( I do this!) So just monitor her over the weekend. Does she show any interest in tinned tuna?

Bless you for replying. My DP thinks I am making a fuss about nothing but it’s good to hear it from someone else. She has never had tinned tuna as we don’t tend to eat it, but she won’t usually take bits of cooked fish. I can pick some up tomorrow though.

Mine are fussy bastard - currently turning noses up at roast chicken can you believe. So they both been under the spotlight while I check noses, bums, ears, teeth etc. I'm terrible. They just don't want chicken. My DH has just taken a fishstick from the fridge and they are falling over themselves begging! Cats! Meh.

Does she go out and hunt? My old girl has often not eaten for a day it so at home because she lives off the land and scavenges. I know this because I frequently find a mouse tail or birds feet outside the front door. Once there was part of a very large goldfish.

My six year old cat is like this. Will suddenly turn her nose up at past favourites. There’s nothing wrong with her at all. It’s just the fussy cat syndrome. Leave the food for a day and try something different and be prepared to accommodate madam with a new trend for a while before she changes her mind again.

Thank you all so much, I have just got myself in a total spiral, imagining DP coming back without her on Monday and all sorts. He just told me she horsed a load of biscuits last night (she gets wet food twice a day, but always has dry out for grazing) about midnight when i’d gone to bed, so I feel a bit better knowing that.

She’s not a hunter, she tends to be in our garden or next door, and we don’t have a catflap. She bosses us to let her in and out, but she’s inside most of the day while we’re at work. There’s no chance anyone else is feeding her either.

She’s my wee chum, and also, PMT!

Mine haven't eaten much the last couple of days - they haven't been very active as they hate outside when it's cold and/or wet. Guess their appetite goes down if they are snoozing round the house all day! But am watching them still out of the corner of my eye.....

My girl is12 and I worked myself into a lather as she didn't want her dinner. I later discovered she's knocked over her treat tin and helped herself. Yours sounds like she's eaten elsewhere

She definitely eats less in winter. In summer her dish is clear in minutes, whereas just now I always have to scrape bits to put it in the dishwasher.

She just scarfed some previously rejected Sainsbury’s treats, which have been in the box waiting to go to the CPL for ages. We have a cupboard full of things she’s sniffed and abandoned one of, ranging from fancy organic to Asda’s own.

I suppose she could be catching the odd thing outside? Mine were spider eaters when they were little! Now it's squirrels through the catflap

I honestly don’t think so. She’s pure white, so quite visible to birds, despite her best stalking. I did find her with a tiny mouse one day, but we managed to rescue it from her!

Just updating to say thanks for the suggestion of tinned tuna - she has had tuna in spring water, mashed up, and horsed it down. I have a feeling she might have sore teeth, as she keeps begging for treats, then spitting some of them out. She seems surprised by this - as am I, she lives for Felix Goody Bag.

Per yesterday, she’s otherwise 100% her bossy self, has been in and out of the garden running around, and was trampling on my head at 6.30 this morning - a joy at the weekend, although she always settles down at our feet for a bit until later.

I was all set to ring the vet and ask to bring her in earlier if she didn’t eat today, but I think she will be fine until Monday morning. I have a feeling our insurance doesn’t cover dental treatment, which is a pain. (We were planning a trip to Paris at easter, so that fund has been renamed.) Ironically, I spent thousands on my own teeth last year!

Good idea about the teeth - one of mine starting having mouth problems so we now use PlaqueOff which is brilliant. I did try a cat toothbrush but it was a bloody disaster lol.

She’s not eaten a huge amount today, although she has eaten. I just read on another thread that lack of interest in food is v bad news, and am crying like an idiot. This is the first time I can ever remember wishing for Monday. SHe’s only five.

Neither of mine have really eaten today. They cannot deal with cold weather and just laze in front of the fire instead of going out and belting around the field. It's like they hibernate in the winter. They wolfed their fish down yesterday but turned noses up at chicken today. It means my mood seems to be linked to their appetites! They less they eat the more worried I get :(
Hopefully the vet will take temp, look in mouth etc tomorrow and advise but if she's had a nibble it's better than nothing..

Thank you for replying. I am so worried and my DP thinks I am being crazy!

DP bought a furry pad thing for the cat carrier on Friday and she’s been very keen on that, then this evening we put it in the box, and the box in the living room. She’s now curled up sleeping in the box. I feel like she’s been subdued tonight, but this morning and afternoon she was her usual bossy self. It’s been lashing rain all day so other than first thing she’s not really been out.

I always feel relieved when I've got an appointment booked and my gut says they are a bit off. She will be fine overnight until you go to the get. She's eaten today and may be a bit down because of the crappy weather. It's been sunny here but freezing and mine have refused to go out and been fighting with each other in pure frustration. I swear they can have SAD or something. They've not eaten much at all. I've tried to have a peep at their teeth but that's made them sulk hugely. Haven't forgiven me yet and retired to the spare bedroom in high dudgeon!

She just came out of the box and to her “begging spot”, and ate a handful of Dreamies. I wish I could go to the vet tomorrow but I teach and can’t get time off during term time. DP has been able to take a days holiday. .

Trust me when they are truly poorly they won't touch anything at all so don't worry

It's nice having a DP in reserve! My poor DH has taken more days off for vet trips than my entire annual leave quota It's nearly impossible for me to have time off as I'm self employed and have a terrible long commute. And I'm that sad I whatsapp my cats from the office (cringe). DH is used to my hysterics though thank god.

pingle that makes me feel a bit better, thank you for saying that.

minkie I have never been concerned about her before, so this is new! She’s been out in the garden now, back in purring and head bopping. My period has just started, which partly explains why I am so hysterical.

It sounds like she's behaving normally but just not that in to food right now.
Our BFP (beloved family pet) went off her food last year. I was distraught. Spent arm and leg on three posh foods from Waitrose and she wolfed it down. I videoed and sent to dh so he was fully briefed. Since then I've put at least two types and mixed up the box so she gets a change. She likes Iams senior wet food.

Just updating to say that it's her teeth. She's to go in next week and have one taken out, and she also has gum issues, so I think a scale and polish is being done too. We have painkillers for her in the meantime. Huge relief, although typically it's not covered by insurance and is £££!

Did wonder if it was teeth :(
Did your vet mention PlaqueOff? You sprinkle it in their food and it seems to work with my two. Mine are on a faw food diet and one of them won't touch hard food (and has worse teeth than the other ) been using it 4/5 mon the now and does seem to work.
Glad you listened to your gut!

I will ask about that next week. We have to give her Metacam, but she won’t touch the food it’s in. We will have a go with the syringe later. I wish they could go the dental sooner, the earliest is next Wednesday morning which seems ages away. She seems subdued tonight but ate all her breakfast, and was out running around in the snow this morning.