My cat won’t eat

[Coldbit]

Posting here in desperation. My cat is refusing food and has barely eaten in the last few days. I have of course taken her to vets who have done every check they can but bar a slight temperature, they can find nothing wrong. They’ve tried appetite stimulants to no effect and she’s had antibiotics too. Tomorrow we got back for a third time but I don’t know what else they can try. She’s lost some weight which she can’t really afford to lose and is a shadow of her former self. I’m so worried for my lovely girl, has anyone had experience of similar? She’s approx 8.5 if that makes any difference and has always had a v good appetite. TIA

My cat was poorly for other reasons, but also went off his food and started to lose loads of weight. We tried every conceivable cat food, but he wouldn't touch any of it.

The thing that got him eating again was warm chicken (!) so we started heating his food in the microwave just to take the edge off it, and it seemed to work (I think it helps them smell it more).

Our cat was like this after we had someone in to do work on the house. It was stress and her routine was upset - instead of snoozing all day she had been on high alert checking what was going on. A couple of days after they'd gone, normal service was resumed. She really loves her food so it was not good seeing her not eating.

Mine perks up for cat soup. Sometimes some warm chicken or some tinned tuna

I have a cupboard full of every make and flavour of cat food that I’ve tried to temp her appetite with. She just doesn’t want to eat sometimes.

As long as your cat is drinking there is hope.

Oh and I tried feeding her in the living room. For some reason she would eat there. I don’t know if cats going by outside had upset her. So you could try feeding somewhere else. I put a bit of kitchen roll down under the bowl as she’s a messy eater if she decides to eat, and my living room is carpeted.

Thanks everyone. She’s not drinking very much either although the vet says she isn’t dehydrated. Have tried warming some cooked chicken, she’s just not interested. She’ s an outdoor cat though I’m keeping her in so I can check on her and she’s not asked to go out for a few days which is massively out of character.

will she eat her fave treats, mine is obsessed with those webbox sticks? it sounds like she might not be very well but if you want to stimulate her appetite sometimes some irresistible treats and then putting her dinner somewhere unexpected (eg bedroom, living room) works for mine when she's on hunger strike

Have you tried cat soups? So she can just lap the liquid.

My cats love ham when they're not feeling well.

When you say they have done every check I’m assuming they’ve done all blood tests? If not I would get an extensive one done asap. And like others have said, little pieces of warm chicken. Thinking of your darling cat.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My girl has taken a turn for the worse and has been referred to hospital and is staying overnight. She’s in the Small Animals Hospital in Bearsden and the staff are lovely but I’m worried sick. They will get some fluids and food into her and try to figure out what’s wrong. There now seems to be a hard bit of something in her abdomen but it doesn’t appear to be causing her pain. I miss her yelling for food and head strokes.

Fingers crossed they can sort her out.

Fingers crossed for you both x

Fingers and paws crossed for both of you.

Fingers crossed for her Coldbit, she's in the right place. It's so worrying when our cats are ill, they hide pain so well. I wish they could talk and tell us what is wrong.