Cat not eating

[JaceLancs]

Finlay is off his food and it’s worrying me
He normally eats 4-5 sachets a day plus biscuits and treats
As he’s so active he burns it off and is not at all overweight
For about a week now he is just licking a bit of jelly or gravy and not touching the biscuits - yesterday he was ignoring treat sticks and even dreamies - eventually got him to have a yoghurt tube lick e lix type thing
I have tried lots of different types of food - he still thinks he’s a kitten and ignores anything that has big chunks or even big biscuits
Took him to vet tonight who is not concerned although has lost a small amount of weight since they last saw him when he couldn’t pass urine
Any suggestions of causes or things to try? Bought a new feliway diffuser in case it’s stress related
Vet will do blood tests if in a week or so he has not improved
I’m wondering if it’s anxiety related - the snow and freezing fog freaked him out and I was away on holiday too

Put food in micro and heat it up to get the delicious scent wafting?

Buy feliway or other brands of plug ins to relieve the stress.

Cat soup.

Play games with him so he 'kills' things and then feed as that's what happens in the wild.

I hope he feels better soon. Has he been tested for a uti?

Sorry to hear Finlay is poorly again. I second warming up his food, have you tried tempting him with tuna in oil? I hope he feels better soon.

Thank you - never thought of warming food up!
Ive got some Alaskan salmon oil that was recommended for his joint and bone healing when he had his accident so might try that as well

Can I also recommend Liquivte? It's like chicken soup in a can and it has worked miracles in pulling Elton out of a food funk before. It's expensive but one or two cans are usually enough to get him back in the groove.
Can I also thank you for explaining Elton's antipathy to chunks and big biscuits - I thought it was his teeth but obviously it's his perennial kitten syndrome!

How is Finlay?

@Iamacatslave - he’s still being very picky - but eating small amounts
DD sent round some mousse type pyramid shaped pots which her cat rejected and Finn ate 1/2 a one - like 2 teaspoons worth, last night he had some shredded gammon leftovers and a few dreamies
Hoping he’s not been spooked by the howling winds today - I’ve been at work but heard on news that our village has had no power this afternoon

I’ve had the same issue with Hazel (12) she hadn’t eaten for nearly 4 days, bar a few scant mouthfuls. Yowled for food, sniffed it, then wandered off. Tried the usual tricks - microwaving to warm it up, food in jelly, in sauce etc. She will never touch anything like salmon, tuna, chicken, yogurt so not easy to tempt her.
She was still going out, using her tray; everything normal except for eating.
On the fourth day she went to the vet. Full examination including blood tests, and nothing found. Vet gave her a precautionary injection of Metacam and an anti-emetic injection plus 4 days of anti-emetic tablets. She came back from the vet and ate two and a half pouches! That was Tuesday, and it’s now Friday. She is eating much better now, and is managing 3-4 pouches plus dry food. So not sure what the issue was but seems to have resolved itself, but I’m still monitoring the situation.
Sorry for the essay!

We are trying lots of tempting treats with mixed success

Apollo had similar last year after he threw up I had him sedated and examined turns out he had a sore throat and HUGE tonsils the vet thinks he had something stuck in his throat and managed to dislodge it but not before hurting his throat a week of anti inflammatory things and anti nausea meds and he was OK

My cat has been the same and seemed to be having trouble with her normal Felix pouches. Tried lots of different stuff including special little tins of seemingly gourmet delicacies by special delivery, but not interested. She does now eat Sheba Fine Flakes and I think it's because they're small and in a good amount of liquid. Might be worth a try?

How old is your lovely cat? I think the blood test is a good idea to rule out any underlying issues - thyroid, kidneys etc

@HaagenYAAS Finlay is only 18 months old - he had a full blood screening less than 3 months ago when he had a random high temp then a few weeks later again when he wasn’t able to pass urine
I will do again if not any better in a week or so
Today he’s eaten a few morsels and some lick e lix

Happily asleep at moment

In case you missed it earlier in the thread I'm going to recommend Liquivte again - it's got a creamy texture which my cat loves when he's off his food and is really high in calories so a little bit goes a long way in terms of keeping them fed.

He’s not constipated? my cat licks the jelly only when she can’t go

@pompey38 not constipated as far as I know but the vet did say he was full of wind! I have IBS heading towards an IBD diagnosis - trust me to have a cat with similar issues lol

Fluff ball tonight - patch is where fur still growing back from kidney scan a few weeks ago

Appetite seems to be improving - I’ve bought some of the soups and mixing them with a normal sachet and a teaspoon of warm water

Finlay appears to be fully recovered from whatever was affecting his appetite recently - is now back to 4-6 pouches a day if we cave in, dreamies, sticks, lick e lix and cat milk
He has also managed to lose his collar plus tracker (now replaced) and is roaming the local fields and woods quite happily when not snoozing and helping with Lego

Yeah. Good to hear Finlay is back to his old self.