Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Help! Cat not eating at all

13 replies

Lovelyview · 05/07/2025 08:50

Hi all, our cat, who is usually very greedy, is refusing to eat anything and I haven't seen him drink water. His appetite was low on Thursday and he wouldn't eat at all yesterday. He did try but was then slightly sick. I took him to the vet yesterday and she did a blood test which ruled out hypothyroidism. She said some of his electrolytes were a bit low and he was slightly dehydrated but otherwise everything was normal. She gave him an anti nausea injection. She said there didn't seem to be any obstructions. Anyway this morning he is the same. Came in seeming keen to eat but as soon as he went up to his bowl he seemed to not be able to. Any thoughts? He's not insured but we have savings set aside for vets fees. Should I take him back today if they couldn't find a problem yesterday? Has anyone got any suggestions about what the problem could be?

OP posts:
Ilovemyshed · 05/07/2025 08:51

Did she check teeth?

Original poster
Lovelyview · 05/07/2025 08:52

Ilovemyshed · 05/07/2025 08:51

Did she check teeth?

She didn't specifically say she checked his teeth. Are you thinking he could have tooth decay?

OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 05/07/2025 08:55

Have you tried different food or warming it slightly so it smells more appealing?

Did the vet give you pain relief? Has he been sick frequently?

I had a cat with a sore throat that was throwing up everything they sedated and scoped him on the end and his throat was clear but very sore turns out he had something stuck most likely and dislodged it himself but his throat was very sore he had painkillers and was OK afterwards

TY78910 · 05/07/2025 08:58

We had the same with our cat a few months back. No obstruction felt, no injuries and bloods fine. The vet said to try ‘treat’ things like rotisserie chicken etc just to get a little bit in him but ultimately cats are very fussy so sometimes if they feel sick and eat, they associate that food with sickness and get themselves in to a loop of not wanting to eat it. Try plain human food (cat safe) for now, then move on to other types of cat food and then eventually back to what they were eating. It took us about a week.

Original poster
Lovelyview · 05/07/2025 08:59

Theunamedcat · 05/07/2025 08:55

Have you tried different food or warming it slightly so it smells more appealing?

Did the vet give you pain relief? Has he been sick frequently?

I had a cat with a sore throat that was throwing up everything they sedated and scoped him on the end and his throat was clear but very sore turns out he had something stuck most likely and dislodged it himself but his throat was very sore he had painkillers and was OK afterwards

Thanks, I'll try different food. No painkillers from the vet. I'll ring their weekend service.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lovelyview · 05/07/2025 09:00

TY78910 · 05/07/2025 08:58

We had the same with our cat a few months back. No obstruction felt, no injuries and bloods fine. The vet said to try ‘treat’ things like rotisserie chicken etc just to get a little bit in him but ultimately cats are very fussy so sometimes if they feel sick and eat, they associate that food with sickness and get themselves in to a loop of not wanting to eat it. Try plain human food (cat safe) for now, then move on to other types of cat food and then eventually back to what they were eating. It took us about a week.

Thank you. That's really useful. It sounds like the same thing.

OP posts:
notapizzaeater · 05/07/2025 09:25

We had a kitten that wouldn’t eat, the vet suggested heating up her food first (makes its smell better) if still not eating then human food like cooked chicken.

NotDarkGothicMama · 05/07/2025 09:31

We had this with our first kitten. Blood and stool samples came back clear, no blockages, no tooth problems, but he was clearly very poorly, wouldn't eat, kept throwing up bile and lost over 1kg in a week. We never worked out what was wrong with him but the vet prescribed antiemetics and antibiotics.

We mixed Royal Canin gastrointestinal mousse with Oralade and syringed it into his mouth every 2 hours to keep him alive for two weeks. After that, he'd lick a slightly thicker mixture from a bowl with tiny bits of poached chicken sprinkled with Fortiflora. Five months on, he's a little chunk and on a diet.

Original poster
Lovelyview · 05/07/2025 09:48

Thanks for all the replies. I have tried him on a bit of tuna and he ate a few mouthfuls and is now curled up on the sofa asleep. I'll get him some chicken as well. Fingers crossed. I'll let you know how he gets on.

OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 05/07/2025 16:29

Good luck cats are such a worry! Mine are indoor cats and I swear they are more trouble than when I lived elsewhere and had outdoor cats!

Original poster
Lovelyview · 07/07/2025 14:57

Thanks for the support. He seems to be getting over whatever it was and is eating again although with slightly less gusto than previously. 🙂

OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 07/07/2025 15:19

Potentially a sore throat and now it's getting better he is more comfortable?

ClaireEclair · 09/07/2025 17:30

Glad your little one is on the mend. I made a similar thread last week. Vet also didn't see anything but suspected an infection after eating something. She gave her an injection of antibiotics and something else (maybe anti nausea) and within about a day or so she was eating again but was off her normal Felix.

We came across this in our local pet shop and she's OBSESSED! If she sees us holding a sachet she will leap across the room for it:

https://www.royalcanin.com/uk/cats/products/retail-products/sensory-taste-chunks-in-gravy-1518

She was loving Felix before so this is annoyingly more expensive but at least she's eating so I'm happy :)

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread