Dont understand

[djm123]

My cat is 8 years old, she used to eat ALL kinds of food. She lost 5 lbs, I had all bloodwork done, nothing surfaced, ultra sound also...its a 3 cat household, she has become a recluse of sort...They did mention teeth issues but I dont buy it....she will eat SOME dry food, no wet food, she was just hospitalized and had iv...

Brought her home yesterday, issues are same??? I am quite confused

[Karen]

Well, if the bloodwork doesn't show anything being wrong, did they examine her teeth? Lots of things can contribute to a lack of appetite. And if her mouth hurts, of course she wouldn't want to eat. Any other changes in behavior?

If the bloodwork says nothing's wrong, maybe ask about some appetite stimulant, or I'd get a second opinion from another vet if you can. That's a lot of weight to lose so quickly ... How much did she weigh before? And now?

[djm123]

I DONT KNOW THE PRIOR OR PAST WEIGHT....YES THE TEETH WERE MENTIONED.....Primary vet and ER came up with the same on Bloodwork. My brother just went for the appetite stimulant...There is SOME eating but its DRY food, if it were teeth totally one would think it would be the opposite?

[Karen]

Well, if one side is sore, she may be chewing on the other side, it is hard to know with cats sometimes. It sure would be easier if they could speak English sometimes! I just wondered whether she was overweight before, and so maybe the weight loss would be beneficial, but if she was a normal weight 5 pounds is a huge deal!

[djm123]

Well she FINALLY came out of hiding & is with me...I forgot to mention, the cat did & does have an ear infection, I have meds, I also have med for oral pain...the 2nd thyroid test by the ER clinic is also outstanding..and YES that would help in diagnosing...I was told a cat can eat well with NO teeth. I only hope I dont lose her..

YES she was over weight but she I can feel the spine now.

[Medusa]

Some cats prefer only dry food and even though her mouth is sore, she'll try to eat b/c she's hungry. Also, as soon as I read this, I thought of my RB Puddy. She had "burning mouth syndrome", poor little girl. Run that by your vet and see what s/he says. Good luck and please keep us posted. :)

[djm123]

Thank you, I do have the oral med to give her, it begins with a B..

[pomtzu]

If she prefers dry food just because of the taste and not because of the crunch, try soaking some in water until it is mushy and then take a fork and mash it so that it has a wet food consistency. My outdoor resident stray seems to be having an issue eating dry lately and this is what I do for him. He loves it and finishes a bowl full and begs for more!

[djm123]

I guess good news with an appetite stimulant ., the med for the teeth beginning with ben... something and ear treatment, my pal began to eat some wet food..


I HOPE dental is the issue.. What are chances that even with all bloodwork, endoscopy done NOTHING SHOWN..

This could still be cancer=??? She is eating fine...Gums have gingivitis I am taking her to the vet....I dont know if thats the issue or not..


How do I get her to groom now?????

[mrspunkysmom]

If she has gingivitis or stomatitus, she will not engage in any activities that cause her mouth pain. (If she's that hungry she might eat anyway, but not enough to maintain weight.) I would suggest giving her bottled water, distilled, instead of tap water. The minerals and additives in tap water can irritate gum problems.

Chronic mouth infections, gums and teeth, can lead to sinus and ear infections. Ear infections can make the gums hurt. And so on.

My vet just started treating Sam with a steroid injection every 6 weeks or so. We are currently evaluating him to see how many weeks he can go without another injection. The other vets just wanted to do surgery. Sam has chronic stomatitus which was greatly helped with bottled water. He does have occasional flares which we are trying to prevent.

Listen to your vet and weigh all the options.

She will groom when she feels better.

Let us know how she does.

[djm123]

The water is a good idea but even before this happened she did not drink much..Now how to get her to drink water?

[Karen]

When I have an ear infection, I don't eat much. I would flavor the water with some tuna juice or chicken broth to get her to drink some. Yes, the gingivitis can make her gums hurt, so she'd avoid eating. Hope she feels better soon!

[mrspunkysmom]

Cats are weird about drinking water from a bowl. I have a fountain that is a lot of trouble but they really drink the water. Before that, mine would drink from a sink or shower where the water may not be the freshest throughout the day, especially if it's time to clean. If you can restrict her access to alternative water sources, she will drink from the bowl.

Cats that eat wet food do not need as much water as the dry eaters.

It also depends on the cat. Sam drinks way more water than Spunks.

The gum issue will unlikely go away. Address this issue and she will feel better. Try to stay on top of it, since the critters do not let you know something is wrong until it is bad.

Good luck.

[katladyd]

My cats are fussy about their water,also. I bought a very expensive fountain and they want nothing to do with it. They would not drink (over 24 hours) until I put their water bowls back down. One of them needs to drink often, he has blockages, so I had to put the water bowls back down. They are a mystery, aren't they? Anyone want to buy a cat water fountain...cheap?:D

[katladyd]

I spoke too soon. Both of my boys have started drinking from the fountain and love that water the best! Cats, go figure.:confused:

[mrspunkysmom]

I spoke too soon. Both of my boys have started drinking from the fountain and love that water the best! Cats, go figure.:confused:

Sometimes I think they are practicing reverse psychology with us. They're interested but do not want us to know that.

[djm123]

She was on an appetite stimulant...We did find she had 6 bad teeth...I HOPE this was or is the answer with grooming and the weight...

[moosmom]

My cats LOVE their Drinkwell fountain! Fresh, filtered water all the time. I only wish they'd make it in stainless steel. Plastic harbors germs and can cause kitty acne. I completely wash it once a week in hot water which helps.

[katladyd]

I tell ya, after having a fountain, I will never go back to water dishes.

[djm123]

She had 6 teeth extracted we shall see what happens now. :confused:

[djm123]

Well my pal got 6 teeth pulled....Her appetite is good now...How or when will she start to groom better? Can I do anything to make that happen?

Also, is there a way to get her to gain back some weight??? The appetite is good now WITHOUT any pills of any sort....Hopefully we addressed the initial problem...now to get the weight back and get her coat the way it SHOULD be? :confused:

[Karen]

Yay! Maybe entice her with some extra yummy food, something smelly that she might like, and se how that goes. And extra treats ... the weight will come back naturally now that she is eating again, most likely!

[Medusa]

As Karen said, the weight will come back gradually, as it should. As for grooming, you'll think I'm nuts (I don't deny it) but when cats become depressed, they lose interest in grooming. They do become depressed, sometimes due to pain and seeing that she had 6 teeth extracted, I'm pretty sure she was experiencing pain. Now that that's over with, perhaps she'll start grooming again. Also, depending on age (yours is young), they won't groom b/c it's difficult to reach certain spots b/c they can't lift their legs w/o pain or reach back near their tail. Also, some cats just aren't good groomers. My Specs happens to fall into that category. He's a long hair, Maine Coon, and I have to check him for mats all the time. I have another cat, Creamsicle, who is an obsessive groomer b/c of allergies. I wouldn't worry too much about the grooming issue unless you see that she's lethargic and not eating again. Good luck w/your furkid and please keep us posted. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Maybe some vitamin B12 injections would help your cats coat. You should ask your vet about it. It'll help improve her appetite and give her more energy too. Good luck.:)

[djm123]

As a continuation...Look from the top of this topic....My cat had the teeth out the her appetie is good, but she STILL looks skinny...

Its about 3 weeks since the dental work was done like 6 teeth out...

I guess my question is why would the cat still look a bit haggard? She is eating well....I want her to GAIN weight, she mostly eats FANCY Feast TUNA...

She is hooked on that???:confused:

[Karen]

Give it time, it's best for her to put on weight slowly, just keep feeding her the good stuff, and give her nice brushings - her fur quality will likely improve as she puts back on weight, and that will hep her look better, too.

[djm123]

My cat had 6 teeth removed see post on Blanko..Now her appetite is better she is still too thin in my opinion, i want to get her to put back on the weight she lost...She will apparently only eat TUNA..

What can I do about this? :confused:

[Karen]

My cat had 6 teeth removed see post on Blanko..Now her appetite is better she is still too thin in my opinion, i want to get her to put back on the weight she lost...She will apparently only eat TUNA..

What can I do about this? :confused:

Give her other foods, even if it has to be tuna-flavored. In fact, you can try drizzling the juice from a can of tuna over some healthier food for her, remember, it's up to you!

[moosmom]

If gingivitis is an issue, I think warm water in the dry food will soften it up enough for her. It's also good for her if she doesn't drink alot of water. Nutrical is a good appetite stimulant.

The bloodwork coming back normal tells me that it might, in fact, be a gum/tooth problem.

Please keep us posted.

[columbine]

You could try vitamins. Omega Caps (I order them from healthypets.com) is a fish oil blend that I just puncture the capsule and squirt into Smudge's canned food. He likes the taste.

A good brand of tuna for cats is Solid Gold. It's got all the extras that a cat needs when eating tuna, which can otherwise strip out a lot of essential nutrients from a cat's system. It's in a purple can with white stars.

Love, Columbine