Max refuses to eat

My 'inlaws' have a kitten.. 6-8 months old, named Max. He's been a normal kitten up until a month and a half or so, when he started eating less. He has now decided he doesnt need to eat at all. He weighs 6 pounds. He's probably lost at least 10 pounds. He was a good sized cat before this started... so I'm not sure of his weight, but I know he now weighs 6 pounds, which is what he weighed back when they had him declawed back in ~July. So he's lost a LOT.

She's taken him to the vet numerous times.. have done blood work, smear, Xrays... Tested for FIP and some other disease... (I'm not a cat person, so I'm not quite sure of the name, sorry!) and everything has come back normal! She bought Precription Diet wet food and was feeding him with a syrnge the past few days and he has now decided he doesnt like that either. He was eating the food up once she got it in his mouth, but wouldnt touch it when it was in a dish. Now he is clawing and biting her when she tries to feed him. She's put out several different brands/types of wet food, tuna, beef, etc and he refuses to eat any of it. All he does is 'cover it up' with his front paws.

I'm telling her to get a second opinion, as this vet can't offer any solution, but she'd spent her whole paycheck on him this week and is affraid another vet would say the same thing.

He's had no congestion, drainage, sneezing.. Back when it first started was around the time they had some construction work done in their basement (water leak, required replacement of drywall/insulation). He threw up several times that day... and hasnt been the same since. I don't know what could have happened that day. He poops and pees fine, so no obstruction...

Any ideas would be appreciated! I know I tend to stay on the Dog side of the forum... But I need to reach out to my fellow pet lovers for any suggestions. =) Thanks!

Max needs to see another vet right away, or he's a goner. A cat who refuses to eat is in seriously bad shape. If financial hardship is an issue, there are multiple options to work out payment plans and find lower-cost care. If the vet they're using now agreed to declaw him, that vet's not very knowledgeable about cats - a second opinion could save Max's life.

Good luck - keep us posted!

Love, Columbine

Yea, I suggested using Care Credit.. That's what we used recently when Eli needed leg surgery. She just kind of blew me off.. I dunno, I've been REALLY suggesting our vet who did Eli's surgery. He and his wife own the business, and she is a FELINE vet... He is dog specific and she is cat specific. How could it be better? We were SO impressed with him and his vast knowledge... I don't know why she won't go there. I know how frustrating vets can be.. we have spent so much on Eli in 3 years... its depressing to think about, but its the cost of having furkids and I'd do anything for mine.

She had a friend suggest that maybe he lost his sense of smell.. seemed like it'd make sense, but not sure how that'd randomly happen, especially without any type of cold/infection.

When she took him in yesterday they gave her an antibiotic to see if maybe there was some infection... Seems odd to just randomly prescribe that with no evidence. I'm just so unimpressed with where she's taken him.

I'll keep bringing up a second opinion.. I see her every day. Of course, I was the first to notice him not eating.. so yea. :rolleyes:

I'm sorry to hear this.:( The construction work could've caused him a lot of stress and this may have caused him to just stop eating. My cat Ziggy became so stressed out from a plumber and my parents coming over to my place, going to the groomers for a lion cut, and then going to the vets for her annual exam that she then stopped eating. They didn't all happen in the same day but were spaced out over about a month's time. She was diagnosed with pancreatitis and had to be later hospitalized for 24 hours.

My vet also specializes in cats so I would definitely try to get your inlaws to take Max to the vet that you've recommended. She can have all of Max's info faxed over so that the same tests aren't repeated again. It's critical that a cat eats something or else they can get fatty liver disease and very jaundiced. My Ziggy ended up being able to eat on her when she returned home but I had to give her vitamin B-12 shots once a week for about 6-8 weeks. This helped to stimulate her appetite. She's been fine ever since and gained all of her weight back and then some. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent to Max. Please continue to keep us updated about him.

I'm surprised that her vet didn't at least recommend an appetite stimulant if nothing else. There are several that can be tried. It could be, as your friend suggested, that Max has lost his sense of smell due to a sinus infection. My Coco Puff lost his hearing due to that and he really didn't have any outstanding symptoms before then. (He has since regained partial hearing.) Another possibility is that Max may be having tooth or gum pain b/c he wouldn't eat food in his dish but ate it up when it was syringed into him. Of course, it's impossible to know unless/until your friend takes Max to another vet pronto. Whatever the case may be, if Max continues on this path, he will eventually just shut down. Do stress to your friend the importance of getting Max to another vet immediately. If s/he doesn't want to use Care Credit, perhaps your vet will work out payment arrangements for Max. Good luck w/this and please keep us posted. :)

Please don't let Max languish. This is such a serious condition for felines. I would suspect something oral- abcess, gum disease, tooth fracture, etc.

Thank you for the replies! I was trying to research similar things online last night.. someone suggested rubbing their mouth with marple syrup or honey, to get their appetite stimulated.. might suggest that. Also read someone used Nutri-cal to help as well. Like I've said, I'm not too impressed with her chosen vet. I will definitely keep pushing a 2nd opinion.

His mouth/gums were said to look fine, other than a little white, but that could be from malnutrition. Even when fed with a syringe now, he refuses to eat and spits it out.

OMG - I hope she gets a second opinion - it could save Max's life! Prayers for this dear little kitty.

You can even show her this thread, perhaps.

Please keep us posted!

Maximus has started eating on his own some. He's been on the antibiotic since Tuesday, and that's the only thing thats changed since not eating, so maybe its helping!! He's eating more than he was willing to eat from a syringe, so hopefully he'll get back in the swing of things and continue to eat regularly. I still find it weird that they couldnt find anything in any of the tests they did but somehow the antibiotic is helping. Keeping my fingers crossed that he continues eating on his own!

As long as it's helping, who cares why! lol GOOD that he is eating some on his own...prayers that he keeps moving forward and upward! :love::love:

I have found that a little Deli Chicken or the little packs of Deli Meat work tricks in tempting a Found Cat appetite!
Prayers for Big Maximus that he gets his hunger back and is well very soon.
:love::love::love::love::love:

Please....any news???

Glad to hear Max is starting to eat again after antibiotics. When a cat refuses to eat, something is seriously wrong & it's often the first sign that a cat is ill. Hope he recovers well. By the way, my dog is also named Maximus. Perhaps I'll meet you on the "dog blogs" soon, as have just joined this site. Again, all the best for little Max & hope to hear he's eating well again soon. When they're eating, you know they're pretty much ok.

Snowhound

Hi, Snowhound here again. Just re-read your blog & it sounds to me as if it was something to do with the dry-wall insulation - too coincidental otherwise, as you say the cat was sick shortly after. Cats being so adventurous & inquisitive, he probably went in there & either inhaled/ingested something he shouldn't have, possibly causing mild poisoning or some form of slight obstruction internally somewhere. Please keep us updated - cats are usually very hardy critters healthwise, so something has definitely happened here to cause him not to eat. Best of luck once again.

This really sounds like hepatis lipidosis, or fatty liver disease. Cats develop this very quickly when they don't eat. It's a critical illness. I agree with others...you need to see another vet.

Has anyone checked his teeth?

Don't let her give up on Max. Back when Rianne started refuse food (that's her in my avatar photo), the vet I took her to then had me force-feed her and they force-fed her when I had her stay there. It was a horrible experience for her and she acted like she was ready to die. I got a new vet, a holistic one, and they had Rianne willingly eating pieces of chicken after keeping her there only overnight. While the previous vet had sounded ready to give up on Rianne, she went on to live another two precious years. I agree with Mary (Medusa) - they could probably put Max on an appetite stimulant. I believe one reason my C.B. is eating okay is due to the liquid Prednisone he's on mainly for the inflammation in his face, but it helps appetite and he has gained weight.

He's doing fine. The antibiotic they gave must have slowly helped whatever it was. He's been eating A/D wet food to put weight back on. He's much more happier, frisky and hungry these days. Thanks.