Unknown illness, I think I'm losing her...

[Ishtaka]

My oldest cat, Ditte (11 years old, indoor only cat) has been losing weight. I just got married and had family flying in from Denmark so I admit I was preoccupied and didn't really notice until she had gotten very thin (5.6 lbs - and yes, I know I'm the worst mommy in the world for not noticing but things were so crazy and she spends a lot of time napping in odd hiding places).
I was able to take her to the vet last week where they tested her blood for kidney problems and they did a more expensive test for her thyroid. Both showed that her numbers were fine and in the normal range. The vet told me to feed her more, which I knew wasn't the problem because I do feed my cats properly and chose to feed them rather than myself years ago when I was quite poor.
Well, I went ahead and set up a private area for her to eat and got her canned food too, which she has always liked a lot. She's the only cat that prowls on the kitchen counter so that's where I made her private eating area. I've been monitoring her and it turns out that she's just not eating, only a few bites here and there, not enough to sustain her by any means. She's not vomiting and no blood in urine or stool.
I took her back to the vet this week and she's down to 5.2 lbs now. She's also anemic now and dehydrated. They did a Feline Leukemia test which was negative. She was given a meal by syringe (orally) and IV fluids. The vet said there's really nothing else she can do right now and I need to take her to a specialist which will run up around $1000, money I just don't have right now.
I've taken her home and get to force feed her every 4 hours - she puts up a fight but at least that means she's got strength left. I also have two kinds of food and special cat milk plus water available to her all day so she can eat if she feels like it (which she has a little bit).
I feel terrible for being unable to take her to a specialist right now, but please believe that it's not because I won't take care of my animals. I brought her and my other cat with me all the way from Denmark to Ohio when I moved here (even though everyone said I was crazy and to have them put to sleep instead - no way!!!) and again from Ohio to Oregon (with an additional cat and a dog).
My question after this longwinded rant is: has anyone else experienced a similar problem? What was the diagnosis? Prognosis? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should try or what it could be? Any answers, suggestions, or prayers would be very much appreciated.
Thank you in advance,

Anne

[Catty1]

It could be as simple as her teeth needing cleaning. Did the vet check her teeth? Maybe you could life her gums up and see if any of them look bad, or if they are shiny and clean.

If tartar and sensitive gums build up, the cat won't eat because it is painful.

Please keep us posted.

[Ishtaka]

Yea, I mentioned that theory to the vet also and apparently that's not it either. Thanks for the suggestion though

[AbbyMom]

My little RB girl, Quasar, had a mysterious loss of appetite, too. I took her to three vets and no one could figure it out. (This was many years ago.)

They did, however, give her an appetite stimulant, which I put in her canned food every morning. She lived for many years after that and seemed to be content.

Ask the vet about appetite stimulant. It won't cure your kitty, but it might make her eat without the force feeding.

Good luck to you and Ditte.

[Medusa]

It's possible that her teeth could hurt. If she has a bad tooth, it would be painful for her to eat. Your vet can give her an appetite stimulant but you've got to get to the bottom of why she isn't eating and it may be the anemia. One of my cats was just recently diagnosed w/anemia and she's now on Epogen injections. It's expensive but it's worth it, if it fits into your budget. It helps to build red blood cells. According to my vet, iron supplements won't do it because they only support red blood cells and, if your cat is anemic, she's hardly producing any. However, I'd start small first: have her teeth checked and the inside of her mouth to be sure there isn't anything obstructing her swallowing, etc. Then go from there w/the process of elimination. Good luck and please keep us posted.

[shepgirl]

Did your vet do a liver profile on your cat? This sometimes causes lots of eating problems if the liver or pancreas is not functioning properly.

[critters]

If kidneys, liver, sugar, and thyroid (the big 4) are all OK, teeth would be next. If they're OK, I'd go for an appetite stimulant and see what it does.

[Taz_Zoee]

About two years ago Taz began to lose weight, rapidly. I found an old thread I started in Jan of 07. Click here. It's a long drawn out thread, but the bottom line is my vet gave him a cortisone shot and that seemed to work. She gave him a 10 day one to try it out. Then he got a few more 30 day shots after that. And I had to feed him anything he would eat. That took a long time to find something that worked for him.
Well, now he is having another issue. But that's another thread. LOL

Anyway, I hope you can find something that will work for your Ditte, so you can have her for many more years. She's not an old cat at 11, my Taz is 13.

[Moesha]

Have you tried giving her really stinky canned food? Some have had good results giving boiled chicken or chicken baby food. Try anything and if you find something that she will eat, keep feeding it to her until you find out what it causing the loss of appetite.

[Uabassoon]

Good luck with Dittie. Last summer I had problems with my cat Corkscrew, he had stopped eating which led to fatty liver disease. I spend about 6 weeks force feeding him and giving him daily sub-q fluids, it was a very rough 6 weeks but well worth it. It's been over a year now and he has been as healthy as ever. If you want to see the thread here it is. http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...ight=corkscrew

[columbine]

The appetite stimulant sounds like a good idea. Meanwhile, you can dab a bit of mushy canned food mixed with butter onto her paws now and then so she'll lick it off. Is she drinking water and using her litterbox comfortably?

Catnip is actually an appetite stimulant - maybe a fresh catnip toy or some catnip sprinkled on her scratchboard or favorite sleeping spot might help.

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

Love, Columbine

[kittykatharine]

My kitty has stopped eating as well, several times, and we have gone through a bunch of different options that have worked out for a while.
Here are the suggestions I can provide from my experience:

1. make sure the vet does a THOROUGH inspection of her teeth. If there is any redness or black around the gum lines, then her teeth could be the culprit.
2. Blood tests - as stated before check her thyroid, kidney, CBC levels, and liver. Something could not be working right, making her nausea.
3. Ask your vet about a appetite stimulant -my kitty has been on two (the names have escaped me, but send me a private message if you want the names and i'll go look), which have had moderate results. The one she takes a 1/4 of a pill for 4 days, the other she gets every 12 hours as needed.
4. Switch your foods. If you can temp her to eat with new foods give it a try. Try different, smelly, canned foods -the ones that come in the pouches with gravy worked awhile with Sydney. Also try vanilla ice cream and yogurt. I was told by others that these are high in fat content and can help put on some weight on your kitty. Watch for diarrhea -you can get anti-diarrhea medicine from the vet if this is occurring as well. Another great source is baby food. This is what my cat is currently eating. I have been getting the infant chicken in chicken broth. You can also try fresh shrimp or freshly cooked chicken breast.
5. If her stomach is hurting her (increase in acid) then ask your vet about Famotadine (also known as Pepsid complete). It coats the stomach, and decreases the acid amount.
6. Corticosteroids, like prednisone, are also known for increasing ones appetite. WHen Sydney was first diagnosed with cancer, we were giving her so much food because we were afraid of her not eating because of the chemo, and surely enough the prednisone increased her appetite and she gained 2 lbs! It may be an option you can discuss with your vet


I hope that your baby begins to eat soon. I can personally say I know exactly how nerve wrecking it feels when our babies don't eat. Just keep up the hope and stay in contact with your vet.

[jennielynn1970]

If you really need to do the force feedings, would your vet be able to insert a feeding tube into the neck (it can be done for those who refuse to eat), and then you can mix up slurries for them. We had one foster cat who had to have that done by his foster mom, and it took a long time for him to regain his strength and appetite (he is FIV+, and was in fatty liver syndrome, was basically in organ failure, and the vet saved him. He is alive and well today after all of that, and being FIV+).

Did they test for FIP at all? I have no idea if the weight loss would be that, but I know my principal that I work for had an Aby that just would not keep weight on, and it ended up that she had FIP. She was young though, and had been bought from a breeder.

Have the vets run any other tests, just to rule out what it may not be?? Diabetes?

Hope all will come up fine.

[Ishtaka]

The vet did give me an appetite stimulator but it's not doing anything noticable. Today I will get her some tuna and baby food and see if any of that peaks her interest.
I did ask the vet about FIP because my baby Benjamin passed away from it in January of last year but the vet said FIP doesn't present like that.
I appreciate all your help and suggestions and I'm writing everything down so I can ask the vet when I go again.
Any prayers are greatly appreciated!

Anne

[Randi]

I'm sorry to hear Ditte won't eat. Have your had your vet check her teeth? My cat will eat almost any Royal Canin dry food, they're smaller pieces. Lately, he's been crazy about "Sensitive", but also for "Young Males" he loves. And Hills S/D is fatter than some of the other kinds, some cats find that tastier.

I hope you'll find something Ditte will eat.

Good luck and lots of positive thoughts!