Dont understand

[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?

[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?

[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???

[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?

[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?

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!