How can I feed up my cat?

kat74

My cat has recently had an operation and has lost his appetite. He's always been a fussy eater, but now he's eating next to nothing and getting noticably thinner .
I've tried him on a variety of cat foods, fresh chicken and fish, tinned tuna and salmon, and milk but nothing really interests him.
Does anyone had any top tips for how to get him interested in food again?

lostinrates

Firstly, have you told your vet? If the operation was for a health reason (as opposed to routine nuetering for example) could this be connected?

You have my sympathy...I have been struggling with a dog recently, and this is a great place to ask.

kat74

Thanks - it's horrible to see them so out of character, isn't it!
The vet who did the op is on holiday so I've spoken to another one at the practice. He's just told me I need to make sure the cat eats, but he's not given me any ideas as to how!
The op was for health reasons, so he's probably feeling a bit sorry for himself anyway - I'm just wish I could find a food that hits the spot but I'm not having any luck so far!

Miroslav

Sorry to hear about your cat, Kat. One of mine is on her way out and is eating less and less, basically nibbling. It's horrible and i've been through it twice already and vet says this one is unlikely to see Christmas, so i'm on 24/7 alert.

We put out Tuna, Salmon, Sardines, Pilchards, Chicken, normal cat food but she takes a couple of nibbles and that's it.

Our vet gave us some nutritional gel for her, but she won't even entertain it. Did your vet offer you any nutritonal gel?

As I found with the last two, you cannot force them to eat and it's so damn frustrating.

I hope your little mate picks up soon, but if you are concerned, maybe try asking for the gel from the vets. It cost me £8 or £9 and no guarantee he'll like it.

geminilady

kat74 wrote: »

My cat has recently had an operation and has lost his appetite. He's always been a fussy eater, but now he's eating next to nothing and getting noticably thinner .
I've tried him on a variety of cat foods, fresh chicken and fish, tinned tuna and salmon, and milk but nothing really interests him.
Does anyone had any top tips for how to get him interested in food again?

My kitten caught an infection after she was spayed and went off her food,my vet advised me to pop food in the microwave for a couple of seconds as it brings out the smell,also a lot of cats like sardines in tomatoe sauce

picklepick

geminilady wrote: »

My kitten caught an infection after she was spayed and went off her food,my vet advised me to pop food in the microwave for a couple of seconds as it brings out the smell,also a lot of cats like sardines in tomatoe sauce

please dont feed cats things in tomato sauces, tomatoes and tomato plants are toxic to cats. the sardines on their own are fine though

i agree with the part on warming food up though!

paddypaws101

My current bribe food is Thrive freeze dried chicken or fish. It comes in small tubes in sainsburys or waitrose or Pets at Home. It is around £3 for a tube so pretty expensive...but my bunch all go wild for it.
I think there is a catch 22 with a cat that will not eat...they produce a lot of stomach acid and that makes them feel nauseous so further puts them off food. You could ask your vet for a shot of something to boost appetite, or ask them about a cat anti-acid, or try a supplement of slippery elm ( holland and barrat but NOT slippery elm food )
A last resort would be syringe feeding....liquidise some wet food and feed it to the cat. Basically you need to get it to eat to end that over acid cycle and if it was a fattish cat then there is a chance of serious issues with fatty liver breakdown.

spookylukey

Lots of good suggestions here and despite the website being dedicated to CRF (kidney failure) they are not CRF specific.

http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

~Chameleon~

picklepick wrote: »

please dont feed cats things in tomato sauces, tomatoes and tomato plants are toxic to cats. the sardines on their own are fine though

i agree with the part on warming food up though!

Pilchards/Sardines in tomato sauce are not toxic to cats and are widely used in veterinary practices to encourage cats to eat when ill/off food. They're highly palatable, have a strong smell and most cats absolutely adore them

Obviously it's not recommended to feed them on a daily basis to otherwise healthy cats but used sensibly to restore appetite or as an occasional treat is absolutely fine!

kat74

Thanks for all the ideas - I'd not thought of warming up his food so I'll try that today, and then venture out in the snow to get some of the things suggested (I'm vegetarian so I don't have these things in my cupboard!)
The vet's not mentioned the gel - when he was in hospital they were feeding him a protein 'soup' with a syringe. I'll give the vet a call today for a chat though.
Thanks for the advice!

picklepick

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Pilchards/Sardines in tomato sauce are not toxic to cats and are widely used in veterinary practices to encourage cats to eat when ill/off food. They're highly palatable, have a strong smell and most cats absolutely adore them

Obviously it's not recommended to feed them on a daily basis to otherwise healthy cats but used sensibly to restore appetite or as an occasional treat is absolutely fine!

Well the part that you've highlighted is clearly not true, tomato sauces are toxic. You said yourself that you can get away with it with small doses. You contradicted yourself!

As little as a cherry tomato can cause some serious tummy upset, which i would have thought in a cat who isnt eating and is underweight, perhaps dehydrated, is not a good idea.

As i said, the sardines and pilchards themselves are fine when removed from the tomato. They still have the same 'smelly' appeal to a cat.

Sorry OP for turning the thread into a pilchard debate! Hope your kitty starts to feel better soon. Keep us posted as to how it goes!