Cat not eating much.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Ana,

There's no need to worry about your English at all. I can understand you perfectly!

It is always hard to know what is going on when a cat loses his appetite. When a cat doesn't want to eat his normal amount there is almost always a medical reason for it. In other words, cats rarely just decide that they don't want to eat.

What I can't tell you though is whether or not this is due to his food allergy. I find that most cats with food allergies will have diarrhea and sometimes itchy skin. If he is not having those symptoms then there is likely to be another reason for the lack of appetite.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Have you recently bought a new bag of food? Sometimes a new bag can be "off" and a cat can refuse to eat it because of this. If this is the case, then trying a new food is a good idea. If he will eat a new food then I would take back your bag of Orijen and get a new one.

2. Are you near the end of the bag of food? If so, sometimes a food can go stale or mouldy if you have had it for more than 3-4 weeks. Again, try a new food and if that works it is time to buy a new bag of his regular food.

3. Does Chocolate go outside? The most common reason for an outdoor kitty to go off of his food is if he has been bitten or scratched by another cat and has an infection. Often, we can't see the actual bite or scratch. If he does go outside then I'd recommend a vet checkup for him as he may need some antibiotics.

There are other possible reasons for him to go off of his food such as a condition called pancreatitis, or a foreign object in his stomach or a number of other reasons.

I think it is a great idea to try him with some new food. Wet food is not a bad idea, just to see if he will eat. If he eats that but then after a day or two starts to refuse it, or if he refuses it altogether then this tells me that he should see the doctor.

I hope this helps, but let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

I think that is a good plan. If he completely loses his appetite or if he continues like this for another 24-48 hours then I think it's best to have the vet take a look at him.

If a cat goes off of his food for too long he is at risk for a serious condition called fatty liver.

I hope he feels better soon!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Ooops...somehow your reply got added twice. You can see my reply above.

Dr. Marie replied:

Really, it will depend on the vet's exam and they will advise you on what tests are best.

They likely will want to do some blood work as this can tell us a lot. If on the physical exam it feels like there is pain or a foreign object in his abdomen then they will probably want to do some xrays.

If he has a fever, then they probably will want to do blood tests but may decide to just put him on antibiotics.