Help... My cat won't eat!!

[Jpagey]

Merlin started with severe vomiting at the end of last week. As it was a Bank Holiday I took him to the Emergency Vet, who gave him fluids, antibiotics and an anti nausea injection. He hasn't been sick since and has really perked up. He still wasn't eating or drinking so I've been syringe feeding him R/C Recovery to prevent fatty liver. I took him back to my own vet yesterday, who did a thorough exam, (definitely no blockage or constipation), full bloods (which were all middle of normal range) and another antibiotic and I think a steroid injection.
He started drinking water yesterday, yeah , but still isn't eating. He managed about 5 dreamies. I've tried everything I can think off..... His normal food, warmed sardines, dreamies, lick e lix etc. No point trying fresh chicken, ham etc as he wouldn't touch those even when well! I am continuing to syringe feed as I can't let him starve but please, please can anyone else give me some tips to get him eating again? I'm back at the vet on Thursday if no change

[Mollycat]

Not sure what to suggest if the vet is at a loss for ideas. It's possible vomiting has put him off eating, if it was violent enough, but that doesn't explain what started him vomiting so badly. What was he bringing up - food, bile, furball, foreign object ...? I guess this is one of those situations where symptomatic management doesn't cure the root cause. What sort of age is Merlin, what does he eat, does he have access to outdoors, does he eat rubbish he finds, does he hunt, lifestyle, etc? Were there any other signs along with his vomiting? How are we so sure he doesn't have a blockage anywhere in his digestive tract? When you say he won't eat, is he totally disinterested, does he walk away, or retch, or try to eat?

[Jpagey]

Thanks for your reply. He's 8. He is allowed outside but only when we're at home. He is always kept in overnight. He's not much of a hunter tbh, unfortunately he prefers to play with baby birds still in nests, but he never eats them. He does drink water out of our pond but we haven't put any chemicals in it. He normally eats Purina Pro Plan Optirenal which is a dry food, with the occasional packets of wet.

The first vomit I saw was just bile and a bit of grass. Then just bile from then on. To be fair it was really quite forceful vomiting and quite frequent. When I picked him up in the first couple of days his tummy was definitely tender but now it's definitely not as he's having tummy rubs etc.

Both vets throughly felt his abdomen and were confident nothing was stuck/blocked.

He sniffs the food then walks away. Although he has now eaten a couple of dreamies and about 5 of his normal dry pellets.

I'm worried I've caused a food aversion by srygine feeding him but I had no choice as I needed to prevent liver damage.

[fjm]

I would continue syringe feeding but start offering him small quantities of highly palatable food - think a half teaspoonful of liver, a tiny bit of Gourmet Gold, mince beef if that is not on his list of dislikes, almost anything that you have not put in the syringe. Does he refuse freshly cooked unseasoned chicken? I think once they have had a really bad stomach upset just the thought of food can make them nauseous - it may be worth talking to your vet about an anti-nausea drug, and perhaps an appetite stimulant.

[Mollycat]

How long has he been on Optirenal, and has he actually been diagnosed with kidney failure?

Renal diets are not suitable for healthy cats and as they have adjusted levels of some key nutrients they can lead to deficiencies in some things, notably phosphorous, and too much of other things.

If he eats tuna, have you tried mixing it with a large dollop of mayonnaise?

[booktigger]

Molly, Optirenal isn't Purina's renal diet, rather randomly they called that NF. This Optirenal came in a few years back when they repackaged their adult food, it apparently has a special formula, but it's targeted at cats 1+, so I stopped using it then, as I didn't like the idea of it

Contains OPTIRENAL, a protective nutrient blend including antioxidants, arginine and omega-3 to help to promote healthy kidneys.

https://www.purina.co.uk/cat/cat-food/p ... ry-chicken

[Jpagey]

Thanks everyone for the advise.

Earlier he followed my hubby to the bathroom and demanded the tap be turned on for a drink. Also just caught him eating his dry food

He's been on Optirenal since being a kitten, both my cats have. It's the food Cat Protection gave me as samples. Is it not suitable for cat without kidney issues? Once he's eating again, do I need to change his diet?

[fjm]

Sounds as if he's feeling better! If the Optirenal is described as suitable for healthy cats of all ages there's no need to change it - the "renal" bit rang an alarm bell as most renal diets are formulated for cats with kidney disease.

[Mollycat]

Ok thank you for the correction, I did look it up and Purina's website was to say it mildly unclear:

Discover our Pro Plan Optirenal cat food, scientifically formulated for the nutritional management of kidney problems in cats.

Nutritional management isn't the same as prevention, I think that is really quite misleading!

[Jpagey]

Thanks again everyone... You've all been fab

[booktigger]

Ok thank you for the correction, I did look it up and Purina's website was to say it mildly unclear:

Discover our Pro Plan Optirenal cat food, scientifically formulated for the nutritional management of kidney problems in cats.

Nutritional management isn't the same as prevention, I think that is really quite misleading!

It is very misleading, and kidney issues are common because cats are living longer than they used to, so it might happen regardless of being fed a dry food that will apparently support healthy kidneys

[susand]

He is probably getting over a bug. It’s worth bearing in mind that if he is drinking pond water he will be susceptible to all the same infections as a cat who hunts because birds also drink from ponds - and also poo in them quite frequently too! So toxoplasmosis or something is a possibility. Other wildlife such as frogs and newts can also carry disease, although I don’t know if they carry anything that is transmissible to cats. However, toads are toxic to cats and cats can be poisoned just from drinking water from a pond which a toad has sat in. There is nothing you can do to stop a cat drinking from a pond, mine does all the time, but it is something to consider if they get ill.