Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi. My cat, Gimli, has lived with me for about 6 years now. I don't know how old he is but he's no spring chicken. He was a rescue, and was a stray for a long time and used to get fed out the back of an Italian restaurant. Anyway, he was a bit of a scruffy mess when I got him, he's always had bad guts and teeth and has had lots of dental work and teeth out over the last few years. He's pretty gummy now. When I first had him he turned into a bit of a barrel with having access to regular food for the first time, but over the past couple of years he has lost a lot of weight and is kind of boney now - but last time I saw the vet they said he was not underweight yet. The last 6 months he has had episodes of going off his food and water and getting very dehydrated. I've had him admitted to the vets twice, they have run blood tests, put him on a drip to rehydrate him, but nothing appears to be wrong with him, he just stops eating and drinking.

He's stopped eating again the past few days. He seems pretty OK in himself, he doesn't seem to be in any discomfort, his nose is wet, he goes outside a bit, and I'm trying him on tins of tuna which he seems to be eating better than cat food. But his skin is a tented, he's lethargic and being a bit of a mummy's boy. The problem is that I really can't afford to keep taking him to the vets. I wish I could, and I feel terribly guilty, but I simply can't.

Can anyone give me any advice please on how to keep him hydrated and fed without getting it done intraveneously?

Thanks

My girl Tat suffers from acid indigestion and is often off her food but this is usually indicated by vomiting (bile from lack of food or food from upset tummy). She takes steroids which stimulate her appetite when she hasn't eaten properly for a few days.

As for rehydration, my lot like cat specific milk. I usually mix a bit with tinned tuna as I think tinned tuna can be a bit dry and my lot love it as a treat. Other than that if you have any plastic syringes you could try syringing into your boys mouth with some water. Cats usually put up a bit of a fight doing this though so you might have to wrap him up to keep claws down. And take care that he doesn't choke.

I know you've taken him to the vet many times for this, but have you tried going for a second opinion? There clearly must be something causing this, as this would not be happening in a healthy cat, and will be making him feel very poorly and may result in organ damage. If my cat was showing these symptoms, I'd certainly be taking him back. The vet may be saying "he's not under weight yet", but the fact that he's losing so much weight so quickly is a point of concern, and I would be asking them to run further tests. If you can't get a second opinion within the practice, take him to a different vet. I don't think they're trying hard enough here.