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I have a 16 year old cat who hasn't eaten like her "normal" self for a couple of years. However, in the last few months, her eating has gone down to almost nothing, to the point that she has lost over 10% of her weight. The vet did blood work, took x-rays, checked her teeth, and even did an ultrasound. She did have a slight UTI at the time, but the antibiotics seemed to take care of that, and otherwise the vet said everything was normal. However, she still won't eat much of anything. I was able to get her to eat some different food, but that only lasts a couple of days until she goes back to eating almost nothing. I'm to take her back to the vet in about a week to check if her weight has stabilized, but she seems back to the point where she probably isn't gaining weight any more. If the vet still can't figure anything out, since the tests are all good, should I ask for an anti-nausea medicine or maybe an appetite stimulant? I do know that her arthritis is getting worse, as she won't take her cosequin (which I used to mix in her food), but the vet said he could give her a shot that lasts 3 months and does the same thing (gives her glucosamine/chrondotin)--that might help too?

Hi and welcome. If all tests came back ok, I wonder whether your cat is losing her sense of smell/taste at all? humans do as they age, so that’s a possibility. An overactive thyroid can also cause weight loss but usually increased appetite. Not always does it show up as thyroid results can vary day to day, well they can with humans. Have you tried offering cat milk? that can be really helpful at adding a few pounds if the cat like it. Or pate type foods, my oldies have always loved those. I don’t know where you are from but Gourmet pates are well loved by my old ferals. The other thing you could try are strong smelling foods, such as sardines or mackerel, if you’ve not already tried that. I would also try changing the cat food to see if she prefers other types, and varying the food can help too. Mine get a different make or flavour each meal. Also feeding little and often can be helpful so your cat can nibble all day if she prefers that. It is possible that the pain from arthritis is making her less hungry so that shot your vet suggests may be worth trying. Or if your cat will take a bit of milk each day or lactose free milk (my little cat has a saucer every morning) you may be able to add the capsule to that? Best of luck and cuddles to your little girl.

Hi and welcome

I can't add much to Janey's advice, save that I have a girl of my own who's almost 17 and getting a bit faddy (which is difficult since she has chronic kidney disease) and who's a bit arthritic too. There's no way she will follow the prescribed ckd diet and I keep her to a basic 'senior' diet, but every few days she gets fussy and won't settle until she gets 'specialled' ... her favourite treat is some stuff called 'Thrive' - very expensive and I've only found it online, but 'Encore' (not a complete food btw) comes a close second and she also enjoys the Gourmet pate food Janey has mentioned.

I'm not suggesting you should go overboard and pamper your girl with these goodies, as any new diet, especially a rich one, can upset a cat, especially a delicate older one, but I do find them useful to give my girl an occasional boost, and, as they say, appetite comes with eating; the stomach expands and expects more, and my own girl is quite greedy after that, even for her normal grub.

As to the arthritis, those shots sound like a good idea; also green-lipped mussel powder (source of chondroitin) is excellent, has very good results and smells very fishy - if her sense of smell is deteriorating a dose of this on her food might be attractive.

All the very best with her

Is she on any pain relief? Pippin has arthritis, and a small daily dose of Loxicom makes a huge difference I know it carries a risk of damaging the kidneys, but consider the benefits outweigh the risks.

I have not (yet) had to deal with anorexia, but find mine will always eat chicken. They prefer it raw, but cooked comes a close second. If she likes chicken I would feed thigh meat with some skin on rather than breast - it is higher in nutrients and the fatty skin ups the calories. Raw minced beef with an egg yolk is another possibility, and I have used dabs of cheap supermarket pate to get medicines into my cats before now!