Does the ‘leave food out until they eat’ work?

[fjm]

Unfortunately not, although I find Tilly does eat more if I leave it out for a few hours. Have you tried the digestive pastes? They have helped Poppy's tricky tum - I am currently using the Logic one, but one of the meat flavoured ones like Pro-kolin may be easier to squirt into a cat (although Pippin does not object too much to the sweet ones). The other magic cure is Metrobactin (metronidazole), but that is really only for short term, intermittent use. My vet explained that with one thing and another Poppy's internal flora and flora is probably completely upset, on top of her other problems, so I have added canned pumpkin to her diet. That is unlikely to work for you, unfortunately... It is also only available occasionally in the UK, but worth grabbing a stock when you see it if your animals can be persuaded to eat it.

[Mollycat]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the food itself but in answer to your direct question, don't.

When cats starve themselves they are at risk of a very dangerous condition called hepatic lipidosis, commonly fatty liver. This can very quickly become life-threatening or at least traumatic and expensive in a matter of days, and plump puddings are at most risk from it.

Squitty poop on the other hand risks dehydration and discomfort, but isn't immediately life-threatening except in young kittens. Obviously you do need to get on top of it but it just isn't the same level of emergency as fatty liver disease. Long term squits as food moves too fast through the system can result in deficiencies including potassium and B12 that starts a vicious cycle as they help regulate digestion. The deficiency worsens the problem and so on.

My vet suggested Cobalaplex, multi vitamins with the accent on B12 (Cobalamin) and/or some Flora-named mix of probiotics and prebiotics that unfortunately didn't agree with Boo's tummy either, but might be worth a shot as all cats are different.

It is very common for cats to go either immediately after or immediately before eating, something to do with stimulating the digestive tract making them hungry when they have pooped or realising they need to go because they are eating, I wouldn't take that as a sign of anything.

[fjm]

Pro-Kolin is only a tenner for the small tube from PaH, although you may need to order in advance, and it's cheaper from some other online sites. I have found the paste useful stuff to have to hand. I got Vetzyme B plus E tablets for Poppy to plug gaps in the home made hepatic diet I worked out for her when she stopped eating the canned hepatic food - they are not expensive and half a tablet a day would be enough. If the cats will eat them, of course! Liver is also a good source of B vitamins, if it is allowed, although it is also prone to causing the squits. A teaspoonful of raw beef liver is about enough to cover a cat's daily needs, and it is the one thing Tilly begged for even at her most anorexic. It seems to be contraindicated for animals with liver disease, though, hence the search for a supplement.

B12 in particular does seem to help with appetite, so may be well worth exploring.

[Mollycat]

The issue with beef liver is it's especially rich in vitamin A which can cause liver issues in cats if severely overdosed on it.