my cat refuses most of the food; lost weight
I thought I posted it yesterday, but don't see it appearing anywhere....
OK, my cat Vas'ka (neutered male, 17 year old, tuxedo cat), has been progressively refusing all sorts of food, yet he feels hungry and keep asking for food... He's lost 6 pounds withing a year (14 down to 8 now). He lost his front teeth (and we suspect his vision and smell sense got worse too). We tried dry food, soft (canned) food, high-caloric gel, all kinds of treats, baby food, tiny chopped pieces of raw chicken, etc -- step by step he stopped eating any of that. With some canned food he would just lick out the liquid part and leave the rest untouched. He is terribly hungry and keep crying for food, but cannot handle any of it... I took him to the vet a few days ago; they made a blood test, here is the "nothing burger" result: "Overall, no major issues were identified. He may have some very, very early kidney changes happening and shows evidence on the CBC test for stress, but overall, the biochemical tests were normal. In a cat that is otherwise healthy, this would be great news. In a cat, like Vasia, who has lost a great deal of weight, it just means that whatever is causing the weight loss is not going to be easy to identify. I would suspect dental disease may play a role, but even then, I think we are missing something aggressive, like cancer. We should do some additional testing to try to find the answer. X-rays (about $***) or ultrasound (About $***) may be recommended as the next step." No advice about food; and no clear idea of possible course of action following the result of those tests. Most likely something drastic, like surgery. The costs of the new tests, although they are pricey, are not the issue; I'd do that. My issue with all that is -- is worth to subject Vas'ka to pain and dismal life quality for the rest of his remaining life which would be most likely not very long anyway? Please share your thoughts, advice, or experience... And any ideas about a possible different food we perhaps missed... Great thanks! -- Alwood |
my cat refuses most of the food; lost weight
Alwood wrote:
I thought I posted it yesterday, but don't see it appearing anywhere.... OK, my cat Vas'ka (neutered male, 17 year old, tuxedo cat), has been progressively refusing all sorts of food, yet he feels hungry and keep asking for food... He's lost 6 pounds withing a year (14 down to 8 now). He lost his front teeth (and we suspect his vision and smell sense got worse too). We tried dry food, soft (canned) food, high-caloric gel, all kinds of treats, baby food, tiny chopped pieces of raw chicken, etc -- step by step he stopped eating any of that. With some canned food he would just lick out the liquid part and leave the rest untouched. He is terribly hungry and keep crying for food, but cannot handle any of it... I took him to the vet a few days ago; they made a blood test, here is the "nothing burger" result: "Overall, no major issues were identified. He may have some very, very early kidney changes happening and shows evidence on the CBC test for stress, but overall, the biochemical tests were normal. In a cat that is otherwise healthy, this would be great news. In a cat, like Vasia, who has lost a great deal of weight, it just means that whatever is causing the weight loss is not going to be easy to identify. I would suspect dental disease may play a role, but even then, I think we are missing something aggressive, like cancer. We should do some additional testing to try to find the answer. X-rays (about $***) or ultrasound (About $***) may be recommended as the next step." No advice about food; and no clear idea of possible course of action following the result of those tests. Most likely something drastic, like surgery. The costs of the new tests, although they are pricey, are not the issue; I'd do that. My issue with all that is -- is worth to subject Vas'ka to pain and dismal life quality for the rest of his remaining life which would be most likely not very long anyway? Please share your thoughts, advice, or experience... And any ideas about a possible different food we perhaps missed... I am sure you know that you cannot just change a cat's diet overnight. So that makes the situation even more difficult. You can euthanize him. Personally, given my situation, I would consider all of the other cats that need help. Some of them in the area do not have an eating disorder but do not have enough food and they are in need of basic things. The one time I had a beloved cat euthanized, it was instantaneous. It could not have appeared to be less painful. I still wonder how it can happen that quickly. But some people have other experiences. I had no interest in holding her, I wanted her to have every possible chance of things going well, so I refused and let the vet tech hold her. I suppose making sure a real vet does the injection is a good idea. |
my cat refuses most of the food; lost weight
a) Tooth loss: Painful in and of itself. Chewing anything will be an agony. You can do nothing about it at this point.
b) Severe weight-loss (Catabolisim): Nerve pain, tremors, muscle pain. Short of force-feeding, there is nothing you can do about this, either. 17 years is a very good run for a cat that has had sketchy vet services, and a moderate run for a cat that has had excellent care-and-feeding. You have no guilt here, at all. Give the cat a soft landing, mourn his passing, and move on. He will thank you for it! |
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my cat refuses most of the food; lost weight
As long as he maintains a steady weight, and is responsive, go with it. I am sure you are aware how well animals mask pain, and if this decline has been gradual, you might miss this. Make this his time, and make him feel loved.
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