What's wrong with my cat?
I have an elderly cat. A couple of years ago, he suddenly got very ill. Several vet visits later he was diagnosed with a thyroid problem and was started on medicine. He has been fine until recently, when he stopped eating. Unable to afford more vet visits, we started force feeding him using watered down cat food and syringes. He is acting normally, other than not eating and not doing much grooming. He pees and poops in his box like he always has. He still begs for table food, and will sometimes eat things he likes; namely chicken, lunchmeat, or fish so there isn't a problem with his ability to eat. He is also addicted to kitty milk now, drinking about a box a day. Does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong with him, or how I can get him to start eating solid foods on his own? Thanks in advance for any help.
User Comments
- If you cannot afford to take your cat to your regular vet, can you at least call them for their advice? Only a vet can diagnose what is wrong with your cat, and it might be dangerous for the cat if you don't have him checked out. I appreciate that the cost is the problem, but would your vet come to some arrangement whereby you could work out a payment plan? Or are there any animal welfare charities in your area who don't charge for their veterinarian services or maybe contribute towards the cost.
Good luck, I hope all goes well for you and your cat.
- My best guess would be that your cat is not getting enough nutrients from his dry food. There could of course be some medical problem and you should at least make a phone call to your vet for advice. There are several veterinary practices that will go by your income for less fortunate people and they are wonderful caregivers for your pets. But simply guessing your cat may have a nutrient deficient diet and needs more vitamins and proteins and minerals. It could also be that he has developed a toothache and or his teeth may be rotting out as many cats teeth do when they reach ripe old ages like yours. What I would suggest is to feed him moist canned cat food mixed with the kitty milk to help him want to eat it. this is a stressful thing to deal with for the both of you but I am sure that if you give him softer foods that he will eat his own food again and not try to steal yours. There is also the fact that he may be spoiled to human food and has simply developed a preference for it...Not a big deal there are many sites out there that offer cooking recipes for cats and dogs due to the lack of nutrition in store bought cat foods these days. Good Luck and blessed be.