Question:
Hi,
I've had my blue smoke persian since I was just a little boy, she's now 17 years old. Over the past few months she has been eating less and losing weight. Then, about a week ago, she stopped eating all together. I bought some other brands of food, dry and canned, I made chicken and rice, ground beef and rice, and I even tried giving her some milk, just to get something in her stomach. She has always been very lively and active, even up to the last week and a half.
I took her to the vet on Friday. He said she had a bad tooth and recommended extraction. While at the vet, she was very lively, roaming around the room and sniffing everything out. I picked her up later that day, she was all drugged up, and she didn't want much to do with anything. Later that night she ate a little bit of dry Iams food. She wouldn't eat anything the next day. I went to the grocery store and got her a pack of Greenies, her favorite treat. She ate a few of them, but now she just turns away from them.
The vet returned my call this morning, and recommended that I force feed her a supplement called Dyne. I've been using a 1cc syringe and forcing her to eat this stuff. She acts very distant, like she doesn't know what to do. For instance, she is right now standing in front of her water bowl, just staring into the water. She's very weak, but she is able to get up and move around the house.
I don't know what else to do. I can't afford to have her back in to see the vet again. It seems like she just has no appetite, and if she would just eat the food, she would be better. My vet said that a cat with a bad tooth, who stops eating for a period of time, could have a problem returning to normal eating habits even after the problem is corrected. How can I make this cat eat food on her own again? Will she eventually just start eating if I keep force feeding her?
edit: was going through photos, found this one and thought it would be appreciated.

Answer:
Did the vet do any blood work or other tests, somehow I suspect there may be more to this than just the bad tooth.
Definitely keep giving her the supplement. I'd also try giving her a high quality wet food (Wellness, Merrick, Natural Balance, Prairie, etc.) instead of dry...much easier to eat with a sore mouth.
Is/was she overweight? If she wasn't eating enough for a long period of time, she may have gone into Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver). It's very difficult to get cats in this condition eating again. If you can't get her eating by tomorrow I think she really needs to get back to the vet.
Onyx & Callie May forever in my heart.
Answer:
I second what doodlebug said.
Good luck.
Answer:
have you offered any of the softer foods? With a tooth cleaning/extraction she'll probably be sore. Is she on pain medication? They can make them act differently too (my wonderful sweet kitty hid under the bed for two days until I stopped the pain meds, then he was perfectly normal).
I wonder about the bloodwork as well - I'd hope they would do screenings on a 17 year old cat before anesthesia!
Have you called the vet? They could at least point you in the right direction without necessarily charging you to see the cat again (though some might insist you bring her in anyway).
Keep forcing her to eat. Try canned or other soft foods as well. Whatever you can get in her is good at this point and if she still doesn't perk up, definately go back to the vet.
Jessie
"There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast."
Answer:
Yeah, I've been trying to feed her canned foods, as well as making all kinds of things in the kitchen. I tried to feed her some Iams dried food with water, heated in the microwave. I had good luck with that one time before, when she was spayed and wouldn't eat anything. She won't eat anything on her own. This Dyne stuff, I suppose it is sweet, and she will kind of lick the syringe when I'm trying to feed it to her, but that is about the most eating she does on her own. She isn't vomiting anymore. Earlier this morning she had been vomiting foamy stuff, my vet said that was because she had not been eating. I'm really hoping that by tomorrow she is feeling better and will at least attempt to eat something on her own. I'm not really sure how I can force her to eat canned food. Should I just mix it with water and syringe it into her?
I just can't believe how quickly she went downhill. One day she was fine, she was eating, and then the next day she barely ate, and just hid in a basket in a closet all day long. Then it worsened from there. I must have spent 40 dollars on different kinds of food trying to get her to eat.
Answer:
I just wanted to let everyone know, Misty passed Tuesday morning. I had made an appointment for 8am Tuesday to see the vet. Monday night she took a turn for the worse, and I just knew she wouldn't make it to the appointment in the morning. Thanks for your replies.
Answer:
I'm so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose a kitty. She was well loved and cared for by you, she knows that you did your best for her.
When older kitties go downhill, sometimes we can't stop the momentum. I lost my Siamese/Tabby when she was 19. She went downhill quickly, like Misty.
Heidi
I have the ability of single-minded determination and focu... Hey look, a cat!
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I am so sorry for your loss.
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Whoa, I am so, so sorry to hear about Misty's passing. A cat that lives for 17 years is a cat that was loved, pampered and looked after, and I'm sure that her life with you was a life that she enjoyed a great deal. To spend an entire lifetime with someone you love is the most that any of us can hope for, and she had all that with you.
I'm going to move this thread to "Over the Rainbow Bridge", a forum to honor and remember those close to us that have passed on.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
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I am so sorry for your loss.
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I am so very sorry you lost your Misty. She was such a lovely looking baby, and your love for her shines through your words. May God bless you and comfort you. I believe you will see Misty again. For now, just know that she will live forever in your heart.
Jeanie
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem. ~JB
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I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. You had so many years together. I hope Misty's happy memories warm your hurt over time.
BOKAHA
Answer:
sorry about your loss. I went through the same thing a few years ago with my Riley, he lost over half of his body weight in 1 month and wouldnt eat or drink anything, he would sit out by the swimming pool staring into the water. The vet said he had chronic wasting disease and his kidneys had shut down. I was devasted, so I feel your pain. Hopefully you are doing better.