How to get my cat to eat and drink?

[Bela_A]

Several days ago on a Friday my 15 yr. old cat showed signs of being unwell and we took her straight to the vet.  He said she had a stomach infection and gave her injections of antibiotics and some brown "energy" goop for her to eat.  After she ate it she seemed to be more energetic.  That night we went out to dinner and when we came home she was laying in her cat box (it was clean) and was listless.  I'm in Germany and here you can get a vet come to your house at all hours of the night so we had one come and she noticed that Charlotte's pupils were very dilated and unresponsive.  So she injected her with fluid and we took her to a clinic that is open all night.  There they took blood tests but it was the weekend so we had to wait (3 nights and four days) to get the results which don't show any problems with her organs.  However, she hasn't eaten or drank water once at the clinic so they have her on an IV drip.  This must be because she is stressed out -- she is not used to other animals and is an older, indoor cat.  We are planning to take her home tonight but I'm very worried she won't eat or drink here for a while either.  Is there anything I can do once she is home that might help get her to eat or drink?

[April2]

I think you're going to have to ask your vet about that one. It's really hard to get an animal to eat or drink if they don't want to. I don't know what to tell you. She may just be reaching her end stages. 15 is a pretty good age for a cat. I know you don't want to hear that. But when an animal is dying, they will stop eating and drinking. I hope that's not the case with you. I hope she will bounce back. You can try a syringe with water in it and give her little squirts in her mouth, if you want. Ask your vet about the food, though. Maybe they can give you that "goop" that you said worked the first time. I hope she gets better. Best wishes.

[Savas]

Pick up KMR milk Replacer 2nd stage or whatever is the equivalent product you can get in the pet store, as well as an oral feeding syringe. Follow the instructions on the box. As far as oral feeding, press gently but firmly at the back of the jaw in the hollow socket to force the teeth apart and place the syringe at the base of the tongue (qalternately, sometimes squirting a few drops on the teeth will start the reflexive chewing motion to give you access).

This should keep kitty going and be quite healthy nutrient wise until she starts hopefully eating again.

[omegacat]

Sounds like it might be renal failure - pretty common in older cats.  Five years ago my cat (who was then 13) was given 4 weeks to 4 years for renal failure - he is now 18 and doing well.

You can have your vet show you how to give subcutaneous fluids; it is really quite easy and my cat accepts it quite well.  It keeps him hydrated.  Also, if they stop eating, you can give an appetite stimulant and/or feed with a syringe by putting small amounts in their mouth and then letting them swallow.  (Don't force it down their throats).  After a few days, they will start eating on their own again.  Also, feed often.

These procedures have worked well for my cat - but as I said, he has renal failure.  If your cat has another diagnosis, these things may not work.

But, don't just give up without knowing exactly what you are dealing with - your vet can tell by blood tests if it is renal failure.  

I know that every day I treat my cat as if it might be his last, and I must say, it has worked well for him and for me.

Wishing you all the best.  

[fae1285]

I found some ideas on another sight that are supposed to entice cats to eat. I haven't tried them yet, but I plan to tonight.
-Try water flavored with sodium free chicken broth
-warm up a small amount of canned food
-warm up canned food then mix a bit of warm water into it, until it forms a sort of gruel
-human baby food (plain meat flavors)
-tuna (not the best but if it is all that works it is okay)
-Smelly cat food such as Fancy feast seafood flavors
-add tuna juice from the albacore tuna to their normal food
-kitty kaviar (it supposed to unresistable to even sick cats)
-the last option is to force feed the cat with a dropper. But you have to be careful because it can cause the cat to choke and soffocate.

The other sight said that sick and old cats have trouble smelling so sometimes they cant tell that what you're offering them is actually food. In these cases the more smelly the food the more likely they are to recognize it as food. Also, if your cat isn't drinking water a good option is to drain the water from a can of tuna and let your cat drink that. The cat may be more likely to drink if the water is flavored.