my cat will not eat

[Phoenix177]

my 12yr cat, Simba, will not eat. He has a rotten molar and will see the vet this wed. I've watered his dry food down I've even watered down canned food. he'll eat some then meow and paw at his mouth. I know he's hungry and in pain. anyone have any ideas to get him to eat?

[zodiacqueen]

I was wondering how Simba's been doing!!  It sounds like things are really looking up....I am really happy to hear that!  BTW, if that tumor is healing then it's a very good chance that it's NOT cancer.  Sores that are from cancerous tumors do not heal, but they get bigger and bleed.  That is good news that it's healing.  Just to be safe, you could always get a biopsy.  Is the vet able to remove it?  I'd probably ask about that.

LMAO, you've got a dog named Chokotay!!  =D  You had to have gotten that name off of Star Trek!!  He was such a freaking hottie.  Yummy!  Didn't you think so???  Not sure if you know this, but MedHelp has a doggy forum you might be interested in visiting.  I don't know much at all about doggies.  There are some members on the kitty forum that have both dogs and cats, and they know much more than I do about dogs.

Good luck.  I am so very happy that Simba's doing so much better.  You're a wonderful mom!!!!

[Phoenix177]

:) good news, Simba's mouth is healing. he's gained weight (1/4 lb) and acting for the most part normal. the vet was relieved when he looked at Simba. he does have a tumor (10% chance of it being cancer), but its getting smaller and healing. Simba will have to be on antibotic for the rest of his life. the vet didn't even charge me for looking at Simba.

I took my dog, Chokotay, in for shots. I feel sorry for the vet, Chokotay was so nerviuos he was peeing all over the place and I haven't seen him droll that mach unless he's begging for food. the vet had a table that elevated up, this was Chokotay's 1st time going on one of these.  it only cost me $20 for the shots. When we got home, Simba got some food and Chokotay got a bone (he'll get a bath this afternoon)

[zodiacqueen]

OH, I am sorry to hear this!!!!  =[  The not knowing for sure what's going on stuff is very stressful!  Maybe they can do a biopsy so you can get the facts.  I know exactly how frustrating and stressful this is......GOD, I can't even tell you how many times I've dealt with this in my own cats.  Stay positive and don't (try not to) freak out too much, yet.  This could very well still be an infection, so keep a good attitude.  If you do feel extra stressed, try not to handle Simba until you can calm down.  Cats really pick up on our feelings when we're sad, anxious, angry, etc.  That will stress him out if he senses that you're stressed.

I will keep you both in my prayers.  I'm wishing you guys the very best!!  =D  If you need some extra support, feel free to send me a PM.  I'm glad to help!!!!!

[Phoenix177]

I took Simba to the vet today. the good news; Simba's rotten canine was saved for free.
the vet looked for rotten anything (tooth, fox-tail, etc) in the back of Simba's mouth where that sore is. didn't find anything, so took a x-ray. the vet called me, he found a tumor and Simba has a 50% chance of it being cancer or its a really nasty infection. it's not bone cancer which is very good. Simba still gets the amoxicillin. Simba ate 3 1/2 baby food jars, and a bowl of chicken broth when I got him home. He gained some weight since last week.
I'm a mess. I keep switching from crying to very angry or confused. the vet and I are hoping that this is a big infection.

Simba goes back next week. the vet wants to keep an eye on him.

[zodiacqueen]

That's great to hear!!  It sounds like he's improved a lot.  He'll feel so much better once those nasty teeth are gone.

I wish you the best!  =D

[Phoenix177]

most of the rotten teeth are going to be removed next week. She's going to try to save Simba's upper canine.

Simba seems a little better since he got that shot, he's trying to taking baths. I've been wiping him down with a damp cloth then dry him. he not meowing in pain as much and is more loving/social in the last month.

[zodiacqueen]

WOW.  What an awesome update!!!  Thank God that you switched vets!!  This new vet sounds like he knows what he's doing.  Anyway, I can't believe your original vet missed the rotten teeth!!!  I don't blame you one bit for switching.

I bet Simba will be back to normal in no time!!  Are they going to remove the bad teeth?

[Phoenix177]

Simba will only eat baby food if I spoon feed him and will only drink water if I add a little milk. he's starting to gain a little weight back.

[Phoenix177]

Update

last week Simba was acting up, so I called the vet. She still insisted he has a canker sore and prescribed Clavamox (15Ml) and Prednislone (5mg). that set me back $39.65. my family has gone to this vet for over 20 yrs.

3 days ago, I noticed more swelling on his face. I called a different vet(who was highly recommended from a friend), Simba was in today. Simba has more then 1 rotten tooth and he will be back next week. Simba got a shot and some amoxicillin (2 cc 2x a day). she told me to stop Prednislone. all this for $30.

the vet treated me and my poor kitty with respect. She saw him 1/2hr early (I came early for paperwork). when she opened Simba's mouth he didn't screamed as loud and didn't hit her. the vet was able to keep his month open long enough to see inside, unlike Simba's old vet who maybe got a 5 -10sec look. I'm switching vets. It might be a long drive (at least 30 minutes one way) but its worth it. now I have to all the furballs their records and see who needs to get caught up on their shots.

[zodiacqueen]

You are very welcome!!  We love animals and love to help!!  I've gotten some great tips on here.  If you've got some, then please share them!!  =D  Tell Simba that I said Happy B'day!!!  That's great that he's eating again.  His mouth must be feeling better!  What a little piggie, eating 2 jars of food!!  LOL  I am very glad that he's eating and hope that he's back to normal soon!

[Phoenix177]

Today is Simba's 13th birthday and he gave me a present. He ate 2 jars of meat baby food and drank some milk. Thank you all for all the advice you gave me. I'm so happy he's eating. I fed him with a baby spoon, so he would take small bites. that took me back when he was skinny starving stay when I nursed him back to health.

I'll update later

Thanks again

[zodiacqueen]

Thanks for the update!  At least it wasn't a bad tooth!!  That's good!  Poor Simba-those canker sores really hurt!  I bet that as soon as the pain eases up and it starts to heal, Simba will start eating again.  I would do the chicken broth and baby food for a day or 2 just to keep something in her stomach.

Let us know how he's doing!  =D

[Phoenix177]

Simba got back from the vet a couple of hours ago, Simba doesn't have a rotten tooth, the vet thinks he has a huge canker sore. she opened his mouth and (poor) Simba screamed, jumped, and hide under a chair. the vet gave simba Dexamethasone SP and 0.45 Convenia. hopefully he'll feel better, eat something and stop glaring at me. I'm hoping this works or I just wasted $86.

[Phoenix177]

Thank you for all the advise. Simba drank some milk yesterday and this morning. he didn't drink/eat chicken broth or fish flavor, this is a 1st for Simba. I'm taking Simba to the vet this afternoon and he will most likely stay over night to get that tooth removed. he might also get a filling on his upper right canine, the gums are a little inflamed.poor kitty he hates going to the vet. I'd rather him be mad at me for a few days then watch him starve to death.

[PrettyKitty1]

Would you please, let us know how the vet visit went? I'm so sorry about Simba being sick. Try to feed him something liquid, and maybe add a little bit of fish flavor, if he likes fish flavor, of course. A liquid diet, for now at least, will also keep him hydrated and strong enough to last 'til Wednesday without any damage.

Good Luck with the kitty.

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, your best bet is to give him some baby food(turkey, ham, chicken, etc) and/or chicken broth.  This is what I give my cats when they won't eat.  They have to eat something-so I do what works!  Try this-cats love it!

Good luck!  Please come back with an update!

[turkee23]

so sad.....im sorry for him... im sure its just his tooth that is really hurting him.... did you try and eye dropper and some milk anything??...even gatorade cause it has vitiamins in it..... poor kitty needs to eat something....