on-again, off-again eating

[Alice_in_VA]

Hi people! This is my first time at this site. I discovered it while researching what could possibly by going on with one of my cats. His name is Mingo, and he's 11 years old. He's been quite healthy, but for the past few months he'll eat well for several days, then go anywhere from 1 to 3 days hardly touching any food. I've taken him to a vet who's run tests, but so far nothing is positive. This past summer he wasn't eating well at all, but luckily I found out by accident that he had 2 bad teeth which were pulled. He ate much better after that, but now he's doing this on-again off-again pattern, and has lost half a pound. He only weighs about 8 pounds now. Nothing has changed in his life. Oh, he also vomits about once a week quite regularly. I've tried a digestive enzyme but it doesn't seem to help. Can anyone help me identify this?

[garrettmarvel]

There are so many things that could be wrong with the poor kitty that it will most likely only be solved when you go to the vet. Are his gums or inside of his ears yellow? That could be liver issues....I've seen that before when cats stop eating...Also, super important that he isn't dehydrated so I would at least switch kitty to wet food where there is more moisture...dry food isn't good for cats but especially older cats w health problems. Good luck! Let us know!

[KittyCatLover23]

I had a cat with a stomach issue that when undiagnosed for a month. She was puking, refusing her favorites foods, and would only pick at her dry. She lost a lot of weight. I took her to the vet twice a week till finally the doc put her on some pills for parasites. Turns out she had parasites in her belly. Can't recall the name of the parasite but they were eating at her stomach lining.

[opus88]

I am wondering if the Vet ruled out constipation issues like Pip suggested? this can come and go and affect appetite greatly,
AND or a HAIRBALL  this can cause terrible tummy upsets. Do you give your kitty hairball remedy regularly?

what is his diet? have you tried changing to a good wet GRAIN FREE food?

Does he have GAS? than it can be a digestive issue causing an upset tummy and for that there is a great probiotic/digestive enzyme,I don't know which one you tried but this is the best, it comes in powder form and need just a pinch in his food. I will give you a link to a very good one that is SAFE for cats...I use this one all the time and I order from iherb regularly

http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-Primal-Defense-Powder-HSO-Probiotic-Formula-81-g/3159

[Alice_in_VA]

Thank you for your comment, jane...What symptoms was your cat exhibiting when he had the stomach infection?

[Alice_in_VA]

Thank  you, CML. I thought about his teeth, but his eating pattern this time around is different from what it was when he did have bad teeth. Back then he didn't eat much at all, but now he eats well for several days then hardly at all for anywhere from 1 to 3 days. And this has been going on for several months now.

[janelovescats12]

Have you considered taking her to another vet to get examined? y cat was having issues year ago with his stomach but the vet insisting he was fine. I knew something wasn't okay so I took him to another vet and came to find out he has a bad stomach infection.

[Piparskeggr]

Our Miss Teia was not eating for a few days towards the end of October, vet needed to give her an enema to clear her stoppage, was a huge hairball.

Her appetite has returned to normal as has her poop frequency.

[CML2014]

Hi Alice,

I agree with ZQ, but would like you to take another look at the teeth, Sometimes vets do not remove the roots and this will cause continued pain. Please ask for x-rays to prove the roots have been removed. There could also be some other teeth in need of removal. Dental disease in elderly cats is very common and painful.

[Alice_in_VA]

Thank you Zodiacqueen! I was rather wondering if constipation would affect his appetite since his eating problem seems to be related. But since I have 2 cats, I can't always tell their poop apart. I'm currently waiting for the results of a pancreatitis test, but somehow I sense that it may be GI-related. And thank you for suggesting an appetite stimulant. I hadn't thought of that.

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, welcome to our cat community!!  At 11 yrs old, there could be a few things going on that could cause Mingo to lose his appetite. Kidney issues-checked with blood work, pancreatitis-also blood work, more bad teeth, and believe it or not, constipation. I had a senior kitty that wasn't pooping regularly and it did affect her appetite. My vet said that there should be 1 poop a day.

If the vet finds that Mingo has none of these issues going on, then it could be that his metabolism has slowed down with age(it happens to the best of us). And, if more than 2 days go by without him eating, contact your vet about an appetite stimulant because you don't want your cat to get feline hepatic lipidosis(fatty liver). This is very serious and can be deadly.

Good luck and please keep us posted!