My cat, who used to eat well, no longer does. She is 14 yrs old. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Get her to a vet ASAP and have her checked out.

Answer 2

You haven't mentioned how long this has been going on.

TO THE VET! Cats, unlike dogs or people, cannot fast. They can develop hepatic lipidosis which can kill them. There can be many reasons why she is not eating. Usually it's constipation. Cats are smart and know not to put more in if none is coming out. Or she could have kidney failure, or cancer, or an ulcer, or a problem with her teeth! When was the last time you had her teeth cleaned by a vet?! Better get her in right away.

Answer 3

Has she lost weight? That is often a sign of thyroid disease, and yes, it can be treated. She may also be losing some of her sense of smell, and if she cannot smell well, she loses interest in her food.

A 'senior' blood profile is recommended for a cat of her age, but that can also be a bit pricey. But I hope you would feel she is worth it, having given love for all those years.

Have you checked her teeth? Inflamed gums can make eating painful. Again, your vet can help here, and a thorough teeth cleaning, if needed, can make your 14 year old seem more like a kitten.

You could try the sense of smell first, and that usually involves adding some baby food (NO onions or garlic containing, however) or other strong scented food to her regular food to see if it improves her appetite.

Answer 4

Is she eating at all? If she is, but not as much, try giving her some food with catnip dusted on it to see if she will eat - or give her some treats - like turkey, shrimp, whatever she likes. If she does eat these, she might just be getting older and not eating as much.

HOWEVER - if she has shown a marked loss of appetite, or if she has stopped eating (or hardly eats), you should get her to a vet IMMEDIATELY - make sure she gets a scan of her abdomen, as I had a kitty who just passed because of a mass in his abdomen. I'm not trying to worry you, but he had showed a major appetite decrease, and I took him to the vet about it - they gave him a number of tests and found nothing. Less than a month later, he didn't improve, and lost some of his motor function (misjudged jumps from the bed, etc.) and I took him back right away - unfortunately, he was dehydrated from his refusal to eat (and had to be admitted to the hospital), and while there, the vet found a large mass in his abdomen that left me no choice but to put him to sleep. I can't tell you how serious this kind of issue can be, as illustrated by what happened to my little boy. Make sure to get your girl checked out asap.

Answer 5

Aw poor kitty! Take her to the vet asap before her condition worsens. My 14 year old cat died from kidney disease and while she was battling it, she had no appetite. So it may be like he person above me said that it could be an organ problem of some sort. And these things can progress very quickly so the sooner you get her to the vet to determine what's wrong, the more time you have to heal whatever the problem is before it's too late. I hope she's okay!!!

Answer 6

I do have two suggestions.

1) Feed her a senior cat formula of some sort, if you don't already. She is an old kitty and may have a sensitive tummy.

2) Take her for a check up and make sure she doesn't have something like diabetes or- a number of other conditions.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Senior cats have different nutritional needs from younger cats. Hill's Science Diet makes cat foods that are designed to fill their nutritional needs and are more palatable to older cats (cats become more finicky as they get older because they don't taste foods as much, as humans do). Look for the Senior Foods (age 7+). You may also want to tempt her by adding more fats to her diet (let her lick a little butter from your finger or add some to her dry food). Cats need more fat than dogs and this may stimulate her to eat more. I have had very good luck with Science Diet with several elder cats. Good Luck!

Answer 8

I'm going to tell you what you've already heard...I hope that the repetition hits home with you. Get her to her vet. She's in the geriatric age range. She's vulnerable to all kinds of ills. Get a vet to work with you to make her life enjoyable and healthy. If she's not eating well, she'll go down fast. Get on this now and take care of your baby. Good luck, sweetie!

Answer 9

Lack of appetitie can also indicate Nutritional deficiencies such as Vitamins and Minerals.

I'd put her on a good Liquid or tablet MultiVitamin Mineral for cats and try this for about 1 month.
The B-complex in the vits aids appetite.

The Nutrients also help her digestion. " )

Answer 10

The older a cat the less they want to eat. There are brands of cat food that go with the vitality of the cat. If this is not for you i would go and have the cat checked out for tapeworms, or any illness they may have

Answer 11

A sign of illness. Take the cat to the vet.