Anorexia in the Cat ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

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Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution.

Anorexia in the Cat

What does it mean to be anorexic?

Anorexia is a term used to describe the situation where a cat loses his appetite and does not want to eat or is unable to eat. Appetite is psychological, dependent on memory and association, as compared with hunger, which is physiologically aroused by the body's need for food.

There are many causes of anorexia in cats. Often, a loss of appetite is the first indication of illness. Diseases of the digestive system (esophagus, stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas), kidneys, blood, eyes, mouth, nose, and throat, skin, brain, and many other organs in the body can cause a loss of appetite. Pain of any cause can also make a cat less willing to eat.

Alternatively, cats will occasionally refuse food for reasons that are much less serious, such as dislike for a new food, or behavioral reasons (new home, new animal or new person in household, etc.)

Regardless of cause, loss of appetite can have a serious impact on your cat's health if it lasts 24 hours or more. Very young animals (less than 6 months of age) are particularly prone to the problems brought on by loss of appetite.

What is the diagnosis?

Because of the numerous causes of anorexia, your veterinarian will recommend certain procedures to pinpoint the underlying problem. These may include:

Physical examination including buccal exam (looking at the gums), auscultation (listening with a stethoscope), abdominal palpation (feeling the size and shape of the organs in the belly), and taking the temperature and weight.
Complete blood panel and urinalysis (urine test), to screen for certain diseases of the internal organs.
Xrays of the chest and the abdomen.
Fecal examination (microscopic evaluation of the stool to look for parasites).
Additional tests, depending on initial test results.

What is the treatment?

Treatments are of two kinds: specific and supportive.

Specific treatments are those that deal with the underlying cause. That is, they either slow down or eliminate the problem that caused the loss of appetite in the first place. Examples of specific treatments that reverse loss of appetite include giving antibiotics to eliminate a severe bacterial infection, surgically removing a foreign object that was blocking the intestine, treating dental disease that made chewing painful, etc.

Supportive treatments are those that help sustain a cat that is debilitated as a result of not eating. Examples include fluid therapy such as intravenous fluids (IVs) or subcutaneous fluids (injections of fluid given under the skin), hand feeding or coaxing to eat, appetite-stimulating drugs, and others.

Supportive treatments do not reverse the problem that led to the loss of appetite. They simply help carry the cat through the most difficult part of the illness.

How do I provide home care for my cat?

Home care is concerned with observing your cat for possible reasons for his anorexia and helping him to eat.

Note whether any recent change has occurred in the home environment, such as a recent move to a new home, a new person in the home or the addition of a new pet? These may contribute to the loss of appetite and should be mentioned to your veterinarian.

Note whether any other symptoms are present. The presence of symptoms in addition to loss of appetite should prompt a veterinary examination sooner, rather than later.

To combat dehydration, some animals can benefit from being given oral rehydration supplements such as Pedialyte® under veterinary care. Ask your veterinarian whether this is appropriate and how much should be given.

Additional feeding techniques. If a cat is unwilling or unable to eat, feeding may be enhanced with certain techniques such as warming the food so it is easier for the cat to smell it, mixing in certain home-cooked ingredients specifically suggested by your veterinarian, or offering the food by hand or with an oral syringe. Any warmed food should be checked to make sure it is not too hot, which could scald the mouth or digestive system. This is particularly a concern when the food is warmed (unevenly) by microwave.

New foods. When therapeutic diets are prescribed for a certain medical condition, a cat may not eat that diet immediately. Mixing with the previous diet and gradually decreasing the amount of the prior diet over several days can be tried in order to avoid cutting the appetite completely.

Young animals (6 months or less) are particularly fragile when not eating, and loss of appetite for even 12 hours in a kitten of 1-6 weeks of age can be life threatening. Regular milk (i.e. cow's milk) is poorly balanced for cats, soft drinks (soda pop) and sport drinks are usually much too sweet and are deficient in electrolytes, and soup (e.g. chicken soup) is usually too salty and does not provide enough nutrients for energy. These infant animals may need to be fed a milk replacer by syringe if they have not yet been weaned; balanced milk replacers for cats are available. Oral rehydration solutions made for children are less well-balanced, but are still better alternatives than soda pop, chicken soup, etc. It is essential that you consult with your veterinarian to determine what to feed and to determine how much to give.

The following Illnesses or conditions are only a few that may result in anorexia in cats. Each link will open into a new window.

Asthma and Bronchitis
Cat Flu
Chronic Kidney Disease
Conjunctivitis
Cystitis
Diabetes
Diarrhea
Feline Hepatic Lipidosis
FUS (Feline Urinary Syndrome or FLUTD)
Hyperthyroidism
IBD
Liver Disease
Pancreatitis
Stomatitis
Vomiting

Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/anorexia.html

Resource References:
Much, much appreciation to Dr. Raymond Van Lienden, DVM of Clifton, VA USA for his extensive research in locating the material found on this page. Thank you, dear Doctor!

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