Cat has stopped eating at home

M
Mesamoursdechats Icon representing the flag French
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Hi everyone,

I posted yesterday in the 'understanding your cat' section, but I think this board might be more appropriate. I'm posting here out of sheer desperation. My 6-year-old sweetheart has kidney disease (CKD). We knew about it when we adopted her. Her last check-up in February was good, and we thought everything would be fine with renal dry food and regular monitoring. But at the end of May, after noticing she’d been peeing outside her litter tray for a few days, I called the vet. After some blood tests, her levels were up and she had to be put on a drip. She came home on Wednesday evening and was being very sweet. She wasn't eating, but I put that down to her just getting out of the hospital. The next day, I thought I saw her going towards her bowls; she seemed okay. I'd asked the vet if it was okay for me to go away for 48 hours, and she said it would be fine. When I got back on Sunday, I noticed they (I have two cats) hadn't eaten much. And by the next day, my girl still wasn't eating. Days went by with calls to the clinic, where they told me there’s a medication to help with her appetite, Cerenia. I gave it to her, but nothing worked. By Tuesday, in a total state of despair as she was barely picking at her food, I took her back to the clinic. Her urea and creatinine levels had skyrocketed—creatinine went from 28 to 136 and her urea was at 2g. She was admitted to the hospital. I asked to visit her in the evenings and, while on the drip, she was the same little sweetheart we love so much—cuddly, vocal, and she was eating! From Tuesday to Friday, her levels dropped by half and her clinical exam was good. We decided to start home fluids twice a week, and I was so happy to bring her back.

Translated from French
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2 answers
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    • C
    Cartésienne Icon representing the flag French
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    This isn't really the right section for this as your cat is very ill, even if he seems to be going about his business like any other cat.

    Cats are experts at compensating, and when they reach their limit, they go downhill very suddenly. Things can take a turn for the worse incredibly quickly, and many owners end up feeling guilty, wondering "how did I not see this coming?"

    The vet must have given her an injection as well as the appetite stimulant tablet; that’s why she ate while she was there.

    I don’t know much about CKD, but I hope others can offer you some support.

    There’s not much you can do to force the issue; a cat will only eat when they feel like it. Best of luck.

    Translated from French
    M
    Mesamoursdechats Icon representing the flag French
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    (Continued..) But once we got home, she refused to eat. From Friday to Monday, she barely touched her food. I took her back this morning and they told me there’s only one option left: some medication (like Gaviscon) because cats with kidney issues get heartburn and acid reflux. And if she doesn't eat by Wednesday, we'll have to talk about putting her to sleep because she isn't eating and her urea levels must be making her feel too sick to eat.

    But then, out of the blue, she ate the wet food at the clinic... The vet decided to give me a tin to see if she’d get her appetite back with this stuff that's meant to be really palatable (Hills a/d). I get home, offer it to her, and she wants nothing to do with it. She eventually ate a tiny bit of the wet food during the day. But she is drinking.

    I saw there’s a drug called Mirtazapine, so I’ve just asked the vet for it and given my sweet girl a quarter of a tablet, but I don’t know how long it takes to kick in (if it even works...). I gave it to her about an hour ago but she’s just sleeping now.

    Has anyone else been through this? Refusing food at home but eating at the vet's? Is there any way to change this? I’m so upset, she doesn’t act like a cat at the end of her life. She’s up and about, going out on the balcony, and she’s still got some energy despite not eating. It really surprises me, but how do I get her interested in food again?? I’m lost and desperate...

    Thanks for any help you can give... otherwise I’ll have to face the worst by the end of the week if I can’t find a solution.

    Translated from French

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