Feb 13, 2015
What to Do When Your Cat Won’t Eat
People joke about cats and their bad eating habits, but in reality is a serious problem if your cat does not eat.
Although the refusal to eat is disturbing for all animals, it can be more dangerous for cats.
When animals do not eat enough, having to rely on its fat stores for energy. Before stored fat can be used as a fuel to be processed by the liver. This step requires an adequate supply of proteins.
With the rapid weight loss in a cat stops eating, protein sources are poorly drained and liver is overwhelmed by all the fat. This results in a dangerous situation called fatty liver, which can lead to liver failure.
The loss of a cat appetite often indicates the disease, so you should consult your veterinarian as soon as you notice a change in eating habits of your cat. The faster you answer the problem, the more you'll be able to do something to help.
Why your cat does not eat
Diseases. Loss of appetite is an important indicator that something is wrong. So be sure to pay attention if your cat suddenly stops eating. A number of different conditions may be responsible, including infections, kidney failure, pancreatitis, intestinal disorders and cancer. But it is not always serious - something as simple as a toothache can cause your cat to stop eating.
The recent vaccination. Have you noticed loss of appetite of your cat just after I took her to the vet for routine immunization? If so, why your cat does not eat can be an adverse reaction to vaccines. While vaccines have been millions of rescue animals, they do not cause side effects in some people. Loss of appetite is one of the most common of these side effects are usually transient and mild.
Travel and unfamiliar environment. Like many people, many cats are creatures of habit. Therefore, a change in current may cause loss of appetite. In addition, some animals feel bad when you travel by car or plane, which can cause nausea and lack of appetite.
Finickiness or psychological problems. If your vet has determined that your cat is not physically ill, and anxiety or depression could be the reason that your cat does not eat. The changes in the home can be irritating to sensitive cats, and sometimes new people or changes in family schedules can affect the emotional well-being of a cat. Or your cat could be demanding. Note that cats usually take a long time to adapt to new types of food, so that a recent change in diet may be to blame.
What you can do
If your cat is sick, anxious or just picky, remember that the total rejection of food can have devastating consequences. So even if you try to make your cat eats a doctor prescribed diet, do not starve your cat to eat certain foods.
If the disease is the reason that your cat does not eat, work with your veterinarian to design the best system for you and your pet. It can be a change in the type of food or consistency; some cats may be tempted to eat, offering canned food when ill. In the most extreme cases, veterinarians may prescribe drugs that act as appetite stimulants or recommend a baby syringe cat a liquid diet. Or veterinarian may recommend the establishment of a feeding tube to ensure adequate nutrition.
When the disease is not the culprit, there are things that you can try to encourage your cat to eat.
You may have discovered that certain foods like liver or canned tuna, can act as appetite stimulants for some cats. Remember that just offer these foods in small quantities. Large amounts can harm your pet, causing deficiencies or excess of certain vitamins.
Instead of relying on food people, try to encourage your cat to eat canned food business. You may find that heating the mixture in food or fish oil, broth or a boiled egg could encourage your cat to eat demanding. If your cat does not eat the food always be taken away and provide fresh foods later in the day. If food is left to harden and become obsolete, your cat can learn to avoid it in the future.
If your cat has eaten human food exclusively, be sure to stop your pet for several weeks, mixing all your favorite foods cat food. Over time, you should be able to change the report until your pet only eats cat food.
Many experts recommend to turn on the cat among different brands from two to four times per year using a similar technique. This practice can help reduce finickiness and also to minimize the development of food allergies and intestinal problems.