Why is my cat not eating? Could it be low potassium or Addison's?

Hello, sorry to hear about Tony. A low potassium may be secondary to a decrease dietary intake. However, if Tony is on amlodipine, then this can cause a low potassium as well. If his kidney values are normal, then it is less likely that he has kidney disease. I would recommend continuing to monitor him and if he is otherwise eating, drinking, and acting normally then you may not need to pursue an abdominal ultrasound at this point. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I assume your vet is concerned about Addison's disease. This disease requires life-long medication, but they tend to live long and well with treatment. It's difficult to know how suspicious this is without evaluating the dog or records, but I wouldn't be too concerned until a diagnosis is made. Even then, it's not a terrible disease to live with when treated appropriately. For more information, I recommend you read the article at the link below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/addisons-disease-in-dogs-overview I hope that helps and all is well with Tony

Warming up the food often will entice cats to eat better. Be sure not to make it too hot. The heating of the food increases the smell and stimulates their olfactory system. I would try that. You can also try feeding some human organic baby food (meat flavors).

This can be fairly normal behavior for a cat with a decrease in appetite, and I would guess that Tony's kidney disease may be making him less interested in food. You could try a different variety of food, and you may want to buy several different flavors of the kidney diet. You can also scoop a smaller amount out onto a plate and refrigerate the rest so the food isn't wasted. If Tony seems to be losing weight and not eating much food you may also want to ask your vet about an appetite stimulant.

Your vet will likely recommend to recheck the potassium level within the next 2-4 days. By this point, the supplement should have taken effect. It is important to make sure the levels are normal. It's possible to low appetite is not related to the potassium level. If the levels are normal but his appetite is still low, then you know it's related to something else. I recommend to call your vet today and have Tony scheduled for the bloodwork. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Willow did not have her blood tested when she was in for her exam I would highly recommend having the vet pull a blood sample and check to see if she has any abnormal values. Kidney disease is something we quite commonly see in older cats and this certainly could be the cause of the vomiting / decreased appetite. The sooner her blood is tested the better and the faster you will know what is going on with her. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Any medication can cause an upset tummy. Personally I haven't had a cat develop diarrhea from it. I wonder if Tony's loose stool and decrease appetite has more to do with the underling illness is causing the low potassium in the first place. I would call your Vet and tell them what is going on with Tony in case they want to modify the plan. I hope this helps!