Why won't my 10-year-old cat eat dry food, lost weight, and meows?

It is pretty likely that he has a tooth ache, has severe gingivitis or other problems in his mouth that make eating hard dry food difficult, so he will not eat enough to satisfy his hunger. Keep giving him more wet food and schedule an appointment with your vet for a dental exam. Older kitties often have dental problems and eating with a tooth ache is horrible.

Lil'Bit may be having some dental problems so eating dry food may be painful. I do not like an elderly cat to lose weight. Increase her wet food so she maintains a normal weight. I recommend a senior exam where they will check her teeth, heart and lungs and do screening blood work and a urinalysis. Then you'll know if there is underlying kidney disease or if the weight loss is due to her being hyperthyroid. There are a lot of medical issues in senior animals that are easily managed once they are diagnosed. Treating any medical problems now will improve the length and quality of her life. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Lil'Bit.

You may want to look at his teeth, especially his molars (cheek teeth). Mikkel may have a lot of tartar on his teeth and severe inflammation of his gums which then hurt when he eats dry food. If you see brown concrements on his teeth, then he should be seen by a veterinarian and get his teeth cleaned under anesthesia. There is no need to have a tooth ache, and the bacteria in tartar can actually cause heart and kidney problems.

If she is generally fussy, I wouldn't be too concerned that she has stopped eating her wet food as long as she's eating her dry cat food. It's very important that she eats, and it may be that if you've given her a different flavor of Whiskas, she simply doesn't like it and doesn't want to eat it. If she does stop eating food altogether, then I would be worried and I would have her seen by a vet.

IF she isn't eating properly and losing weight, there is definitely something wrong with her, if she eats the wet food with great appetite, then the dry food must be the issue and that could be either due to a teeth disease or a partial GI blockage. either way you need to take her to the vet ASAP, she will need to be checked, especially her mouth, if nothing unusual is found during the physical examination the next step will be a blood test to try and find out what is wrong.

It could simply be that swallowing the dry food is a little rougher on her throat and she is tender and thus not meowing as forcefully. Potentially she could have something going on that is causing the signs such as an infection or mass in the throat, however I doubt it is anything too serious. It would be best to have her examined by a vet to ensure there is nothing further going on.

Good Afternoon...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I empathize with your struggle and Munchkin's picky diet. I certainly do not want to cause alarm, but many times cats will become "picky eaters" for many other reasons other than their teeth. As a veterinarian, this symptom always give me pause. Cats with dental issues still usually have a normal appetite, even with a bad tooth - they will still eat. There are many other conditions which can cause an older kitty to change their eating habits and influenced "what tastes good to them" - conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (even with no other GI symptoms), kidney disease, liver disease, and many types of cancers (that can be within any organ of the body...) can cause an older kitty to change their appetite preferences. I would want to know if Munchkin is maintaining her weight, or has she lost weight? If she has lost weight, this is also more concerning. I would recommend you monitor her weight very closely - if she is maintaining (and has not lost weight within the past 6-12 months...). You may want to consider a visit to your veterinarian for additional diagnostics including a full senior bloodwork/urine profile, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs to ensure nothing more sinister may be going on. I hope this helps, good luck!