Why won't my senior cat eat and feels like something is stuck?

Persistent vomiting and refusal to eat is concerning, especially in an elderly pet where they may be weight loss or dehydration. Given the clear blood work i would be concerned about a possible obstruction, hairballs, tumours or a twisted bowel are all possible. Xrays may be recommended as well as tube feeding to maintain calorie intake until a diagnosis has been reached

I understand what you are saying. Unfortunately, if you have run blood tests and there is no evidence of kidney or liver disease, no evidence of any significant infectious disease, or any sort of electrolyte balance, the most likely cause for an extended period of inappetence and weight loss in an elderly cat is cancer. Specifically, the cancer is usually gastrointestinal lymphoma. X-rays and ultrasound would help in trying to confirm or rule out this diagnosis, but this is an all too common and unfortunate end to many kitties. I would continue to try and just feed her anything that she wants. Literally anything if it gets her eating is fine. I hope you and Suki can figure things out.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Kitty is not feeling very well. With the description and blood results, I worry about a condition known as hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) or triaditis (inflammation of the pancreas, liver and small intestines). For fatty liver disease, a feeding tube is generally recommended to help bring cats out of this condition as nutritional support is key and extremely important in these cases. I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound as the next diagnostic step to help better determine what the cause could be. If Kitty is still not wanting to eat, you need to consider hospitalization and feeding tube placement to help her get through this. 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.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It sounds like your kitty is very ill. I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic (or his regular clinic tomorrow if an emergency clinic is not possible) for an exam and labwork. This could be something treatable (or at least manageable, if not curable) or it may not be. I would be worried about kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease - it could definitely be other things too, but these are at the top of my list. Good luck with your kitty. Let me know if this was helpful advice or setup a consultation if you need further help.

Hello, thank you for your question about Whiskers. Based on the symptoms that you are describing and her change in eating habits it is possible that she could be experiencing pain in her mouth. Oral pain can be secondary to bad dental disease, jaw pain, or other conditions. In pets with mouth pain it becomes more difficult for them to chew on the dry kibbles and they often prefer the softer food. I would recommend having Whiskers seen by your veterinarian so that they can examine her and look for any abnormalities that could be contributing to this change. They can palpate her abdomen and look for evidence of constipation. Depending on their findings they can discuss the need for additional diagnostics or treatments. Hope this helps!

Hello, and thank you for your question. Did you suddenly switch diets when the problem started? If so, I would suggest going back to his old food and trying a more gradual transition over 7-10 days. If this is not the case, then I would be worried about a more serious underlying cause. Pain, infection, pancreatitis, kidney, liver disease, dental disease, or even cancer are all possibilities. If Felix is not eating, I would recommend getting him seen by a vet within the next 24 hours. Cats that go several days without eating are at risk of secondary liver problems, so it is important that we do not leave this too long. In the meantime, you can try different diets to encourage him to eat anything. I hope this helps, and that Felix is feeling better soon.

I'm so sorry to hear that Miss Kitty is not feeling well. Ideally Miss Kitty should be seen by a veterinarian for diagnostics and/or supportive care. When cats stop eating it is usually a sign that they are very ill. If Miss Kitty is not urinating/defecting at all that is also very concerning and should be further investigated by a veterinarian. She could be experiencing illness related to her kidney's, which is very common in cats. The most important thing is Miss Kitty's comfort and quality of life. I think having her examined by a veterinarian will answer those questions and help you make the best decisions for Miss Kitty moving forward. In the interim you can try to get Miss Kitty to eat something. At this point she can have anything that she is willing to eat (i.e. chicken, tuna, any canned wet food). Usually the smellier the food the more enticing it is for cats. Some other tricks are to offer warmed up a canned food or offering baby food. You just want to make sure the food is not piping hot and just warm. If you offer baby food be sure that the flavor you get does not have onions in it. Hopefully this helps and I hope Miss Kitty feels better soon.