Charlotte was given to me as a 6 pound 6 year old lady, and I’ve had a wild ride with her health.

At first things were good, but then she started getting diarrhea, vomiting, losing weight, not eating, and peeing outside the litter box. I took her to the vet where I spent $2000 on tests to no avail, so we went with a prescription food.

Even then, she wouldn’t touch the prescription food that was to help her sensitive stomach. She kept meowing for food, but wouldn’t touch what I gave her. She went down to 4 lbs, which was really concerning.

I tried so many things, until recently I decided to just put some canned chicken breast under her prescription food- my god it’s working. She doesn’t pee outside the litter box anymore (unless I forget to scoop it), and her weight is back up.

Honestly I just think she hated the food I gave her so much that she would rather die than eat it. I also noted she likes diversity in her food, so I swap between canned tuna and canned chicken mixed with her normal prescription food. She also is much, much happier.

  • itsathursday@lemmy.world
    391·
    2 months ago

    Above all else make sure they eat. Loss of appetite leads to so many more issues. They look like a cutie and glad to hear their weight is up.

    • meep_launcher@lemm.eeOP
      30·
      2 months ago

      It was interesting because everyone thought she wasn’t hungry and kept giving solutions for that, but it wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry- she kept pawing at me and walking over to the kitchen/ her food bowl, but just wouldn’t eat what I gave her. She was very hungry, but I guess she was pickier than she was hungry.

      • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
        8·
        2 months ago

        I go through this with my cat sometimes. He will flat out refuse to eat certain brands of cat food. I always have to have him taste a little bit before I move to something different.

  • LordGimp@lemm.ee
    25·
    2 months ago

    A tip i learned with my most recent cat is getting the food and water up off the floor. Helps them swallow better. And the flatter the plate you give them their food on, the better. Cats can be extremely fussy over anything touching their whiskers, so anything you can do to help them with that they’ll appreciate.

    • Nefara@lemmy.world
      16·
      2 months ago

      Yes, I have these great shallow bowls that are like plates with a raised lip at the edge that I always use for cat food. My old man has gotten ridiculously picky in his old age, and some of the things I had to do were:

      Change the style of bowls
      Raise his bowl up so it was 1 1/2" off the ground
      Separate his water away from his food
      Find food with minimal vegetable matter (no pumpkin or pea even)
      Swap exclusively to wet food
      Vary flavors every feeding (not just day, feeding)

      Little booger eats better than I do most days, but he’s no longer fur and bones and he’s gained over half a pound back after being at his skinniest. He’s got his energy back and is looking so much healthier, but seriously what a spoiled boyo.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    21·
    2 months ago

    After being a dog person for so long, I couldn’t believe how finicky some cats were. Like favorite food ever yesterday: today- don’t like it. Glad you kept at it!

  • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
    9·
    2 months ago

    Im so glad you got her eating! I know how worried I am when my kitty is not eating.

    For future reference, Rapid weight loss is hard on kitty’s kidneys which they already struggle with. (Overweight is also hard on them) If you ever struggle with getting a cat to eat some other things you can try Adding hot water to wet food, microwaving for 2-3 sexonds, some sodium free chicken broth, I’ve stuck cat treats in before. My vet says the cheapest wet food is better than the fanciest dry food. That doesn’t apply with a prescription diet of course but it’s more important that they eat. You can call the vet and leave them messages for followup care and questions too. You did a great job and everything right!! this is more just for anyone who stumbles on this.

    P.s. Charlotte is absolutely beautiful little lady! Hope it’s all better from here :)

  • ramenshaman@lemmy.world
    4·
    2 months ago

    Excellent news! Just curious what foods you were feeding her before. Many of the cats I’ve had were quite picky, either vomiting up foods they didn’t like or just smelling it and walking away. Sadly my current kitties really do not like chicken of any kind… Little weirdos.

  • Kojichan@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 months ago

    For possible dietary requirements, look into wet food with pumpkin, squash, or sweet potatoes. It helps their digestive track and microbacterial gut health.

    It’s doing wonders for my Kitty’s chronic diarrhea.

  • naeap@sopuli.xyz
    2·
    2 months ago

    Great that she is eating something again!

    If you keep on cooking, keep an eye on the nutrients. Raw chicken hearts are great for Taurine and Vit B12 - and cats usually love them (don’t do more than a 2 at one go and maybe only twice a week - can also disturb the stomach a bit, while they are getting used to raw meat)

    If you go with cooked muscle meat (chicken (all parts, but without bones!), pig (when cooked, raw it can bring some bacteria, minced meat (beef and pig) seems also to be a highlight)

    Look into BARF and the supplements needed, if you can’t feed a whole animal.

    I’m fighting since 3 months, because my cat wasn’t eating and am cooking for him since.
    By now we give him 2 antibiotics and an antiemetic as subcutaneous injection daily. And it seems that finally helps - but we often had stable weeks, so I’ve lost some trust in the good times

    Anyway, if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer if I can help