Hi,
Our two 12 month old cats are brothers, indoor cats & usually get on well. Unfortunately due to another health problem in one cat Roly, (still not cured & on steroids) the vet said to feed them both on Hills Z/D low allergen diet only, no other food or titbits! This was about 2 to 3 months ago & both went off their food slightly. Roly will eat just about anything but the other, Oscar, is quite timid & the least little noise or any disturbance will make him walk away. He even keeps an eye open for his brother now!
He has got to the point where he won't eat out of his dish & will only eat the biscuits if we roll them across the floor to him. Occasionally he will sneak a few out of the dish. He looks as though he is hungry, rubs against us & meaows but then turns his nose up.
Both had to go into the cattery for the first time recently & they were very frightened. Could this be the problem? Both have lost weight & we think they may not have eaten much in the cattery.
We went against the vets advice when we got them home & have tried cooked chicken & even best tinned salmon & whilst Roly will eat it, Oscar won't touch it.
We feel because of Roly's underlying problem (we were unable to put them into a cattery at an earlier age because of it) that they are now frightened of new situations & also very faddy food wise because of the diet they've had to be on.

Has anyone any advice or ideas?

It's difficult to say what the problem is but I'd say you need to go back to your vet. Perhaps he could give you something to stimulate Oscar's appetite?

One things for sure, he needs to start eating or he'll get Fatty Liver Disease.

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http://www.elmstarbengals.co.uk



Our darling Foxy is now at Rainbow Bridge. R.I.P. little one, you'll always be loved.

Thanks for your advice. Tried him again tonight with salmon, won't have so I opened a tin of supermeat that he'd eaten as a kitten. He climbed up the cupboard door meaowing again but then just licked at the meat & turned away. He'll eat a few biscuits but that's all.
We'll give him til Monday & then get in touch with the vet.
Thanks again.

mine wont eat salmon,try sardines in tomato sauce or tunacooked chicken is a favourite.

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(formally clare7577)

My first thought is that he has problems with sore teeth or gums that stop him eating even though hungry. Would be unusual in cat this age though. I think he needs to be checked by vet. Hope you get poor little lad sorted

Some success tonight!
Last night just out of curiousity I got some yogurt drops out of the cupboard which we'd bought when they were younger & Oscar came running! I gave him just a tiny piece & he ate it & wanted more. So (this sounds silly) but I mixed some with a bit of tinned meat........didn't work unfortunately.
But today we bought a small tin of Purina Gourmet meal, chicken in white sauce & also bought a new shallow plastic dish (he'd had a ceramic dish & we wondered about it being too deep and his whiskers touching the sides?). I just put a small amount of the chicken in the dish....and he ate it!!! I kept adding a little at a time. He didn't have a big amount but enough, and a couple of hours later he had some of the biscuits. I hope it continues!!!
We'd tried cooked chicken last week but he wasn't interested so I'm really pleased tonight. See how he goes tomorrow.
Roly is no problem, he's eating the salmon that Oscar wouldn't eat & more besides. I just want both to put some weight on. They are British Shorthairs & the cattery remarked on how small they were for their breed.
We shouldn't really be feeding Roly anything else at the moment if we follow the vets advice. The vet thinks Roly has a sensitive intestine but that's another story...see my posts on Tritrichonoma Foetus.
Thanks, I'll keep updating.

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that Oscar & Roly are eating a little tin of the Purina Gourmet meal between them a day to supplement the biscuit diet & sometimes they get through a little more. Just to be awkward....their favourite is Tuna & shrimp! and after Oscar wouldn't eat fish!
They have both put weight back on & are slowly gaining a few grams a week.
Roly too seems so far to be clear of his other problem

Life is at last going back to some normality.

Thanks,
Margaret

Oh that is good news Margaret - I bet you are so relieved. Did the breeder of the cats give you any advice/support?

__________________
Kaz

For kittens, joy is for the asking and smiles are for the giving

Hi there,

Yes what a relief. The breeder was helpful initially with Roly's problem. It was she who first suggested T. Foetus although she said she'd never had a problem herself with any of her litters before.
I'm going to email her too with an update.

Margaret