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Nutritional supplements for non-store-bought cat food, cuz cat won't eat

Published on: January 26, 2023 • By: Scooby Doo · In Forum: Cats
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Scooby Doo
Participant
January 26, 2023 at 09:41pm
My 23-yr-old cat Muzak stopped eating cat food several weeks ago. Mirtazapine isn't working. He will eat baby food mixed with treats. By any chance can you recommend a specific brand of nutritional supplement that is complete? perhaps I can add it to baby food. I'm desperate to get him eating again. He is otherwise in good health (recent blood panel excellent). Thank you so much!
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
January 26, 2023 at 10:41pm
Hello!  I'm afraid that this picture isn't really complete, in that if your 23 year old cat is perfectly healthy, why aren't they eating?   Cats seldom stop eating randomly - and when they do stop eating *apparently* randomly, no amount of Mirtazipine or dietary supplements are likely to over-rule the underlying problem for very long.   I hear that blood tests have been done - you don't say which, but most vets would have started by running a basic panel with 12-18 general perameters on it - and if all were normal at the last check, that is one positive.  However, there is no blood test for cancer and basic in-house blood tests rarely cover immediate blood glucose or pancreatitis, which is a common reason for older cats to stop earing.  Nor is there a blood test for abdominal or dental pain, heart disease, arthritis or lung disease.  Cats are solitary creatures and thereby expert at hiding discomfort, which is perhaps an evolutionary 'thing' in case of would-be predators. I'm afraid that it sounds as though you need to present to the vet again and ask, 'What now?'  I hear that this can be scary when your cat is 23 years old, but the sooner an anorexic cats' needs are addressed, the more likely something can be done - and the less likely they will be in discomfort.  Wishing you and your loved one all the best.   There are some good articles about old cats in the blog.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
January 26, 2023 at 10:56pm
I may have got this wrong - it's a peril of online charities - but sometimes when clients ask me a question like this, it is because they fear the vet saying that it's time to think about euthanasia.  You didn't say anything that made me concerned, but just in case that is true for you and your cat (and for anyone else reading this), there are some useful articles in the blog.    If you were to type 'time to put to sleep' into the searchbar of the blog, you will find an old article that I wrote some years ago.   The word 'euthanasia' yields several more.  The Ralph Site is a very compassionate website, set up especially to help around the issue of greif and euthanasia - and has talkboards too.  If none of this is relevant to you, please do ignore it and see my previous reply.  Whatever is going on, all the best to you and your loved one.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
January 26, 2023 at 10:58pm
*charities* was an autocorrect from 'Chat. Sites.'  With apologies.
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