# Cat appetite poor post spaying.



## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Hi. I got my 6 month old kitty spayed last Weds, today is day 5. The wound (it is on her side, not tummy )is dry and clean, no irritation and the vet said a cone wouldn't be necessary. She's acting normally (although sleeping a little more), playing fetch, eyeing up the curtains etc. 

My concern is that she's really not eating very much. I gave her boiled chicken on day 1 which she loved but since then she's only been eating a few of her dry biscuits. I have tried every wet food (and fresh fish, chicken etc) known to cat to try and tempt her but she's just not having it. She's barely drinking water but she has been drinking kitty milk at night, the bowl was empty this morning. She's done a poo every 24 hours or so and although a little smaller than usual, they look the same. 

I've read that cats can get fatty liver disease if they don't eat, so I called my vet to ask her advice. She seems to think that the tiny amount of biscuits she has been eating daily is enough to stop her getting sick and that as she's drinking her cat milk, she's getting enough fluids. I've been advised to "keep an eye on her"..well, duh! 

Like I said, the wound is fine, she appears to be pain free, so am I worrying over nothing? I don't want to take her back to the vets just yet, in case it was the stress of the last visit that caused her appetite to drop! 

Does anyone have a similar story that ended well? I have been reading that most cats get their appetite back in 24-48 hours, hence my worrying. She's definitely lost weight and I suppose it's so noticeable because she was always very lean before the surgery. 

Please, someone put my mind to rest!! Thanks =^.^= 

****** I've been to the pet shop again today and tried her with a couple of different pouches, but nope, she's not touching it. She's had a few biscuits, a small piece of chicken, a little bit of bread/butter and sardine paste (my son's sandwich!) and a few licks of water. I've smeared a little butter on her paw, warmed her food, tried oregano and catnip to try and stimulate her appetite, all to no avail. I've left her little piles of biscuits in various places to try and tempt her but whatever wet food I offer, she just tries to scratch over it. She's always been fussy but never this bad.

Somebody has just answered to a post elsewhere saying that even a small amount of food is NOT enough to stop fatty liver disease! The vet said that a cat only needs a small handful of iams a day and that she wouldn't be at a risk of getting it as long as she was eating something. How can she get this so wrong? They're a specialist cat/rabbit vet only, so I had high hopes that all would be well. 

I'm now so worried that she's really ill. Is it possible she's in pain with no outward symptoms apart from lack of appetite? Could her incision site be infected even though it looks perfectly ok? 

It looks like I'll need to add further stress with a 2nd trip to the vets. Poor Luna :sad:


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## cookiemom (Jun 23, 2011)

It might be a slow recovery from the op but it could also indicate internal infection, young cats are quite resilient and most are eating fine same day or 24 hours, so her sleeping more and lack of appetite would have me concerned. My girls had post op checks about 4 days after not sure how usual that is but I would take her back to the vet to be on the safe side.


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## SiobhanG (Apr 24, 2012)

I'd give the vet a call and just explain your concerns. Whilst it is normal for cats to go off their food following an anaesthetic I would expect her to be back to normal by now. The vet will let you know whether it's necessary for her to be checked but I think I'd want her temperature checked, just to be on the safe side.


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

So, we're back from the vets. He examined her, took her temperature, weighed her (she lost 4oz which he said is not a lot) and checked for signs of infection and pain. Temp was normal, no pain, no infection. 

He said her eyes were a little watery and bloodshot which may indicate mild calicivirus. He said that one of his cats had surgery and developed the same symptoms as mine, and his got it's appetite back after a week. He said the stress of the surgery may have caused it to flare up and gave her a shot of painkiller just to make her feel better. 

He gave me a sachet of Royal Canin powder and i've just given her a syringe of 1ml. She hates me! I also smeared some baby chicken food on her fur..she cleaned it all off but did not look happy. She tried to scratch over her bowl of favourite biscuits, yet when I took one and gave it to her on the floor, she managed to eat 3. Still not showing interest in wet food (tried sardines in oil this morning) and milk/water though. 

Next was a catnip mouse I bought to cheer her up and she loves it, she's rubbing it on her face and rolling around with it. I'm amazed because I bought some catnip extract spray and she didn't even sniff it! 

The vet thinks she's bright, active and healthy otherwise, so hopefully she'll shake it off. Do you have any experience with the syringing of the powder food? He said to give her 1ml at a time but how often? I forgot what he said.. Also, do I need to feed her water too or will the water that mixes up the powder be enough? Finally, why can I never think of the right questions to ask the vet when i'm actually there?!


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## cookiemom (Jun 23, 2011)

Do ring the vet for instructions with the powder, they won't mind. For normal eating, hand feeding or sitting on the floor with her can help kick start things, don't stress about it though, give yum yum food vibes, little and often if you can. Good to hear there is no sign of infection.


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

I've spoken to my vet. You mix it with water and I have to give her 10 ml, 1 ml at a time, every couple of hours. I've checked with the vet again, to get the correct dosage. She is not loving me at present! 

I've given her 6 ml-ish of baby food and she's been and had some water of her own accord, so that's good. Still not interested in food though. I've boiled some chicken breast, but still nothing.

She only drinks cat milk, not cow milk but she's not been interested in that since Sunday night. As for poops etc, nothing for 36 hours, and she hasn't peed today. She did drink water a while ago so hopefully that'll get her going. 

You really wouldn't know there was anything wrong with her, she's still as playful and energetic as always. The vet wants me to do the powder food for the next couple of days to try and stimulate her appetite. 

With her regular food, normally she has a pouch of feline fayre for brekkie, iams to nibble on through the day and another pouch in the evening. She's never really eaten all of that and usually I end up tipping some food away. She also loves the Dreamies treats but not at the minute. 

The vet showed me how to syringe feed her through the side of her mouth so i'm fairly competent, though I do have a couple of lovely scratches.. It's easier to do it without a towel imo, as soon as I go to wrap her up, she's off. I just kneel down, put her between my knees and hold her still...for about 10 seconds and then she's feral! I'm a bit concerned that the heatwave coupled with the surgery is what's caused her to be off her food and that by force feeding her i'm making her miserable. There was another thread about lots of people's cat's being off their food, I just read it a moment ago. Is it possible that that's all it is? I've only managed to give her 4 more ml, she's growling and yowling and i'm worried all the struggling will hurt her stitches.

I feel so bad putting her through this (not the assisted feeding, just the whole getting her spayed thing). If anything happens to her because of this, i'll never forgive myself. She was a beautifully healthy, well fed cat up until the procedure. I can't help feeling that it's my fault she's now struggling, all because I couldn't stand the racket she made when in heat. She is an indoor cat with no way of escape, she has her own indoor grass and all of the windows in every room have child latches on for her safety, so she couldn't have got pregnant anyway. I know pyometra is a concern but from what i've read it's not that common. Have I done the right thing?

I broke my cat!


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Well, this morning she's had a poo (which means she must be eating something right?) and a wee. Her pee is a lttle dark but she's lapping at water much more and when I came back from the shop she had eaten (and thrown up) a little bit of wet food. She's still nibbling at biscuits, but still only a small amount. Do you think I should keep force feeding her? I only managed to give her 10 mls or so yesterday, she's getting so worked up when I do it. The vet said i'm probably making to much of a big deal about it and to just let her get her groove back. 

Should I be concerned that she threw some food up or is this to be expected when she hasn't eaten wet food for a week? 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic...

p.s I really would appreciate some feedback, it's such a worrying time.


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## cookiemom (Jun 23, 2011)

Good that she's eaten a bit on her own, I'd keep the stuff from the vets on standy by, or just give a few ml's depending on what else whe will eat herself today, also like the way you are feeding her with it, I do the same if needing to give meds, straddle cat and put one hand accross the chest, it stops the legs from coming up, other hand puts syringe gently in the side of the mouth and be pretty quick to cause least stress.

You are keeping a good eye on her, the heat might be affecting her, depends how hot it is in your house or if she's sitting in the sun.

Fingers crossed she will keep eating on her own and that the throwing up was a one off.


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Thanks so much for replying. :thumbsup:

Well, she's eaten a few more biscuits and had a lick of some wet food since being sick this morning and she's also lapping at her water a bit more frequently. My next dilemma is that she'll only eat Whiskas dentabits.. they're super crunchy and supposed to be a treat. _Am I right in thinking that any food is good food for the time being?_

Incidentally, she's only been sick once, that was this morning. Maybe the wet food was a bit much for her empty tummy?

I've just ordered some Liquivite off the internet, have you heard of it? It sounds disgusting but it's supposed to be good stuff.


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Liquid food - Ideal for weaning kittens or puppies. Also appeals to the sick or older cat or dog

Sounds perfect but it's going to come down to whether she'll drink it and with her appetite as it is, i'm not holding out too much hope. .

I spoke to my vet about the dentabits. He said that while they weren't very calorific, having them stay down and put something in her tummy might make her feel like eating properly. He said to leave some out too but still occasionally try and tempt her with actual food.

I've just tried a dab of honey on her paw (I read it can boost blood sugar to hopefully make her hungry) but still no interest in the haddock i've just cooked for her!

**Just been distracted by the cat munching on half a whiskas stick..more junk food! I have to leave it for now, I just want her appetite back and then i'll start being strict again. I hope this is the start of her recovery, it makes _me_ feel off my food when she is. :thumbdown:


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## cookiemom (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm not much good with commercial foods or treats but the liquid food looks useful, not sure about the milk in it though, maybe its lactose free but the vet's right that getting something in will help settle her stomach although I'd be offering food fairly frequently to encourage her, maybe every couple of hours.

I do have a thought that she might be teething especially as shes wanting the dry over wet and I'm thinking the whiskas sticks are very hard?

Hope she's been ok today


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Had a bit of a break thru. I bought some cat food from lidl, rabbit and chicken in gravy. She ate some! Typically the cheapest of all the foods i've tried to tempt her with, she seems to like it. 

Fingers crossed that's the end of it. Incidentally, the heat dropped yesterday so it may have been that after all (although it could also have been the honey I gave her every 6 hours..I guess i'll never know). So relieved


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## Pixie9 (Mar 25, 2015)

Hi,

My cat is behaving just the same way. I feel so bad that I have allowed her to be spayed.
Can you tell me how your story has ended? Is your kitty ok?
What helped you get her to eat?

Thanks,


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## Alleycatmac (May 28, 2012)

Pixie9 said:


> Hi,
> 
> My cat is behaving just the same way. I feel so bad that I have allowed her to be spayed.
> Can you tell me how your story has ended? Is your kitty ok?
> ...


Yes, she was absolutely fine. It's better that she's spayed, believe me.

I read a tip about smearing some honey on her leg.. she licked it all off as they like to be clean, not sticky! Something in the honey, triggers their appetite and she was eating her food within a couple of hours of me doing it.

I hope that helps.


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