Senior cat off her feed - Democratic Underground

radfringe

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Fri Mar-17-06 04:46 AM
Original message

Senior cat off her feed

The second oldest member of our feline family, Dutchess (she's 17) is off her feed

doesn't seem to be eating, but also hard to tell - she's real shy, always has been and doesn't join the others for feeding frenzy.

she may be munching down the dry food when we aren't looking, but she's not too interested in the wet. Could be she's tired of chicken?

grocery shopping tonight - so we'll pick up a different flavor of food and see if that interests her -- if not then it's off to the vet

doesn't seem to be losing weight, fur feels fine - rest of her behavior is normal for her

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radfringe

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Fri Mar-17-06 05:08 AM
Response to Original message

1. she's making a liar out of me now

she's chowing down the wet food

I guess at this point - we'll just keep an eye on her as best we can

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IndyOp

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Fri Mar-17-06 12:36 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. If you are worried, maybe a visit to the vet to check her

weight and her teeth. One reason elderly cats stop eating is if they have gum or tooth problems it can be painful to eat.

If you have all of that taken care of - then just remember that cats don't run on anyone's schedule but their own.

:hi:

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kestrel91316

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Fri Mar-17-06 10:41 PM
Response to Original message

3. If she's not out of her funk in a day or two, time for a thorough exam

and probably blood panel and urinalysis to start. Elderly cats love to come down with kidney problems, overactive thyroid gland, diabetes, and other stuff, some of which is highly treatable if caught early.

Good luck.

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radfringe

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Sat Mar-18-06 06:30 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. we offered her a different flavor of wet food last night

she was like a "hoover" vacuum -- ditto for this morning

guess she was tired of the same old thing.

but yes, if she goes off her feed again it's going to be a trip to the vet

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kestrel91316

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Sat Mar-18-06 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. It happens............

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Grateful for Hope

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Sat Mar-18-06 11:19 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Good to hear that she is eating again. n/t

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IndyOp

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Sun Mar-19-06 07:56 AM
Response to Original message

7. Yeah Dutchess! Sometimes they just need a little extra attention. ;-) n/t

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demnan

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Sun Mar-26-06 08:44 PM
Response to Original message

8. It's really great that you're observant of your older cat's mood

I learned that lesson a few years back with Lily and I abruptly changed her food and got very busy at work and didn't realize for a few days that she was very depressed. I had to take her to the vet - nothing was wrong but it took putting her on appetite stimulants to get her back on board.

I think it's really important to have some just loving time with the older cat, if you don't take them aside and do this, the younger cats can be assertive enough to deny these attentions.

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radfringe

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Tue Mar-28-06 04:56 AM
Response to Reply #8

9. the other part of her problem

is that she's a scardy cat - always has been
so we have to find her hiding under some piece of furniture, drag her out and feed her away from the other cats

I moved in with my partner about 9 years ago - took Dutchess about 2 years (yes 2 years) before she would allow me to touch her, and another couple of years before she would sit in my lap

her nick-name is "Phantom Furball" - we had company for a couple weeks - they didn't believe we had another cat - they never saw her

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