Ask a Pets Blogger: Hunger Strike!by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 17 May 2009 12:08 PM I have a seventeen year old cat. She's pretty healthy for her age, but lately she's been refusing to eat. Any ideas? When pets aren't feeling well, they can be REALLY good at hiding it. So one of the first signs many pet owners notice is appetite changes. A call or visit to the vet may be in order here, to try to figure out why she isn't eating. Some questions your vet may ask:
In the meantime, there are some things you can try to encourage your cat to eat. One of the first things we do for cats who are on hunger strike at the boarding facility is offer a little bit of everything. We have several different brands of wet and dry cat food (in several different flavors) that we can offer. So a cat who hasn't been eating and is losing weight may be offered two different types of dry food, two different types of wet food, a spoonful of baby food, and a spoonful of tuna. You may want to pour chicken broth or the juice from a can of tuna over the dry food to help make it more appealing. Keep track of what flavors you're offering -- you may find that your cat prefers one flavor (chicken, turkey, fish, etc) over another. And as gross as it sounds, try to pick smelly food. Food with a strong scent may stimulate the appetite. It may be that your cat has simply lost her taste for the old food. A cat's tongue is designed to appreciate flavor AND texture, so she may find a different type of dry food more appealing. Here's hoping your cat is feeling better soon! If you have a question you'd like to ask about your pet, send Aimee a PM! Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevantpets tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Discuss this article
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