Indy has been having this eating problem for some months now.
It is very hard to get him to eat. Once food is served, he will look at the bowl (as though he has never seen this food before and what-am-I-supposed-to-do-with-this?). Then, I would have to spend five minutes coaxing him to eat. But the moment he starts to eat, he will eat (and even ask for more). So, three times a day, we go through this routine. However, once in a blue moon, he will surprise me by eating heartily on his own! When that happens, it is better than striking a lottery.
Sometimes, Indy would just skip a meal. I let him be, because it is only a meal. Before the next meal, he would start making a racket, as though asking for food, but when served, we do the same old coaxing routine again.
So, that’s the way it is with Indy. Since young, he has had several issues with digestion, once very serious too resulting in hospitalisation. I think his digestion is his Archilles’ heel. His last digestion problem was in November last year and since then, he has been “fine”. Just very finicky with food.
Yesterday, Indy ate only half his breakfast and by lunch time, he refused to eat. This went on until dinner where he refused as well. I tried coaxing him with all kinds of food (his usual raw food, blended canned food and even kibble), but he simply refused them all. I also saw dried vomit on the floor. Indy has this vomiting (more of regurgitation) problem which used to happen quite frequently (about twice a week), but lately, it’s been 2-3 times a month. Normally, after a vomiting bout, he will be completely alright and will demand for blended canned food and by the next meal, he will be eating again.
But this time, something was wrong. He is simply refusing to eat. I gave him Omeprazole last night.
This morning, he did his usual rooster morning call (which was a good sign), but at breakfast, he only ate a small amount of kibble. He refused everything else. When I cleared the sandpit, I noticed a small blob of soft stool which was particularly foul-smelling too. I suspect it is Indy’s since no one else is having any digestion or eating problem. I continued with the Omeprazole.
By lunch time, I had to force feed him already. But Indy was still active as usual. By then, I had already tried various foods. The only food that Indy was willing to eat was some freeze-dried treat, but the amount was very little. This won’t do, something is wrong.
Luckily, we managed to get an appointment at the vet’s so off we went. As always, Indy is an enigma. No one can quite figure out exactly what is wrong with him. That is my biggest worry whenever Indy is unwell. It is never a clear-cut case.
Indy has no fever. The ear-prick blood test did not show anything significant. Everything seemed “fine”. The only thing is that his gut is a bit gassy. The vet also discovered that Indy has an eye ulcer that is already healing on its own. Now, how did he get the eye ulcer which we don’t even know about?
Indy, the enigma.
It was also time for a blood test as the last one was done in November 2020, so blood was drawn to run the tests. His finicky eating habit could also be a sign of early kidney disease. In March 2019, Indy’s creatinine and SDMA readings were high, but after a few months of subcut, the readings all came down, so he was declared fine again and we stopped the home subcut in November 2019.
I know he is due for a full bloodwork, so we might as well get it done.
All the readings turned out fine except for the creatinine which had increased from 167 (Nov 2020) to 192 today. The normal range is 71 -212, so 192 is still normal but at the higher end. For a 13 year-old cat, this is cause for concern, so the vet suggested that we do the SDMA test to determine if Indy has early kidney issues.
We waited with bated breath and I prepared myself.
Finally, the SDMA readings were ready and thankfully, it’s 11 (0-14) and that’s normal! What a grand relief!! I asked the vet if Indy needed any subcut which I will be more than happy to do at home as a preventive measure, but the vet said at the moment, Indy does not need it.
So, for his gut problem, Indy was given a B-12 injection (for appetite), Berberine injection (a herbal anti-flammatory for the loose stools) and also dewormed. The vet also prescribed Gentle Digest as a probiotic, to be given daily for now and once his condition improves, it can be given on alternate days. There is also Metrogyl antibiotic as standby in case his condition does not improve by tomorrow (stools still soft or not eating) and transdermal Mirtazapine as an appetite stimulant for alternate days on a needs basis.
We came home and I gave him the Gentle Digest. Thankfully, Indy is very easy to pill (tablets and capsules).
Get well soon, Indy! I know we will never really know what is exactly wrong with you, so just get well soon, please.