Expert: Jessica - 1/23/2011

Question
My parents have cared for an outdoor stray cat for many years. He was always rather thin, but had a healthy appetite. Over the last few days he has lost his appetitie altogether and has gotten skinnier. My parents have taken him inside their house to keep a closer eye on him. Inside he has eaten the gravy of canned food, but won't eat the meat or any pate cat food, which is his usual food. I remembered a vet once telling me that a cat who loses his appetite may be encouraged to eat meat-only human baby food, so I suggested they try that. He eats the chicken and turkey baby food willingly and eats about 2 jars per day. It has been days now and baby food is the only thing he will eat despite being offered all sorts of other food & cat treats as well as boiled chicken and tuna. He is drinking regularly and using the litterbox regularly. He is a bit lethargic, but we suspect he is an older cat, so that is not terribly unusual. He has not vomited or displayed other symptoms. Any idea what might be wrong with him or how we can entice him to eat regular cat food? How long can he continue eating only baby food? Also, just so you know, the cat is an adult male (neutered) - exact age is unknown, but my parents have been caring for him for several years and he was an adult when he started coming around, so our best guess is that he is about 10 years old or so...

Answer
Hi Leila,

A cat can survive on meat baby food for a long time (even many months, though he will suffer nutritional deficiencies), but it's an incomplete diet, so I don't recommend feeding it for longer than necessary.  Preferably, I would limit it to a few days' use.  I have used it for a few weeks in hospice situations or where a seriously ill cat would eat absolutely nothing else.  While this is not ideal, a true nutritional deficiency won't develop from feeding meat-only baby food for just a few weeks.  I'd strongly recommend that your parents supplement the kitty with a vitamin and mineral supplement called Nutri-Cal during this time.  It's available at some larger pet stores and online.

As for his underlying problem, the possibilities are vast.  A leading cause of anorexia in cats of his age is kidney failure, and this would be worthwhile to investigate.  It can be diagnosed with a blood test, and preferably, a urine test.  But other problems such as cancer or periodontal disease are also common reasons why cats will stop eating.  Less commonly, they can suffer liver disease and pancreatitis.  

I would recommend that your parents bring the kitty in for a physical exam, and if no cause of his anorexia is clearly evident, that some blood tests be run.  The vet can send your parents home with an appetite stimulant such as mirtazapine or cyproheptadine and can also give the kitty and anti-nausea injection and/or stomach acid reducer in case his stomach is upset.  Once the underlying cause is found and, if possible, treated, his appetite should return.  There are prescription diets like Hill's a/d or Royal Canin's Recovery RS that might be tempting for him to eat, too.  They have a consistency more similar to baby food than commercially available cat foods.

Best of luck!

Jessica