One of my favorite sayings is, “for every problem, there’s a solution.” There’s always a solution out there, even if it’s hard to find at first.
Lately we’ve been worried sick about our cat, Muffin. She hadn’t eaten in DAYS. How long can a cat go without eating, anyway? My sister suggested this treat, which she called “cat crack”;
She ate it! But a cat cannot live on treats alone. She still wouldn’t eat her regular food, so I bought her a can of tuna. Guess what- she ate it right away! I’m pretty sure she was thinking, “FINALLY! Something decent to eat after the usual crap you feed me.”
All our troubles aren’t over yet, and we may now have the most expensive cat in the world (are we going to have to feed her tuna from now on?) but at least we’re not worried about her starving to death.
Hopefully we’ll have a calmer week around here!
(Top photo of Muffin in happier days… even though she’s eating now, she’s still pretty grumpy!)
Cat owners… every tried “cat crack?” – Apparently it’s a good way to get them to take medicine, too.
33 Responses
My cats don’t like wet food or tuna, but daughters swear by Churu to give their assorted cats meds and trim claws.
If Muffin had some sort of virus, she might just need time alone to heal. Like my daughter’s cat who didn’t eat for days- we thought she was a goner- but then she decided she was all better and where was her breakfast? And she’s done that at least twice! (Rusty is the energizer bunny of geriatric cats.)
Even if you don’t figure out what’s wrong, a few days of churu and tuna might what she needs. How hydrated is she? Maybe she likes this stuff because it’s wet. Get
her a cat water fountain if you don’t already have one. Mine really love theirs.
And my calico’s favorite treat was whipped cream from a can. Much more expensive than tuna!
Check if Muffin is urinating and pooping as well. If she’s doing at least some each day, it’s probably a virus/ short term thing. If the color or output of pee/poop changes dramatically, then do more follow up.
Thanks for the great advice! Yes, because we have her isolated now, I can see that she is peeing and pooping, phew. And- you gave me a great idea. We do have a cat water fountain but we’ve never used it! I’ll get it set up for Muffin. Right now she has a bowl of water, but it’s hard to tell how much she’s actually drinking.
Okay, this is a relief and also MUFFIN, EAT YOUR NORMAL FOOD.
My cat loves Churu treats! Although we can’t feed him seafood — it gives him tummy troubles.
He is still not eating well. I tried a brand new food this morning — a few bites and that was it. Regular food for dinner — a few bites, and no more. I did put some “stew” on top of a little bit of dry food and he gobbled that up, so he’s also not going to starve to death… but why the hunger strike, kitties????
Oh no, not you too! I know the Churus treats also come in chicken flavors (which I guess is what your cat likes?) Ugh, it’s so stressful… please eat, cats!
Our older cat cookie also barely ate for days, pre-attacking mode to Bubble. She’s back into eating normal food, not much. check the tuna can label, I also tried it and found it has added salt.
she did eat treat, similar to the one you have, but we only did it few times.
I almost want to take her to vet to get behavior counseling as she really can’t “co-live” with Bubble now.
Ah… sounds like we’re in the same boat here. I did check the tuna can label- it’s just tuna and water. Good to know that Cookie is at least eating now! It’s really stressful, isn’t it?
Cat crack! This is my first time hearing about Churu, and it sounds like a handy thing to have. Tuna makes everything better (for kitty cats anyway). Get better soon, Ms Muffin!
Thsnks Birchie! I’ll tell her you said so : )
I’m glad she’s eating again!
Thanks Nicole, me too!!!
Jenny, how stressful this all sounds. I’m glad she’s had some sustenance at least. I have zero knowledge of cats, but I mbmom11’s idea of it being a virus sounds like it could be very likely! She is eating some, so maybe she’s just not feeling 100% and needs some time to recover? Hoping she turns the corner soon.
I remember each of my kids going through “hunger strikes” of sorts when they were toddlers. Once, my daughter was eating almost NOTHING for weeks. I was so worried but then my sister told me her son had done the same thing at that age and the paediatrician basically said kids will not starve themselves. As long as they’re getting a few tablespoons a day, it will all be okay. Well, she kept that up for about three weeks and we got home (we’d been on a trip) she just started eating SO MUCH. I don’t know if she wasn’t feeling 100%, or was going through a growth spurt or what. She did it at least one more time but I didn’t worry at all the second time and same thing happened. Very little food for a few weeks and then all of a sudden back to a big appetite. (Maybe teething? I blamed every unusual behaviour on teething when my kids were toddlers.) And my son did the same thing a few times in toddlerhood.
Caring for kids (and pets) can be so stressful!
Yes, that is stressful! I’m trying to remember if my kids ever did that… I don’t think so? Maybe my daughter- she has always been very stubborn! I wonder if a virus would have come out in Muffin’s bloodwork… it does seem like a good theory, but her bloodwork showed everything was normal.
I’m glad Muffin is back to eating, but hopefully you can get her back on her normal food again!
My dog had a period a couple of years ago where she was picking at her food — normally she’d scarf it down. We took her to the vet and they concluded that she was just being picky! We had to put all sorts of extras on her food for awhile to get her to eat it. Then she randomly decided she loved her food again and it hasn’t been an issue!
Animals are so weird! The funny thing is… Muffin is actually quite chubby, and usually loves her food. I’m appreciating all the stories of other pets who’e done this and then gone back to normal. Hopefully that will happen here as well.
I’m glad she’s eating again! What a relief! But I hope you can get her back on a more normal diet! Our cat likes “delectables” which look similar to the Churu treat. She also likes a small amount of tuna but oftentimes it comes back up… she’s quite a puker, though.
Muffin normally loves her food, but she’s a puker as well. I better moniter her closely with the tuna!
Annabel also loves Churu LOL
Annabel also loves Churu LOL
I think everyone loves Churus!
Yes! We have used those sticks with our picky kittens too. It’s so stressful to have a kitten or cat refuse food. Have they run tests on her kidney functions? We have had issues with that before. We didn’t see improvement until the cat was given fluids and then using the appetite stimulant. We have also given fluids at home. I hope that is not the case for Muffin because it’s a tough road to go down 🙁
I don’t think they did kidney tests, but I have another call in to the vet so we will discuss it soon. I’m trying to imagine how in the world I would give Muffin fluids at home???…
Oh, that is stressful!! I hope you can get some answers about why sweet Muffin isn’t eating!! I feel like usually that’s a symptom of SOMETHING underlying, but what is it?! I hope you (and your vet) can figure it out and that she’s back to normal soon!!
Thank you Kae! Yes,something is definitely not right!
That is exactly what I was gong to suggest. I have a jar of them and only give it them sparingly… I ca get them to do anything with that crack in my hand.
Ha ha… how is it I’ve never heard of these before? Everyone else seems to know all about them!
When we have these issues we put down some chicken broth, and they lap it up. Sometimes we pour it over food to get them to eat it; sometimes it works…Some extra nutrition & liquid so it seems to help? Hope Muffin is okay in a few days!
Donna, that is a great idea- I’ll pick some up and try it.
Since I’m allergic to cats, I know nothing of this situation but it seems so strange to me that a cat could literally go off his/her food in the blink of an eye. Was she talking to other cats who informed her there was better food available? So strange. I’ve not heard of crack for cats, but I do believe it. I’m glad she’s eating something and I do hope she hasn’t morphed into the most expensive cat alive.
Yes- someone must have informed her of the cat crack and tuna! Hurumph.
Oh little Muffin! My cats do not have huge appetites for some reason, but I have found that switching up their wet food is VERY helpful. They were barely eating the wet food I put out, so I tried a new brand/style (flaked vs pate) and now they gobble it up!
Oh and yes to Churu’s! My cats are a bit broken, though, and I have to squeeze the Churus into little bowls for them to eat. They won’t eat it from my hand! Gah.
I’m glad that she’s doing better. I was going to suggest mixing a bit of tuna into her kibble, and thus making a can last longer. I mean, anything to get her to eat, but going forward. I’ll bet it was her mouth and tongue. I hope she and the kitten do well though, eventually.
Ugh, so sorry to hear about Muffin’s eating trouble. Is it psychological or physical? Do you know?