Does your cat not want to eat? Are you down? anorexia in cats is a non-specific symptom of different situations, processes and diseases. Thus, a physiological event such as heat, a stressful event or a serious internal pathology can cause anorexia. Anorexia will progressively weaken the cat, causing serious consequences in its body. Without a doubt, it always requires that the veterinarian investigate its origin in the consultation, carrying out a series of diagnostic tests in order to prescribe the most appropriate treatment.
Keep reading this article on our site to learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment of anorexia in cats.
What is anorexia in cats?
Anorexia is the term used when an organism does not eat. When a cat does not want to eat, it is said that it has anorexia or loss of appetite This loss of appetite can be due to multiple reasons, from various diseases, situations, changes or problems psychological. This is why it is a non-specific clinical sign
Generally, anorexia in cats occurs as an acute phase response that arises as a result of alterations in the balance of the cat's internal environment, which is what happens in infections, other diseases, organ damage or tumors.
Causes of feline anorexia
As we go on, anorexia in cats can occur in many different situations, regardless of the age of the animal, although anorexia in older cats is usually more frequent because they are more prone to many of the diseases that cause it. We highlight the following:
- Mouth pain: Painful diseases of the gums, teeth, or soft tissues of the mouth, such as infections, fractures, tooth resorption, tumors or chronic gingivostomatitis or pathologies of the jaw can cause refusal to ingest food, especially the hardest, being able to accept liquid or soft.
- Food refusal: if you have abruptly changed the feed or food your cat was used to, it may refuse eat the new one, due to the sensitivity that some cats have to sudden changes or, directly, because they don't like it.
- Heat: A cat in heat will be very anxious and nervous. By focusing all of her interest on reproduction she becomes forgetful about eating. Therefore, if you notice that your cat eats less on her heat days, it may be due to this physiological process. Remember that its sterilization is recommended, which, in addition to reducing its stress, decreases the probability that it will develop various reproductive diseases.
- Stress or anxiety: cats are very sensitive to stress, so any minimally stressful situation for them can lead to consequences, including anorexia.
- Poisoning: If your little feline ingests a toxic substance, such as a plant or inappropriate human food, it can suffer internal damage. The cat will feel so bad that he will not want to eat. In fact, in some cases we will detect other clinical signs and treatment will have to be urgent.
- Smell disturbance: Cats use their nose to breathe and to smell food. Any blockage can cause a loss of appetite, in addition to generating stress and discomfort.
- Infectious or parasitic disease: Diseases weaken cats or, as in feline rhinotracheitis, cause rhinitis and nasal discharge that they make them lose their sense of smell, which ends up causing them to stop eating.
- Esophageal disease: esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux or foreign bodies in the esophagus can be extremely annoying and painful for our cats, that will prevent the ingestion of food, as these increase friction with the esophageal mucosa and, therefore, pain. Inflammation of the stomach or gastritis can also cause anorexia.
- Pancreatic disease: Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas is a cause of abdominal pain in cats, although sometimes it is difficult to notice this discomfort. In any case, anorexia is one of the symptoms of this disease.
- Hepatic or biliary disease: diseases of the hepatic parenchyma or biliary tract can cause anorexia in cats, in addition to other signs associated with process.
- Intestinal Disease: Intestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, enteritis, foreign bodies, or tumors can cause discomfort in the cat, apathy and anorexia.
- Kidney failure: the kidneys are involved in filtering the blood, so if they don't work properly, the toxins accumulate and the cats are not feeling well, causing, among other symptoms, anorexia.
Symptoms of anorexia in cats
As we have said, anorexia is not a disease, but a clinical sign resulting from multiple causes. But anorexia itself, if not treated quickly, ends up triggering other signs that will seriously affect the cat's general condition. Thus, among the effects of anorexia in cats, malnutrition, poor coat appearance, weight loss stand out., dehydration , lethargy, weakness or muscle atrophy, in addition to the specific signs of each causative process. For example:
- In kidney disease you can see the polyuria-polydipsia syndrome, that is, the cat urinates and drinks more than normal.
- In hepatobiliary disease it is possible to see jaundice, which is the yellowing of the mucous membranes, lethargy or swelling of the abdomen due to abnormal accumulation of fluids.
- In pancreatitis, abdominal pain, dehydration, and weakness are common.
- Inflammatory bowel disease or other bowel disorders you may see digestive symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, malabsorption, or electrolyte imbalances.
- Oesophageal and gastric disorders cause vomiting, regurgitation, hypersalivation, cough, fever and extended position of the head and neck when swallowing, due to odynophagia, which is pain when swallowing.
Diagnosis of anorexia in cats
Anorexia in cats is extremely easy for caregivers to diagnose, since, in principle, it only requires seeing that the cat does not eat or eats very little. It should always be a cause for concern, except for physiological reasons.
The diagnosis, which must be made by the veterinarian, must be based on the search for the triggering disease or process, for which tests such as the following are combined:
- Physical exploration.
- Anamnesis, which is the information that is collected about the animal. To elaborate it, questions are asked to the caregiver.
- Blood work, including complete blood count and biochemistry.
- X-rays.
- Ultrasounds.
- Cytology/biopsy.
Feline anorexia treatment
Once anorexia has been diagnosed, treatment must be started immediately to prevent negative effects from advancing. Speed is especially important in young kittens, due to their weakness, their reduced reserves and their high energy demand. Overweight cats are also at high risk, as they have a higher risk of developing hepatic lipidosis. Hepatic lipidosis is an alteration of the liver that involves the accumulation of fatty vacuoles in liver cells. It is also known as " fatty liver" and can have serious consequences and even death.
For this reason, anorexic cats should be hydrated as soon as possible using fluid therapy and it may be necessary to force feed them usingfeeding tubes to prevent complications. In addition, you should begin to treat the cause of the anorexia to restore the feline's he alth.
