posted 03-03-2003 07:44 PM           

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Hallo, I am new here and I have a 5 year old cat. I have had him for 4 years. I got him at the SPCA when he was about 1 year old, he was abused by his previous owners and it took us quite some time to get him used to us. It was well worth the effort now because he is the most loving caring cat that I have ever had. He is my baby and I love him very much. Things have been great for the last 4 years, but now I am worried, He has not been eating very much lately and it seems that the only time he WILL eat is if I am standing over him or I completely change the food that is already in his food dish and even then he only takes a few bites. He has lost a lot of weight in the past 2 weeks. I decided that the old thoughts of..(If he's hungry he will eat) and let the food that was already in the bowl just stay there and he would have no choice but to eat when he's hungry, he still won't eat unless I change the food out completely. It's a new behaviour for him. He has never been like this before. I have not changed his diet at all, I have still been feeding him the same food that I've always fed him. So I am at a loss as to why the new behaviour...the only new changes in my life is that I have a friend that comes and stays with me on the weekends...Joxer (My cat) is very scared of new people...this is the only thing I can think of that could have brought on this strange behaviour...any suggestions/ideas/help will be much appreciated...Thank you!

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Posts: 480
From:Harrisburg,PA USA
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 03-05-2003 12:22 AM         

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you need to take your cat to a vet. I would rather be safe than sorry. There are a number of illnesses that can cause loss of appetite. Take him to the vet.

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Posts: 238
From:miami, fl, usa
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 03-05-2003 09:27 AM         

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it is always advised that once a cat (or dog) has a change in eating patterns that they should be taken to a vet for a work-up.. loss of (change in) appetite should always be a trigger to make a vet appointment and be sure to let the vet know exactly when the eating pattern changed and include everything else you included in the post.. the more info you can provide to the vet the better chance they have at making the proper diagnosis early.. good luck and i hope everything works out for you and the sweet kitty

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Posts: 49
From:Los Angeles, California
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 03-05-2003 07:05 PM         

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Definitely a check-up, as the above posters suggest is in order. It might be something as simple as gum disease (gingivitis) so it hurts to eat. How's his breath?

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