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Lemmy won't eat...

lemmysmommy

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Ok, so the raw thing has been going great until about 3 days ago. He has just been nibbling on his meat for this time. Well, today he did not even touch his meat at all the whole day. We gave him fresh meat twice today and he never even nibbled. I got scared b/c he had not ate all day and gave him some wet food. He took about two bites of it and then just left it. He is not crying or anything. Is it posssible that he is just not hungry? I just don't want him to get sick from not eating. What should I do???
 

Nofuratu

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just to get him to eat something......for the time being......because its dangerous for cats to go without eating for more than 24 hours.................try canned sardines in tomato sauce. I've never had a cat refuse sardines in tomato sauce. You should be able to get them at the corner store if everywhere else is closed.

I would take him to the vet first thing in the morning. Unless he doesnt eat anything, even the sardines....check the color of his gums. They should be pink. press on the gums with your finger tip so they turn white and count how many seconds it takes for the gums to refill pink. They should refill pink in 1 to 2 seconds.

Check for dehydration by tenting the skin on the back of his neck. LIft up the scruff skin and let go. Count how many seconds it takes to snap back into place. It should take 1 to 2 seconds, any more means he is dehydrated.

If his gums are not pink, or take more than 2 secs to refill or his skin tent reveals dehydration I'd take him to the vet tonight.
Keep us posted!
 

Mug-ys mumma

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Poor baby! Nofur has given some great advice there! What's his favourite food? See if he'll take that...

Good luck!

X
 

TanyaT

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Oh Lemmy you have to eat! Let be a good boy for mommy!

I hope everything is ok!!
 

ckutkuhn7

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I've seen some of the other raw feeders say to not be surprised if your kitty decides they don't like that certain raw meat anymore. Did you try a different kind of raw meat to see if he would take that? Keep us posted. I hope he is doing better.
 

lemmysmommy

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He did eat a small amount of wet food this morning. His gums are pink and I don't think he is dehydrated. I have tried all the different meat that I have right now...pork and chicken. I will go to the store and see what else I can pick up. Maybe I can coax him into something else!!
 

Pbinky

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Try to find something that is really gamy like rabbit or quail (quail is so gross by the way... most disgusting thing to have to chop up). Kitties eat by smell so the smellier and gamier the better.
I hope Lemmy starts eating soon! You can also try cutting up the raw a bit smaller and mixing in a tiny bit of wet food ... that might get him to eat again.


He did eat a small amount of wet food this morning. His gums are pink and I don't think he is dehydrated. I have tried all the different meat that I have right now...pork and chicken. I will go to the store and see what else I can pick up. Maybe I can coax him into something else!!
 

PitRottMommy

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just to get him to eat something......for the time being......because its dangerous for cats to go without eating for more than 24 hours.................try canned sardines in tomato sauce. I've never had a cat refuse sardines in tomato sauce. You should be able to get them at the corner store if everywhere else is closed.

Nofuratu, are you aware that tomatoes are toxic to cats?

Sardines aren't a bad idea, unless they're pickled in brine. Salt can severely damage kidneys, especially in high volumes.

I would recommend trying a different type of bird, Lemmysmommy, or even fish. Some cats work well off variety. My female does best on a rotation of turkey and duck. I throw in liver and gizzards for fun.

You can also drizzle tuna juice, warm the food slightly and even put parmesan cheese on top to entice Lemmy to eat.

Good luck!
 

lemmysmommy

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Try to find something that is really gamy like rabbit or quail (quail is so gross by the way... most disgusting thing to have to chop up). Kitties eat by smell so the smellier and gamier the better.
I hope Lemmy starts eating soon! You can also try cutting up the raw a bit smaller and mixing in a tiny bit of wet food ... that might get him to eat again.

I am not sure where to get quail or rabbit around here. I am looking into some processers on the internet, but have not found anything yet. I am going to try some sardines in a while after I can get to the store. He is crying right now so, I am going to try him with a little more wet food to hold him over. This is so frustrating. It was like a light bulb just shut off. For the first couple of weeks he would just pounce on it and could not eat it fast enough...and now this. Ok, sorry for the rambling..........off to the store!!
 

lemmysmommy

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Nofuratu, are you aware that tomatoes are toxic to cats?

Sardines aren't a bad idea, unless they're pickled in brine. Salt can severely damage kidneys, especially in high volumes.

I would recommend trying a different type of bird, Lemmysmommy, or even fish. Some cats work well off variety. My female does best on a rotation of turkey and duck. I throw in liver and gizzards for fun.

You can also drizzle tuna juice, warm the food slightly and even put parmesan cheese on top to entice Lemmy to eat.

Good luck!

How often can he eat fish?? I bought some salmon and he likes it alot (or he did), but my husband thinks that it could be harmful in large quantities d/t mercury. I will try the tuna juice and parmesan cheese. Thanks!!
 

PitRottMommy

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How often can he eat fish?? I bought some salmon and he likes it alot (or he did), but my husband thinks that it could be harmful in large quantities d/t mercury. I will try the tuna juice and parmesan cheese. Thanks!!

You don't have to feed just salmon, there are lots of other types to try. If you buy farm raised salmon, your chances of mercury toxicity are much, much lower. It's essentially oceanic salmon that raises the chances (and we really shouldn't be eating much of that ourselves for the same reason). As far as frequency, I wouldn't do more than about 2-3 days a week, but keeping him eating right now is very important. Making sure he eats is the number one priority, then getting him to eat the proteins you choose for him.
 

Pbinky

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I would go to a butcher and not "the grocery store".... that is if the grocery store doesn't carry wild game. But your best bet is a butcher because he might even be able to order some for you.

I am not sure where to get quail or rabbit around here.
 

lemmysmommy

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I called the local butchers and no one sells quail, rabbit or anything like that!! I am not sure that I can continue to do this. I don't want to go back to wet and dry food, but I can't get him to eat anything it seems like. I gave him some sardines and he ate a bite or two and then just left it. I will try some more chicken with the tuna juice and cheese on it later. I hope this goes better!!
 

Brooke

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Have you tried turkey? I know it seems odd, but my guys hate chicken but love turkey. I personally think they taste pretty similar, but apparently to cats, they do not! :LOL:

I've got 26 pounds of whole ground chicken/organs/bones in my freezer that my cats don't like.
(off topic - does anybody here want it? Cheap, cheap!! PM me if you're interested. I'm serious, I'll sell it for dirt cheap and overnight it on ice.)

I've also had really good luck with beef, but some cats can't tolerate beef - meaning, they'll eat it and then throw it right back up. You won't know until you try to feed it though... Out of my 4, Mandy is the only one that ever threw up beef and that was right when she started eating raw. Now that she's a seasoned raw eater, she eats it all the time with no problems.

If you're having trouble sourcing your foods, you might look into some of the commercially made frozen raw diets. There you'll be able to test out a bunch of different flavors...Nature's Variety, Primal, Bravo, and Rad Cat are all good and you'll find store locators on all of their websites. Rad Cat is the closest to homemade raw, because they don't include any vegetables, and it was the favorite of my cats (unfortunately also the most expensive, but not too bad with just 1 cat!). In fact, when I was buying the less expensive Primal brand, I would also buy a tub of Rad Cat Turkey and mix a little of it in because they liked it a lot better and it would entice them to eat. :Wink:
 
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lemmysmommy

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I will try turkey again. He liked it at first and then just stopped eating it. I am not sure what his problem is. He acts fine...running around like a maniac, so I don't think he is sick. I just think that he is being a BRAT!! LOL!!
 

ckutkuhn7

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I will try turkey again. He liked it at first and then just stopped eating it. I am not sure what his problem is. He acts fine...running around like a maniac, so I don't think he is sick. I just think that he is being a BRAT!! LOL!!

Good to hear! I'd rather him be a brat then sick! Keep us posted tho on any changes. :ThumbsUp::BigSmile:
 

heather

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Come on Lemmy! Sophie is crazy about quail :Dizzy: - she got a starter pack from Primal and was very partial to it and always ate it first when given the choice. I recommend the pre-made before throwing in the towel. I've been trying Brooke's suggestion about giving variety so she doesn't get too partial to one type of meat. Some days she seems psyched to eat and some days she walks away and comes back to it. Not sure if that's because it just came out of the fridge or what. Good luck!!!
 

2sphynxgirl

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Now Lemmy, just because you are SOTW dient mean you have to diet. The camera does not add 10 lbs to sphynx, just 10 mote wrinkles. You are perfect just the way you are, daahling!

Seriously- hope he changes his mind & eats soon!!
 

lemmysmommy

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Now Lemmy, just because you are SOTW dient mean you have to diet. The camera does not add 10 lbs to sphynx, just 10 mote wrinkles. You are perfect just the way you are, daahling!

Seriously- hope he changes his mind & eats soon!!

I know right.....LOL
 

lemmysmommy

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Well, I think that it is back to the "doom nuggets". I can't get him to eat anything raw and there is no place around here that sells the premade raw. I would have to drive like 45 minutes to get it. I may try it soon though. I don't know....I guess that he had a difference in what he thought he should eat. He was doing well on his Innova dry and Wellness wet, so maybe I should just let him be.....
 

TanyaT

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I am sorry Lemmy is being a brat:LOL: Lemmy you need to be a good boy and eat the food that is given to you!! Or like my kids you get nothing!:LOL::LOL: JK I hope he straightens out!
 

Mug-ys mumma

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I am sorry Lemmy is being a brat:LOL: Lemmy you need to be a good boy and eat the food that is given to you!! Or like my kids you get nothing!:LOL::LOL: JK I hope he straightens out!

:LOL: Like my mum used to say "like it or lump it!" :LOL:

No seriously, I hope he starts eating soon.

X
 
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