 One of the most common problems affecting cats in shelters or rescue situations is anorexia. Anorexia is a vague clinical indication that can be associated with a number of underlying illnesses, making it difficult for clinicians and shelter workers to diagnose and treat affected cats. An awareness of prevalent causes and management options is required for effective intervention. Anorexia is defined as a loss of appetite for food. Another helpful word is hypoxia, which is described as a loss of appetite. Both are vital in feline medicine and should be closely examined. The difference is relevant for both descriptive purposes and because completely anorexic individuals may require more severe diagnostic and therapeutic intervention, such as aided eating. The dangers of anorexia and hypoxia are widely established. Increases in glucose, lactate, cortisol, glucagon, and norepinephrine, as well as enhanced proteolysis, result in muscle loss although fat may be maintained. Immune function and wound healing are hampered, and morbidity and death rates rise. Hepatic lipidosis can develop in elderly fat cats after a traumatic event that is followed by anorexia. It is linked with fast and severe weight loss, 40 to 60 percent, depression, and ichterous, muscular masses reduced but abdominal and inguinal fat are frequently maintained. This illness needs strict dietary control. Hypoxia or anorexia in shelter cats can be caused by a variety of factors. When feasible, hypoxia and anorexia should be avoided, and when they do occur, a particular cause should be sought. Symptoms of anorexia in cats. Anorexia can cause a wide variety of symptoms in cats that may be primarily linked to anorexia or an underlying disease. The symptoms could worsen over time or suddenly in conjunction with a high stress situation. Clinical signs that a cat owner may be able to detect at home include weakness, unresponsiveness, weight loss, ichterous, yellowing of the skin, hiding, spending more time with the owner than usual, depression, unwillingness to become active, lethargy, excesses salivation, partial loss of appetite, complete loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, diet change. Cats are affected by many qualities of food, such as the taste, smell, format, canned, dry, semi-moist, kibble shape, kibble size, mouth feel, etc. Cats are notorious for developing fixed food preferences that are often shaped by early experience. Food acceptance and intake can also be affected by environmental factors such as the feeding location, timing of feeding, type of bowl, presence of other animals or people, etc. Most cats are not accompanied by a diet history, but capturing the information whenever possible for relinquished cats may help with continuity of diet. Cats for any period of time should be fed a consistent diet.Food should always be fresh and stored appropriately. Poor quality or spoiled diets may cause anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Stressors. Many external stressors cause changes in feline behavior such as anorexia and hypoxia, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Stressors may also have wide-ranging effects on cat behavior, such as suppression of normal behaviors, and increased vigilance and hiding. Undesirable physiologic responses to stress include hyperglycemia, decreased serum potassium, increased serum creatinine phosphoconaz, lymphopenia, neutrophilia, erratic response to sedation and anesthesia, immunosuppression, hypertension, and cardiac murmurs. Examples of stressors include change in diet, change in caretakers, change in daily routine, unnatural day and light cycles, lack of interaction with caretakers, cold ambient temperatures, noisy environments, presence of other cats and dogs, unfamiliar caretakers, unfamiliar environment, rearrangement of cage contents, and lack of environmental resources. Cats are subjected to many of these stressors on a routine basis. Small cages also make it difficult to place food and water away from the litter box. Food intake is adversely affected when less than two feet of triangulated distance between litter box, resting area, and food and water bowls is available. As well cats may be housed within the sight of dogs, or at the least, within the smell and sound of dogs. While it is not possible to avoid all stressors, care should be taken to minimize them and resources are available to maximize the shelter and cage environment for cats. In addition, some group housed cats may not eat well due to competition and may benefit from single housing. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. Diagnosis. Unfortunately, anorexia is a syndrome and cannot be used to diagnose the underlying or causative disease. Treatment of anorexia lies in identifying and managing the underlying disease while supporting the cat's fluid and nutrient balance until appetite resumes. A thorough clinical examination of all organs, including the eyes, will help define a tighter differential diagnosis list. The diagnostic workup should be directed by the clinical findings. Useful additional tests to routine biochemistry and hematology may include feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity to investigate pancreatic inflammation and cobalamin to assess vitamin B12 deficiency secondary to pancreatic, hepatobiliary, or gastrointestinal disease. Anorexia and pseudoanorexia treatment. Treatment will depend completely on what the diagnosis is. Associated or additional treatment will focus on treating and managing related symptoms. For instance, if your cat is dehydrated, then intravenous fluids may be needed. Any nausea must be eliminated. If it is appropriate, your veterinarian may prescribe a short-term appetite stimulant such as Cyproheptidine, brand name Periactin, or Myrtazepine, brand name Remeron Myrtaz. If there is a mineral imbalance like low potassium, which can interfere with normal appetite, then a potassium supplement will be added. It may be useful to enhance the palatability of the cat's food. Your veterinarian can help you with specific recommendations, but simple steps to try include. Adding a canned formulation to the diet. Heating food to approximately body temperature. Adding a bit of low sodium chicken, vegetable, or beef broth for flavor enhancement. Temporarily preparing a home-cooked diet with guidance from your veterinarian as to appropriate recipes. Occasionally, an anorexic cat who has an underlying metabolic disorder must receive nutrients but is unwilling to eat. In these cases, it may be necessary for your veterinarian to place a feeding tube into the nostril, esophagus, stomach, or small intestine through a small incision in the skin. Feeding tubes are generally not considered heroic interventions, but they are nearly always lifesaving. Food and medication can be delivered with very little stress on the cat. If the GI system is not working for some reason, your veterinarian may recommend what is called parenteral feeding, in which nutrition is provided intravenously. Parenteral feeding is a specialized, complicated technique generally performed by a specialist in a referral center. Tube feeding and parenteral nutrition are most often undertaken as bridge procedures until the cat can eat on her own. Sudden inappodance in cats, especially overweight or obese cats, is particularly dangerous because of the risk for liver failure. Tempting a cat to eat should be done with small food items, syringe feeding cats can be stressful and encourage food aversion. Sometimes placing food in the mouth or on the lips can stimulate the cat to eat, but only use this method in those cats that are stable and improving, as again this can encourage food aversion and heighten stress. Some cats respond well to food hides, other cats prefer company and encouragement to start to eat. Getting a cat to eat within a hospital environment is difficult due to the limitations of space and food placement. All cats should have their weight monitored daily and a regular assessment of body condition score. Assisted feeding of anorexic cats is a method that frequently fails to provide sufficient daily food intake, consequently, clinicians should be prepared to abandon it in favor of a more reliable means of nutritional support if nutrient requirements are not adequately met. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.