Please, Please Eat

I was whirling up some nasty-smelling cat food in my Cuisinart the other day when I thought to myself, I’m making more elaborate meals for the cat than I do for the family. He’s in kidney failure, you see, and his appetite isn’t too hot. Some of you already know this tune. I mean, dogs and cats can stop eating due to any of a hundred causes; if your pet’s appetite takes a nose dive and you don’t know the reason, that reason needs to be uncovered. But if your pet eats poorly as a result of a known illness, you’re kind of stuck with it. I have a few hints and tips that might help.
First off, don’t try to change a pet’s diet abruptly. Cats and dogs don’t do well with that even when they’re healthy. He might be emotionally traumatized by multiple trips to the hospital or already feeling nauseated from the illness. Because of the way the brain is structured, these unpleasant sensations may become linked to the taste or smell of the new recipe prescribed by the vet. As a result, the prescription food may be permanently blacklisted. If you recall a particular dish that made you sick one time, even a meal that you ate just before getting the flu or drinking too heavily, you will know what your pet is feeling. I had an incident with oysters when I was under ten years old, and I’m still exquisitely revolted by those things. When illness strikes, your pet is already on unsteady ground. Make every attempt to break this diet thing to him gently.

With that in mind, try to set a predictable routine for a pet with a poor appetite. His hunger center might be malfunctioning, but he is still a creature of habit. If he’s become accustomed to eating at a particular time of day, take advantage and always feed him at the exact same time and in precisely the same place. Even if he eats his breakfast strictly out of habit, that’s a few more calories in the bag. Resist the urge to hover during meal time. Subtle disruptions in the norm, such as you staring intensely at him from 20 inches away while he contemplates his bowl, tend to be off-putting. Your lives have been disrupted by this illness; the object here is to reassure him with a sense of routine.

You want desperately for this animal to eat. Putting down a giant bowl of food is not going to change his mind. In fact, many of our patients seem intimidated by a large amount of food. Try smaller amounts—really small, if that’s what he prefers—more frequently. It’s quite possible you will get him to consume more by offering five or six (littler) servings instead of the conventional two. Keeping the meals exceptionally fresh is a must, for increased appeal and for food safety reasons.

Next time we’ll cover some more advanced techniques and medical approaches for tempting a reluctant appetite.
Dr. M. S. Regan