Garlic powder sprinkled on food as appetite stimulant?

My DS's cat Tig Tig who is FLV+ and has lost weight and won't eats saw vet today.

Vet said to sprinkle Garlic Powder on his food and that would make him want to eat.

He said bloodwork is normal. He said he would do urinalysis in a few days if he is
not better. Tig Tig has lost a lot of wt.

Vet said he does not believe his symptoms are due to the FLV+

Has any one ever head of Garlic Powder to increase their appetite?
Tell me again what will make them want to eat.

I had suggested he get a urinalysis.

 

Re: Garlic powder sprinkled on food for FLV+ cat???

Try FortiFlora instead. It's an appetite stimulant. I know that Dr. Lisa recommends it. Your vet sells it or you can buy from various places online such as PetFoodDirect.com, http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/79 ... Supplement I'm not sure if a prescription is needed to buy the product online.

You can also try crushed up freeze dried meat treats, powdered cheese, tuna juice, and baby food to get your cat to eat.

 

Since garlic is one of the known causes of hemolytic anaemia in cats, I would skip the garlic powder and try parmesan, tuna water, etc. Sometimes heating the food slightly will increase the smell and that can help, too.

 

I found something quite by accident.....freeze dried chicken liver. I had gotten a sample for the droolers and giving out bites and here came the cats! So now I crush the little cubes up and sprinkle a pinch on their food. They go crazy for it.......out of 8 only one, my pickiest, will eat anything I put it on.

 

I cut and pasted this from another post of mine. Hope it helps.
Remember -- getting to the bottom of why he is not eating is most important. That way you can treat the underlying cause ( or symptoms of underlying cause) . It is always very important to get cats to eat, as they can quickly develop hepatic lipidosis from lack of food.

Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat

-sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb / grain free brands -- EVO and wellness core.

-making a buffet to give him choices

sprinkle food with :
- forta flora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- parm. cheese
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- bonito tuna flakes
- halo chicken treats -- crumble into dust over food -- my Wolfie loves this stuff.
- poor a little water from tuna in water over food ( I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats-- check labels)
- I do not have a trader joes -- but others swear by trader joe tuna for cats
- powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.
-baby food -- beechnut turkey and broth or chicken and broth. they have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.


If enticements don't work, you should consider assist feeding ( syringe or make little meatballs and place in mouth)
and/or talking to your vet about appetite stimulents ( mirtazapine or cyproheptidine)

Has your vet tested for thyroid and pancreatitis ?

good luck and please post back and let us know how your kitty is doing.
I hope they find out what is causing his lack of appetite.

 

Thank you squeem3, Karen, Gail and Cheryl for ALL the suggestions.

Some of those suggestions for stimulating the appetite were ideas i have never
read about before. I'm going to add this thread to my favorites and
I'm forwarding these to my DS.

Thanks for helping,
Maryjo

 

How much Halo chicken protein treats can my son feed Tig Tig?
that is the only thing he will eat right now and he has eaten several pieces.

 

Well, I must add that with my very picky eater, Woodee, who is almost 7 years old, and a Fibrosarcoma survivor, he will NOT eat wet food, even with the Forti Flora sprinkled on it.

At this point, since the vet is amazed he is even alive, I have relented to allowing him to eat the 'dreaded' dry food. He is very thin, really worries me, but I have tried everything just about with him. He does love fishy wet foods, but he also has a very peculiar odor to his pee, and I do not want to give him an all fish diet due to possible urinary issues.

His best friend, Proto, died last August, and he has been sad and lonely since he lost him. Proto was younger and bigger than Woodee, but Woodee was his 'protector' and best pal. Sad, how animals can grieve over the loss of their best friend.

Maryjo, I sure hope your son's cat will start gaining some weight and eat for him.

When you say your son's cat has FLV, do you mean FeLV (Feline Leukemia) or FIV (Feline Immunodefiency Virus)???

Wishing the best for his Tig Tig. You are a very caring 'bean' mom both to your son and to his cat.

Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)

 

Jean, tig Tig has Fiv. I checked to be for sure.

I told him about crushing the dry food and trying that. I wish we had a Trader jOE'S here.
There is some brand of stinky tuna but i can't remember what kind it is.

I am sorry your Woodee is feeling so lonely. I have read that animals grieve for their
loved ones just like humans. It is amazing how close they can be to each other.

thanks for your kind words.
Maryjo

 

Hi Maryjo,

Okay, with Tig Tig being FIV+, I don't feel that is so bad. I had two cats with FIV, in fact the first two I had here before the others. And through the years, no one caught the disease from my Squeegee or Bumper.

Both Squeegee and Bumper died from cancer, though at about 12 years old. I took the best care I could with them, and they were always inside only cats.

I sure hope that Tig Tig will pick up on his eating. How old is your son's cat? Has he ever had this trouble before where he would not eat?

It is good that his bloodwork looked good. Although some cats can have cancer, and that usually does not show up on normal blood work, but let's hope that is not why Tig is not eating.

Sending prayers that you have some good news for us tomorrow. Please keep us posted.

Thanks too, for your kind words about my poor little orange Woodee boy.

Jean and Charcoal (GA) p.s. did anyone mention trying some sardines in a can? I used to use them to trap the strays or ferals years ago. They really worked well. Or if your son can get some Kentucy Fried Chicken, you know how trappers always say how that works miracles in catching cats in traps. They love it!

 

no garlic, no onion. as someone said, you've an anemia risk from those. i used to give harry sausage leftovers from my breakfasts out because he loved it so much (there's garlic and/or onion in most sausage). after bloodwork came back showing anemia i stopped and his subsequent bloodwork has all been clear of anemia. gave me quite a scare, tho.

 

Or you can also use freeze dried fish. My cats go crazy for both. It is so bad that I have to keep the containers in the mircowave or they will find a way to get to it.