Cat will now only lick food from my finger - how to provide high calorie food for a cat?

Question

Backstory:
Cat has always had a good appetite. Only problems in the past have been with hairballs getting out of control and suppressing his appetite for a while.

Problem:
Lately, he stopped eating almost completely. We've tried different types of food. Wet, dry, treats, etc. We're trying anything we can to get calories in him.

Vet trip:
We went to the vet (obviously) and had bloodwork and checkup. Nothing out of the ordinary has been diagnosed as a result. We're now trying appetite stimulant and anti-nausea medications.

Current situation:
He's still not eating any proper food we put in front of him, but he will lick food off our fingers. We've been giving him anti-hairball paste which he LOVES and lickable cat treats which he really likes. But they're so low in calories that it's not something that's really sustainable.

So... I guess my questions are:

• Has anyone had a situation like this? Any recommendations on getting more calories in him/getting him eating?
• Are there brands or recipes for healthy high calorie pastes out there? I know it's not a long term solution, but really anything at this point would be great.

Thanks!

P.S. We'll be taking him back to the vet in a couple of days if nothing changes.

Answer 1

This is a few months too late and am hoping it helps those who have not tried it. My 2 7 month old kittens have had multiple health issues and with the gradual piling up of symptoms, I had to ensure I was giving them the dense and easy to digest nutrition. When cats are unwell, they don't like to eat. If they have had nausea or vomiting, it scares them to eat and there is residual acidity which bothers them.

One cat had some gut issues so I was told to blend GI canned food (I am using Farmina brand) and {IF required, add some recovery liquid (Royal Canin) or half a can of AD food (Hills) and probiotics powder (Fortiflora)} or just plain water also to allow for a smooth blend. Ideal ingesting of 90 ml a day is required for him so make 9 syringes (COMAR feeding syringes come in 10 ml size), and put them in the fridge. each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) take 3 out, dip in warm water and let them come to nice near warm or room temperature. These are washable so I wash them with a fine brush, dip in warm water and dry them off each night.

Then get your cat comfortable, sit behind it, raise the head, poke the syringe in through the side and slowly, 0.5ml with each press down every 1 second, feed the syringe in one attempt. There will be some resistance and dribbling sometimes. If he was too anxious I would do 5 ml and let him walk around and bring him back.

Now he eats it voluntarily from the syringe like a treat or if I squeeze it into my hand or if I just dip my fingers in the blend. He eats dry on his own but has not developed the taste or liking to eat wet on his own from the bowl.

In a month, he has realized he feels better after eating more with these syringes so he has become cooperative.

However, I am hoping for a day soon when he eats at least half a can of his food without needing my help at all.