Loss of appetite

Question
Hi, my husband and I have a two year old cat who we rescued when she was five months old. She has always been a good eater and in her younger months was also quite active. As she got older she has mellowed out and now is quite happy just to cuddle and laze around. Over the holidays we have noticed that she hasn't been eating very much food at all and it nows seems as though she isn't eating anything. At first we thought maybe she was just moderating how much food she was eating but after we noticed the weight loss (she had some weight that she could afford to lose)and then near total cessation of appetite we became concerned. We have not noticed any bM in her litter box upon the last cleaning. She seems totally normal otherwise, clingy but that's pretty usual for her. Her black coat still looks very healthy and shiny. We tried switching to another cat food brand but have had little luck. Should we start mixing wet food in with the dry or is this likely to be more than just a food issue? It's probably also important to add that she is our only pet (other than our lizard) and is an entirely indoor cat. We have also had alot of visitors over the holidays but she has been happy to come out and sit on strangers' laps which she never used to do. We brought our first child home almost five months ago now but she reacted pretty well to sharing the spotlight and seems to enjoy our son's company often lying right beside him on the floor. Do you have any suggestions as to what we should try?

Answer
Hi Amy,

This does sound like more than just a food issue, I think she probably needs to be seen by a vet and have some blood work done.  Whatever the reason for her not eating the fact that she has lost enough weight for you to notice means that she could be at risk for "fatty liver syndrome" which is very serious.  Cats who were overweight and suddenly lose a lot are particularly at risk and this sounds like the case with your cat.  So, that needs to be checked out along with the cause of her not eating.  Could she have eaten something that could be causing a blockage in her intestine, tinsel or ribbon or such?  I don't think this is something you should ignore, I would get her to the vet soon and find out what's going on.