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My cat is lethargic and not eating. Is her raw food diet the cause?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 3 years and 3 months old | 11 lbs

My cat only ate half her dinner of wet food. Last night, she only ate 80% of her dinner. This has never happened before. I feel like she is more lethargic than usual. 2 wks ago, I brought her to the vet cause she had been acting strange for 3 wks. Lethargic and she pooped outside of her litter box once a wk. when the vet was giving her a checkup and pressed on her thigh, my cat hissed. she has been on cosequin once a day. No X-ray. My cat is on a raw food diet & I switched to a lower litter box.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 16th, 2017

I think you are right to be concerned. Something is making her feel rather bad right now and making her eat less. She is likely nauseous, which can happen in many different disease processes. Since she is on a raw food diet, I would be suspicious of an infection affecting the stomach or intestines. Raw food has been linked to a few different bacteria and parasites that can cause gastrointestinal infections, which is a big reason I don't reccomend feeding it. If the stool is loose or more frequently, then she would need to be tested for some of these diseases. Other causes can be pancreatitis, hepatitis, kidney disease and gall bladder disease. Routine blood tests can help to identify these potential causes. I think the pain response in the leg is unrelated, but worth exploring also. Overall, I reccomend scheduling a recheck exam with your vet. They will likely come to a similar conclusion and can better evaluate Sansa for any of these conditions. I hope that helps and Sansa gets better soon.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

  • Image profile

    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I think you are right to be concerned. Something is making her feel rather bad right now and making her eat less. She is likely nauseous, which can happen in many different disease processes. Since she is on a raw food diet, I would be suspicious of an infection affecting the stomach or intestines. Raw food has been linked to a few different bacteria and parasites that can cause gastrointestinal infections, which is a big reason I don't reccomend feeding it. If the stool is loose or more frequently, then she would need to be tested for some of these diseases. Other causes can be pancreatitis, hepatitis, kidney disease and gall bladder disease. Routine blood tests can help to identify these potential causes. I think the pain response in the leg is unrelated, but worth exploring also. Overall, I reccomend scheduling a recheck exam with your vet. They will likely come to a similar conclusion and can better evaluate Sansa for any of these conditions. I hope that helps and Sansa gets better soon.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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