I have a 16 year old white angora cat named Snowflake who has not been eating and has lot a great deal of weight in just less than a week. She is my mom's cat but my mom refuses to ever take a cat to the vet since it costs too much. I just turned 21 and have had this cat all my life so whatever I can do to help Snowflake, I'll do it! I did some research and think it could be fatty liver disease or hepatic lipidosis or diabetes. I would rather not have to pay such a large bill if I take her to the vet even just to get a diagnosis. Does anyone know what I can do at home to alleviate this problem? I gave her some fancy feast but all she did was lick the water off it. Thank you, Laura

You really need to take Snowflake to the vet. I know you know that already. I know it's hard because it is so expensive. There are some vets out there that go by your income or simply don't charge as much as others.
Could it be possible that Snowflake may have a hair ball? With all the shedding going on from their winter coats, she may have a hairball. Make sure you brush her everyday backwards first, then the normal way. Give her some petroleum jelly-about a teaspoon. Most cats will lick it right up. If she doesn't just put it on her paws a little bit at a time so she doesn't flick it off, then she will lick it off. It's very effective for hairballs. Sometimes it works better than the flavored ones from the petstore. So try that first. It definitely won't hurt her.

Oh back to the vet thing... do some research in your area for affordable clinics.

Oh also try giving her a teaspoon of pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie filling but the real canned pumpkin.

I found a website that has a free clinc I put it on this response


Free Animal Health Resources from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

If she has hepatic lipidosis, she needs to go to a vet. Nothing short of IV fluid therapy and medications can reverse it. Many cats even need feeding tubes placed if they will not eat.
You need to find a way to get your cat to a vet. This will kill her if left untreated, and it is a very painful way to go.

As everyone has already said, you need to get her to the vet. In the mean time, you need to do what you can to get her to eat. Drain a can of tuna (in water, not oil) and give the water and whatever little chunks end up in it. If that works well, then you can try mixing some dry food in with the tuna water to make it soggy.

You shouldn't give her tuna water more than once a day for more than 2-3 days (at the MOST), though. Too much tuna is actually bad for cats.

I did an at home examination last night on Snowflake and all I could find was yellowed teeth and dirty patches towards the roots of her hair on the back. I put some petroleum jelly on her paws like mentioned above and this morning she's been purring and wanting belly rubs but I am going to make an appt. right now to get her in to the vet later this afternoon just in case it could be lepatic lipidosis, diabetes, etc. They said it would cost me $49 for the exam and $125 for the blood work.

I would like to add that I'm NOT a vet...