Can't Get Cat To Eat/drink

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
hello! I posted on Saturday about my kitty being very lethargic and not eating. He'd thrown up and dry heaved as well over a couple of days. He was also licking 'his lips' a lot.
We took him to pet ER late Saturday night and they did blood work and X-ray but didn't see anything wrong. Originally they thought maybe crystals or urinary blockage but he peed all over them when they examined him.
They gave him fluids and anti nausea meds and sent him home. They said feed him bland for a day, like baby food but for all of yesterday he wouldn't eat anything no matter what I tried. I tried again this morning but he still just sits there. I called and they said see if his vet can get him in today, as it's a long time to go without feeling better and eating/drinking.
Anyone have any ideas/tricks to get him to eat something? I'm at a loss and very worried.
Calling the vet when they open but wanted to see if anyone has any ideas in the meantime.
I don't want to stress him more by going to the vet (he's a high stress cat) but don't want to wait.
Thanks in advance
 

orange&white

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
8,420
Purraise
9,669
Location
Texas
I keep some oral syringes on hand. Most pharmacies will give you a handful of them for free if you tell them that you have a cat who is not eating. If I have a cat who doesn't eat for 24 hours and then skips breakfast the second day, I blend canned cat food with water until it's thin enough to go through the syringe. My senior went off food when I brought the new kitten home, and ended up not swallowing the pureed cat food. I ended up syringing raw egg yolk into him and it perked his appetite up.

Since you are going back to the vet today, I wouldn't worry right now about syringe feeding. It would be good to be prepared in the future though.

Meanwhile, can you offer him some tuna or sardines...something really stinky that might convince him to eat on his own. A little bland boiled chicken with rice might work too.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
orange&white orange&white
Thanks for your quick reply. Poor baby has me so stressed.
The ER vet said keep his diet bland like chicken baby food but at this point if he eats anything I'll be happy. I'll give sardines/tuna a try for sure. I've gone through 4 different kinds of turkey/chicken baby and cat food and nothing.
Thanks
 

orange&white

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
8,420
Purraise
9,669
Location
Texas
You are just talking about a matter of a few short hours before your vet could open and see him? If so, then just hang tight. If you're looking at having to go all day before getting him in, then I would try to get some calories and water into him by syringing baby food. The baby food would have about the same smooth consistency as the egg yolks I used, so they may be more palatable than canned cat food (which I would think would feel 'gritty' even after pureeing).

Is it possible that he ate the string off a toy or some other foreign material that might not pass through? The vomiting and dry heaving makes me think something might be "stuck in the plumbing".
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
Thanks again orange&white orange&white
Just took him into the vet and upon looking him over they said he's beginning to jaundice so they're keeping him for tests and to get fluids in him.
On the X-ray on Saturday there showed nothing strange no blockage of any kind but I feel confident my vet will get to the bottom of things. I'm just so worried for him
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
aww poor baby! yes iv fluids are the best right now but make sure they are syringe feeding there as well. there's not enough calories in the iv fluids-and probably has nausea-that's what the lip smacking was. the Cerenia they gave only works for 24 hours so that could be why it started acting up again.

Ask the vet about Pepcid AC. this is usually given when Cerenia is given. it's to help stomach acid. Sometimes they only need it for a week to get through the hump of whatever is going on.

I don't blame you for being worried. I will go read the prior posts you made.

Keep us posted.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
foxxycat foxxycat yes they said they'd IV him to begin flushing his system She said he will likely be there over night too so they can make sure they get him fed and stay on his vitals. He didn't have a fever today, but the jaundicing was the concerning factor. Running blood work now and they said they'll call me with results so we can go from there.
I can't tell you how worried I am. I just hope we are going to catch whatever this is quickly and resolve it without any damage to my poor furbaby :(
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
I hope they try feeding him-this won't resolve without food in the system. Cat's livers clog up with fatty deposits and this causes the jaundice. I am sure you are very worried-maybe they will let you go and feed him via syringe? my vet didn't mind me helping out but depending on which cat it was=some get more stressed if I am there and others act better when I am there. If the baby food was being refused theres something else going on and the jaundice makes their belly's feel very upset. Pepcid AC/Cerenia/Zofran are the go to medications for this type of upset tums.

Hoping he gets better soon! my girl Angel Floey=used to refuse food until an hour after her Cerenia and Pepcid. she also perked up after sub fluids too. Hoping this is what helps your baby to EAT!!!!!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
Thanks again everyone. The vet called and said the bloodwork (liver and such) is within normal ranges. She said the next step is an ultrasound to look at bile ducts and pancreas to see if they can spot an obstruction. They're also running a (blood test?) on his pancreas specifically but those results won't be back until tomorrow. They are getting him fed and IV and will be kept over night. I can't imagine what could cause such a terrible sickness for my 4 year old healthy baby, but to speculate only makes me worry more.
Trying to have positive thoughts, thanks again.
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
google pancreatitis. That sounds what's going on-it's not easy to diagnose=that blood test is a measurement of a particular protein if my memory serves correctly=but it doesn't always show high levels-anotherwords the cat will still be symplamatic even though tests don't show positive reading for that fPLi test which is why it takes a day to get results.

Pancreatitis in Cats
Is a good explanation of what the pancreas does. I hope this helps.
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
also it's still a mystery of where pancreatitis comes from-there's speculation it could be stress or some kind of infection but it's one of those mysteries-it is scary to go through but the thing to remember is medicine has come a long way for cats-just in the past 10 years-I have seen more help for our babies when they are under the weather. 10 years ago we didn't have broad knowledge of cat nursing care like we have now.

When he comes home=the things to watch for:
pain, eating, cat box habits and any changes in routines-cat's are notorious for hiding illness from us-so don't be getting yourself spun up thinking you did anything. you didn't!!! They are such strong solid creatures!! where we would be whining and laying around-they just get up and keep going-just try to not heap guilt because it's nothing you did ok?!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
Thanks for the link on pancreatitis. I hope it's not that as it sounds awful. Not sure what to hope for as there's obviously something going on.
It's hard to watch your furbabies go through something like this but I do appreciate the support. I'd like to think we got him to the vet in time to avoid any real damage, he just has not been himself.
Thank you
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
well I understand your concern-but at least if they have a plan of action then treatment can begin sooner. My elder girl got pancreatitis at least once a year-it always seemed to happen when they changed the food-I buy the same brand but the color changes or the texture-which I always blamed on making the pancreatitis act up. The pain meds and Pepcid/Cerenia and fluids really helped her. I hope your baby gets better sooner rather than later!
Keep us posted!!
 

orange&white

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
8,420
Purraise
9,669
Location
Texas
You've done everything right so far. You got her to emergency at the first symptoms and now she's at your trusted vet. Try to not worry (I know, easier said than done). You'll have test results soon and have a professional diagnosis and then you can go from there. One positive note: Once a cat has a bout of hepatic lipidosis, they almost never get it again. You caught the jaundice early-on so it's much easier to treat.

Good vibes your way. :vibes: Look forward to reading updates on test reports or any additional news.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
Hello everyone!
My little buddy spent the night at the pet hospital last night and will spend tonight as well and likely be home tomorrow afternoon.
He wouldn't eat, which was a big concern but after an appetite stimulant he's starting to eat a little as of this morning-so they didn't have to force feed him.
Results came back that it's not pancreatitis so that's good, however the cause of the inflammation and I think she said (choloycystitis? Maybe) is unknown. He's on an antibiotic as well but she wants to make sure the bile sludge moves along.
I know I didn't absorb all the info correctly but I wanted to post that he's doing better and I'll be excited to see him home tomorrow!
Thanks everyone for your responses, kind words, and positive thoughts ❤
 

orange&white

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
8,420
Purraise
9,669
Location
Texas
It's frustrating to not have a definitive answer, but they are ruling out several serious conditions so that must be a bit of a relief. Good to hear he is starting to eat a little bit without forcing him. Hopefully this will turn out to be one of those weird (perhaps unexplainable) illnesses which simply pass in a short time. Thoughts your way for quick healing and a return to good health.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

darlenam8

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
106
Purraise
39
Spoke with the vet this morning and he's coming home this afternoon. She said he's eating on his own and has even come out of hiding under his blanket (he's a super scaredy cat). The term she was using was 'cholangitis' but we aren't sure of the why. As someone in the earlier posts said hopefully it was a fluke 1 time illness that we never have to deal with again. Have to bring him back in a week for a checkup to make sure his progress is good. I can't tell you how relieving it is to have a confident and caring vet like ours.
I went to see him last night and he was so excited to see us, rubbing his face all over my hand, nibbling at my boyfriends fingers. His eyes looked bright and lively.
Thanks everyone!
 
Top