Cat Doesn't Want to Eat- How Long Do I Wait

EmersonandEvie

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Friday morning, it was business as usual: Emerson woke me up way too early, I got up and fed everyone. Everyone ate, all was good. That evening, I fed everyone right around 6:30pm, like usual. Everyone was circling and meowing and stretching for the counter! Dexter an Evie both scarfed theirs down, and Emerson...walked away. He wouldn't even lick the food. I figured the can was bad and gave him a completely different can, no luck. We would up giving him some dry food just to have something on his stomach. That night, he wouldn't eat his midnight snack of hard food, just dome Temptations treats. He didn't wake me up this morning and only ate a stick of Tiki Cat mousse, no actual cat food. He seems to be licking his lips more like he's nauseated, but has not thrown up and has not had diarrhea.

How long do I wait him out? Other than the not eating, he has been acting fine, chasing Dexter and Evie, not hiding, jumping on the cat tree, watching the birds. He slept next to me last night. He purrs and wants to be held.

Dexter had a routine vet appointment on Thursday. The vet put some topical dewormer on his neck. Could Emerson have groomed him and gotten some of it in his system, making him nauseous? My biggest worry at this point is dehydration. Could I give him some cat milk for calories and moisture? If he's still like this on Monday, he's going to the vet. I'm also going to go grab some Fancy Feast and some Friskies to see if he will eat that.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Could be that, but my cat and my grandparents cat are going through the same funk. So it could be seasonal or weather related? Gramps cat only ate half his bowl, mine only just started finishing her portions again with the help of mackerel. I mushed up mackerel with water and added the juice from that mush to her food and she ate it, you could try that
 
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EmersonandEvie

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Could be that, but my cat and my grandparents cat are going through the same funk. So it could be seasonal or weather related? Gramps cat only ate half his bowl, mine only just started finishing her portions again with the help of mackerel. I mushed up mackerel with water and added the juice from that mush to her food and she ate it, you could try that
I'll try that! It's just very bizarre because Emerson has never not wanted to eat, and it came on so suddenly with no indicators (not sleeping any more than normal, not lethargic, etc).
 
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EmersonandEvie

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He just drank a good bit of cat milk. I wonder if he is just burnt out on what wet food we are offering.
 

rubysmama

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How long do I wait him out?
Cats need to consume a certain number of calories a day, or hepatic lipidosis aka fatty liver, can set in, which can be very serious. This can happen quickly, like 24 to 48 hours.

So definitely keep track of what Emerson consumes. And, possibly, if your vet is open today, give them a call and let them know what's going on. Just to get their advice.

Here's a TCS article with more info:
Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous? – Cat Articles

Plus:
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again | TheCatSite

Sending vibes that he starts eating normally again soon. :vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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EmersonandEvie

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Update:

Em just puked all over the cat room, then waltzed into the kitchen and meowed for food. He ate about 3 mouthfuls on his own, which is the most he's eaten cat food (not treat) wise in 24 hours. I hope something wasn't right with his tummy and getting it all out reset his system. We will try for a few more bites around 7:30.

He is currently curled up on my lap. :petcat: :petcat: :petcat:
 
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EmersonandEvie

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He (I'm assuming it was Emerson) also had a bout of very runny diarrhea last night. That hasn't happened since, at least when I checked their litterboxes around 6.
 

rubysmama

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Glad Emerson ate this morning. Hopefully he just had a bit of a tummy upset, and he's on the mend now. :redheartpump:
 
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EmersonandEvie

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I'm still going to make a vet appointment tomorrow. He is eating more but I think he is having mouth pain. I went to give him some hard treats and he sort of mouthed it and then spit it out. He ate another 2 or 2.5 oz of wet food for dinner. He's also been running around more than he was yesterday.
 

rubysmama

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Awww... poor baby. And, yes, a vet appointment sounds like a good idea. Let us know what you find out.
 

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my cat was like that too last week. i thought it was her being picky but on the 3rd day she started refusing wet food too. i scheduled her an appt and until then i tried pumpkin as i knew she was constipated. it helped, shes eating all her food and pooping normally. so i was able to cancel her appt
 
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EmersonandEvie

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I saw Em poop today and it was very solid and healthy, so he isn't constipated and his stools have firmed up to where they need to be.

I'm glad your kitty is doing better!
 
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EmersonandEvie

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He's ok. He did wake me up for breakfast and ate his usual amount, although not all at once. Husband said he ate some hard food and heard treats last night, but when I offered him some this morning, he mouthed then and spat them back out.

He's been running around, lounging, laying in my lap, etc. all afternoon!
 
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EmersonandEvie

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That's on my to do list for tomorrow. I got a call back about a job so I've been running atound collecting all the info needed for that.
 
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EmersonandEvie

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So...I think I'll wait on Em's vet appointment. He has his annual in March anyway, and we are going to swap vets then to one that is closer (he doesn't do well in the car). As of last night, he ate all of his hard food, and ate some hard treats this morning. No gagging or hesitations. He also ate all of his wet food this morning. He had another solid, healthy poop last night.

I'm thinking maybe he had a stomach bug, possibly carried into the house via Dexter since he was at the vet last.

That being said, if he has another episode, I'll definitely call the vet, but I think whatever he had going on has resolved itself.
 
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