Cat won't eat or drink after taking Cerenia pill

clairecw

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Hi TCS! Was wondering if someone had experience/thoughts on our Mika's (7 y/o female, believed Turkish Angora or Norwegian forest cat) behavior as of this morning and might be kind enough to share.

Here's a full timeline (all times Pacific time):
7/30 - Friday
3pm: Mika taken to the vet for a recent increase in vomiting hairballs, wet food, whole pieces of dry food. She was given (1) Cerenia injection, and (2) blood panel, results returned with no signs of concern. Prescribed with ½ a teaspoon of Laxatone per day (anti-hairball) and ½ a tablet of Cerenia per day (anti-nausea).

7/31 - Saturday
~9am: tried getting Mika to eat ½ of a Cerenia tablet by putting it in her mouth and rubbing her throat. Mika spit it out and began spitting up, the spit was somewhat thick and foamy with bubbles.

9:15-9:30: put ¼ teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws, she licked it off within 30 minutes.

10:30am: put ¼ teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws, she licked it off within 30 minutes.

8/1 - Sunday AM
Hid ½ of a Cerenia tablet in Mika’s wet food, which is routinely crushed into softer pieces. Mika only ate the parts of her wet food that didn’t touch the medicine, continued eating some dry food and treats. Drinking wasn’t closely monitored.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws in the morning, licked off.

8/2 - Monday
8:00-8:30am: crushed 1/2 of a Cerenia pill into a powder and put in Mika’s wet food. She was completely disinterested and only sniffed a bit before leaving. Mika hasn’t eaten any wet food, dry food, or treats. Also hasn’t drunk any water.
For around 15-30 minutes, we saw Mika continuously leaving her mouth open for 5-10 seconds at a time before closing it again and licking her lips (pic attached). Aside from this behavior, she seems to be breathing normally. This open-mouth behavior has also since subsided.
Overall, her energy levels are quite low and seems to want her privacy (ie. sleeping, sitting in corners, etc).

TLDR: after taking prescribed Cerenia pills, Mika's completely lost her appetite, won't drink water, and is a lot more lethargic than usual.

Thanks so much in advance.
 

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LTS3

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I'd contact the vet and discuss the inappetance. If the vet has no suggestions, get another vet opinion. Vomiting occasionally isn't much of a concern in general but if it happens daily with seemingly no reason or trigger, there's usually an underlying medical issue.

Try to get your cat to eat anything to avoid fatty liver disease. Use toppers if needed. FortiFlora works pretty well. An appetite stimulant may be needed.

It's possible that your cat now associates food with a yucky pill. It's one of the drawbacks with trying to hide medicine in food. Try one of these pilling tips:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – Cat Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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From what you wrote, it doesn't really sound like she has had any doses of the Cerenia since she got the shot at the Vet. She spit out the pill on Saturday, she ate around it on Sunday, and refused to eat today. So she may still be nauseated since I'm pretty sure the injection has completely worn off by now. Did you call the Vet back and tell them you are having a hard time getting the Cerenia into her? There are other forms of it you can get, like a transdermal gel, or a flavored liquid, or a tasty chew.

Has she vomited anymore since Friday? That's really the issue, I think. Maybe she has a hairball that is really stuck and can't get out :dunno:. Did the Vet think that might be a possibility? What was their follow-up advise?
 

kittenmittens84

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It sounds like she’s nauseated and that’s why she won’t eat. Lip licking is often a sign of nausea in cats. The cerenia injection will have worn off by now and it doesn’t sound like any of the other pills actually made it to her stomach so if she’s still having nausea that would make sense.
 
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clairecw

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Thank you so much everyone!
All of you were right on the money -- we gave Mika a different flavor of wet food in a different bowl, along with some treats we hadn't given her in a while, and she ate those right up (after some caution)! She was probably pretty disgusted by the Cerenia pill, will definitely check out those other resources LTS3 LTS3 .

Her behavior is pretty back to normal today, thanks again for all the support.
 

isobel

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Hi TCS! Was wondering if someone had experience/thoughts on our Mika's (7 y/o female, believed Turkish Angora or Norwegian forest cat) behavior as of this morning and might be kind enough to share.

Here's a full timeline (all times Pacific time):
7/30 - Friday
3pm: Mika taken to the vet for a recent increase in vomiting hairballs, wet food, whole pieces of dry food. She was given (1) Cerenia injection, and (2) blood panel, results returned with no signs of concern. Prescribed with ½ a teaspoon of Laxatone per day (anti-hairball) and ½ a tablet of Cerenia per day (anti-nausea).

7/31 - Saturday
~9am: tried getting Mika to eat ½ of a Cerenia tablet by putting it in her mouth and rubbing her throat. Mika spit it out and began spitting up, the spit was somewhat thick and foamy with bubbles.

9:15-9:30: put ¼ teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws, she licked it off within 30 minutes.

10:30am: put ¼ teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws, she licked it off within 30 minutes.

8/1 - Sunday AM
Hid ½ of a Cerenia tablet in Mika’s wet food, which is routinely crushed into softer pieces. Mika only ate the parts of her wet food that didn’t touch the medicine, continued eating some dry food and treats. Drinking wasn’t closely monitored.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of Laxatone on Mika’s paws in the morning, licked off.

8/2 - Monday
8:00-8:30am: crushed 1/2 of a Cerenia pill into a powder and put in Mika’s wet food. She was completely disinterested and only sniffed a bit before leaving. Mika hasn’t eaten any wet food, dry food, or treats. Also hasn’t drunk any water.
For around 15-30 minutes, we saw Mika continuously leaving her mouth open for 5-10 seconds at a time before closing it again and licking her lips (pic attached). Aside from this behavior, she seems to be breathing normally. This open-mouth behavior has also since subsided.
Overall, her energy levels are quite low and seems to want her privacy (ie. sleeping, sitting in corners, etc).

TLDR: after taking prescribed Cerenia pills, Mika's completely lost her appetite, won't drink water, and is a lot more lethargic than usual.

Thanks so much in advance.
 

isobel

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After bringing my Isobel for vomiting they gave her cerenia shot yesterday morning about 9 am. She will not eat or drink anything. They gave me pills to give her but I am reluctant after seeing this reaction. Stopped the vomiting, other tests revealed no blockage or immediate danger, but now she will not eat. It is as though she is in a daydream. 24 hours no food or water. I will not give her any more of that poison. Actually, since I brought her to emergency at 5 am yesterday it has been more like 30 - 35 hours without food or water. She had nothing before we left.
 

di and bob

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I am sure it is a side effect of her medication. After a while, the body adjusts to it and they are much better, but no eating is of great concern. Keep setting bowls of water near her and tempt her to eat anything that she will, even fast food. My Burt would only eat Arby's roast beef and McDonald's hamburger patties. My cats have leukemia and when they stop eating when they pick up a virus, I give them Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. They always take a few licks of that and it is enough to keep them going. Go to your pet food section to the treat section and pick up some various lickable treats. I have had cats not eat for up to three days and they were fine. It is taki9ng a while for her system to get back to normal. all the luck.....
 

isobel

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I am sure it is a side effect of her medication. After a while, the body adjusts to it and they are much better, but no eating is of great concern. Keep setting bowls of water near her and tempt her to eat anything that she will, even fast food. My Burt would only eat Arby's roast beef and McDonald's hamburger patties. My cats have leukemia and when they stop eating when they pick up a virus, I give them Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. They always take a few licks of that and it is enough to keep them going. Go to your pet food section to the treat section and pick up some various lickable treats. I have had cats not eat for up to three days and they were fine. It is taki9ng a while for her system to get back to normal. all the luck.....
Thank you. I appreciate your input. It is so hard to find good cat care. You bring them to ER and they do whatever they want without explaining the side effects. "it will help her nausea"...well yes I suppose it will if she is not eating, drinking, and walking around in a fog. She had already been checked for blockage and her blood work came back normal with exception of hemoglobin and liver enzyme just crossing into the "high" range and platelet just across the "low" range, but she had been vomiting fluid 3 days prior. I was not happy with the doctor who spilled her out of her cage and seemed to handle her aggressively. She was a bit high strung for 5a in an empty clinic, and never looked me in the eye. I will not be back there, if it means driving another 30 miutes.
 

di and bob

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I agree completely! I quit a vet because I heard him telling someone else it was time to get out his gun and thin out the feral cats on his farm. I was terrified of him handling my cats if he had that attitude!
 

isobel

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That is terrifying, just evil actually.
Isobel seemed to be bounding back a bit yesterday but still no food or water. This morning she threw up a couple tablespoons worth of yellow bile. Do I give her the dose? Obviously I cannot reach the vet on Sunday. I don't want to bring her back to that hospital. This will be the 3rd full day without food and water. I am really concerned for her and not sure what to do.
 

di and bob

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It is up to you of course, but definitely call your vet tomorrow morning and ask what to do. Have you tempted her with Lickable treats or tuna juice, etc? I have had cats not eat for 3-5 days, but she definitely needs to start taking a few licks of something, anything!
 

isobel

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On way home from Mass this morning I stopped at the grocer and bought baby food...chicken, stage 2. I had a kitty years ago who loved this. She actually took a few licks with great interest. she wanted to eat it, but it was almost as if it started to choke her in the back of her throat as she swallowed. ????? any thoughts. I is good old Gerber...the puree that should not choke.
 

di and bob

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Sounds like she is nauseated. You might try thinning it down a little with water to see if that helps. A few licks is good!
 
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