Feral cat not eating, how do i help?

[moreknow]

A young male neutered/vaccinated feral whose unofficial name is Spot has been worrying me since he hasn't ate since Thursday, he hasn't ate until today this morning, but he was scared away by my brother who walked out at the wrong place wrong time (i was upset about that). But prior to eating and drinking a bit of water today, he's been meowing, and he rarely meows. And cats walking by him have been smelling his butt. Let me sum up what I've seen of him since Thursday:
- not eating for 3 days
- walking a bit slowly for 1 day
- visible 'sagging' belly pouch
- meowing
- not lethargic, but not also active
- breathing rate seems normal
- cats typically smell his butt when they walk by
- drank and ate very little from what I saw today

I work today and i don't want to ignore his problems so from now, I want to prepare myself to help him out. I don't want to fail any of my ferals again. If it gets worse, what could I do? If it does, i plan on taking him to a vet 24/7 hospital, but i heard that these have long waiting times.. Plus, how would i be able to catch him if he's pretty skittish. I tossed him chicken and brisket yesterday and now he thinks that i'm trying to scare him away

NOTE:
I've had this problem recently with my past 3 ferals, and what's odd about it is that they were all back-to-back. It started with another male named Niño, who was walking with a weird arch and wouldn't eat. Then it was Blanco, but he recovered pretty fast, and then Bebe, who I have shared about in my thread Cat sick, and vet visit in 14 days.. what to do? . All cats won't eat for a while and then slowly recover and return to normal. What i'd like to know is what could this be (worms?), and if it gets worse what could I do to help Spot out?

 

[fionasmom]

In the short term, all I can think is that since you are taking Bebe to the vet tomorrow, try to get some diagnosis which might help you with the others. Tell the vet that this has been ongoing and that a new cat now has the same symptoms. Of course, it might not be all the same thing for all three cats.

As for Spot, the not eating and little drinking is going to become an issue and the meowing could be a sign of distress. If he gets worse or if this continues in the same vein, he might need the ER. I have not taken an animal to the ER for several months and with the exception of not being allowed in, it was not really a big hassle or crowded. However, members of TCS are being advised to call first to see if the ER is able to take a pet, as some are swamped, and some are turning away pets who are not true emergencies. Maybe you should call the now and see what is going on in your area and if they are willing to see this cat.

Can you double up and take him tomorrow with Bebe?

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I had a female semi feral I took care of who for unknown reason(usually in the summer) would stop eating for 3 to 5 days. I tried to get her to eat soft cat food or baby food to no avail. I also tried putting regular Pediaylite in her water, but she showed no interest in drinking. I made an appt to see the vet, but the night before she started eating again and got back to normal after that.

I hope that they found out the root cause of this problem. I came to the conclusion with the kitty just mentioned that what she had might have been some sort of bacterial infection. Since these bouts happened mostly in the Summer months when it was warm. I got Probiotics and Lysine from the pet store and started putting it in my kitties food. It seemed to have helped.

In regards to your kitties, it could be something else. Parasites and worms are a possibility, but there are others diseases that could cause those symptoms you mentioned as well. I hope the vet figured out what was wrong. Please post an update, i would really like to know what is the cause of this illness. I really hope your kitties are feeling better.