First-time Cat Owner! Advice?

[ampreyes]

Hi everybody!

My 14 month

cat, Dexter, is a very energetic and talkative cat, and he LOVES his food no matter what, but recently he's changed and suddenly, too.

Yesterday I noticed how much less he was eating and how much he was sleeping. I don't know if I am worrying too much but I'm very anxious and afraid for his health since I do not know much about cats. He usually runs and meows early in the morning and late at night but this past day he just slept and walked around very minimally. I played with him to see if I could force it, and he did, but he is just not running and exploring on his own.

This morning when I cleaned his litter box I noticed that he didn't poop. It was all urine, which I counted only 3 clumps. I thought about his past bowel movements and they have all been pretty hard so I was thinking that maybe he is constipated. I got him some pumpkin puree but he refused to eat, even with dry food mixed. I'm so worried he will starve himself.

Sidenote, on June 11th last week he got his rabies and FVRCP vaccine so maybe he is lethargic from that, but it wouldn't explain him not pooping, also that was a week ago and he was himself at that time.

Please help an anxious cat mom!

 

[Pucks104]

Probably ought to get the vet to check him over.

 

[Margret]

First, welcome to The Cat Site! You've found the best community of cat lovers on the internet, and we hope that you and Dexter will continue to be part of our community for a very long time.

Any time a cat has a major, unexplained change in behavior it's worrisome. When that behavior change involves a loss of appetite, it's very worrisome - cats can have major liver damage if they don't eat for more than 24 hours. It's time to call your vet and tell him or her exactly what you've told us.

Regarding sleep: healthy cats tend to sleep 16 to 18 hours per day (I've never been certain just how to tell if a cat is lethargic because of this). A cat who goes more than an hour and a half without any sleep at all can have major physical problems as a result of this lack.

Margret

 

[ampreyes]

First, welcome to The Cat Site! You've found the best community of cat lovers on the internet, and we hope that you and Dexter will continue to be part of our community for a very long time.

Any time a cat has a major, unexplained change in behavior it's worrisome. When that behavior change involves a loss of appetite, it's very worrisome - cats can have major liver damage if they don't eat for more than 24 hours. It's time to call your vet and tell him or her exactly what you've told us.

Regarding sleep: healthy cats tend to sleep 16 to 18 hours per day (I've never been certain just how to tell if a cat is lethargic because of this). A cat who goes more than an hour and a half without any sleep at all can have major physical problems as a result of this lack.

Margret

Thank you so much! I'm glad to be part of this community of loving cat parents!
I told the vet this morning and they literally told me to wait a day to see what's wrong and made me an appointment for Sunday which is so far considering he isn't eating (Switching vets because of this) I knew something was wrong immediately when he wasn't meowing for food yesterday but I thought he was just tired from running around and playing late night before. Im going to try to visit a vet tomorrow morning in hopes of answers. Wish me luck and again thank you so much I really appreciate it!

 

[Margret]

In the meantime, it's essential that you get some calories into Dexter. Do you live in an area that has any major pet stores? See if you can find a high calorie gel dietary supplement. Here's what I found searching chewy.com for "cat calorie gel": cat calorie gel - Free shipping at Chewy.com I'm not recommending that you buy it from Chewy, you understand, unless they have an outlet store near you - you don't have time to wait for mail order. Something like this you can smear on Dexter's paws so he'll have to lick it off to get it out of his fur, and that gets calories into him. Virtually any high calorie gel formulated for cats should work; if you can find a flavor you think he'll actually like that's even better.

Margret

 

[ampreyes]

Thanks for the advice! I hand fed him some food coated in pumpkin puree and he ate just about a small handful! I made a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow so hopefully I can get an ultrasound on him to make sure he is okay.

I noticed he's also been licking his bum,
does that mean he is irritable? Does that have to do with him not being able to pass any bowel movements? And he also hasn't urinated but he has been drinking some water. I'm hoping nothing gets worse by tomorrows appointment

 

[Margret]

For cats, licking one's bum usually just means he's licking his bum. Not something we'd like to do (even if we were that limber), but fairly high on the feline ToDo list. But if he looked uncomfortable while he was doing it he may have been trying to deal with some sort of blockage.

Getting a handful of food into him means he isn't in danger of hepatic lipidosis now; well done!

Margret

 

[ampreyes]

For cats, licking one's bum usually just means he's licking his bum. Not something we'd like to do (even if we were that limber), but fairly high on the feline ToDo list. But if he looked uncomfortable while he was doing it he may have been trying to deal with some sort of blockage.

Getting a handful of food into him means he isn't in danger of hepatic lipidosis now; well done!

Margret

Yay! I'm so glad that that is out of the question! He has just been sleeping all day without having urinated or any bowel movement, so I am hoping tonight he can at least do something or the other, but until the appointment I am going to be very anxious about him

 

[dustydiamond1]

So glad you got a vet visit for tomorrow (hopefully a different vet?) keep us updated.

 

[ampreyes]

So glad you got a vet visit for tomorrow (hopefully a different vet?) keep us updated.

Thank you for the support! I will let everyone know what happens!

 

[dustydiamond1]

Thank you for the support! I will let everyone know what happens!

Oh good,what time is your appointment? Is Dexter your avatar?

 

[ampreyes]

Oh good,what time is your appointment? Is Dexter your avatar?

It will be at 2pm tomorrow and it is currently 4pm in CA. And yes that is my baby boy haha!

 

[dustydiamond1]

He is beautiful.It's gonna be a nail-biting, nerve-racking wait, maybe try to get some more of the pumpkin puree in him? Is it a different vet?

 

[ampreyes]

Thank you so much! I got him to eat a few pieces of food covered in pumpkin puree and I am planning to try again in an hour. I'm just worried because he has not urinated either and he isn't drinking his water (he hasn't since around 11 this morning). And yes it is a different vet!

I wonder if it is a delayed reaction to his two vaccines he has gotten because nothing in his lifestyle has changed. I thought I was just being weirdly worried but I knew something was wrong when he didn't meow at me for food yesterday.

He is currently sitting in blankets and holding a toy but he isn't playing.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Dear sweet boy

 

[ampreyes]

Dear sweet boy

I will definitely update you tomorrow after his appointment! Thank you for your support!

 

[Ritas]

Hi everybody!

My 14 month View attachment 237878 cat, Dexter, is a very energetic and talkative cat, and he LOVES his food no matter what, but recently he's changed and suddenly, too.

Yesterday I noticed how much less he was eating and how much he was sleeping. I don't know if I am worrying too much but I'm very anxious and afraid for his health since I do not know much about cats. He usually runs and meows early in the morning and late at night but this past day he just slept and walked around very minimally. I played with him to see if I could force it, and he did, but he is just not running and exploring on his own.

This morning when I cleaned his litter box I noticed that he didn't poop. It was all urine, which I counted only 3 clumps. I thought about his past bowel movements and they have all been pretty hard so I was thinking that maybe he is constipated. I got him some pumpkin puree but he refused to eat, even with dry food mixed. I'm so worried he will starve himself.

Sidenote, on June 11th last week he got his rabies and FVRCP vaccine so maybe he is lethargic from that, but it wouldn't explain him not pooping, also that was a week ago and he was himself at that time.

Please help an anxious cat mom!

 

[Ritas]

Please take him to the vet asap. My daughter's cat was impacted. The vet can give you medicine to help along with fiber in his food. Cats can go downhill quickly so always go with your instinct.

 

[ampreyes]

Please take him to the vet asap. My daughter's cat was impacted. The vet can give you medicine to help along with fiber in his food. Cats can go downhill quickly so always go with your instinct.

Thank you for your helpful advice. I hope that is not the case for Dex. I will attempt to go tomorrow morning instead of the afternoon, hopefully they can squeeze me in

 

[dustydiamond1]

Thank you for your helpful advice. I hope that is not the case for Dex. I will attempt to go tomorrow morning instead of the afternoon, hopefully they can squeeze me in