New cat not eating/drinking/using the litterbox, other concerning signs

[tsukiki]

Hi all,

I adopted a 10 month old female cat from a rescue on Friday. It's been over 24 hours since I took her home and socially, she's been doing great. She's friendly and affectionate, and even within this amount of time has seemed to become more adjusted (when I first brought her back, she would wail whenever I left the room – now, she'll meow a handful of times and then quiet down). She's great. Except I've only seen her eat a few bites of food (the rescue gave me her wet food and dry food that she's used to, and she's only sampled the dry food), only take a few sips of water, and has failed to eliminate. She first went into the box this morning (which was a relief in and of itself) and proceeded to meow loudly after scratching around. She left the box without eliminating. This has happened twice more. What's more is that her breathing seems to be slightly labored (especially after play) and her pupils seem unevenly dilated when she's playing. And although on the first night she was very playful, today she's hardly shown an interest.

I'm wondering if I should contact the rescue and ask her to observe her for a few days (they don't consider her "mine"/my responsibility for two weeks after adoption) or if I'm just being neurotic over her.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!
No, not neurotic, she needs to see a vet asap.

 

[James&Taki]

I would contact the rescue. Constipation is, as far as I know, generally only a significant concern in and of itself if it's been going on for more than 48 hours (though trouble peeing is more concerning if that's also an issue), and the eating/drinking might be normal for your cat (when I first started feeding Taki dry food, I was worried they weren't eating enough, but really it can be hard to gauge if you're free-feeding + you don't have a baseline understanding of what's generally healthy/normal for your cat) but potential respiratory issues are always better safe than sorry. The pupil thing I don't know anything about, but if that happened with Taki I'd definitely talk to my vet about it.

Even if it turns out she's fine, you'll feel a lot better knowing you checked.

It's good to hear she's adjusting so well socially. Good luck to you both!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry, though, for the reason that brought you here. I agree with the others, contact the rescue and let them know what's going on. Good luck. Please keep us updated on her.

 

[susanm9006]

If she is playing she is probably okay. And there always is the possibility she had peed someplace outside of the box. But in your situation I would confine her to a single room with her food, water and litterbox and offer her something wet like tuna juice or low sodium chicken broth. Then I would leave her for a few hours to see if in quiet she will use the box. If that doesn’t work then I would call your vet and get their opinion.

 

[tsukiki]

Hey all. Thank you for your responses and support. Last Sunday afternoon, I brought Chips to the rescue after a week of having her home. Her breathing had gotten labored and she had not kept down a meal for the entire time I'd had her at home. When I brought her in, they agreed right away that something wasn't right with her breathing. They said they'd bring her to the vet in the morning and they'd check in with me when they had an update. Today, my contact at the rescue phoned me to let me know that Chips passed away the night after I brought her in. At the vet on Monday AM, they discovered she had a mass on her lung. This was what was causing the breathing issue and her lack of appetite and inability to keep food down. They had her in a ventilator. The following morning, they discovered that she had passed during the night. She was only 10 months old when she died, and she was so small.

I'm heartbroken but I'm glad that I could provide her a week of comfort, attention, and love before it was her time. She had an amazing personality – so gentle, affectionate, and confident. What a wonderful cat Chips was. Please give your cats an extra treat for Chips!

 

[rubysmama]

I'm so sorry. RIP sweetie girl Chips.

 

[catsknowme]

Godspeed and tailwinds west, little Chips! So young to have been so ill. Bless you and the rescue for trying so hard for her. Your instincts were "spot on" about her serious medical issues. At least Chips knew what it felt like to be part of a loving family in a real home - perhaps that was the only lesson Heaven needed her to know. You sound like an answer to prayers for most rescues & I know that you are going to make life for your next rescue kitten a happy one!

 

[AbbysMom]

On behalf of the TCS Team, we are very sorry for your loss. Threads are closed after such a loss as a sign of respect. When you feel up to it please consider starting a tribute thread in our Crossing the Bridge forum.

Rest in Peace, Chips.