Urgent: Take Her To The Vet Or Wait

[weemomma]

So, I am beside myself. I've got another thread going on the cat behavior side as I introduce two cats to one another. I also spoke on here about fleas and weight loss.

However, things have been taking a turn for the worst. My cat Hariette (10) has suddenly started to snub food. I ran out of her sensitive stomach food about a week ago and ordered it online. In between the time it came in and we ran out, I had her on kitten food for the mild formula and higher protein. She quit eating it all together about three days ago. When her regular food came in, she instantly went back to eating that. However, the amount she is eating is less and less until she has started snubbing food all together. I have no idea if she is nauseous because she will eat small amounts of kibble. She has lost almost 1 lb in 20 days.

She has also not used the litter box for poops in over 24 hours. She will pee, but not poop. I haven't seen her drink anything in that time either, but she's obviously passing fluids.

The ONLY reason I hesitate to take her to the vet today is because her vitals are decent. She is breathing fine. She is grooming. She is purring. Her temp is a little on the high side, but not in danger levels. Her color is good.

She had a flea treatment almost 2 days ago after a pretty nasty flea reinfestation. That seems to have made her feel slightly better and she's never had a reaction before. We are introducing a kitten into the home, but since he hasn't gotten his full round of vaccines, he is still in semi quarantine.

Everyone that I've talked to about this has kind of brushed me off. They say she's fine if her bloodwork came back normal less than three weeks ago. I need to leave her alone and let her figure things out. I am horribly upset and torn. Vets aren't cheap, as I'm sure everyone knows, and I am on an extremely tight budget. I spent over $300 on her when I took her to the vet at the beginning of the month and I can afford to take her today, but it would put me in a bind. My vet is not one to work out payments either, so if she goes, I have to pay up front.

Right now, she is sleeping on the bed in the other room. She responds when I go in there, but she most definitely isn't herself.

So...is this something that can wait a few more days or do we need to go now?

 

[Ariel2611]

Hi there,
I am so sorry that you have to experience this - you are a very loving cat owner.
I think that because of the new kitten, you cat just may be a bit scared/anxious.
I think you should definitely monitor his vitals like you said and check his temperature etc... regularly.
The only time i would suggest you definitely take him to the vet is if he starts vomiting, stops eating/drinking fluids altogether. if he does seem fine at the moment like you said then i don't think taking him to the vet will help as all they will do is a physical examination which basically you have already done. Make sure you keep him on a food schedule and always monitor his feeding and make sure he drinks plenty of water at all times - a must!
Good Luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It is critical that she eat enough food that her liver doesn't go haywire, and that needs to be about 2/3 of her normal intake. Is she at least eating that much? If not, then do you think maybe you could try to feed her some plain baby food (meat only). Worst case, try force feeding her by mixing water and a pate style canned food until you can suck it up into a syringe and syringe it into her mouth very slowly. You could also try to warm up the stinkiest wet food you can find and see if she might be interested in it

I would guess that the new kitten is indeed part of the problem right now, but it could also be a reaction to the flea treatment. Other than not having her usual appetite and not pooping in the last 24 hours, is she acting normal? Not lethargic or anything like that? It's possible that she is constipated and that is causing her to not want to eat, but that would only account for the last 24 hours, not for any time previous. If she was nauseated, she would probably walk up to her food but not touch it, and lick her lips before walking away. Does she do that?

 

[weemomma]

She is not interested in canned tuna any longer or eating any kind of wet food. She ate some of her normal kibble this morning while I was at work, but since lunch time, she hasn't had anything else to eat. She has been chewing on her pet grass today.

I brushed her out a little while ago and she didn't seem to have any fleas on her at all. I couldn't find any debris and no live bugs which is a huge change from yesterday!

Also still no poops but she did make a pee at some point in the day.

She is still bright eyed and pink in the gums, but she does act pretty lethargic. I don't understand how she changed so quickly in a few days time.

She very well could be nauseous. She will lick her lips but I know this can also be a sign of nervousness.

I'm stumped. And nervous. I lost a cat three years ago to fatty liver. He turned very ill in the matter of three days and was dead on the fourth. I'm watching her like a hawk because I refuse to lose her in the same way.

I'm hoping to get her to the vet tomorrow. Everything else aside I'm very concerned about her weight loss. I can wait her out on a poop and I can wait her out on eating, but she HAS to maintain her weight.

 

[kittens mom]

You need to call your vet and get their opinion although they will tell you and I agree they need to see your cat and evaluate her condition. My Kitten showed no sign of liver failure until she had liver failure. She looked normal in the vets office even though she had been off her food for just a few days. She was gone the next week. We never had a chance because she had been overdosed by a bad veterinarian. But the cure rate for fatty liver is almost 100% if caught in time. If she's not eating she needs to go to the vet. It's a cycle of not eating . They don't eat for whatever reason and not eating makes them feel worse and then they refuse to eat. She may be fine or need nothing more than an anti nausea and appetite stimulant.

 

[orange&white]

Is your vet closed today and open tomorrow? If she's eating something and not completely off food, I'd take her tomorrow.

Also, it may or may not be relevant, but my senior went off food for 4 days when I brought a new kitten home in February...so it could be stress from the new family member. I started syringing food into him on the 2nd day he wouldn't eat. If your cat is eating something on her own, she should be ok until your vet is open.

 

[weemomma]

The vet isn't open today. I thought they were but they were closed for a staff event. I have the option of taking her to an emergency vet, but...it's way out of my budget. Trust me, I would take her right this moment if I thought I could afford the tests they would do for her.

She just ate a little bit of wet food, but it's still not enough. She is 1 pound down officially since the first of the month. I am going to try my hardest to get her into the vet first thing in the morning.

 

[weemomma]

I have to say that I've been in tears for what seems like days now. Everyone says that it's just a cat and she'll be fine. No, losing a pound in a month isn't fine. This isn't just a cat. She is my baby.

 

[kittens mom]

The vet isn't open today. I thought they were but they were closed for a staff event. I have the option of taking her to an emergency vet, but...it's way out of my budget. Trust me, I would take her right this moment if I thought I could afford the tests they would do for her.

She just ate a little bit of wet food, but it's still not enough. She is 1 pound down officially since the first of the month. I am going to try my hardest to get her into the vet first thing in the morning.

That's soon enough. It doesn't matter why a cat stops eating illness or stress it can have the same effect. I gave my grieving cat nurtical and that seemed to help stimulate her appetite.

 

[weemomma]

I almost just want to tell the vet to keep her until she is better. I seriously cannot take the waiting and fretting anymore.

 

[orange&white]

You've lost a cat to hepatic lipidosis, so you're more sensitive. I know...I nursed one through HL by syringe feeding so it totally freaks me out for any cat of mine to go off food for more than 24 hours. Because of that experience, I do take matters into my own hands and start getting food into the cat if they won't eat. You're doing good though...your cat is willingly volunteering to eat a bit on her own right now, so hang on.

Sending good vibes your way.

 

[kittens mom]

I almost just want to tell the vet to keep her until she is better. I seriously cannot take the waiting and fretting anymore.

I have to say that I've been in tears for what seems like days now. Everyone says that it's just a cat and she'll be fine. No, losing a pound in a month isn't fine. This isn't just a cat. She is my baby.

NO she is not just a cat. Take her to the vet if you can. If you can't you need to start syringe feeding her. No one here thinks your cat is just a cat. WE know they are so much more in our lives. They are our babies. hugs.

 

[weemomma]

I feel like I have a weight on my chest over this entire situation. I feel more anxious than she does, probably.

 

[orange&white]

Do you have any chicken and rice to offer her? Sounds like she is a little nauseated if she's been chewing on the cat grass. A little boiled chicken and some overcooked mushy rice might be soothing to her tummy.

Like kittens mom said, she may just need a little anti-nausea medication and a B-12 to stimulate her appetite.

Are you comfortable syringe feeding her if you need to?

 

[weemomma]

I am comfortable syringe feeding her if it comes to that. I will do anything to help her.

She is not throwing up. That has been the one surprising thing out of all of this. She hasn't been puking and she is a very puky cat.

We have been down the B-12 route before when she was sick with histoplasmosis so we can definitely handle that as well.

 

[weemomma]

Also she is only interested in food when she wants it. I have offered her tuna and she ate a little. Now, she wants nothing. I offered her treats. Nothing. I offered her canned food and she ate a little bit. I honestly don't think that she is going to respond to rice and chicken.

 

[orange&white]

If she's a little nauseated, I though something very bland might appeal to her more than something "stinky". You know her and what she likes.

I'm hoping for you that this is just a passing thing and something easy to get over.

 

[weemomma]

I'm an absolute wreck, so I hope that it is too.

I got some water in her both with a syringe and by pretending to drink out of a cup. She loves drinking out of my cups. She drank a little bit of water which makes me feel the slightest bit better. However, no poop and little food is very, very worrying.

 

[orange&white]

If she has hardly eaten in three days, there's probably not much inside her to poop. Sounds like she mainly needs to get her appetite back up.

 

[weemomma]

I just made her come into the other bedroom with me. She acts as if her legs are sore. Not just hind legs but all of her legs. I'm still a mess over her acting I'll so I don't know if I'm making mountains out of molehills. She also doesn't really have an interest at all in sleeping in my bed which she does every single night. Something is most definitely wrong. I hope I can get her in first thing in the morning.