Help, Cat won't eat

I recently gave my 7 years old cat to my brother.....he has had her 3 days now and is telling me she hasn't eaten anything and he doesn't think she is drinking either. He says there is nothing in her litter box to clean up. She has always been a very shy cat, so I thought it would be better for her to be in a single cat household (I have 3 other cats). However, my brother says she is hiding all the time and won't eat even if he brings the food to her. She is a small bodied cat, but a little on the heavy side, so she didn't miss meals when here. What can we do?

 

Sorry to hear that she is not acting normal. Stress of moving to another home for a shy kitty can be abnormally stressful... (I have a Russian Blue and they are extremely shy and I moved across the country in march she is just now calming down)...
Is the food the same? Does she like treats? any special treats like tuna? Even using soft food for a bit if that's not a normal thing she may like the smell better than hard food. Plus it would give her some well needed moisture, I even water it down more for my boys. Or even a water fountain like you buy in the pet stores that can entice them to drink more, they like moving water.
She may be sneaking some food or water at night when it's super quite.. But might only be drinking as if there is no poop.. Or she is pooping somewhere else....
I hope the kitty calms down soon, keep us posted!! She may need some vet assistance if she won't drink they can't go very long without water!!! they get very lethargic and can go downhill fast!!!

Hope that helps, but don't wait too long before getting her checked out if she looks ill...
Adjustment time may be what she's doing not eating but may be drinking but not enough to have to use the litter box. Or like I mentioned she may have found a safe spot to relieve herself...(hope not)

 

The food is the same, he bought her treats and she wouldn't touch those either. He has a very small one bedroom place, so I find it hard to believe she is pooing or peeing somewhere and him not know. He is supose to come and pick up our more outgoing cat today and bring him over. She loves him, so I am hoping him being there for a little while will help her adjust better. I am very worried about her, and I know how important fluids are for any being. I will also send a fountain and some wet food to my brother as well. Thanks for the input.

 

My cat was not eating or drinking, not peeing, or having bowel movements. She was throwing up green foamy stuff & gagging at the smell of wet food. She was hiding under the bed, not wanting to come out & very lethargic. This went on for 5 days when I finally took her to the vet. The vet only did a physical and told me he needed to do a billion tests to find out what was wrong & it would come out to be $356. I didn't have that money so I just got fluids subcutaneously injected. They said it might help with her appetite. They gave me all the possible causes that it could be which have been listed on this site already.

That night I gave her 10ml of water via a syringe every 2 hours 3 times. I blocked her way of getting under the bed. I added a scoop of her dry food into a cup of water & in the morning it was soggy enough for me to mush into a paste. When I added water I got it thru the syringe. I gave her 5 ml of the food mush the next morning along with 10 ml of water before I went to work. There are videos on youtube that show you how to feed the cat. It took me about 15 minutes.

While I was at work my mom gave my cat 10 ml of water every two hours & 5 ml of olive oil every 2 hrs. Her friend has a cat that gets into everything & often has blockages & she uses olive oil for about a week and it helps her pass it. When I got home from work I gave the cat 10 ml water & tried with the food. Later on she ate a bit on her own and was drinking on her own.

Today, I went to a clinic that my mom found online (Women's Humane Society) and they were cheap compared to all other local places. I told them the symptoms and based on that the vet did an xray. They saw that she was very constipated which has been causing her enough discomfort to now eat. They gave her an enema & stool softener & she was passing stool for about 20 minutes. The vet prescribed stool softener, a/d cat food (which, of course, she happily ate infront of the vet after I said she wasn't eating), & an appetite stimulant. She's not drinking water on her own but still not eating. I'm sure her tummy just hurts from the enema. He told me I MUST have her eat a can of food a day. He used a popsicle stick and smeared it on the roof of her mouth to feed her. It was $205 total. (30 physical, 120 xray, the rest was for the Rx)

Good luck to everyone. 24-48 without eating isn't a concern for vets. Don't let the vets fool you into a million tests, insist on just fluids & an xray. Make sure you search around for a place that provides great care & is inexpensive like the place I went.

 

my cat stopped eating, drinking water and is vomiting spit.

Hi all... I noticed a lot of people seem to have the problem I have. My cat of 10 years starting vomitting yellow stuff and then just foamy spit and stopped eating and drinking water at the same time. Have not seen her in litter box either. All blood work normal except protein a tiny bit high and monocyte count high. Normal exray, normal vital signs, normal physical examine. The vet recommended overnight hospitalization with iv fluids and an iv antibiotic for 48 hours. The vet said we should know in 48 hours if she responds positively or not to this. If she does not, the vet thinks should get an intestinal biopsy just to see if there are cancer cells present. After reading everyones similar post, force feeding sounds like what has worked for folks. Why are there so many stories of cats around 10 years old who start vomiting, stop eating and drinking water with no known cause? My cat will pur when I hold her, never acted like in pain but just looked like she didn't feel good. Even acted like her normal self in the car on the way to the vet, which was feisty and meowing and moving around everywhere.
There have been no changes that I know of in her diet consumption. I have another cat and she is older and not sick and they share the same food and water. I don't understand. Would love to hear from others with similar story who force fed and their cat got better from that. Thanks.

 

bile is generally an upset stomach...and then they won't eat cause they don't feel well. Pepcid AC 1/4 tablet once a day usually helps if there are no known health problems

 

My 14 year old cat became sick and quit eating. We tried all his favourites with no luck. Finally, I purchased kitten milk replacement and fed him with a syringe. He tolerated it and after two days, he is starting to eat his food again.

 

I have worked in the veterinary business for over 6 years now and I can tell you that this is a common concern for cat owners. One of my own cats gets occasional constipation which can be regulated through proper diet/water intake and at times a 1/4 tsp of Miralax. This is often recognizable that he's gotten too far backed up when he can't keep food down but is still interested in food, tho appetite is diminished. Not eating for more than 3 days for a cat is dangerous. It can lead to the development of a fatty liver which is a serious health problem. If you know your cat has not been having normal frequency of bowel movements or hard, dry stools, then some things you can do is encourage more water intake, either by adding a little canned food or water to at least one of their daily meals, a pet drinking fountain, weekly laxatone paste for maintenance, or 1/4-1/2 tsp of Miralax powder mixed in the food with a few drops of water to get things moving.

That all being said, if the cat hasn't had a BM, or eaten for several days, that does not guarantee that the problem is constipation. If the cat has a bowel obstruction and you tried to pump them full of laxative, you will make the problem worse! You really have to know you cat and their normal habits/behaviors. I have seen patients come in that were not eating being they swallowed foreign objects and had dental floss partially swallowed and wrapped around the tongue and the owner had no idea because they couldn't see it.

Also I do not recommend resorting to home force feeding a cat with a syringe for 2 reasons. 1. there is a serious danger of fluid aspiration into the lungs which can turn deadly and 2. this can cause an aversion to food and make the problem worse. In extreme cases, a feeding tube can be placed while the cat recovers(i'm not talking constipation here, as usually appetite returns once constipation is resolved) IF you must, a think paste of food wiped onto the tongue or roof of the mouth IS much safer so they don't choke.

For the nervous cat in a new environment, you can also try Feliway plug-ins for the new area. It is a cat pheromone diffuser and has a calming effect. Also, perhaps giving her some of her old toys, bed/blanket or a piece of clothing from the previous owner with their familiar scent to go to the new home.

If something isn't right, ease your mind and your kitty's discomfort with a vet check up. X-rays are not inexpensive, but they do tell quite a lot and can rule out or confirm several possible problems. After that, blood work can help the vet to tell how severe of a nutritional deficit, electrolyte imbalance, severe dehydration, liver and kidney function involvement, etc. In the end, our kitties are worth it!! Kids aren't always cheap, but it's our job to take care of them!

 

It is possible that she is missing you and your other cats with whom she reside in your home. You have to call your brother to get back her and treat her well as you treat before.