Knowledgeable cat-person? Veterinarian? Please help

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nikinyx6
nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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young-female-cat-domestic-short-hair-tabby-luna_3329058.jpg

This is Ralphie. Shes a 16 month old, spayed , domestic short hair.

She has stopped eating.

In the past 4 days, she may have eaten 1/2 cup of food.

She's still playing like mad, indulging in catnip, purring, cuddly...no change in personality or appearance.



I know, contact a vet, but just wondering if I can get advice here since my vet's not in til monday.

Thanks all :)
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  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Make sure she is drinking...food is not so important for a couple of days. Put some water/milk on you finger and let her lick it.

    Keep her hydrated and then take her to vets on Monday xx
  • vintagedutchgirl
    vintagedutchgirl Posts: 2 Member
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    My cat went through the same thing, but also had vomiting to go along with! My vet said he probably just had an upset tummy from a hairball or getting into something he shouldn't have. The vet had me feeding him chicken and rice soup, and then we put him on a special food. So basically what I'm trying to say is try giving her chicken and rice soup and keep her food readily available and if she still hasn't ate by monday definitely call the vet. Hope this helps!

    Oh and make sure she has lots of water around so she doesn't get dehydrated, my vet said dehydration is a much bigger issue than the non-eating.
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    Everytime I put water down, she just tips the bowl and plays in it...I don't know how much she's actually drinking.

    Fussy cat. Will not eat anything but friskies dry food. Have tried all kinds of meat, milk, cheese, canned food, tuna in the past, just turns up her nose.

    It's very frustrating, and kind of weird that she doesn't seem sick...
  • stinkpurty
    stinkpurty Posts: 148
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    Is she, at least, drinking water?

    Did you switch to a different cat food? If so, she may not like it. Cats are picky.

    Also, cats don't like it when people watch them eat. Could she be eating when you are asleep or not watching her?

    I realize I have asked you more questions than you asked. LOL

    Call your vet on Monday, for sure. She may have digestive issues. I hope she is alright. She's so cute!
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    Yes call your vet when available - in the mean time is she drinking and peeing? yes you will need to scoop the litter pan daily to see! Is she doing the hairball barff thing?
    I have three cats and at least two of them do the periodic hairball thing - don't want to eat and will urk up if they do. Hairball meds that you can get over the counter at the local pet store will help but be aware you will get a mess when they barf the hairball up.

    You can try a different chow - some cats get very picky about the taste of their chow. with my three each has a different brand that they like and they will ignore other brands/flavors that are presented if it is not to their liking.

    Other option is to see if she will go for wet chow if you have been giving dry or whether she will go for her preferred treats - if not you should check in with the vet as there may be a health issue. If all she wants to do is lay around/hide and does not want to play then you really have a health issue and need to go to the emergency vet sooner rather than later.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    It is so worrying when it is a pet, like a baby they can not tell you how they feel. But if she seems healthy, then she probably is!

    Put her water bowl/milk bowl on the floor and dip your finger in and let her lick from your finger, make a little game of it, does she have a little toy that you can dip in the water bowl?

    As long as she is drinking that is the main thing until you can get her to the vets.

    She may just feel a bit `out of sorts`

    Just make sure she drinks xx
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    Is she, at least, drinking water?

    Did you switch to a different cat food? If so, she may not like it. Cats are picky.

    Also, cats don't like it when people watch them eat. Could she be eating when you are asleep or not watching her?

    I realize I have asked you more questions than you asked. LOL

    Call your vet on Monday, for sure. She may have digestive issues. I hope she is alright. She's so cute!

    ^^ not sure about water

    Has been eating the same food for her whole life, could she be sick of it?

    I know she's not eating, because her dish never empties...I've tried 'refreshing' with a new bag of food too



    Thanks for the advice though guys, Ralphie is liike a child to me :flowerforyou:
  • marvelousmeg422
    marvelousmeg422 Posts: 72 Member
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    My cat went through something similar. He's a DSH as well but he's significantly older than your cat. He would just sleep a lot.. more than normal and never eat. I got super freaked out and tried putting food by him no matter where he was in the house. I didn't want him to be dehydrated either so I left the water bowl. He munched a little. We took him to the vet on that Monday like you plan to, but aside from a small temperature, he was okay. He eventually got back to his normal habits.
    I'm not saying it's nothing to worry about, but cats do feel lethargic and do have colds sometimes! I hope the babes alright ! :)
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    in the mean time is she drinking and peeing? yes you will need to scoop the litter pan daily to see! Is she doing the hairball barff thing?

    Just changed the litter this morning....will keep an eye on it...I worried it might be a urinary track discomfort...

    No hairball yurking.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Have you tried letting him eat grass? It's the only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned. Let us know how it goes.
  • divacat80
    divacat80 Posts: 299 Member
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    Do not let the cat pass more than 12 hours without eating. Cats are prone to getting liver disease if they don't eat for long periods of time, or so I was told by my cat's vet. That's what happened to my cat but he had diabetes and that's what made him stop eating, he was in no way as active as your kitty is and was just lying on the floor.
    So the fact that yours is fully aware of everything and playing is a good sign, keep an eye on the cat and get her encouraged to drink. Call the vet if her personality changes or if she stops drinking water. If the situation persists get her to the vet, maybe she swallowed something? Is she using the litter box for number 2? (The solid one i mean, lol)
    I knew a cat that stopped eating because of constipation.

    I hope she gets better in no time!

    Try some new fresh things, my cat loved tuna, ham and olives :) unless he was feeling seriously bad he would eat any of those. It was a terrible sign if he ignored them.

    Give her a hug from us,she's so cute!
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    Have you tried letting him eat grass? It's the only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned. Let us know how it goes.

    I did! I actually had heard that cats eat grass when they have tummy issues, so on my lunch break i brought a handful in and she was all over it.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    if it is a UTI then she will be in the litter an a lot trying to pee - and may even start to use corners or other places to try to go. Girls do not have ans many problems as boys with UTIs and blockage issues since the anatomy tends to be larger in girls. I had a boy that was a tiny build part Siamese that had to have a sex change op to prevent the complications of chronic blockages. He lived to a ripe old age once he was modified.
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    Checked the litter box...1 small # 2 very dark colored... no urine clumps....
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    from experience, i learned that cats often don't show any/many outward symptoms when they are sick. refusing to eat is a symptom of something. it's hard to say what just based on that, but keep a close eye on her. it might be worth contact the local emergency vet clinic which is open on weekends if you think she needs assistance before your vet opens on Monday.

    http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-tell-if-your-cat-is-sick.htm
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    Grass is a good roughage option - be aware you may get the urk response from it if she has a GI issue! My crew likes fresh grass as well as the grass hay i give my guinea pigs.

    One of mine likes FIberone - the original 60 cal version as a treat and it helps keep him regular as well a helping with hairballs
  • NormalSaneFLGuy
    NormalSaneFLGuy Posts: 1,344 Member
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    A cat not eating can be something minimal or something very serious. There are some symptoms that can alert to various issues, but there's no guarantees. The biggest positive is that her mood and activity is the same because a lot of the more scary possibilities result in significant mood changes. Do you know if she's having bowel movements? I ask because one of my cats had an issue where she was extremely constipated and so she wouldn't eat and eventually wouldn't drink - had to take her to the vet for an enema of all things lol. Even if cats don't like the food, they will eventually eat it so i doubt that's the issue. She may just be temporarily under the weather. My suggestion would be to try and feel if her lower abdomen is hard (from constipation) and maybe get a package of meow mix wet food (for some reason cats love this crap) and see how she responds. Most other possibilities you can't really cross out without a vet.
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    if it is a UTI then she will be in the litter an a lot trying to pee - and may even start to use corners or other places to try to go. Girls do not have ans many problems as boys with UTIs and blockage issues since the anatomy tends to be larger in girls. I had a boy that was a tiny build part Siamese that had to have a sex change op to prevent the complications of chronic blockages. He lived to a ripe old age once he was modified.

    My last kitty was on IV, catheter, the works, for a week due to a blockage. He clearly had signs of something wrong though, where Ralphie seems fine...hope that's notwhat it is!
  • freckles_cmj
    freckles_cmj Posts: 205 Member
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    I have a cat who will only drink out of the bathroom sink like it is his own personal bubbler...maybe she will drink then?
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    My suggestion would be to try and feel if her lower abdomen is hard (from constipation

    I poked and proded her tummy today...not hard spots, no discomfort, she just roled over and kicked and played like a little fool

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