Cat won't eat despite vet treatment

Fionne

I took my cat to the vets yesterday as he had been off his food over the weekend. The vet thinks he may have an upset tummy and gave him an antibiotic and a steroid injection as well as antibiotic drops for me to give him at home. That was at 2pm yesterday so I'd hoped by the time I got back from work around 6 he would have some appetite. He did eat literally one bite of chicken and I saw him drink water later on but nothing since, I thought definitely by this morning he would be hungry. He's also really wary of me because of being taken to the vets so I just about managed to catch him long enough to give him the antibiotic drops this morning. I know cats can get into trouble with their liver if they don't eat so I'm anxious to see him eat again. If he doesn't eat tonight, should I take him to the vets again tomorrow? Depending on if he lets me catch him of course. He's got a long memory this cat!

cocker5

FonE wrote: »

I took my cat to the vets yesterday as he had been off his food over the weekend. The vet thinks he may have an upset tummy and gave him an antibiotic and a steroid injection as well as antibiotic drops for me to give him at home. That was at 2pm yesterday so I'd hoped by the time I got back from work around 6 he would have some appetite. He did eat literally one bite of chicken and I saw him drink water later on but nothing since, I thought definitely by this morning he would be hungry. He's also really wary of me because of being taken to the vets so I just about managed to catch him long enough to give him the antibiotic drops this morning. I know cats can get into trouble with their liver if they don't eat so I'm anxious to see him eat again. If he doesn't eat tonight, should I take him to the vets again tomorrow? Depending on if he lets me catch him of course. He's got a long memory this cat!

Personally I would give him a bit more time... hes probably feeling like crap and is annoyed at you (and rightly so :pac:)

I know you've tried chicken.. its pretty bland .. have you thought of trying a tiny amounts of tuna or sardines... they are pretty tastey this may help him get his appetite back.. trick is small amounts and often

janmaree

Sorry to hear your cat's not feeling well, it's hard on you too. Why don't you ring the vet and ask about the eating problem, he should be able to reassure you or else tell you to bring the cat back in. Less stressful for both of you and at least worth a try. Hope all goes well.

Rancid

The antibiotics are doing their job but they're probably affecting his sense of taste so food doesn't seem appealing to him.
Give him time and his appetite will return.
In the meantime, warm his food a little bit to give it a stronger smell, and as suggested already, try really smelly fishy foods.

He's willing to drink, so give him the water from boiled chicken, there will be a little bit of nourishment in that and might stimulate his appetite.

I'm sure the vet checked his teeth and gums? A sore tooth or abscess would stop any cat eating normally.

Hope he's ok soon.

Fionne

Thanks for the replies, I needed reassurance I'm doing the right thing. Gonna try him on some tinned tuna tonight and hopefully that works. If not, then I guess I'm just somehow gonna have to catch him and take him back to the vets.

The vet didn't check his mouth but I did myself and all looked ok. To be honest, I think the vet is a bit afraid of cats, he's not very comfortable handling them and gives them the injections into the back leg (he's done this on 2 cats I've had in recently) whereas any other vet I've seen previously has injected them into the scruff of the neck area.

I've just gotta have some faith that the cat will come right, fingers crossed he eats tonight when I get home from work.

cocker5

FonE wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, I needed reassurance I'm doing the right thing. Gonna try him on some tinned tuna tonight and hopefully that works. If not, then I guess I'm just somehow gonna have to catch him and take him back to the vets.

The vet didn't check his mouth but I did myself and all looked ok. To be honest, I think the vet is a bit afraid of cats, he's not very comfortable handling them and gives them the injections into the back leg (he's done this on 2 cats I've had in recently) whereas any other vet I've seen previously has injected them into the scruff of the neck area.

I've just gotta have some faith that the cat will come right, fingers crossed he eats tonight when I get home from work.

Honestly OP if your vets not a cat person and injected him in his hind legs... if you don't get a good vide - personally id change to someone who like cats...

MrWalsh

cocker5 wrote: »

Honestly OP if your vets not a cat person and injected him in his hind legs... if you don't get a good vide - personally id change to someone who like cats...

+1

Where about are you - I would be more than happy to recommend the practice I use - most of the vets there are cat owners and they seem to love the Pusses.

Im in D24.

DBB

Just to clarify here folks, I've had to delete a couple of posts recommending a certain medication which is used to stimulate appetite. Although it *should* of course be prescribed by a vet, there is a danger that a person could have the same medication for humans in their home, and try it having read it here.
Thanks,
DBB

Fionne

I tried tuna, salmon and the "posh" cat food he normally loves all to no avail. My other half persuaded me to ring the vet at 9.30 last night, which I did. Turns out he was out on calls but met us in the surgery at around 10.45. He did a really thorough examination this time, injected him with more antibiotics and also injected him with some sugars, which I presume is to make up for lost nutrients. I asked if they could leave him there overnight as I wasn't confident of catching him again this morning so as of now, he's at the vets and they're gonna do blood tests. The vet thinks he possibly has a liver infection, though his liver's not enlarged, blood tests will tell more.

While trying to hold him for the vet I got a pretty nasty bite through my finger, a tooth at each side. It's pretty sore and swollen this morning. I've had a tetanus within 10 years though so I'm covered in that regards, hurts like heck though but I won't care if my cat gets seen to.

@MrWalsh - I live in a rural area so there's not much choice of vets. The one I go to are really good about opening up out of hours, they're used to being called out to farms at all times I suppose. Previously I went to the vets in the nearest big town but they wouldn't see you out of hours even in an emergency, it was strictly 9 to 5.

I should find out later today what the prognosis is. All I can do now is hope for the best.

morgana

Fingers crossed. Such a worrying time.

SillyMangoX

Fingers crossed it all goes well for you and puss. X
Even if you're covered for tetanus within ten years, if the swelling doesn't go down soon on your finger do get checked out by a doctor, cats teeth are sharp and act like a little needle trapping bacteria so can easily get infected (not just tetanus).

Fionne

He's being kept in again tonight as the blood tests won't be back until tomorrow (hopefully). Feel terrible leaving him away from home for another night but then I also know there's no point bringing him home and just have to try to catch him again to go back in to get whatever treatment the blood tests reveal.

I was a bit worried about the price of the blood tests, looks like around €80 so not as bad as I thought, though the full bill, well that's gonna be scary I think but it will be worth it to give my poor cat the best chance. I might see can I visit him this evening, a familiar face may (or may not as he holds grudges) be welcome.

Fionne

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Even if you're covered for tetanus within ten years, if the swelling doesn't go down soon on your finger do get checked out by a doctor, cats teeth are sharp and act like a little needle trapping bacteria so can easily get infected (not just tetanus).

I think I have some old antibiotics at home so might take some tonight, fingers still pretty swollen but has started oozing a bit. To be honest my priority is the cat and I really don't want to pay money to a GP for myself when I'd rather pay the vet bill right now so hopefully it will clear up without medical intervention. I won't be putting my hand in cat's mouth again so quickly tho - lesson learned!

MrWalsh

I hope both you and Puss are ok OP.

Zapperzy

Hope your cat and yourself are recovered soon. Cat bites are notorious for getting infected so don't neglect your finger or you'll end up with a nasty infection, you'll be a fairly useless nurse to your cat with a busted hand.

Fionne

Vet just rang with the blood test results, they're showing a problem with an enzyme in his liver. The vet reckons going by the results he must be in a lot of pain so the first thing they're gonna do is get him pain relief and then give him something to support his liver. He was out on a call so is going to let me know more when he gets back to the surgery. I hate the thought of my poor cat being in pain, I just have to wait till vet is back in surgery to find out more information like whether this thing is curable or not.

MrWalsh

Poor thing, at least they have something to work with now.

Im sure the vet will make him much more comfortable now knowing that he needs pain relief.

Pumpkinseeds

Hopefully he'll be back on his paws in no time. Don't feel bad about leaving him at the vets, I know it's really hard, but for now he's where he needs to be.

Fionne

My cat will be coming home today all going well. I called to see him yesterday evening. The vet gave him 2 injections to treat the liver infection and he's getting 2 more this morning and the vet seems confident that will do the trick. He's still not eaten but hopefully with the pain relief and the treatment he will get an appetite soon.

I'm a bit nervous about bringing him home, wondering if the other cats I have will pick on him for being weak but at least I'll be there to watch and see how they get on. He also has his 2 front paws bandaged up from having had blood taken so there's gonna be the "Fun" of trying to get that off at some later stage but they're minor worries compared to what I've had all week.

aonb

Is there anything so miserable as having a sick pet. Its nearly as bad as when your child is sick. Its worse when they have to stay at the vets, but they are in the right place then. I hope your cat is soon back to normal.

Fionne

aonb wrote: »

Is there anything so miserable as having a sick pet. Its nearly as bad as when your child is sick. Its worse when they have to stay at the vets, but they are in the right place then. I hope your cat is soon back to normal.

I think it's worse than a sick child actually. At least with a child you don't have to worry (cos mine is an outdoor cat) about them running off and also there's not the Tazmanian devil-like flurry of teeth and claws to deal with!

janmaree

That's good news FonE, sounds a lot more promising than it did earlier. I wouldn't worry too much about your other cats if I were you, they'll be curious and will want to check him out for interesting smells but that's probably it. As for the bandages, once he's feeling better, he'll have them off in kissing time.........all by himself! That'll save you a session with pussycat scissor paws! I have experience too!!! Well done for all your loving care and good luck with the recovery.

Fionne

Well the first night home has gone ok. He ate small amounts, one or two bites around four times so far. Considering its a week since he ate I'm thinking that's good as his stomach wouldn't handle too much at once. The other cats are totally ignoring him, he keeps crying at his brother for attention but its not getting a reaction. Its better than they bully him but at the same time I hope they revert to normal interaction soon. The vet took the bandages off so I don't have to do that. Tried giving him his antibiotic this morning but only managed to get half it into his mouth, that's gonna be a struggle for sure.

Rancid

FonE wrote: »

Well the first night home has gone ok. He ate small amounts, one or two bites around four times so far. Considering its a week since he ate I'm thinking that's good as his stomach wouldn't handle too much at once. The other cats are totally ignoring him, he keeps crying at his brother for attention but its not getting a reaction. Its better than they bully him but at the same time I hope they revert to normal interaction soon. The vet took the bandages off so I don't have to do that. Tried giving him his antibiotic this morning but only managed to get half it into his mouth, that's gonna be a struggle for sure.

That's good news.
Small amounts of food regularly until his appetite builds up and he's feeling more normal.
The other cats can smell the antibiotics and painkillers in his system and they're keeping their distance because I'm sure it screams VET at them!
Give them all time, they'll get back to normal soon.

It's the hardest job trying to get tablets into cats. A two-person job, we wrap ours in a big towel with only the cat's head out, then *try* to get the tablet in, try to keep the mouth closed for a few seconds to get them to swallow... and it sometimes works.

Delighted he's home and starting to eat, sounds like he's on the mend.

Pumpkinseeds

I find it easiest to give the antibiotic mixed in with the juice of tinned salmon or tuna. It's not the healthiest diet but short term, so long as it gets the meds into them that's all that matters. Crush the antibiotic until it's a fine powder and dissolve it in the juice. Hope puss is better soon.:)

morgana

We've had most success in hiding the tablet in a bit of pate. Doesn't work all the time, but even if it works for a day or two you are ahead :P

Fionne

I've had to accept giving him the medication is a 2 person job, its a liquid that I have to squirt into his mouth with a syringe so should be easy if he didn't struggle so much. He's still eating tiny amounts and won't eat his regular cat food, seems to prefer chicken, maybe his tummy needs bland food til it gets used to eating again. Anyone have any experience of how long it might take for his appetite to return to normal bearing in mind he didn't eat a bite for an entire week? I'm thinking his stomach will have shrunk so that might be why he can't cope with more than a few bites at a time?

Pumpkinseeds

He's been through a lot and pumped full of medications which can be very hard on the system. It's not surprising that he doesn't have much of an appetite at the moment. When he's finished the antibiotics give him some probiotics. Some cats will eat pro-biotic yoghurt or when his apetite is better you could sprinkle an acidophillus capsule into his food. The antibiotics kill the good bacteria as well as the bad. Our vet recommended it when Felix was having multiple courses of antibiotic.

daUbiq

I'm curious to know why a vet would prescribe an antibiotic for an upset tummy?

Fionne

daUbiq wrote: »

I'm curious to know why a vet would prescribe an antibiotic for an upset tummy?

Its a liver infection he is being treated for, which made him not eat as he felt unwell. He got 2 injections of something to support his liver (I was so relieved we found what was wrong I never asked what the medication was) and then 5 days of oral antibiotic at home. Normally I'd get the vet to give a long lasting antibiotic injection but that's not suitable in this case.

Roquentin

there is a mouth disease that cats get that makes it really painful to eat. my cat had it and we had to put him down because he couldnt eat it was so painful

daUbiq

FonE wrote: »

Its a liver infection he is being treated for, which made him not eat as he felt unwell. He got 2 injections of something to support his liver (I was so relieved we found what was wrong I never asked what the medication was) and then 5 days of oral antibiotic at home. Normally I'd get the vet to give a long lasting antibiotic injection but that's not suitable in this case.

Thanks, that makes sense.

tk123

OP hope your little cat is felling better soon! My cat lost his appetite when he had kidney failure so delighted you've caught your guys problem and he's on the mend.

Fionne

Glad to say that my cat is doing well. I've been like the food police observing him eating all weekend and since Monday he's been tucking in much more like normal. He stops eating if he thinks I'm watching so I've been having to observe from a distance but I'm happy he's getting enough. Today is my first day back at work since he came home so I'm expecting (and hoping for) a good appetite when I get home tonight too.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It means a lot when I was out of my mind with worry.

MrWalsh

Glad to hear Puss is feeling better, hope your hand is ok too.