My sister's young cat recently stopped eating as much and isn't as active but his stomach isn't shrinking any from not eating. His lymph nodes feel a bit puffy (or maybe my imagination is running away with me?). Sister just got Christmas tree and cat is drinking tree water...connected with problem? We're thinking hairball or worms...any ideas? She would like to try to take care of this before she has to make a visit to the vet.
2006-12-11 16:24:26 · 19 answers · asked by Smeather 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
take your sister's cat to the vet. they can help :-)
2006-12-11 16:26:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Anytime a cat isn't eating properly, they really need to see a vet. There's something going on and if the lymph nodes feel swollen, that could be an indicator of an infection. Sorry but going to the vet really is the best option here before it's too late. Hairballs won't cause them not to eat. They either get them down or vomi them out, no big deal. Worms can have different symptoms as well. Tapeworms cause loss of appetite and a distended belly with what appears to be grains of rice in the stool. Be sure to take a stool sample with you to the vet for testing.
2006-12-12 00:28:01 · answer #2 · answered by MasLoozinIt76 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get some baby food meat and try that, turkey or chicken. Usually a sick cat will at least eat this. If the cat won't touch it, I am also suggesting you take your cat to the vet. The water under the tree won't hurt the cat if he drinks it. So don't worry about that. Hairballs or worms won't make the cat stop eating. Check the cat box to make sure the kitty is not impacted and is using the kitty box. Please feed a quality dry food to your kitty, not the kind from the grocery store. Go to a Pet store or Feed store to purchase cat food. Good Luck!
2006-12-12 03:59:12 · answer #3 · answered by a10cowgirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Christmas tree water isn't a good thing for your cat to have, it may have preservatives in the water and even if it doesn't, the water tends to get stagnant and have bacteria in it. Also, you cat may have ingested something on your tree that is causing a blockage in his stomach. Is there any tinsel on the tree, or possibly any missing lights, ribbon, or other things like hooks missing, broken ornaments, etc? The needles of the tree can also cause mouth and stomach irritation.
This holiday is particularly dangerous for animals. Plants like pointsetta's are another poison to cats.
I would not delay and get the cat to the vet's. This could be very dangerous!
2006-12-12 00:41:13 · answer #4 · answered by Wags 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Usually when my cat won't eat, I use rice on her food. If the cat won't eat, the rice then take it to the Vet as soon as possible. There could be a more serious problem.going on. If you take your pet too the vet before the problem get more serious, you will not have to pay as much. I waited too long for my pet who would not eat and I was out of a lot more money than I would have been if I had taken her earlier. My cat was very ill and the only symptoms she showed was not eating.
2006-12-12 00:36:23 · answer #5 · answered by VLEEKS47 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is the cat going to the litter box? If all seems okay in the litter box, have you tried changing his food? Depending on how many days he has been like this, the best thing would be to have the vet check him out. I have a manx and once in awhile, they have a gland in their anus that gets stopped up and causes them all kinds of problems. It can be easily fixed by a vet - - - but it will cost extra if the cat has to be given medication to relax him.
There's a dry cat food sold by vets called Purina OM. It's expensive, but an 8 lb. bag usually lasts 5-6 weeks with my indoor cat. They guarantee that cats will eat it or you get a full refund.
2006-12-12 01:31:09 · answer #6 · answered by TPhi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hair in the cats stomach WILL cause him or her to not eat because they feel full... My cat had hairballs when I first adopted him so bad he wouldnt eat at all, an xray confirmed a full belly of hair. hairball remedy everyday for a week soon took care of the problem.. other than that I agree with others here.. PLEASE take the poor kitty to the vet and make sure something serious isnt the problem...
2006-12-12 04:33:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If a cat stops eating 50 % might be teeth hurt from having tarter etc from it .. take her to the vets because your vet knows her more than I do bit i'll tell you how I helped some people and this worked ..
My cat wouldn't eat so I took her to the vets and it was one of her teeth .
try some Friskies wet food with gravy in it , one lady who adopted a cat I rscued called me with the same eating thing your cat has and his wasn't eating for a week then after he did what I sugested his cat ate again .
As far as worms etc .. take her to vets to make sure.
also she might have some irritation in her lymph nodes . if they are in the throat the food may irritate it .
Try the wet food making sure it has gravy , cats go nuts for the gravy so it should work depending on the cat's taste . As far as tree water, one of the nutty things cats do !
2006-12-12 01:19:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Please take the cat to the vet ASAP- something is wrong- and if your sis uses a chemical in the tree water to preserve the tree- the cat can die from it. Either way, the cat should see a vet-- a lot of different things can be going on and only a vet can find the answer. Good luck with your kitty- I hope he recuperates.
2006-12-12 00:34:50 · answer #9 · answered by mac 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It might be a good to put aluminum foil over the water basin of the christmas tree. Taping it down worked best. All of the other ideas sounded very good and didn't need me to repeat them.
2006-12-12 02:15:30 · answer #10 · answered by J Z 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say vet only because this is abnormal behavior, not just finicky eating. Possibilities are parasites, teeth/oral pain, virus, or bacteria, so many things are linked to appetite loss.
appetite loss is one of the first things the vet asks when looking into a sick pet, so it is a big factor.
2006-12-12 00:34:17 · answer #11 · answered by mysticalelixir 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋