How can i tell if my cat is dying?

Question

For the last few days i have noticed that my cat is laying around in spots that she never would before....like she is hiding. She also is very lifeless...usually she is full of life and very playful at night and now she is just laying around. Tonight i noticed that she is lying with her head almost in her water dish and i was trying to pet her and nudge her and she wouldnt even look up or open her eyes. She finally got up and is now laying under the table but when i call her name she doesnt respond at all and barely moves her eyes and when she did get up she seemed like she was dizzy and almost fell over. She has an appt next week at the vet but now iam worried. We have no vet open at night in this area...closest one is almost 2 hours away. What do these signs mean and what can i do? please help!

Answer 1

It sounds like your pet is VERY sick and the longer that you wait to get her help, the less chance she'll have of making a recovery from her illness, whatever it is.

Main thing is, she can't wait until next week to see the vet. If she's despondent and she's weak and she's not eating/drinking, then she's going to dehydrate and die, for sure.

If it were my cat, I'd drive the two hours and pay the money to take her to an all night veterinarian.

Answer 2

I'm not sure how old your cat is, but my cat was 13 and started having the same symptoms, and unfortunetly, he died about 3 days later. We took him to the vet, and the vet ran a bunch of tests which cost us a ton of money, and found out that he had feline luekemia. He got really bad right before he pasted away, and all we could do was give him his favorite blanket, put him on his favorite place to lay, and let him rest. He eventually got to the point that he couldn't even stand up and move himself, even though he tried. It's good that your cat is still able to move around, though if he suddenly stops, then you may want to just spend some time with him, because he apparently is too weak to move, and he'll probably pass soon. My cat had ALL the signs and symptoms that yours did; he was restless, he wouldn't eat or drink, and every time he got up, he'd fall over. He also had lost a lot of weight and wouldn't/couldn't pay attention to his people any more. We knew he was sick, we took him to the vet and everything, but unless we had 10s of 1000's of dollars, we couldn't prolong his life but more than 6 months or so, so we just kept him company and kept him comfortable until he passed. That's all you really can do. I hope your feline friend doesn't have the same thing, but if she does, I am really sorry. God bless and I hope things turn out okay.

Answer 3

Your cat is lethargic and yes... it sounds serious.

Lethargy is a state of drowsiness, inactivity, or indifference in which there are delayed responses to external stimuli such as auditory (sound), visual (sight), or tactile (touch) stimuli. Lethargy may also refer to the general malaise and decreased activity exhibited by animals that do not feel well.

Lethargy is a nonspecific sign associated with many possible underlying systemic disorders. It may have little to no impact on the affected individual; however its presence may represent severe or life-threatening illness. Lethargy of more than a day's duration should not be ignored, and should be addressed, especially if it persists.

General Causes:

1. Anemia (low red blood cell count)
2. Other blood disorders
3. Cardiovascular (heart and vessels) and pulmonary (respiratory) disorders
4. Chronic inflammation or infection
5. Drug or medication related
6. Electrolyte abnormalities
7. Endocrine (hormonal) or metabolic disorders
8. Gastrointestinal diseases
9. Urinary tract disorders
10. Cancer
11. Immune diseases
12. Certain severe skin diseases
13. Certain eye diseases, particularly those associated with blindness
14. Neurologic and neuromuscular disorders
15. Nutritional disorders
16. Behavioral disorders
17. Skeletal diseases
18.Infectious diseases
19. Exposure to certain toxins
20. Physical trauma

Identifying an underlying cause is essential in determining the appropriate treatment plan and care of the patient.

You may not have the luxery of waiting till next week for the vet to see your cat. Take him now if possible or first thing in the morning. Meanwhile, see if you can encourage kitty to drink water. Use an oral syringe if you have one. You must keep her hydrated so her kidneys don't get compromised.

Answer 4

Your cat is sick, no doubt. I'm sorry she's not well. :(

Get her to the vet immediately. Hopefully they can save her. It sounds like she's on her way out. I just went through this in December, and my baby had to be put down. You want to prevent any further problems with her.

Not responding to you at all, is a big sign she's not well. Cats normally hide when they are ready to die. If she's an outdoor cat, it's like letting a child run loose in the street, anything can happen. Especially antifreeze on the ground, gets on their paws, they lick it, immediately sick.

Nothing you have said tells me, it's just something minor with your pet. It sounds like a major problem. Please do get her to the vet right away. That's really I can say. I held on and thought my baby would "come around", but he never did. And it was solely my neglect why he is not here with me now. Don't do that.

Answer 5

Your kitty is incredibly ill at this point, and as much as I hate to say it, she is not going to make it to next week. She needs a vet now. What area are you in? There's a 24 hour emergancy clinic in almost every city. Do you or someone you know have a car? She needs to get bloodwork done to see what is causing this, and probably some IV fluids to get her rehydrated. It can take up to a day to get blood results, even if thery're rushed, and her treatment needs to start asap. So the sooner you get kitty to her doctor the better. If you have an appt. with her regular vet, call them up and explain the emergancy situation. If they can't squeeze her in, then she needs to go elsewhere. It sucks that your closest clinic is 2 hours away, but I'd be puting my shoes on now. 2 hours away is better than a day away, or a week away. Please don't wait. Good luck to you both.

Answer 6

Call the veterinarian ASAP. Tell him/her that it's an emergency and can not wait until next week.
You didn't mention the age of this cat. She may have lived out her lifespan. Just pet her gently and let her know you love her. And get her to the vet as soon as you can.

Answer 7

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RE:
How can i tell if my cat is dying?
For the last few days i have noticed that my cat is laying around in spots that she never would before....like she is hiding. She also is very lifeless...usually she is full of life and very playful at night and now she is just laying around. Tonight i noticed that she is lying with her head almost...

Answer 8

How old is your cat? If she's very old, I would just make sure she's comfortable. If she's young, I would go wherever I could get her in the fastest. If the night vet is 2 hours away, I'd start over there now. She sounds very sick. So sorry. Hope she gets better.

Answer 9

I'm not sure how old your cat is or what it's health history is but what your saying sounds very serious. I would double check to see if there's an emergency vet clinic closer to you, but if your sure there isn't and there's no way to make it to one before mourning i would try to keep her as comfortable as possible. Check to make sure she hasn't ingested anything that could be toxic. And show her as much love as you can until you know for sure what's going on.

Answer 10

My Buddy is 14 years old, he’s an outdoor cat. Recently he has lost allot of weight, not eating at all, cries to be let in the house and doesn’t move. H lies in the same spot for long periods of time. He’s belly is big, like a round ball, only his belly. He looks deformed. I know he is sick, it shows, I don’t have money to run all kinds of test. However, I don’t want him to suffer either. We are all trying to make him comfortable, he stays in the house now and we let him out to use the bathroom, he moves around like it takes a toll on him. What to do??? It breaks my heart to see him like this.