My cat will not eat?

Question

My cat has not eaten for about 3 weeks. He has lost weight, hasn't pooped for 2 weeks or so (obviously if he's not eating.) He is drinking water. He hides under the bed all day and won't play. He is 10 years old. He has not been poisoned. I thought maybe he could have worms, so I bought All Wormer for cats and gave it to him a week ago. Haven't seen a difference. I have 3 different kinds of dry food and he won't eat any. He won't even eat wet food. But now when he drinks, he throws up immediately. I don't have money for the vet. I've given him tuna cause it's better than nothing and he'll eat just a pinch and then throw up. Any advice on how I can get him to eat? Or what could be wrong?

Answer 1

At that age try and picture an old man with stomach problems. He might have a fur ball lodged in his tummy and not be able to pass food into his digestive tract. Really suggest that you try and get him to a vet. I have had a similar problem and went to the local animal welfare and they did help.

Answer 2

You have to get this poor animal to a vet IMMEDIATELY.

He has to be SUFFERING and he depends on you. You have already waited too long - any more than three days without food is too much and if he cannot even keep water down he will dehydrate and die.

At 10 years old there are a number of problems he might have - intestinal blockage sounds like a strong possibility from the symptoms you have described, and that will almost certainly be fatal if it is not treated quickly - but it could also be any one of a number of medical problems.

If money is a problem for you, call Friends of Animals. They have a toll-free number which you can either get from your phone book, a local vet, or the phone company. They will let you know of vets in your area who have special hardship rates or may not charge you for examining the cat.

If you live near a college or university with a veterinary school, they might help. Or call your local shelter and see what they might be able to do.

If all else fails, simply go to a local vet, plead your case and offer to make payments if necessary.

But please do not let this poor creature suffer even one more day like this.

Answer 3

I am not sure where you live but any SPCA shelter will be able to help or at least be able to recommend a low or no cost vet for your cat.

I will tell you that i had a similar experience w/ my 2 yr old rag doll about 4 months ago. Was at 16lbs and started not to eat regularly, play, socialize or move around much. He also would throw up after any food ingestion regardless of how much he ate and would have runny fecies.He was breathing a little funny after about 2 weeks and we brought him into the vet to check on things. It was discovered that one of the valves in his heart had ruptured and was bleeding internally into 1 of his lungs. This left him weak and very dis oriented. There was nothing we could do for him, we painfully had to have him euthanized to save him from suffering.

He needs to have an x-ray or scan to see what is going on internally to better access the problem. the sooner the better.

Best of luck.

Answer 4

The throwing up is probably caused by the lack of food. I know this sounds weird but give hime grass. Just go outside and pull some grass up and put it in a bowl. Cats naturally eat grass for stomach aches. Have you tried wetting his normal food? Maybe he is having oral problems which cause him pain when he eats? If you can not afford a visit to the vet you could try asking for help at your local pet store they might have some suggestions.

Answer 5

My cat is going thru the same thing. Take the cat to the vet either to try and fix him or to put him down. Cats get extreme liver damage from not eating, even if it is only 3 or 4 days. Is he looking yellow inside his ears? Sure sign of liver damage or failure. We didn't have money for the vet either and after a few weeks we called to let them know we had to put her down. They suggested a feeding tube in which we force fed watered down Hills A/d wetfood. We have been doing this for over a month and she still will not eat on her own. She will not drink water either. She just sits in front of it all day. I have to feed her every few hours which is very difficult with a full time job. She ripped her tube out yesterday and now I am back to coaxing her to eat by mouth. It is just tooo expensive to have them put it back, plus i feel too bad for her. The cause ended up being that she ate a ribbon (like the kind that curls, usually on gifts) which caused her not to eat which led to being jaundice and the liver failing. I may still have to put her down and she's only 2! Hope this helps and good luck. I was looking for help myself on what to do....

Answer 6

It could be early signs of renal failure; i.e. kidney failure. Your cat would drink excessively and possibly stop eating. I would keep an eye on him for frequent urination as well. If he is suffering from renal failure there are treatments, but they require a lot of dedication on your part, since the cat has to be re hydrated daily. It could also be some sort of blockage in his intestines. Whichever it is, you may need to break down and take him to a vet and explain the financial situation, as your cat is not well. Worms would show up in his feces as small white worms that you can see, so unless you've seen those, I would not recommend giving him more de-wormer. Best of luck to you and your kitty.

Answer 7

Vets are usually very flexible when it comes to payments, at least in my experiance. I would call around and explain your situation and I bet you'll find they'll be willing to set up a payment plan of some sort. It sounds like your cat really needs medical attention!

Answer 8

My cat just started this crazy thing, not eating. Took her to the vet after the 3rd day. They did xray and blood work. Blood is great. xray had a little poop in stomach. Brought her home. He said try to get her to eat. I had tried all the tricks, foods, etc... Now I have to force feed her. I got Pedilite unflavored and blended food with it. My vet never mentioned "Fatty Liver Disease" she will get if we can not get her to hydrate and eat. My cat is just 3yrs. old Siamese. Heartbroken seeing her this way. She wants to just hide under the bed. Any other things I can do?

Answer 9

Take your cat to the vet immediatly. He could have an obstruction and will die a painful death if it isn't treated.

He may also have something such as kidney failure. Borrow the money if you have to.

Answer 10

He's very sick. Take him to the vet. Many will work with you on a payment plan, if you don't have the money up front.

Things don't look good for your kitty right now.