It's really hard to say what's going on, it could have a virus, worms, or some kind of poisoning. It could even just be that its traumatized and still afraid. I hate to say it but owning animals is a responsibility and as her caretaker you really should seek medical attention for her.

A lot of counties offer low cost or even free vet services; have you checked to see if any are available in your area?

No I haven't. I been busy trying to keep an eye on her. If she has a virus or some kind of poisoning. Will my husband and I get anything that she may have?

I doubt your cat has anything contagious to you. If she didn't have access to food she probably ate things she shouldn't have, and during that week's time she could have gotten a respiratory infection (again, nothing you can become ill from).
You should offer her canned cat food or canned tuna in order to get her to eat. The soft food will also help keep her hydrated.

You need to call some vets and see if they can bill you over time to cover any costs. Also call your SPCA or County Animal Services and ask about low cost vet services.

And if you get around to seeing a vet, get your cats immunized for rabies.

I understand that situations change. I have 4 cats and we were ok & had a small savings account set aside for them. My Husband lost his job this spring. He was turned down for unemployment (back problems) and it will be quite some time before he will get disability. I don't know what I would do if one of the cats got sick now. I think my vet would let me make payments. There must be some low cost exams out there somewhere. Good luck and I hope kitty feels better soon.

She may still be scared;
try to tempt her with some rank/stinky fish like sardines in oil.

& as soon as possible, get her to a vet or spay clinic;
at 8 months, she could have gotten pregnant while she was out.

I wish you the best.

She has started to eat a lot more now since last night I fed her can food. i'm not trying to be disgusting or anything. When I woke up this morning she had gotten sick and the vomit smelled like cheese. Is that a bad thing or something serious? When she came back home yesterday she drank so much and ate so much at first then barely ate to eating more.

She probably ate too much too fast but again there is no way to know unless she's seen by a Vet.

But why would it smell like cheese old cheese? I'm gonna have to call the vet Thursday since they won't be open tomorrow.

Do you think it's something serious?

Is this a joke? This is not real. Members, don't take the bait.

Elly_nj If you are going to say something ignorant then get the hell out of my page!!

We can guess all year on here about whats normal
for your cat or not..We can guess whats wrong with you cat. Only a check up at your VETS! will find the problem....Why guess by the time we get done guessing your cat could die ..Go to the VETS!

Jimmysgirl - it looks like you are a brand new GardenWeb member.

We have had problems in the past with new posters who turned out to be trolls. I hope that you are not one.

These boards are monitored, and threatening people puts you at risk of being banned. I'm sure that someone like you, who cares so much about their cats, knows polite ways to disagree with humans.

Pleased take your cat to the vet right away.

If you can't pay the bill all at once, most vets will set up a payment plan for you.

Thanks guys. I do care about all animals not just my pets. People like that one person who said something rude it makes me real upset. I'm here to get honest opinions and share my story with other people, so if anybody who has the same problem later on, then I can help then out in some way. Well, I did take her to the vet today. The vet said she is doing real good. She was just nervous and still scared. The vet said if she starts not to eat again to take her back.

So the cat is eating normally now?

Can you give more particulars about what the vet said? Did he/she do blood work? What is the basis for the vet saying the cat is "doing real good" when you brought her in because she was not eating?

Yea. The vet did a few tests. All the tests came out negative. Said that she was just scared about being outside and didn't know what happened. She was just frightened. She is healthy and back to her normal self being silly and everything. She is eating normally.

Good news.

It's great news. It made my day when the vet told me everything is good.

I'm a bit late to this thread, but wanted to mention something I read about on another dog forum I visit. Someone said that when a pet gets lost they can go 'feral'. Not totally wild, but they go into survival mode sometimes & won't respond to their families even after they're found. I suspect your vet was right, your cat was likely terrified & it took her some time to get settled again at home.

Our old vet told us that when a cat's not eating, it's VERY important to make sure they get enough fluids. We've got a syringe w/o a needle & have had to give water that way. They can go down fast by not eating/drinking, getting dehydrated then they get sicker.... Glad you found her & that she's feeling better.

Hi Jimmy's Girl:

So glad to hear your cat's ok.
Please don't let obnoxious losers - who have nothing better to do than hide behind their computer and be a negative a$$ - deter you from visiting this site. Best just to ignore that type of person. You'll find that the number of kind people here more than make up for that sad type of individual.

I agree that vet bills are, at times, ridiculous. I've found that you really need to shop around. I have a vet 10 minutes from me, but I drive 45-60 mins across town to go to a vet that is much less expensive and also much more caring and knowledgeable. If you need to, try several different vets as various issues arise until you find one you like. To get some good referrals, check with some cat rescue organizations in your area. They will know. It's such a relief for me now to have such a good vet, and to know that if I have to take one of my cats there, it's not going to break the bank.

Also, do some reading, either on here or get some books from the library, so that you know which symptoms are the most urgent. To scope out which books are the best, use the reviews posted on Amazon.

And, yes, please get your kitty spayed. Not only just in case she gets out again, but for behavioral purposes overall. You don't want her going into heat. Plus, if she's not spayed, that is definitely a driving force for her wanting to get out.

And, and this is my opinion, please don't declaw her. When I was young, I declawed my first set of cats w/o realizing what a horrible thing it was. If you decide that you need to declaw her, it's your decision, but do educate yourself first.

I know that money's tight, but you may want to consider adopting another kitty to be a friend for the one you have - especially while she's young, so they will definitely get along. If you adopt one from the Humane Society, you most likely won't have to pay much, if anything, for the cat; and they will provide a coupon for free spaying. And, again, your kitty may not be so keen to get out if she has a friend to play with.

Another good source for cat info is Cats Int'l - I've provided the link below.

I hope this post hasn't come across as preachy - I guess I'm assuming that you are young and/or new to cat ownership. ;)

Best of luck, and please don't hesitate to come back again for help if you need to.

Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: Cats International

Thank you. i really appreciate it. I am young 18 years young. I have had a cat for 11 years now. We are waiting til we get a little extra money to get her spayed. We aren't going to get her nails declawed because my husband and I don't have the money of course and we don't want her to get hurt. We got a claw thing for her and our other cat. I just don't appreciate other people being so ignorant. If they are going to be ignorant then don't be on here. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

An 8 month old unspayed female cat that was missing for 6 days is now going to be pregnant. You need to contact a local low cost spay and neuter clinic NOW and have her spayed ASAP or you'll be beginning the cycle where you end up with 96 cats inside a year and a half. (Only partly joking there, cats really can multiply quite quickly if you don't take steps to keep that from happening.) You can't afford to not get her fixed now or there will be even more animals in the picture needing vet services.

The clinics in my area charge under $50 typically for the service, or even less if you are on some form of government assistance. My mom only paid $10 to have the stray tom hanging around neutered because she's on Social Security. And he turned into quite a nice house cat.

You need to take care of this ASAP!

JG, I forgot that I was going to mention that too, that she is mostly likely pregnant, and if you have her spayed right away, they can terminate the pregnancy. I had this done with one of my dogs. There are so, so many homeless animals; I believe it is the right thing to do.

My cat being pregnant is better then her having something bad. If she is pregnant than give them to a no kill shelter. I'm not being rude I'm just saying I rather her be pregnant. My husband and I don't have the money right now to get her fixed and we had to pay for the vet bill when we took her to get checked out.

No-kill shelters can't take any more animals;
they're full, & they're always full.

There are so many kittens & pupppies out there that the no-kill shelters must prioritize their waiting list, accepting only the kittens that are the most likely to be adopted, ie, purebreds, cats with Siamese markings, longhaired cats, solid white or calico, etc.

If you have short-haired brown tabbies, there'll never be a spot for them in the no-kill shelter, & if you try to find homes for them yourself, you'll face the same competition from purebred/Siamese/etc that the shelters face.

Please get her spayed right away, even if you have to take a short-term moonlighting job.

I wish you, and your cat, the best.

Unfortunately, what sylviatexas says is true. Besides that, spaying is better for the cat's health and longer life span.

There are low-cost and even free spay/neuter places you can use, and I'll put a link to a site that lists them by state:

Here is a link that might be useful: Free or low-cost spay/neuter locations