Thank you so much! I really appreciate the link and your advise. But most of all I truly appreciate your empathy. It is so comforting to be understood by how much I love my cat and how worried I am.

I have taken your advise and posted at reddit but it seems there wasn’t much of any replies. To be honest you have done so much more than the vet who replied to me there. Truly thank you!

I truly hope and pray it is just viral and he’ll be happy and healthy again.

His age is what really gets to me, I don’t think I can bear it if I loose him. He’s so young and I’ve barely even had him with me. I think if he was around 10 years or more and experiencing this I wouldn’t find it so painful seeing him like as I could associate with his his age. But he has just recently turned 1.

I tried to console him that I won’t abandon him and gave lots of kisses and hugs before I left him at the vets. He’s one of those cats that loves to be hugged and kissed when he’s afraid. I’ll be visiting him tonight though to see him

He he does show interest in his food, where he’ll sniff at it but then he’ll turn away or he’ll lick it a few times and then turn away from it. He isn’t so lethargic where he’s not moving at all because he does often wander around the house from room to room. But he certainly isn’t as active as he used nor play as he used to.

I’m in England.

this is just a thought...has the vet been able to get a good look in his mouth? i wonder if he has an infected tooth.

@ Ninapearl - Thank you for the suggestion. I’m not really quite sure, as during his consultation the vet did open his mouth and had a look, when I explained to them that when in the rare events that he does want to eat it seems like he can’t seem to keep the food in his mouth and only grazes the food and eat a very small amount, it looks like it’s a bit painful for him to either swallow or chew

We will ask them once they call this morning to have their dental surgeon to have a look at his mouth and teeth for us.

How is he doing?

I hope your kitty is doing better. I have an older cat that was losing weight and not eating/drinking. My normal vet did all the tests and didn't find anything either. Thankfully, I remembered that there was an internal specialist vet locally and took him to that vet. She did a sonogram and found cancer, which we have been treating. My cat is gaining back some weight (slowly) and eating again. I think you need a different vet and one that can do a sonogram.

@ MizAnneThrope - They rang earlier this morning and said that he was handed over to their internal specialist. He then took over and thoroughly re-examined him, did another set of bloods and this time a full scan of his heart and x-ray. Sometime late afternoon the specialist rang and said that they found no abnormalities whatsoever with him and it might be stress and heat induced and because of this they see no reason to do a CT scan for him. They said it would be better to take him home, rather than for him to stay at the hospital as he would be more comfortable at home. But, when I visited him he still won’t eat though even when I fed him, he still also won’t drink any water. I have asked them to let him stay just one more night at least then he could be monitored there and on IV fluids should anything happen to him.

@ pamghatten - Oh bless your cat, I’m so glad that they’ve found out what was wrong and treating your cat for it.

He has been handed over to the internal specialist but they said there was no need for a CT scan as they can’t find anything wrong with him that would show anything wrong on the scan.

Did your cat have to be put on anaesthetic for the sonogram?

At this point I would take him to another clinic and ask for an ultrasound. The animal usually doesn’t have to be put under for this procedure. After all this time have they mentioned placing a tube for tube feeding? My concern is him not getting nutrition, other than fluids, during all this time. Also, have they done xrays of his mouth? There is a disease, tooth resorption, that cats can have that’s very painful. One of my cats had it.

Have they done an ultrasound? That would be the next step. I don’t understand their rationalization for not doing a ct......but cost usually prevents an owner from getting one. I believe here in the states an MRI is used more often. Either procedure, including an ultrasound, is used when a vet CAN’T find anything wrong.

All records can be transferred to another vet, or ask for your own copies. No need to pay for the same tests at the new vet.

Being at the vet is stressful for cats, so I can understand why he might not want to eat for you there, but have they fed him at all while he's there?

How far away is the other vet?

I just read all the posts again. A change in the weather can cause cats to act differently but if you’ve owned the cat for most of his life then you would be very aware of his eating habits. ( How long have you had him?)

The fact he doesn’t eat well at the vet’s isn’t a big concern for me since many pets can get stressful there. Also, not drinking much water after returning home is expected due to the IV fluids he received.

Before you bring him home pick up a different ( high quality) dry food along with different flavors & brands of wet food. Also buy some canned, human grade tuna in case he refuses the canned cat food. If he’ll only eat the tuna then feed it. After he’s eating well add some tuna to a canned cat food to transition him back to cat food. If he prefers dry then give him dry. At this point you just want him to eat

Have you checked the expiration date on the dry food you have and smelled it to see if it has become rancid? Also check to see if there has been a recall on the brand.

Hi, reading above, it was an ultrasound not a sonogram .. and no, Bailey didn't need to be put under while they did that. We held him still, while the vet uses the probe to look around. He's actually had a few ultrasounds, since they use it to see that the enlarged lymph nodes are getting smaller. I hope someone figure out something for you and your kitty soon!

@ annztoo - Thank you for replying and for your advise. Apparently if he’ll ever need an ultrasound he has to be put under anaesthesia.

His lack of nutrition and fluids, when home, is what we are worried about too.

Thank you so much for letting me know about tooth resorption. Also for your advise on food.

The vets here a bit different, if all other diagnostic tests are normal and there are no indications or symptoms that would require a CT scan or an ultrasound they won’t perform it.

Yes we’ve checked all of his food and they seemed normal. We’ve kept it in a cool place.

@ mizannethrope - yeah they’ve been trying to feed him apparently. But it’s a bit odd because yesterday, the vet on the phone said he’s eaten with them, but when I spoke to a nurse in person that looked after him, she said he hasn’t eaten with them. But the nurse was really nice though she said would try a different kind of wet food him.

@ pamghatten- I see, that’s really nice though that you get to be with him in person whilst he has those tests. At least then he won’t feel so scared. I’m not sure if something like that is allowed here in England though, I doubt that it’s allowed here. The polices here are a bit different. Thank you! I’m just really hoping and praying that he gets back to his healthy and happy self again.

So sorry for you and your kitty. I would get another opinion. Not a vet in the same clinic. Best to you

So, you can't even request an ultrasound? Here, if you're willing to pay for it they're happy to run most tests. As pamghatten learned, masses/tumors and cancer don't always show in basic tests.

If he doesn't improve I'd call around to make sure the approach of limited tests is the protocol of every veterinarian.

I would imagine they are feeding him, but you might want to verify that, since you are receiving conflicting info. On rare occasions, my younger cats have been fed with a big fat syringe-type thing at the vet when they were sick. It's not pleasant, but it works. I really hope he gets better soon. Please keep us posted.

Mindy and Sophie wish him well. :)

Yes, as annztoo said .. and my Internal Specialist Vet said, the masses they found would never have been found in an x-ray or the multitudes of other tests I paid for. Only an ultrasound will find the mass ... I hope you can get something done for your kitty soon.

OP, my heart goes out to you as I too am dealing w something similar w/one of my cats - symptoms for him definitely heat related - panting,elevated body temp, loss of appetite - that improve when it cools off or when he goes to the basement (cooler).

Wondering if the temps you noted (30C or 86 F) was outdoor or indoor temps? Possibly without AC your house could get warmer than that so be sure to monitor that as well. Even so, as my vet pointed out when I took him in there could be underlying issue causing him not to handle the heat - heart disease being one.

My guy though is 17 and while its not exactly a walk in the park to have to face these things in an older cat, I think if he was only 1 y.o. that would add to my distress about this situation.

Have you tried cooking some chicken for him- lightly so that its still juicy - my guy prefers that to tuna. I think sometimes the commercial food just doesnt smell all that appealing to a nauseous cat. Getting water in him is a concern too, because lack of hydration itself can cause cat to go off food/water- I recently bought a fountian for my cats and their water intake has definitely gone up - theyare drawn to it by the sound - I think instinctively they go for running,f resh water -sit and watch a while, and then drink

OP, how is he doing?

@annztoo - Apparently here in England the cats have to be put under anaesthetic. My cat is fully insured, so any tests and treatment are covered. I think it has something to do with cats not being able to keep still. I think especially with mine since he’s such an anxious cat.

They actually haven’t done an x-ray on his mouth. And thank you so much for telling me about it and about tooth resorption. I actually asked the vet about this. And when they did examine his teeth they found some sort of inflammation. They done a swab but there’s still no results.

@MizAnneThrope the other vet clinic...it’s about 30 mins away with no traffic. The thing I’m most worried about is him being so stressful when we’re travelling. He starts panting and crying out like crazy. Especially when he’s not feeling well I didn’t really wanna put him under that situation.

Yeah when we visited him, we asked for his nursing notes. They’ve managed to feed him some supplementary food. It’s mainly for post-op cats to help them with their appetite but they have given him some since he literally wasn’t eating with them or drinking. Although he was still on IV fluids.

After 4 more days at the vets, the internal specialist have spoken to us and said that they really haven’t found anything abnormal except for his inflammation in his gums. They’ve given us some anti-inflammatory for. But they can’t give us any antibiotics for him at the moment until they find out what sort of infection is on his gums.

Awwee thank you Mindy and Sophie :)

@ annztoo We can request an ultrasound, but ultimately the specialists finds that there’s no need for it, regardless if it can be afforded or not, they won’t necessarily agree to it being done for the pet’s best interest. The policies here in England are a bit different. For example, there in the states you’re allowed to be present when your pets are having tests done, here it’s not allowed.

Thank you so much for the advise, he’s at home now we’re just awaiting the results for his swab culture on his gums.

We have called other vets for a second opinion and they have agreed that if an internal specialist thinks there’s nothing wrong then it would be better not to have an ultrasound. Though they were a bit disappointed that they didn’t check his mouth, gums and teeth first as a basis when we said he wasn’t eating or drinking. Since he was just unnecessarily put to all that stress of diagnostic tests when it was his gums that were having a problem. We even told them before, that he seemed to be finding it a bit difficult to bite and swallow. So, just disappointed really that as a basic thing to check should be the mouth thoroughly before they start on other diagnostic tests.

@pamghatten We did ask the internal specialist vet and he said that they’ve done a special blood test that would enable to detect if there were some sort of malign underlying condition, but his results were normal. We also called for a second opinion from a different vet and they also said that a special blood test would be able to detect it and if it showed, then that’s when they’d do an ultrasound to see where it is and stuff.

He’s now at home and he seems to be getting there, eating little amount and drinking little amount but at least he is slowly getting there.

We just really disappointed though that it took them so long and my poor kitty was put under so much stress of diagnostic tests when it was his gums that had issues. You’d think though that as basis of symptoms where cats are not eating or drinking they’d check the mouth first.

@Current Resident - Thank you.

Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear about your cat too. Bless him! I hope he’s getting better.

The 30C temperature is outdoor and it’s even warmer in my house, since my house is insulated. We have bought two big ACs though, it finally arrived and set up. So it’s a lot cooler now, I have been researching what is the perfect temperature range for a cats environment.

Yeah, that’s what hurt the most, when he’s barely made it to his 12 months and the poor guy has been in and out of the hospital. And to even think of loosing him so early is just heart breaking. We haven’t even been on any holidays ever since we had him, since we didn’t want to leave him at the kennels.

But now, I think he’s definitely traumatised of going to the vet now, especially since we can only visit him for an hour at the vets.

When he was 3 months old, and I had him. I immediately took him to the vets for a general check up, booster vaccines and spot on flea and worm. He was malnourished, so he’s weight was down, they advised us some support for his food to help get his weight back on. We also bought him kitten milk. The only underlying condition he had was a heart murmur on one side of his heart, which they told us that it was common with cats.

He’s had a heart scan at the vets and they said that there wasn’t anything wrong.

Thank you so much for your advise. I have cooked some chicken for him and even bought tuna. At the moment we’re only giving him a little bit and mixing it with his supplementary food. I bought another water fountain for him, it’s a catit one so hopefully he’ll like it much better.

@sableincal - Thank you for the advise. I’m sorry for your kitty, but I’m glad at least she lived for 3 more years and felt so much love and care from you. I’m sure she must have been so happy to have spent 3 more years with you.

I really do and pray that my kitty will live long and healthy.

I’ll speak to the vets about prednisolone and ask for other vets opinion too since he does have a heart murmur.

I just wanna say thank you all much! For all your advise and warm thoughts for my kitty. It is so heart warming to be able to have some emotional support especially since I’m a first timer in having a pet.

Just to update you all, he is now at home and prescribed some anti-inflammatory for his gums, which he has been taking Bless him. I’m still continuing his mouth care with a gel though just to give his gums and teeth that extra support. The gel I’m using for him is Oxyfresh Pet Gel, I have been using this last October. If any of you have any better ones please let me know. It would be much appreciated.

He’s eating, small amounts but I’m still happy he’s eating. We’ve also given him supplementary support for his food. He’s also drinking little licks now. So hopefully, his recovery will continue back to his full healthy and energetic self.

Once again, thank you!

OP, I'm thrilled to hear this, and he's so adorable!!
You clearly love him so much, and are doing so much to help him. I'm sure your stress level is high, too, so take care.
Chloe and Mork wish him even better days ahead.

@MizAnneThrope

Thank you. Your pets are incredibly cute! Your kitty is gorgeous and your pup looks so fluffy and adorable.

Thank you so much! I really appreciated all your advise and kind thoughts. I hope my kitty will be well on his way to getting happy & healthy too! Take care as well.

HU - So glad your kitty is doing better. Paws crossed here for a complete recovery for him. But since he has a heart murmur prednisolone would be a no-no for him. Good that the vet found another anti-inflammatory for him. He is so darn cute! Tabbies are my favorite cats; our older cat is a tabby with your little guy's coloring.

My cat who died of cancer had lived for 17 years. She had an excellent life and was very much loved.

@sableincal - Thank you! Yeah tabbies are so cute and affectionate. They’re such loyal and loving creatures. I mean my little guy always gives me a kiss before I leave for work and when I get home, bless him! He also doesn’t meow a lot, only when there’s something that he wants or needs, like if he wants to play or wants me to open the window for him and when he sees lots of birds outside the window eating the bird food I’ve left. He goes especially crazy when he sees a fox in the garden though and growls at the postman haha. Other than that he’s fairly quiet.

The vet has given him meloxicam as an inflammatory, which he has been taking so well.

Awwe bless! That is such a lovely thing to hear, I’m so glad your cat lived for so long and was very much loved. I’m sure wherever your kitty is, she must be happy that she got to share 17 years of her life with such loving owners.

This thread is 2 years old but after reading it again, I now think her cat had gingivitis or stomatitis. For those dealing with similar symptoms in their pets, check out this site.

My cat had same symptoms and i insisted they put him on antibiotics. Amoxicillin, he was better in 3 days and saved her life. They told me it was something else and it was only a simle upper respitary infection. They said it was a bat pancrease and liver and all blood work done showed normal. So I demanded anti biotics and they gave me 200 mg amoxicillin taken in 24 hour periold. thanks thane19464@gmail.com

Old thread but.... it would have been helpful to know exactly what tests the OP had done and results. Otherwise its just a guessing game. My guy turned out to be hyperthyroid and FIV positive, with probable gi lymphoma - with proper meds he has put weight back on and is now doing really good for an old cat with chronic issues.

I'm having this exact same thing with my 4yo cat. Same temperament, same symptoms, for similar period of time (2 weeks now). 2 sets of bloods done, loads of antibiotics, laxatives... nothing. I've requested an x-ray after re-admitting him this morning but will look into the gum/tooth situation. On the off chance the OP reads this, did the anti-inflammatories solve the problem completely?

pat

i am at present having the same worry my 2 years old ragdoll not eatting welll for month and gradualy he stopped eating completly two weeks ago . i took him to the vet , he had bllood test result nothing wrong vet gave him injection and medicine to prevent him feeling sick . he ate well for one week and stopped eating again . so i have to take him back for more blood test but i wiil ask the vet to check his gum it seems cats refuse food seem to be comcon problem now please any advise would be much appreciated

Ask the vet how extensive the blood test was. Did it include thyroid and pancreas function? If blood tests look good then it's time for an ultrasound and having the teeth checked/cleaned.

Until the vet diagnoses the problem, offer different foods, and feed canned/soft foods if you suspect mouth problems,

If you feed kibble there's always the chance the kibble is rancid or has gone bad.

PLEASE I NEED HELP!! My Daniel Clayton is not even 3 yet. I took him to Dr Issac at Bradford Animal hospital May 27. He had ALL BLOOD WORK DONE, Injected with fluid in the top of his back, I can't even think straight now. He was great when I brought him home. Long story short he has not eaten or drank for 2 days. PLEASE HELP

I have a similar situation with my 7 year old calico, Chloe. She spent 3 days at the vet last week as she had stopped eating and drinking. Bloodwork, urinalysis and x-rays all normal. She has been back home since late Friday and was eating and drinking until yesterday. No food, no water, no treats. She is supposed to be on amoxicillin twice a day which I was putting in her food so now can't get it into her.

I'm so sorry to hear about all the people posting who are experiencing this with their kitty. Mine started lip smacking last Sunday and not eating. I took her to vet. Nothing wrong apparently. After an injection for a, slight temperature and anti nausea medication, she came home and was more playful, alive, eating drinking, grooming purring running around than she's ever been. A, day later she's quiet, sleeping eating small amounts only. I've been wracking my brains, had acupuncture from holistic vet. I did read that anti nausea injection makes brain body connection stop so that it is the brain causing the nausea. So then I thought it's psychosomatic especially as she's had a, hard start in life and as I get so anxious as I love her so much and she's so young. She's drinking now as I speak. Almost looks like kidney problems but vet says tests are OK. Also she always had a long drink once a, day. I'm trying energy work and healing. I think being at the vet is stressful and there's no apparent cause. Reading online makes you think of all sorts of things. It's heartbreaking.

I'm so sorry to hear about all the people posting who are experiencing this with their kitty. Mine started lip smacking last Sunday and not eating. I took her to vet. Nothing wrong apparently. After an injection for a, slight temperature and anti nausea medication, she came home and was more playful, alive, eating drinking, grooming purring running around than she's ever been. A, day later she's quiet, sleeping eating small amounts only. I've been wracking my brains, had acupuncture from holistic vet. I did read that anti nausea injection makes brain body connection stop so that it is the brain causing the nausea. So then I thought it's psychosomatic especially as she's had a, hard start in life and as I get so anxious as I love her so much and she's so young. She's drinking now as I speak. Almost looks like kidney problems but vet says tests are OK. Also she always had a long drink once a, day. I'm trying energy work and healing. I think being at the vet is stressful and there's no apparent cause. Reading online makes you think of all sorts of things. It's heartbreaking.

Melanie- Do you have access to a veterinary college? On side note a fellow nurse I worked with had a 6 year old cat that stopped eating. Either x-ray or so no was done but found nothing. Lab reports found nothing. Cat got worse for unknown reason. They finally found out the cat had a large piece of balloon in the digestive tract. Surgery. Cat fine.

This is an old thread but I guess I will reply to it.

I'm having the same issue with my male ragdoll cat, 11yrs old. All of a sudden he stopped eating and drinking but also kept licking his lips occasionally. I also noticed him being sick quite a bit (yellow liquid with froth) He usually loves lic e lix treats which is yogurt consistency and usually licks it up within seconds but would not have that either.

Took him to the vet yesterday, I said I thought it might be a hairball stuck or something but the Nurse felt around the tummy slowly going along and said she can't feel a blockage. Temperature was ok and told me might have picked up a bug although he never gets outside. She gave him an injection and told me if he didn't eat or drink by the morning then to ring up may need bloods doing.

Next morning (today) still not eaten or drank water so they told me to bring him in for blood tests. They phoned me about an hour ago saying the tests were pretty boring really, they all came back ok. He has been on a drip for today and told me he can go home today with the canula in his leg and if he eats nothing today again he goes back on drip for another day tomorrow. So this is where I am at with my cat right now, have to pick him up in an hour. I am hoping he eats and he won't have to go back in to stay tomorrow.

I just thought I'd write this because others seem to have the same issues. It doesn't help you feel better though when you search the web thinking it could be the worst.

Update: Had the ultrasound scan on his tummy, said they could see nothing there. She said I'm struggling with this one, I'm not sure what it is as other things have been ruled out. He has had 2 days on IV drip and sent him home see how he goes and if he eats.

He has been picking at his food, smelling it and walking away, been on the litter tray for a wee at least. I asked the vet if it could be his teeth or in his mouth and she said he has great teeth for his age, didn't see anything wrong there.

The next step she says is a full body x ray. I hate seeing him cry to me at home, he is trying to tell me something is wrong but I can't help him, worst feeling ever.

My cat not eating for 2 weeks now. Stopped eating Saturday or labor day weekend. Took to urgent care, blood test came back normal. Took to regular vet, gave him onsior injection and some opium based pain killer for gum inflammation, he ate that night..but next day stopped eating again. The vet then suggested xrays and othere test but couldn't see him immediately..so took to another vet as he was quite week and couldn't wait for a week more just to see a vet

The other vet redid all tests CBC, urine, thyroid, xyas and ultrasound..all normal. Now they tell me they don't know what is wrong with him.

He is on subQ fluids,, and me force feeding.. very weak can barely walk.. i am loosing him and the vet can't help as they have no diagnosis

The vet thinks it's not dental even though he's had reabsorbed teeth and gum inflammation. At my wits end, cant bear to see him go like

@Ed(Edwina) and Stephen Ci As they had previously done an xray and found nothing, how were they able to determine what was stuck in digestive track. Did they do a specific test?

Re: "The vet thinks it's not dental" This seems to contradict the statement in the first paragraph about vet giving pain killer for gum inflammation which seemed to result in the cat eating, but not the next day .... when I assume the pain would have returned because the medication would have worn off.

It should be possible to find a vet who can look at the records/test results and do a consultation without having to re run the same tests a third time. When making appointment ask to be sure the person is well versed in recognizing dental issues - this can be so extremely painful for a cat and certainly account for not eating.

BTW, not quite getting the distinction between "gum inflammation" and "dental." They are one and the same - there can be tooth infection below the gumline and/or pockets of infection in the gum tissue. Were any of the x-rays of the teeth, which would have detected these things?

Does he seem interested in food, but just not able to eat it? Is he drinking water? If so can you try pureed meat maybe spiked with tuna juice. Gerber meat babyfood would be good but be sure its the small jar that is all meat.... with no onions. Onions are poisonous to cats. I'm so sorry this has been so difficult - you are clearly trying so very hard to help your kitty.

I know this original post is old but I too am in the same boat. On Thanksgiving weekend my cat, S'mores had horrible watery runs. I assuemed it was anal gland issues (as she had it before) took her to the vet, had her anal glands drained and brought her home. She was still barely eating or drinking so I took her back to my vet. Did the blood work, urinalysis and stool sample all was fine. The vet gave her an appetite stimulant, anti nauseous meds and special wet food. She started eating and drinking, not as much as normal but better than what she was. Now were back at square one - hardly eating (a couple bites here and there) and very lethargic. I have started feeding here every 2 hours via syringe in hopes she will eventually get her appetite back. She's been doing the lip smacking thing too, though the vet said she did not see/feel and swelling, lumps or loose teeth in her mouth I can't help wonder if this is the root cause. I'm beside myself because I don't know what else to do. We have a vet appt Tuesday so I guess we'll see where we stand then....

I hope all the cats are feling better :)