Help! Cat locked in basement for 10 days without food or water!

I came back from vacation last night to find that the family cat had been locked in the basement for 10 days. I immediatly gave him water (not to much at first, didn't want to shock him), and later pedialyte. I gave him roughly an ounce per hour at first for most of the night. He's had probably 10oz of pedialyte as of this morning, and a small handful of cat-food.

He seems active and meows quite a bit. He doesn't seem very interested in dry cat-food yet, and he's starting to slow down on the liquids.

I'm worried about a sodium imbalance, or feeding him too quickly after his ordeal. Basically I need some general advice. Has anyone been here before?

Oh I don't have any advice but I sure hope he feels better soon and starts eating.

update: I soaked some cat food in water and he ate quite a bit of it. Any idea if it's possible to over feed a cat after such a long time without food?

Poor fellow! Just give him a little bit at a time and feed him every few hours until his stomach recovers from the long fast. A check up by the vet would be a good idea too, as cats can suffer organ damage if left without food for a long time.

OMG! Did you hire a pet sitter or something? If so, that person MUST be reported to somewhere - the better business bureau or the SPCA or both or SOMETHING!

Poor kitty!

tsorcus is right - lots of little meals and a vet visit!

Laurie

He's usually an outside kitty, so the cat sitter just refreshes his water and food (kept on the porch). He somehow snuck into the basement and got trapped without anyone knowing. I feel sick about it.

He's eating well, I'm giving him tiny meals every 45 minutes or so. How long until I can just leave his kitty dish in with him?

I would wait until he is urinating and defecating normally before allowing him to free feed.

I would feed him every 2-3 hours from here on out, and then every 4-6 hours for a few days.

I would get him into a vet tomorrow if possible for a checkup.

Ohh, it sounds like this poor kitty didn't have a merry christmas! Dont feel too bad about it though, accidents happen! I would get him to the vet in the morning because without water their organs begin to fail! They can go quite a while without food, but water is a necessity to live! Was there any source of water down there at all? It almost seems strange that he would make it that long without water!! Im so glad he did though, you're taking excellent care of him and Im sure he'll be back to his ol' self in no time! You got any pics?? We like pictures!

~Amber~

I hope your kitty is OK.

San.