urgent, please help, alex wont eat!!

my dad's cat alex is 14 years old, he is normally very healthy. my dad just got a cat from the humane society and that cat was healthy and was checked out at vet. on monday am alex became very lathargic and wouldnt eat or drink so dad took him to vet. did blood tests and said alex has an infection and gave me shot of antibiotics as well as oral pills. he will still drink and pee but hasnt ate since sunday night some time and is very weak. vet said as long has he is drinking and peeing not to worry. but we are very worried, my dad he needs to make a decision about "what to do" by friday. vet said new cat may have brought in a bug. any suggestions? we love alex very much and need some help !!!!
thanks!!

I'm sorry to hear your kitty is sick Have you tried tuna or cooked chicken? That might help to get his appetite going again. If there is another vet in your area (or emergency vet) it couldn't hurt to give them a call, at his age and not eating I understand your concern.

we have tried baby food, chicken, tuna, wet cat food, heated i up for a couple secs to release the odor, still nothing... how long can cats go w/o eating?

Only two days and no longer. He is probably stressed from the new cat. Tell your dad to keep the cats separated.

Here are some tips:

• Give Alex some organic catnip to see if that jump starts his appetite, he should just have a pinch of it.
• You can get some acidolpholous capsules at a health food store, take the capsules apart and rub some of the powder on Alex's gums.
• If you know someone with a pet mouse, borrow the mouse and the cage temp and put it in the room where Alex is to see if natural prey will jump start him
• Feed on a flat plate not a bowl
• Check his mouth for any gum or teeth issues
• Try hand feeding him or use a feeding syringe and start feeding him pureed food
• Get some AD from your vet see if he will eat this

Change of any kind will upset any cat. Because of Alex's advanced age, suggest your dad take him to the vet and get bloodwork done. Don't let him go any longer than 48 hours without eating without a vet's intervention.

I'm so sorry to hear about Alex's problem. I agree with the steps that Hissy has suggested. Sometimes with older cats a little more attention can help and for some reason, some of them just like to have someone hang around while they have their dinner. You can try that. Also, try offering Kitten food and/or Kitten milk. There is more protein in these products which Alex will need and they are more attractive as food.

Alex may be just suffering a 'sea change' too. Kittens or new cats will do that. Lot's of loving attention will help that. Once they get over the change, a younger cat can add years to an older cat's life. They seem to find some reservoir of energy...

Our best wishes for Alex's speedy recovery..Alex inspired us to join this forum.

Andy and Barb

I would suggest a second vet frankly, since this vet told your dad that so long as the kitty was drinking & peeing he'd be okay. As Hissy explained, cats can not go without eating for longer than a couple of days without risk of health issues just from not eating (separate from any infection).

Please try the suggestions she gave you, and find a vet someone you trust recommends, for a second opinion.

I just had that problem with my Cats. The vet told me to try baby food and tuna. My Meeko had a high fever and infection and it took 3 Days before she ate or drank. Then she passed it to my almost 16 Year old Cat. It is hard when they are old like that. He needs to eat. I do not know why the vet said it is ok when it isnt. When they are older like taht they get weaker faster.

I second what Hissy said.

Cats can't go very long with out eating and things start to break down inside them. You have to force feed them with a syringe if they won't eat.

your feedback. alex did go to the vet for blood tests on monday and dr said he had a infection and put him on antibiotics. he had a shot of it at vet then took his 2nd pill today, well only half cuz he kept spittin it out. little turd. his nose is kind of crusty and we have been cleaning it. i just got back from petsmart and bought some meal replacement shake for cats and some syringes and brought to my dad. should he just shoot it down his throat? he is already a little guy, he is a persian, very fluffy but not much to him. how would we go about puree the food, should i puree some of the stuff i bought earlier? baby food, wet cat food, etc... thanks for all of you suggestions, it means alot to us. we miss our silly little boy.

Baby food would be the right consistency to syringe feed. You can puree in a blender, canned cat food (ground varieties versus chunky or shredded is easiest) with a bit of water (a spoonful).

Most important...do NOT shoot liquid or puree straight towards the back of the mouth, they can choke and aspirate some of this into their lungs (worst case).

Instead put a small amount into the side of the mouth or into the front of the mouth, so they can chew/swallow it, as one mouthfull.

If your syringe is marked with cc's, try for 1 to 2 cc at a time.

(deleted)

Someone beat me to it, nevermind..

I hope your kitty feels better soon. I've been having issues getting Chase to eat too. The vet gave us an appetite stimulant for him that's been helping.

I would get a high calorie, high energy gel to give him; something like Nutrical. You can find it at most Pet Supply Stores. Antibiotics sap ANY and ALL nutrition and vitamins your cat has in his body; which right now, because he isn't eating, is already coming from his 'body fat'.

I would also get some Pedialyte, and get some of that into him every couple of hours...even though he is drinking, I highly doubt he is drinking enough to keep him hydrated enough.

Also, If you can, just start syringing canned food into him; you'll have to mix it with some warm water to 'thin it' down enough to be able to syringe it down him, but at least he will be getting some nutrition that way; I would do this on the hour, or every 2 hours if you can, until he is strong enough, or shows interest in eating on his own.

Good luck...Prayers of healing being sent your way from me and all my kitties!!!

Unless he is dehydrated, don't give him Pedialyte. It could give him to many minerals. They can become sick when they are stressed so keep in mind the new cat could be the cause. The cats should be separated until they learn how to get along with each other. It's a gradual process

It might take awhile for him to eat. Meeko was on Clavamox 3 days before she ate on her own.

Aww, your poor baby Sending get better vibes his way

Try warming his food up a bit before you give it to him, if he has a stuffy nose this will help bring out the aroma so he can smell it.

hello all, just want to let you know how alex has been doing. we started giving him the cat meal replacement drink mixed with baby food by syringe on thursday, we have been doing in it 2x a day. he will still drink on this own, but not interested in eating on his own. he seems so skinny and tired. we are bringing back to the vet tomorrow. i sure hope he can start getting better soon!!!

I don't know how your vet would feel about it, but recently at our clinic we were treating some cats for distemper. All were very sick and not eating at all. We went out and got some Rad Cat raw ground chicken, and all of them took to eating it. So that might be something to try anyway. I'm sending lots of good vibes your way!