Thor - not eating much, refuses water...I'm worried!

So my big, sweet kitty Thor has been sick for several days now. I haven't been able to get to the vet on account of snow and ice-covered roads but finally made it today.

Thor's kind of a big cat (around 20 lbs) and normally he LOVES to eat. So for him to eat very little made me suspect something might be wrong.  He'd been doing that for a couple of days, and also drinking very little, but day before yesterday evening he left a HUGE spot of pee on the bed. Totally not like him at all.

Went to the vet with him this morning. Vet said he had a high fever...gave him a shot of something called Robamax(?) and a vitamin shot. I'm to give him antibiotics in a dropper twice a day. 

If I had to guess, I'd say maybe he has a urinary tract infection.. I once had a cat die from it when I was a kid, so needless to say I'm very worried about my Thor, especially about refusing water...

Anyone with experience, how long does it usually take for these antibiotic shots to start working?  Any tips on encouraging him to drink?

Many thanks!

Sherice (and Thor!)

Sorry your kitty is sick, and SO glad you took him to the vet.
A couple of questions--did the vet do a urine culture? As you know, UTIs can be pretty serious, but it also depends on the type of UTIs and what caused them.
Robomax is Amoxicillin, a broad spectrum antibiotic. Ritz was given Clavamox, another type of antibiotic (used in humans, so I can get it compounded into a flavored liquid). I don't know enough about pros/cons of different antibiotics to know if one is better than another. I do know that UTIs can become resistent to antibiotics (a problem in humans too).
I think it took a day or two for antibiotics to work for Ritz; her only real symptom was not wanting to eat.
In so far as getting your cat to drink more water: wet food. wet food. wet food. Add some water to the wet food too.
Some cats really like pet fountains (others are so-so; still others are scared of them).
Good luck and I hope Thor feels better soon.

Hiya! My cat was in a bad way end of last year with a UTI and he also had a very high temp. He was hooked up to a drip for 48 hours with saline and antibiotics before he could come home - he started eating again after the first day in kitty hospital.   At a guess, your cat will not eat or drink until the temp has lowered - bit like us when we feel awful, we want nothing huh? I would try and cool your cat down while the antibiotics start to kick in.  It's important not to over do this, just to try and cool now and then enough to try and make kitty feel good enough to eat. Try a fan for 10-15 mins, or wrap up a little bit of ice in a towel or get a cool towel and wipe a couple of times - I did ice in a towel for my cat last summer when he'd not come in from the hot sun and started panting. It worked very well, within minutes. I'd read that rubbing alcohol to the paws can help too, but never tried. I can't stress how important it is not to over do this because it can cause probs of their own.

I also think it's useful to try and find out if there is a cause.  Does he eat dry? I would take it away from him for quite a while (if not forever)  and dry  treats too, because wet food will do him good, esp with a UTI. It will help him get better and hopefully keep him from getting another. I seem to write this too many times now, I think folk will get bored, but I also boiled up chicken breast in water (nothing else) and then shredded it in parts to make a broth (with nice chunks of chicken still in tact) and gave portions to my kitty while he was recovering. It took quite a while for his wee to stop stinging, about a month? I still give it to him now every few days because he's not a good drinker and chicken is cheaper than vet bills!

I wish Thor a speedy recovery!

Thank you both so much for your concern!

He's started to drink just a little and eat a little bit of wet food.  The vet said that he looked a bit jaundiced and was concerned that maybe he had a fatty liver issue or the liver wasn't working as well as it should?  Would that cause their temperature to be so high?  Thor doesn't over-eat, and I never feed him human food or too many treats.. but he also doesn't get much exercise (which is going to change just as soon as he's well again!)

I'm not sure if the vet did a urinary culture. Thor got the requisite thermometer-up-the-butt so perhaps he was checking for infection that way? He did say he was going to check the stool sample, dunno if that would reveal anything urinary-wise.  The giant spot of pee on the bed is what made me think UTI, but I trust the vet knows more than I do!

I will try adding some water to the wet food. That should help! That, and I'll try to stop being such a worrywart furmom

PS: Here's a picture of him with his tiny partner-in-crime, Pandora.

He looks so cute, hope he eats more!

Oh what cuties!
Can you look at the receipt the vet gave you? If he did a urine culture, surely he'd bill you for it! Same with blood work (see below).
To my knowledge, the only way to check if there is an infection in the urinary tract is to do a urine culture. There are other good indications like NO pee (E-VET TIME!) or peeing in inappropriate places (though the latter might be a behavioral issue such as dirty litter box). But a urine culture would, for example, tell you what TYPE of crystals or if there is any blood present.
My concern is that if not a UTI, then what? What is causing his high fever? Did the vet do any blood work--surely that would show if his liver was functioning. Ritz has had two or three UTIs, I don't remember the vet (a) taking her temperature or (b) being concerned about her temperature.
That said, glad Thor is eating and drinking a little.

There are usually two tests to identify urinary tract issues, the first being an urinalysis. This will identify urine pH and whether bacteria and any crystals/stones are in the urine. If bacteria is present, a culture and sensitivity test determines which type of bacteria is present and the most effective antibiotic for it. It sounds like your vet did neither test but assumed from the high temperature that an infection was present and threw a broad spectrum antibiotic at it. This may or may not resolve Thor's issues. The antibiotic may resolve a bacterial infection, but if he also has a different problem like crystals, his issues may reoccur.

The fatty liver problem is most likely due to his not eating for a few days. This is a common side effect for cats who are sick because when they don't feel well, they don't eat. Cats unfortunately can't go long without eating because their livers can't process store fat very well. You must get him to eat in order to prevent this from getting worse. Syringe feed if necessary. Fatty liver if left untreated can be fatal.

Many vibes for Thor to feel better soon.

Sparkie said:

 
I'm not sure if the vet did a urinary culture. Thor got the requisite thermometer-up-the-butt so perhaps he was checking for infection that way?

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Raised temperature as the body fights an infection is common and normal, your vet is right but should've done a urine test too.  Did your vet not give him a painkiller? Mine was given a painkiller to lower the body temp - it worked really well for a few hours and he ate. (this was the first day when they sent him home with me, he went back in even worse next day).  I wonder if its worth considering that if things do not greatly improve. Glad to hear he is drinking and eating a little now, hope this continues :-)

I'm starting to feel like my vet just blanket-treats all infections he sees by throwing antibiotics at them -- similar to a human doctor. 0_o

The receipt doesn't say anything about a urinalysis, just the office visit, the antibiotic/vitamin shot and the antibiotic droppers.

The good news is that Thor ate all his wet food today... and I heard a sound I haven't heard for many days --- the *purr*!

That makes me hopeful!

That is really great he ate! And a purr too!

Hopefully he is recovering, but I would keep an eye out for any signs of reoccurrence (peeing out of the box, excessive licking of genital area, signs of pain, small urine clumps, frequent peeing). If it does reoccur, I would take him in and insist on an urinalysis.

I hope that your kitty continues to improve.  Very puzzling as to why the vet didn't do a urinalysis.  Usually the minimum we do (I work for a vet) is a urinalysis if there are urinary problems at home.  Usually antibiotics can take a day or two to start working.  I hope that your kitty continues to improve.  Make sure your cat is drinking and peeing.  If he stops peeing get him to a vet immediately.

Well.. one step forward, two steps back

The day he got the antibiotic shot, he was doing better, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. We've been giving him the antibiotics since then, but he seems to have relapsed. Not eating much food (he did throw up after he ate it, like a white fluid. I called the vet and he said it's bile and not be worried).

Took him back to the vet this morning and they are going to do a complete blood count and basic blood analysis. Gotta wait three more hours for the results. Needless to say, Thor is right here with me getting some sleep and I'm as worried as ever.

Sparkie said:

 
Well.. one step forward, two steps back

The day he got the antibiotic shot, he was doing better, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. We've been giving him the antibiotics since then, but he seems to have relapsed. Not eating much food (he did throw up after he ate it, like a white fluid. I called the vet and he said it's bile and not be worried).

Took him back to the vet this morning and they are going to do a complete blood count and basic blood analysis. Gotta wait three more hours for the results. Needless to say, Thor is right here with me getting some sleep and I'm as worried as ever.

Click to expand...

Keep us updated hope all goes well

The vet said his liver is in bad shape.  My husband went to pick up the medicine for him as I'm an absolute wreck   I dont know if "bad shape" means he could recover or the worst possible news...

I'm sorry, keep us posted.
Did the vet say WHY the liver is 'bad shape'--from not eating? If you have to syringe feed him, lots of people here at TCS have experience with this. Just ask.
Vibes...

I can't help you with advise, I just want to support you with vibes and prayer. I wish the best for you and your Thor. I pray he has a complete recovery. Good luck!

Vet gave us something called Denosyl to give him ... any experience with it?

Denosyl has milk thistle in it. It can help the liver.  When my kitty was recovering from fatty liver and cholangiohepatitis the vet had me give him a supplement similar to Denosyl.  I think it did help.

How in the world do you get them to take it? Thor has no interest in eating and the "pill gun" we have doesn't work

Sometimes you just have to stuff pills down cats.  I have a cat who will eat her pills in pill pockets.  My other cat has to have pills stuffed down his throat.