Is my cat depressed after the trip to the vets?

aal24

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I have 3 indoor cats, two of whom are older (about age 12) and litter-mates. Fudge, one of the older two, was a very adventurous boy for most of his life, and often would try to sneak outside the front door if someone holds it open too long and isn't paying attention.

On Wednesday afternoon, my mom was carrying laundry in from the laundromat. That night, Fudge was nowhere to be seen, and when we couldn't find him in the morning, we figured he'd escaped. He'd never been outside that long, and we were unable to find him in the bushes. This was unusual, since he usually hid on our lot when he got out, but he had more time to wander in this instance. On Thursday evening we drove through our neighborhood and found a cat identical to him sitting about a block and a half away from our house. It had the same exact markings as Fudge, the same knot in his fur that we haven't had time to get out, and responded to his name.

We put him in a carrier and kept him in the garage over night so that he could be checked out by the vet in the morning, as we did not want him to give any disease or fleas to the other two. He was in there all night, and we took him to the vet around noon on Friday. He seemed friendly and happy to get out of the carrier and be petted. The doctor thought he checked out alright, but we decided to keep him there over night just in case, so that any fleas that might be on his body would be killed before we took him home.

We picked him up yesterday (Saturday) around noon, and as soon as we let him out of the carrier, he seemed not himself. He's a very friendly, happy type of cat, and he seems almost as if his spirit is broken. We figured he must be very tired and probably didn't sleep well at the vets. In addition, he is older. I guess I'm just worried about the fact that he seems so depressed. Is it just that he's tired? Is there something I should do to cheer him up? I hate seeing the poor boy this way. Any suggestions would be wonderful.
 
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p3 and the king

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Hmmm, did the vet give him any shots or medication during his stay?  I'm wondering why he was there all night if not?  If he was medicated for possible fleas, that's not enough for the vet to keep him there overnight.  The vets here would not offer that.  If he did get a shot or medication, it can drag down his immune system for a couple of days and make him sluggish and depressed seeming.  Other than that, it wouldn't be anything too serious.  Maybe something happened or the noises at that vets upset him?  Considering his adventure, the vet trip and overnight stay, maybe he was just overwhelmed?  Just offer him treats and extra attention is all you can do.  That'll help more than anything.  He'll probably come out of it in a couple of days.
 
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