My cat isn't eating and distant from us. Advice?

My cat, november hasn't been acting her usual self for about a couple of days.  i dont know specifically how old she is because we rescued her when she was a kitten and that was about november of 2013.  when we found her, it looked like if she was just weeks old so we decided to take her in.  She's usually always playful, active and affectionate with my family.  She also waits for us in our couch whenever my mother and i go out or whenever i come home from school and as soon as i walk in the house, she would start crying because she's hungry. But lately, shes been the complete opposite.  When my mother and i came back home, she wasnt on the couch nor she was anywhere to be seen.  i didnt really put much thought to it so i just thought she was asleep somewhere and she would come out when she wakes up.  about and hour or 2 pass by and she still hadnt popped out so my mother and i started worrying.  i've grown such a bond with november so it would be so devastating to find out she ran away or something.  i was looking everywhere and my mother was looking for her outside until i realize there was something sticking out from the bottom of the kitchen curtain.  when i reached at her to pick her up, she immediately started crying.  i took her with me to my room and just started petting her.  i noticed that i could touch her spine more easily than lately.  when i wanted to put her on my tummy, she meowed at me so i figured she cried of pain.  and when she was leaving my bed, she started meowing because she couldnt jump off for some reason.  and when i asked my mother when was the last time she ate, she said it was about 2 days ago. she doesnt always eat but she would still be energetic.  also, i have a feeling she ha an infection in her throat because whenever she does eat, she starts making these weird crying noises and spits out pieces.  she's been so weak and im scared her days are ending but i dont want to think in that way.  she barely walks and cant jump off nor on beds anymore, she'll start crying.  im so sorry this is so long, i just want to provide enough details.  can anybody help me or give me advice?

it would be helpful.

My advice would be to make a vet appointment ASAP. Not eating is very serious in a senior cat, and it sounds like there's definitely something going on. Anytime a cat's behaviour or eating habits change, it's a good idea to have a vet take a look. Senior cats especially should have regular blood work and a urinalysis done to catch problems before they become life-threatening. Don't mean to scare you, it's just there is no way for anyone here to make a diagnosis. Only a vet can do that.

Good luck to you and November. Please come back and let us know how she's doing once she's been to the vet.

She has been to the vet for her throat before but we just got some medicine to give her orally and we saw some improvement for a while until the medicine finished and she went back to crying aloud whenever she ate.  The money is kinda tight right now too but I don't want to wait until it's too late.  

Thank you for the advice, I'll be with updates.

november said:

 
She has been to the vet for her throat before but we just got some medicine to give her orally and we saw some improvement for a while until the medicine finished and she went back to crying aloud whenever she ate.  The money is kinda tight right now too but I don't want to wait until it's too late.  

Thank you for the advice, I'll be with updates.

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what was the medicine?

It's a from Mexico since we went to the vet over there because its much cheaper.  It's called Cefaxal and it was for her throat since the doctor said it was infected. Once the medicine finished, he prescribed us another one since Cefaxal isn't made anymore but that just made her mouth get all foamy so I didn't want to risk giving her the medicine again.

Is there a veterinary school near you? Maybe you could take November there for a check-up. She really needs to see a vet - not eating is a sure sign of bad health. Although she is quite young, it sounds like she was a feral kitten. She could have any number of problems that you aren't aware of. But, please, please, please get her to a vet near your home as soon as you possibly can. It could be a matter of life and death for November.

Please keep us posted on how it goes.

Best regards.

I think my brother is going to take her to the vet soon. She hasn't eaten since last night and it's 9:36 pm right now. All she's been doing is sleep all day on the couch. The only thing she eats is can food but it's been there since last night, which is the last time she ate. We can only take her to the vet that's in Mexico tho because it's much cheaper over there and she got her shots from a vet over there. 

I still have hope and I will not give up on her.

I can't speak to the vet's diagnosis from before, but I wouldn't worry about your cat's mouth getting foamy after being given a pill. Bitter tasting pills and things can make a cat's mouth foam up.

I'm glad that November is going to be seen by someone, even if it has to be in Mexico. Good luck.

It wasn't a pill, it was liquid medicine that she had to take but whenever I tried to make her drink it, her mouth would get super foamy so i stopped giving it to her.

Well, we took november to the vet yesterday and she stayed over night because the doctor was going to do diagnosis on her.  

The doctor called us and told us she has Leucemia, which is cancer, or virus, in her blood. 

I honestly don't know how she got infected because I researched it up and it says that it could have been sexually or through saliva.  But all her life she's been an indoor cat.  She's still at the vet at this moment and I just got the news right now so I decided to update you guys on what happened.

Fingers are crossed things go for the best.

Do you mean Feline Leukemia Virus? Have the full lab test run before you make any treatment decisions; false positives are very common with the in-house SNAP test.

Kittens can get FeLV from their mothers so she may have had it all her life.

Yeah its that, I wrote the one in spanish hehe.

And well, she stayed over night so I'm guessing they should tell us what she has specifically.

Now that im thinking about it, I think she has had it all her life.

Well, I'm kinda late but November passed away a couple of days ago. I get so sad thinking about it since we have so many pictures together.  This has got to be my favorite picture with her.  Sadly, I wasn't there when they put her down but she knows that all her life, I have been giving her all my love to her and she will be missed dearly from everyone.  The doctor told us she wouldn't eat nor sleep; just drink water all day so she obviously wasnt getting better.  I love her so much and she will always be my favorite cat of all time. Thank you guys so much for the advice. Helped me out a lot.  

Love you all.