Someone please help, I think this is an emergency.

hpcat135

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So about a month ago my cat stopped eating normally. He usually eats all of the food in his bowl but he had started only eating half. I didn't think much of it because we had this problem before and it turned out he was just getting to many treats. So after about a week or two nothing had changed, and things were getting worse. He has started eating less each week and this week he's eating less than a spoonful a day and today he didn't eat or drink at all. He has also stopped letting me pet him. I don't think he is going through a phase or anything because I have had him for 5 years (he is around 9 or 10 now) and he never does this. It kind of seems like he wants to be pet by me, but for some reason he can't. I have an appointment with the vet in two days but I'm afraid that he is starving and I don't know what to do, please help me!
 

the3rdname

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Cats can't survive for very long on a fraction of their usual diet.  A few days is as long as I would wait before taking him to an emergency clinic, but if he's stopped eating altogether he needs emergency care asap.  Dehydration is an immediate danger and Hepatic Lipidosis can develop rapidly.

Best wishes and keep us updated!
 

blueyedgirl5946

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How is your cat now? It is very important that you take the cat to the vet Such a drastic change is appetite is an emergency. Don't wait?

We hope you will come back and give a report/update on your cat.
 

speshlneedsreqr

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Indeed, Hepatic Lipidosis or Fatty Liver is caused when a cat doesn't consume enough calories for days consecutively. They start to break down body fat but the liver cannot process it-- and the lipids-- way too much of them, end up causing he liver to shut down. A telltale sign is also jaundice- yellowing of eyes ears and gums, which accompanies this disorder. Only a vet is qualified to treat this very serious condition so prompt vet care is recommended if a cat stops completely or drastically cuts back on food intake.
 
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hpcat135

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Thank you for all your help, I gave him a bit of tuna and he at that so I've been feeding it to him in little increments all day. He drank a little water today but not that much so I am still taking him to the vet. Sorry I was so freaked out, I've never had anything serious happen with my cat before so I was really scared, I guess I panicked! I really appreciate all the help.
 

angels mommy

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Good, glad he is eating something, but most importantly, you are taking him to the vet. You weren't freaking out. If you cat stops eating, or is eating very, very little you should be very concerned.  As said in above post, it can turn fatal very quick, & hard to come back from. I hope you are taking him in very soon, & some test & blood work will be done to see what may be going on. You don't want to have to feed him tuna to eat, fish isn't really good for male cats, because of possible UTI problems from too much, but more important that he is eating something now. 

Keep us posted 
 
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hpcat135

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I took him to the vet yesterday and he gave us some new wet food that my cat really seems to like if we purée it. He also did some blood work that we got today saying that my cat might have anemia which would explain his lack of appetite and not wanting to be touched. I forgot to mention in my previous posts that my cat had kidney stones at one point so he has to eat special food, I think he might just dislike this type of hard food which is what we were feeding him before. This still doesn't explain why he isn't drinking that much water, maybe he just isn't thirsty? My cat also has to be confined to upstairs because he pees on EVERYTHING and gets into fights with his brother. Now it's not like we keep him up there all day everyday he gets to come down for a few hours a day, but he seems to eat and drink more when he is downstairs so I think I am just going to let him down all the time my roommate and I will just have to make sure the cats aren't fighting. I really appreciate everyone's help so far, thank you! (also please don't think I'm cruel for keeping my cat upstairs, I would've had to give both of my cats up if I didn't)
 
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hpcat135

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I think I finally got to the root of his drinking problem today! I read some tips about getting cat to drink water on this website and I did two things.
1. I started giving him filtered water
2. I gave him a new bowl and I'm washing his old bowl in the dishwasher, not the sink

He is drinking a normal about of water for the first time in days, I am so happy!
 

LotsOfFur

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That's great! :) Glad to hear that with 2 simple changes you've seen improvement with water intake. Hopefully this will be the first of many improvements with your kitty's issues. Keep us posted please.
 
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