Feral cat is not eating

I recently rescued a semi-feral cat, and she is now living indoors with me.  I took her to the animal shelter this past Tuesday to have all her shots.  My problem is that she has eaten very little or nothing for the past 3 days.  She has used the kitty litter to urinate, but that's it.  She is in a room by herself, and I try to bother her as little as possible.  She has a bed, window box, heated pad., toys, etc.  I'm getting really concerned that she's not eating.  When she was outside, she had a fantastic appetite.  In fact, she was slightly overweight.  Can someone please let me know what I should do to get her to eat -- I've tried tuna, chicken, kitty treats and both wet and dry cat food.  Thank you.

Have you tried Gerber's chicken baby food?  My feral would come out of the closet for it!!

If she got all her shots at once, she may just be feeling punk.

The chicken baby food is a great idea to get some calories in her. It does not contain all the nutrients she needs, so it isn't a replacement for cat food. You might also try some Kitten Replacement Milk (available at PetSmart). No regular milk, though. That will only upset her stomach.

If she does not eat it, though, I would call the vet for a check up.

Thank you for taking her in!

Thank you so much for responding.  I just returned from the store with the Gerber's chicken baby food and gave it to her immediately.  She's under the bed so I just put the food under the bed also.  I'll need to check  a little later to see if she ate it.  I'll let you know how I make out.  

Thank you for the info.  I just gave Kali  the baby food.  If that doesn't work, I'll try the milk you recommended.

This is my second rescue cat.  I found Sammie (a semi-feral male cat) in my yard two years ago.  He's one of the best pets I've owned.  Wouldn't trade him for anything. 

I'm sure she's probably just terrified, which makes her want to eat less. Surgery is very traumatic on their tiny bodies, and the anesthesia can also Throw them off quite a bit appetite-wise.

The baby food was going to be my suggestion---another thing to try is Bonita flakes (shaved tuna)--it wiggles slight when placed on warmed soft food, so the scent AND the wriggling action are extra tempting. I also have bought a cheap rotisserie chicken at the grocery store -a few pieces of that warm chicken/skin are often too much to resist!

If after all this she still doesn't touch anything, I wouldn't wait much longer to get her back to the vet.

Did she just have her shots, or spay surgery, as well? If she's had spay surgery, then you should bring her back to the vet for a post-op check-up--those are usually free. Some cats have a bad reaction to the anesthesia or get an infection after a spay, so it's important to have that check out. If she only got her vaccinations, then it's possible she's having a reaction to the shots. Cats will sometimes be lethargic and have loss of appetite for a day or two. If this continues, I'd advise calling the vet. They may want to examine her, or may just prescribe an appetite stimulant to give her for a few days. I would also try putting out some canned tuna--few cats resist that.

She only had her shots.  Her ear was clipped when I found her which means she had already been spayed.  I tried the baby food with no results.  I'm going to try the special milk that Pet Smart sells.  So far I've tried tuna, chicken, cat treats, baby food, dry and wet cat food.  The vet said to just leave her alone for now so she doesn't get more stressed.  It's killing me not to go check on her.  I left her plenty of food and made sure her heating pad was on.  It's a little chilly in New Jersey.

I also called the vet.  If she doesn't start eating by Monday, I will need to take her in for an examination.  The vet was extremely knowledgeable about feral cats.  He said he can sedate her and give her a thorough exam.  I was in tears explaining that I was afraid that Kali would die if she didn't start eating.  I even asked if I should just let her go back to her home environment outside,  I need to do what I can to save her,even if it means letting her go.  He said not to let her go until we find out if she will finally start eating or until he exams her.  Thanks again to everyone.  This would have been ten times worse without your support.

Monday seems like a long time to wait for her to eat. Is she drinking fluids? Have you tried clear chicken broth heated up? Are you able to handle her safely at all? If so, you might consider putting a towel around her and feeding her very loose, watered down wet food in a syringe. You'd have to be careful to be gentle and not to force the food too hard down her throat because it could go into her lungs or she could get air in her lungs. However, I did this with my female feral, Mia, after she had a life-threatening reaction to her spay anesthesia and wouldn't eat for days. She was already anemic and skinny. She was so weak, however, that I was able to syringe feed her for a few days and then she started eating on her own. Your other option would be to get a second opinion from another vet, though I know this would be another vet bill and another stress for her to be taken for another exam. However, it might be worthwhile, and something to consider if she worsens over the weekend. Some vet clinics have ER hours or even mobile vet services for these kinds of situations. I feel for you, I know how much stress and pain watching these vulnerable little animals struggling can cause. Keep us updated.

Your comments made me realize that maybe waiting until Monday to see the vet was not such a good idea.   I went upstairs to see Kali and make sure she was okay or if I had to take her to the vet ASAP. 

It took my husband and me about 30 minutes to find her behind a sofa.  We were beginning to think the worst.  I guess it's not a good idea to put a semi-feral cat in a large room -- too many hiding places. Kali then ran and hid under the bed.  I lifted the covers so that I could see her, laid on the floor and started talking to her -- with my eyes closed since she doesn't like me to make eye contact with her.  She finally came out and sat on her window box and started whimpering.  I kept talking to her for about an hour and kept shaking her food bowl.  She finally went to her bowl and started eating.  I  couldn't believe it -- I was in shock!  She didn't want to be alone because of stress; she just didn't want to be alone.  She then started walking around the room and rubbing her scent on everything around her.  I was sitting on the floor and she started rubbing me also -- that was a first.   She was actually acting playful.  Even though I had spent the last two months talking to her when she was outdoors, it didn't occur to me to do it indoors also.  Duh.

This is going to be the first good night''s sleep that my husband and I will have since Tuesday. 

I can't tell you how grateful I am that I found this site with such caring and wonderful people.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I am so very happy for you and your kitty! Good job- you followed your instincts and they were spot-on. Looks like you have a furry little friend for life

wonderful news!! I hope she continues to get better. The people on this site are so caring, supportive and knowledgeable. I also have to say that you and your husband are great people for looking after her and giving her a safe and loving home.  

That's FANTASTIC news!!!!! And amazing! She's obviously "picked you"...and @MsAimee's right -looks like you've got a friend for life! it must feel good to know that you bring such comfort to this baby. I hope that things continue to go on this amazing upward climb...keep us posted!

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that Kali is doing fantastic.  Her appetite is back and she is getting friendlier by the day.  We still have her in a room by herself, but my husband and I spend about three hours a day with her.  We talk to her the entire time.  She has recently started to play with her toys.  The "feathers on a stick" is her favorite.  She also likes a little catnip. 

We sit on the floor when we visit with Kali.  She walks back and forth and rubs up against us.  She lets me touch her tail, but that's it thus far.  Last week, I made sure I didn't move or make eye contact with her.  This week, I've been moving slowing and peeking at her. I know this may sound weird, but she seems to be really happy.  This, in turn, makes us happy because we really adore her. 

My other rescue cat (Sammie) has been looking under the door at her.  At first, Kali was a little leery, but now she couldn't care less that he' s there.  Sammie doesn't seem to mind either.  I'll keep my fingers crossed it stays that way.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. 

wonderful update, glad things are going so well 

So nice to hear a happy holiday post! Yeah for Kali!