Cats stop eating and pooping

Hello. I have three cats, a brother and sister, ( Joe and Tasha),and a non-related female, (Turtle). Until about 3 days ago everything was going along o.k.. I only had one cat, Tasha, that vomited every once and awhile and she also would cough up the occasional hairball. The other two have never coughed up a hairball as far as I know. Turtle will be 4 in March and Joe and Tasha will be 3 in April.

The only things that have changed in the past week are that I could not find their usual wet food at any of the 3 local places that I looked. I bought them a couple of other varieties of the same brand to see if they would eat them until I could go back to their regular food. Tasha does not much care for the wet food and only eats it when the can is new and has not been refrigerated.

A few months ago, the treats that I give them changed. Same brand, but the catnip treats in the bag changed from a light green to a dark almost brown green. Tasha would throw up within minutes after eating them and some of the dry food that is always out.

I also had to buy another type of the same brand of cat litter because the store was out of the regular kind. The cats were using it just fine until a couple of days ago. Trust me, I normally have to clean it every day, two at the most.

They ate some of the new types for a couple of days and then stopped. Tasha and Joe started throwing up in my room where they hang out. Tasha at first threw up a lot of green liquid and then after that twice started throwing up the white bile liquid. Joe, who never gets sick and only has the dry heaves maybe once a month threw up 4 times all of them being the white bile liquid with the first having very small pieces of the wet food in it.

Joe has thrown up two or three times since then and Tasha did a couple of times early this morning as well.

Turtle mostly hangs out in my disabled mother's bedroom at the other end of the home. According to my mother, Turtle has not been vomiting and there is waste in her litter box.

All 3 cats have stopped eating any wet food that I put out for them and even stopped eating their treats. They smell them and then walk away. They have been doing that for the past two days. They haven't even eaten the dry food that is always out and is what they have been eating their entire lives that I have had them. They have water bowls in 3 different rooms, but have not even been drinking as much water as usual.

There is no waste at all in the litter box in my bathroom today and there was only pee clumps yesterday.

My cats are not known for missing a meal and come running to their positions when I shake the treat bag, normally.

I want to try an over the counter laxative, preferably in a pill form, but am not sure what to buy? I am going to stop feeding them any wet food for now and let them just eat the regular dry food if they get hungry.

I tried a different kind of treats, but they do not want them either.

Here is what they usually eat and what I tried to feed them temporarily:

Dry food out always - Purina Cat Chow Healthy Weight in the orange bag

Wet food once a day normal - Friskies Tasty Treasures Chicken and Cheese in Gravy

Treats once a day normal - Temptations Mix Ups Catnip Fever

Dry food never changed.

Wet food substitutes - all Friskies brand:  Tasty Treasures Chicken in Gravy with Bacon; Turkey and Cheese Dinner in gravy Savory shreds; With Chicken in Gravy prime fillets.

Tried Meow Mix Irresistibles chicken flavor

Any suggestions?

You should probably take all three cats to the vet.  It's possible that the changes in litter and canned food have upset them, but it's concerning that they are also rejecting the dried food that you know they like. The vomiting is definitely cause for concern.   It's hard to know if  they've come down with a virus or other infectious agent, or if there is something actually wrong with the treats or canned food. Either way, they need to go to the vet.

One point:  regardless of what causes the initial loss of appetite, it's dangerous for cats to go without food for even a short period of time. They can develop hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease.  As the condition develops, cats feel crummy and even less like eating, so it is essential to get some food into them. This is another reason to take them to the vet.  (S)he might want to prescribe an appetite stimulant.

There are some ways to encourage your cats to eat:

1.  Warm up their food.  The enhanced aroma will make food more tempting.  You might have to wet  food with a liquid, perhaps tuna water.  Don't leave it out longer than 30 minutes, though, as bacteria do build up quickly in moistened kibble.

2.  Feed them when they first wake up - sometimes they eat automatically while still sleepy.

3.  Try tempting them with chicken or turkey baby food (no onions or garlic.)

4.  Try tempting them with tuna water or tuna.

5.  Hand feed them.  You might even have to resort to a needless syringe (available at pharmacies.)

6.  Sprinkle tasty treats on top of their food:  crumbled cheese, bonito flakes and fortiflora are examples 

7.  Bake or boil chicken for them and mash it up - no spices.  If you boil the chicken, the water can be poured over the kibble.

Below are some articles that should help:
[article="32998"]Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous  [/article][article="33011"]How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again  [/article]

First of all, if they're not pooping and not eating, and you think it's constipation, I think you're at the point were you need to take them to a vet. Vomiting and lack of appetite are symptoms of possible constipation. It could just be that they don't like the food, but if their appetite has been affected by their constipation, then at this point they need more than an OTC laxative. The laxative will only help keep stool soft, but it won't clear a blockage that already exists. When you do go to the vet and if they tell you it is constipation, ask about using Miralax-the brand name not generic. That seems to be the most effective stool softener for cats, across the board, although some do a bit better on lactulose, which is the other option. If the problem is fiber then you can add canned pumpkin to their food, but double check with the vet because sometimes adding bulk just makes the problem worse.

It might not be constipation, but like @Margd  said, a vet visit is still important because of the reasons she listed. 

Long term, it sounds like you might have to try some different foods until you find one they like. I'd cut out any treats for now because they have lots of ingredients and one of them might be causing gastrointestinal upset. Treats that are just freeze dried meat, no fillers, no additives, might be a better option. You can also give them little pieces of plain boiled chicken as a treat in the meantime. 

All three of the cats dislike anything seafood. I put tuna out for them on a plate earlier and they just smelled it and walked away. Tasha did eat some of the regular food from the last can I had and ate some treats but left certain ones behind.

The cats are not lethargic as Joe keeps yelling at me to come play and we played two or three times already today. Sometimes he just watches me play with the other cats or just yells to get me into the living room and then sits there while I make a fool of myself trying to get him to play.

I will try to make a vet appointment, but the walk in clinic here got sold and the new people suck. One of the vets from there opened her own clinic, although I understand that it is hard to get an appointment. I will ask the ladies that helped me relocate a feral colony to a safer place than the park here if they know of a good vet.

Joe peed after I wrote the first post, but has not pooped in two days.

I don't think it was the litter, because Turtle's box still has the old kind and they have used it before. 

I think I am going to try the pumpkin solution I have read about for constipation in cats, even if I have to syringe feed it to them.

I do not think that they will eat the squeeze tube stuff as I know my last cat would not.

I had to do some things this morning and when I got back it looks like Joe and Tasha both pooped. I am pretty sure that some is Joe's, because I do not think it would fit in Tasha. We don't have anything that they could eat and check any plant before bringing it inside.

I tried to give all three of them some treats as they came running when I got some cereal for myself. Turtle ate none of the treats and just walked away. Joe ate one of the treats and left the rest of his pile. Tasha ate most of her pile and then went to Turtle's and Joe's piles and ate what she wanted from them.

I am going to keep an eye on Joe to make sure he eats something or I will give him some pumpkin through a syringe. I also bought some Laxatone Catnip Flavor, but if they are pooping I will keep it for another time.

I bought 4 of the dollar toys from Pet Supplies Plus and Joe and Tasha are playing with them, so not lethargic either. Turtle decided to go take a nap while the others were distracted.

I will keep tabs on them today and tonight to make sure things are getting back to normal with the eating and pooping.