Sudden complete loss of apetite ?

Hey 

Today was a weird day. I did not find my cat that lives in my garage waiting for her food for the first time since I began taking care of her (she is feral-she always meows loudly every morning asking for food , following me wherever I go) 

She was lying on the couch sleeping. I approached her , rubbed her neck for 3 minutes , and she just did not move. 

I invited her to come inside , she drank water but did not touch the food. She laid down on a couch inside, then fell asleep. (She is usually very active at this time of the day)

She has been sleeping for 3 hours. I tried to feed her but she just looked at the bowel and continued sleeping. 

What's wrong with her ? I mean I understand that illnesses can cause this, but I guess it would be gradual ? 

What are the most common causes of this sudden complete loss of appetite and sleepiness in cats ? When should I be worried ? 

Thank you !  

Hi Rob,

You say about illnesses. Do you know of any illness in this cat?

This might sound like a cold or throat ache or fever. Can you feel if her ears are warmer than normal?

How is she sleeping? Is she curled up? Or is she lying on her abdomen? Can you check her breathing? A sleeping cat should breath 20-30 times per minute. Every breath should be not too shallow.

The loss of appetite is always a bad sign in a cat, so it's advisable to take her to a vet for a visit.

Antonio65 said:

 
Hi Rob,

You say about illnesses. Do you know of any illness in this cat?

This might sound like a cold or throat ache or fever. Can you feel if her ears are warmer than normal?

How is she sleeping? Is she curled up? Or is she lying on her abdomen? Can you check her breathing? A sleeping cat should breath 20-30 times per minute. Every breath should be not too shallow.

The loss of appetite is always a bad sign in a cat, so it's advisable to take her to a vet for a visit.
 

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Thank you for your reply. 
No I am not familiar with cat illnesses.  
Her ears are not warmer than normal, but I think her head and neck are a bit warmer, but I am not sure really, it is difficult to tell. 
She is sleeping as usual, on her abdomen with a slight curl. 
Her respiratory rate is 31 breath per minute. 

 

Once I was told that when a cat is fine and healthy should sleep curled up on a side, not crouched or on their abdomen, but if you have always seen her that way this may be her usual sleeping position.

The breath rate is good, but if she's still not eating the best advice is to take her to a vet.

I agree, if she doesn't start eating again soon and remains sleepy, you should probably take her to the vet.  She might have eaten something, a plant perhaps, that has given her a sore tummy.  Poisoning in cats can take a while to present with symptoms, but not eating and being sleepy are amongst them.  The sooner she sees the vet the better.

Have you tried tempting her with a range of different foods?  If she shows no interest at all in any food, including tuna, then a vet visit is advisable.

I hope it's just a tummy bug that she recovers from quickly.

She refused to eat her dry food yesterday, until the evening. So I went to the pet store and bought for her canned food. 

She ate about half of the can. She walked around for about 2-3 hours then she came back to the garage and slept 

Today at 7 A.M she was meowing and asking for food. She ate the whole can. Then went to sleep. It is 5 P.M now in my country, she is still sleeping. My wife told me that she was awake at 11 A.M and laid in a sunny spot  for about an hour, and then came back to sleep. She is now not reacting to my calls and when I touch her she just lifts her head.( I am not sure if she is tired or sleepy) - I feel that her neck is warmer but I am not sure.

I was relieved when she ate her food at 7 A.M, she looked fine to me, but now I am concerned again! I hope that she is getting better. 

I called the vet and he told me that I have to wait until Sunday to bring her. (I hope this delay does not do any damage)

Can anyone guess what is going on ? Is there any possibility that I wake up tomorrow and find her normal again  ?

Why did your vet told you to wait until Sunday?

I have understood that this cat is not behaving as her usual, sleeps more, eats less. These are clear signs of something wrong and waiting three more days might not be a good idea.

Antonio65 said:

 
Why did your vet told you to wait until Sunday?

I have understood that this cat is not behaving as her usual, sleeps more, eats less. These are clear signs of something wrong and waiting three more days might not be a good idea.

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It is the weekend here. I found another vet that will see her on Saturday.

The good news is that she's actually eaten, and is continuing to eat wet food.  This is very good.   But that she is still sleepy and you're concerned she's not quite right, then it is good that you are going to the vet tomorrow.  

Write down everything that has happened since you first noticed she stopped eating and became more sleepy.  Take these notes to the vet with you as it's often hard to fully describe the situation to a person in a white coat.  These notes will help you feel confident and also help your vet get all the information they need.  

Make sure to ask the vet to look in her mouth and check her teeth.  That she will eat wet food and not dry might suggest toothache.  If she has toothache the pain might be causing her to turn to sleep as a way of coping.

Keep us updated with what happens at the vet, please.

Good luck.

Brian007 said:

 
The good news is that she's actually eaten, and is continuing to eat wet food.  This is very good.   But that she is still sleepy and you're concerned she's not quite right, then it is good that you are going to the vet tomorrow.  

Write down everything that has happened since you first noticed she stopped eating and became more sleepy.  Take these notes to the vet with you as it's often hard to fully describe the situation to a person in a white coat.  These notes will help you feel confident and also help your vet get all the information they need.  

Make sure to ask the vet to look in her mouth and check her teeth.  That she will eat wet food and not dry might suggest toothache.  If she has toothache the pain might be causing her to turn to sleep as a way of coping.

Keep us updated with what happens at the vet, please.

Good luck.

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The sad thing is that now she did not eat her wet food. She just sniffed it and looked away. 

I will keep you updated, thanks.

She is back to her normal  

Cat illness sucks, looks like cats are drama queens lol. I hope she never gets sick again