please help my cat friday.

My 13 yr old cat Friday was recently diagnosed with a bad case of UTI, he responded well to treatment and his critical areas ( white blood cell count, kidney function ) have all improved however he still has some UTI and the doctor is suggesting another four to five days' of antibiotics. However he has a few problem areas though.

1) His appetite has gone way down, right now a newborn kitten probably eats more than him, his water intake isn't very high either but he's not dehydrated or anything and doesn't need an iv as of today.

2) He's very lethargic and doesn't move.

3) His movements are very slow, almost like in slow motion

4) Hides under the bed a lot ( but he could be scared of going to the vet, I notice he tends to hide during the mornings )

5 ) Tends to have a slightly hunched pose, not really sitting or standing, somewhere in between.

I'm wondering if his eating or lethargy problems may be psychological from the trauma of the trip to the vet ( he was really, really upset, all those catheters and needles caused him quite a bit of pain )

If anyone has any theories, suggestions I'd really appreciate it, I'm quite frantic. Oh and I'm new by the way, hope your all having a good day.

Welcome to TCS! Our health experts will be here shortly and will be more than happy to address your concerns. I would recommend that you contact your vet immediately to discuss Friday's symptoms. Since he's hiding and standing with the hunched posture, I wonder if he is experiencing pain. Is he using the litter box? Is he straining? You should also definitely address your concerns about Friday's loss of appetite and not drinking enough water can be dangerous. Thank you for joining us, you've come to the right place!

In an older cat any changes in condition should be brought to the vet's attention ASAP - they can become very ill very quickly because they don't have the reserves of a younger cat. I'd suggest you try to get him in to the vet again today.

For the stress, you might try spraying a bit of Feliway (calming cat pheromone) spray on a towel & placing it in his carrier before the trip. When you get home, play some soft music if he likes it, and provide him with food & water very close to the place he most likes to rest in if he's upset. You might also want to make sure his litterbox is placed nearby too (but not close to his food & water).

Please keep us updated - I hope he's feeling better soon

Any updates?? I HOPE Friday is doing okay.

He sounds extremely ill and in need of vet intervention immediately!

He really needs to get into the vets office. My suggestions once you get to the vet would be to have them do a urine sensitivity and culture, as well as a CBC/Chemistry panel. The urine culture will tell you what antibiotic to use for the infection, and the bloodwork is going to tell you weather or not his kidneys are in poor shape. Once you get those 2 things done, he can be treated as needed.

Hi, thanks for all the replies, I have brought him to the vet, he was diagnosed with UTI and on medication but I'm wondering if there's possibly anything else that could be causing his appetite loss and lethargy since the doctor said his numbers are improving ( meaning his infection is going away ) yet his appetite remains weak.

Well, what did the dr say about his loss of appetite and lethargy??

I find it strange that he didn't say anything about this...

Has the vet run a complete "geriatric" blood test profile on your boy? I wonder if perhaps there might be something else going on too that might not show up on the basic tests.

Did the vet change his diet? If so, perhaps he doesn't like the new food? You might ask the vet if there's a canned version of the prescription diet available to get him interested until he gets used to the dry?

I'm concerned because lethargy & lack of appetite are a big deal in any cat, especially a senior. If you've been back to the vet & he didn't address your concerns about it, perhaps you could seek a second opinion?