Help me, please!

Hello. I have a cat that is 11 years old next month, and I have realized that yesterday and today she has not eaten any of her canned food that I feed to her every morning. She has had the same type since she was a kitten, and I do not know whats wrong. She has also been acting very perky, and whenever I start to pet her, about a minute after, she will be purring, and then in another minute she will try to bite me and attack me. She is normally a very calm cat who loves to be petted, and it is very unlike her. I do not live in the city, I live with woods around me, and she is an out door cat. I have scheduled an appt. with the vet, but not until next week, and I am very worried about her. I have tried feeding her ham, and she has eaten it, I do not know if she does not like her food anymore, or what, but I am very worried. Does anyone have any advice?

Hello. I have a cat that is 11 years old next month, and I have realized that yesterday and today she has not eaten any of her canned food that I feed to her every morning. She has had the same type since she was a kitten, and I do not know whats wrong. She has also been acting very perky, and whenever I start to pet her, about a minute after, she will be purring, and then in another minute she will try to bite me and attack me. She is normally a very calm cat who loves to be petted, and it is very unlike her. I do not live in the city, I live with woods around me, and she is an out door cat. I have scheduled an appt. with the vet, but not until next week, and I am very worried about her. I have tried feeding her ham, and she has eaten it, I do not know if she does not like her food anymore, or what, but I am very worried. Does anyone have any advice?

Just really watch her. Make sure that she is drinking. If she stops drinking you will have to take her to the vet a.s.a.p. Check her mouth to make sure that it's not a bad tooth or a sore because that can prevent them from wanting to eat. Try some different food or even try mixing it with tuna to see if you can entice her to eat. I'm glad you are taking her to the vet because I was going to say that you should. Sounds like there might be a health problem if she is trying to bite you and this is not in her character. Cats also purr when they are in pain; not just when they are happy. Hope this helps some. Keep us updated on your furr baby and welcome to the site!

I posted a response in the health forum.

It sounds like she maybe could have been bitten in a fight with another animal. sometimes the wound won't show but there will be an infection that makes her feel sick. It could also account for the aggressive behavior if you are touching a tender spot. I'd watch her carefully and get her to a vet as soon as you can.

This is typical behaviour when the cat has been bitten, and as Marty has pointed out, the wound won't show right away unless it is severe. One way to check is to see if when the cat is lying quiet you can take your hand and gently pass it over the fur but not touch the cat. You are looking for areas of heat that you will feel rising up, which indicates an injury of some sort. If she has been bitten and is off her feed, a visit to the vet should be in order because she may need antibiotics and quickly. Good luck

I was thinking a bite, too. If a sore develops (it may look like a gunshot) or she starts acting ill before her appointment, you may want to call your vet and see if she can be seen earlier. Abcesses respond very well to treatment, but can get dangerous quickly.

But you've done the right thing, you first made and appointment with a vet, and when it was going to be several days away, you logged on for advice. Good for you! I get so frustrated when I visit cat boards and see something like: For the last year my cat has been vomiting every meal, seems to have no teeth left, may be blind in one eye, and has blood running out of her ears. What should I do? Ummm, maybe TAKE HER TO THE VET!?!?! A YEAR AGO!?!?!? I know, this is an exaggeration, but it still galls me how many times people have obviously very ill cats and don't even know they're supposed to take them to the vet!

It didn't even occur to me that it might be a bite. When Patches got bit she didn't react that way. Good info to know.