I think my cat is sick, can someone please help?!

[lucymae]

My cat has been acting weirdly lately and I can't afford to take him to the vet, and I'm worried he may be sick. 

He has been eating very little, and the food he does eat, after a couple of bites will scratch at the floor next to his bowl and walk away. He has been increasingly very lethargic, sleeping in different positions than usual (on his side spread out at the end of my bed, instead of curled between my legs). He looks almost drained out, and if a cat could look pale I swear he would. His hair has also been falling out in copious amounts... a lot  more than i think is normal, even when i brush him, it comes out in chunks without him even having to be touched. He is not even close to as excitable as he usually is, not even getting up when I do in the mornings, which he always has done before, or making any attempt to move away when one of the foster kittens annoys him, or if i pat him or annoy him. 

If anyone has anything to offer, I would greatly appreciate it! Please Please help me ! Thankyou 

 

[ritz]

I'm sorry your cat is sooooo sick.
In my opinion, he needs to go to the vets asap. By your description of his symptoms, he is quite ill. I'm guessing something wrong with his stomach. But none of us are vets and we're only guessing here. Call around and ask if the vets will take payments.
See if your cat will eat boiled chicken and rice. Best case scenario: he's developed an allergy to the food he is eating.
If an outdoor cat, he could have eaten something poison. Vet visit needed.
Are the foster kittens sick? Were sick? Did your cat first display the symptoms when you got the foster kittens. (Are you fostering the cats for an organization--maybe they could pay part of the bill?)
Is your cat peeing/pooping? If pooping, what is the consistency of the feces?
If he is not peeing, this is a LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY.

 

[stephanietx]

All of these things point to a medical problem.  Only a vet can help your kitty and tell you what's going on.  It's so important that he eat.  Since he's not really wanting to eat, that's a big red flag.  Is there some way you can borrow money from someone or sell something or work with the vet to do a payment plan?  It's imperative that you get your kitty some medical attention.

 

[feralvr]

Gosh, I am so sorry to hear how unwell your cat is. Please take your kitty to the vet right away. Blood work will be needed first and foremost. It could be any number of health issues and the only way to help your kitty would be to take him to the veterinarian. Sounds like something has been going on for some time now. Loving and sharing our lives with kitties is going to be costly at times and must be expected. They rely on us to see that they get proper medical attention. http://www.thecatsite.com/a/when-you-cant-afford-a-veterinarian All my best to you and your kitty.

 

[lucymae]

Thankyou all so much for your help, I was hoping its just me overreacting, but I'll try my hardest to get him to a vet ASAP, thankyou all for your replies

 

[feralvr]

Thankyou all so much for your help, I was hoping its just me overreacting, but I'll try my hardest to get him to a vet ASAP, thankyou all for your replies

I think it is good you came here to get confirmation of your concerns about the health of your kitty. Please DO keep us posted. WE CARE!!!

 

[mservant]

Your little cat sounds like he feels pretty sick.  Not eating much, fur falling out and changes in energy levels are all worrying, and sleeping in a different position could well point to pain somewhere.  You are definitely not over reacting, you are picking up on things that are not right for your cat and asking for advice about what to do.  That is being a good kitty parent.  I hope you manage to find a vet to take him to quickly and they are able to find out what is happening.

 

 

[krashballz]

If you can't afford to take him to the vet right away, look into Care Credit. It's a credit card to help you pay for health care. I know a lot of people use it. I applied once and was accepted, but ended up not needing to use it.
http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/
I hope you can find out what's wrong and he feels better soon