I adopted a five-year-old calico on Saturday in the picture)
. She is such a sweet heart, and warmed up to me and my roommate right away (I have no other animals). She hid under my bed for the first several hours, then came out Saturday night, very vocal, purring, kneading the air, and insisting she sleep curled up next to me. She spent almost all day Sunday sleeping under my bed, then came out to talk and be pet and brushed. She has adjusted socially really well.
The problem is she has not used the litter box yet (completely dry), and I have not seen her eat anything or drink. I have moved her food and water bowl to various locations but my apartment is tiny and all of it is quiet, so there aren’t a lot of changes I can do there. I change both frequently. I feed her the dry food she was on at the shelter, since they said she liked it and I saw her eating some while I was there. Right now I leave it out 24/7 since I want her to eat. I was going to wait to get her wet food and more dry after seeing the vet to establish a weight loss plan, but I was so worried she wasn’t getting enough liquids I went out and bought some Blue brand wet food. I tried mixing that in with the dry food and some water for her dinner, but she just sniffed it and didn’t seem interested. I have tried hand feeding her dry food, mixing in wet and dry, feeding her just wet food, spoon feeding her, and even trying to give her some of those liquid treats in a tube. She has been left alone for hours with her bowls. She just doesn’t want to eat!
As for her litter box, she just stands in it. No straining or anything. She stands in it and meows until I come to see her, then she meows at me for a little while standing and leaves. I use unscented litter. She has not peed anywhere else, and because my apartment is so tiny, she has free supervised reign. She also loves belly rubs (no irritation or bloating from what I can feel when I pet her there) and there doesn’t seem to be any other issue other than some poop on her butt. She doesn’t trust me enough for me to wipe her yet and I don’t want to mess up any bonding that’s already happening (she is doing so well there). I figured it could wait for her to go to the vet and get properly cleaned, rather than me do a half done job, traumatize her, and she is still dirty. I suppose it makes sense she hasn’t had to use it, since she hasn’t really had much to eat or drink recently, but it still concerns me.
When I got her from the shelter, I saw her eating and drinking in her crate. They told me she had mild gingivitis, a mild heart murmur, and needed to shed some pounds (she is very big- 17 Ibs). They said the first two issues where just checked out by their vet a few days ago, and that they just needed to be kept an eye on (no meds right now). They also recommended sani shaves because she has trouble grooming due to her weight. According to her medical report, they were using medicated wipes on her a month ago, but they have since stopped. My plan was to call the vet on Monday and make an appointment ASAP, but now I’m worried she is going to be severely dehydrated or that she is sick in some other way despite her recent good vet visit at the shelter, her not being lethargic or showing other signs of discomfort, and her overall affectionate nature. I know cats take a while to adjust to a new place, including eating and using the litter, but she already has the social part down. I have never met a cat who is this social, absolutely no other signs of illness or adjustment issues, and also refusing to eat or pee. I just don’t know what else to do short of calling the emergency vet. Is this normal? If you can’t tell by the length of my thread, I’m kind of freaking out. 🥲
The problem is she has not used the litter box yet (completely dry), and I have not seen her eat anything or drink. I have moved her food and water bowl to various locations but my apartment is tiny and all of it is quiet, so there aren’t a lot of changes I can do there. I change both frequently. I feed her the dry food she was on at the shelter, since they said she liked it and I saw her eating some while I was there. Right now I leave it out 24/7 since I want her to eat. I was going to wait to get her wet food and more dry after seeing the vet to establish a weight loss plan, but I was so worried she wasn’t getting enough liquids I went out and bought some Blue brand wet food. I tried mixing that in with the dry food and some water for her dinner, but she just sniffed it and didn’t seem interested. I have tried hand feeding her dry food, mixing in wet and dry, feeding her just wet food, spoon feeding her, and even trying to give her some of those liquid treats in a tube. She has been left alone for hours with her bowls. She just doesn’t want to eat!
As for her litter box, she just stands in it. No straining or anything. She stands in it and meows until I come to see her, then she meows at me for a little while standing and leaves. I use unscented litter. She has not peed anywhere else, and because my apartment is so tiny, she has free supervised reign. She also loves belly rubs (no irritation or bloating from what I can feel when I pet her there) and there doesn’t seem to be any other issue other than some poop on her butt. She doesn’t trust me enough for me to wipe her yet and I don’t want to mess up any bonding that’s already happening (she is doing so well there). I figured it could wait for her to go to the vet and get properly cleaned, rather than me do a half done job, traumatize her, and she is still dirty. I suppose it makes sense she hasn’t had to use it, since she hasn’t really had much to eat or drink recently, but it still concerns me.
When I got her from the shelter, I saw her eating and drinking in her crate. They told me she had mild gingivitis, a mild heart murmur, and needed to shed some pounds (she is very big- 17 Ibs). They said the first two issues where just checked out by their vet a few days ago, and that they just needed to be kept an eye on (no meds right now). They also recommended sani shaves because she has trouble grooming due to her weight. According to her medical report, they were using medicated wipes on her a month ago, but they have since stopped. My plan was to call the vet on Monday and make an appointment ASAP, but now I’m worried she is going to be severely dehydrated or that she is sick in some other way despite her recent good vet visit at the shelter, her not being lethargic or showing other signs of discomfort, and her overall affectionate nature. I know cats take a while to adjust to a new place, including eating and using the litter, but she already has the social part down. I have never met a cat who is this social, absolutely no other signs of illness or adjustment issues, and also refusing to eat or pee. I just don’t know what else to do short of calling the emergency vet. Is this normal? If you can’t tell by the length of my thread, I’m kind of freaking out. 🥲
