Sick Kitty Won't Eat.

[azshua]

I'm really worried about my Sweety. She has been sick since Wednesday. She has vomited four or five times since then, has (horrible smelling) diarrhea, won't eat, and lays around. I took her to the vet and had her checked out. The vet said her heart and lungs sound fine and her temperature was just a little on the low side, but not low enough for them to be concerned. Since she was a little dehydrated, they gave her fluids and a shot of Maropitant for the nausea. She was acting like she felt a lot better while we were there and was wandering around the room, purring up a storm and was active here at home for a bit after we got back. The vet thinks it's a food intolerance because she got sick after I fed her a chunky type of Fancy Feast. I normally feed her pates or the kinds that have real meat. This happened before a couple of years ago but she wasn't sick this long. I know it can be dangerous for cats to go two days or more without eating. I'm syringe feeding her and also giving her Pedialyte, though I haven't given it to her since she received fluids at the vet but will start again in the morning. Could it be that she's drowsy from the medication she was given? Does anyone know of a way to give her an appetite? She hasn't vomited since around noon Thursday. I also got a can of Catsure to give her. She still gets around fine and her eyes are bright and sparkly rather than being dull. She's nine years old, spayed, and never goes outside. I followed her to the litter box earlier and she did pee, and she also had another loose bowel movement, though it's not pure liquid like it was a couple of days ago. They also gave her a rabies shot. I don't know if that can have side effects or not. Could a reaction to food cause all these issues for several days? I feel so lost. Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

 

[valentine319]

Maropitant Citrate (Cerenia®) for Dogs and Cats

Side effects: Hypersalivation, drowsiness, lethargy, anorexia and diarrhea are possible side effects from Maropitant citrate.

Call and ask your vet if you can use zyrtec. It's used for allergies and increases their appetite. I crush 5 mg pill, mix with water and syringe in the side of the mouth. It's too bitter to mix with food. It won't cause drooling. Just adding another option instead of a shot to help appetite.

As the vet about a probiotic to help the upset stomach and diarrhea. I use tummyworks but there may be something more specific.

 

[josiegirl]

When did your kitty get her rabies shot? Side effects to rabies vaccine are:

Lethargy
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Sneezing
Vomiting

She could very well be reacting to the vaccine.

 

[valentine319]

Poor thing got a double dose of lethargy, diarrhea and loss of appetite.

 

[azshua]

Thank you all for reading and for your replies. I'll look into the Zyrtec and probiotics. I had a bad feeling about her being given the rabies shot. I should have objected. I thought maybe I was being paranoid because I don't really like vaccines. I get that they can be helpful but I'm aware they can also be harmful. The vet I went to before for issues like this passed away. He was a great vet and very honest, an old school vet. He never gave a sick pet a vaccine. I'm trying to find another vet we used many years ago who was trustworthy. Unfortunately, he left the clinic that I use now a few years ago.

The good news is that Sweety is feeling much better. She's back to demanding attention aggressively. Still not eating, but she did seem interested in the food when I offered it to her. I think I might have figured out the problem. I thought it was odd that she felt great at the vet but started feeling bad not long after we got home. I thought it might be the medication kicking in and making her sleepy because I've taken anti-nausea pills before and they had that effect on me. I took her into my daughter's room since she's away for a few days and she started perking back up again. I was laying beside her trying to figure out what might be the issue when I thought about the Air Wick plug ins we had started using a couple of months ago. After searching the internet, I found many people saying it can make cats sick. I removed them immediately. Sweety was scratching at the door wanting to come back in here a few minutes ago so I let her out since it has been almost twelve hours since I removed the plug ins. She's sitting beside me now acting like she normally acts, tugging on my arm for pets and head booping my hand. I'm going to keep a close eye on her while she's in here to see if she starts acting sickly again. I'll never use another plug in again unless it specifies it's safe for cats and dogs. Now if she'll just eat and drink on her own, I'll be a very happy kitty mama.

 

[Lalka]

There is no reason to have rabies vaccine if your cat is: always indoor, you do not travel to another country with him or have another animal in your home going outside.
Air wick plug /can spray can make your cat sick and yes, it has been reported...same for FEBREZE. Make sure you are using a natural dish soap to clean you cat dishes. I like to burn incense and im not sure if its safer...so i try to use them only once a month.

for cleaning i use Attitude products

 

[azshua]

I definitely agree with you. The only issue is when I take them to the vet, they have to get the shot if they aren't too sick. I've been fined once for not having our dog vaccinated (many years ago). It's also required when they're taken in to be spayed and neutered. I try to avoid the vet as much as possible because of that. I treat a lot of minor issues here at home. The vet I went to before believed in home remedies and would tell me what I could to for certain issues.

I've read that oil diffusers are safe. I'm going to look more into that and make sure certain oils are completely safe for cats and dogs.

Sweety is still acting like she feels better, but she's not eating on her own. I managed to get quite a bit of cat food into her. I syringe fed her a packet of bisque since it's easy to work with and even part of another. I'll have to make a trip to the store for more today. She did pee in the litter box. Haven't seen any signs of poop yet, so I don't know how her diarrhea is. She hasn't thrown up any food so far, though, so that's a good sign. Something I forgot to mention is she has some bad teeth. Can that cause digestive issues? I plan to get her in and have her teeth cleaned and have them pull any that need it. Her teeth were fine a couple of years ago. I hate the thought of her having bad teeth. She's my hero kitty. She knew I had cancer before I did and tried to tell me. It's a shame they can't talk and tell us what's wrong with them, or us. I'm hoping to have her around for many more years. Out of all my cats, she and Meejee love on me the most. I can't imagine not having them around to pester me for pets and scratches.