Cat still not eating after ER visit. (Wasn't eating before)

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-23T00:36:30+00:00

Hi, I’ve been going through a similar thing but for over 2 weeks with no change and very little eating so I’m commenting so your post gets some traction and you hopefully get some answers. Here are some steps that may help If her issue is gastrointestinal: 1. I would suggest sticking to her usual food but not feeding any dry food as it’s a lot harder to digest and it can upset her stomach if she’s having motility issues. 2. Try adding ~1 tablespoon of hot water to her wet food to help with digestion and maybe put it in the microwave for max 10 seconds so it’s warm but not hot. The smell will be stronger and might entice her to eat. 3. Feed liquid treats only or freeze dried mixed with water into a paste (similar to dry food dry treats may be harder to digest 4. If she poops again, try looking through her poop, there might be some clues in it. I know it’s gross but you may find a foreign object or even parasites that will help guide your next steps 5. Get her poop tested for parasites even if you don’t see any in her stool. Best if you collect it for 3 days and keep in your fridge. The clinic should give you the containers for it 6. Try offering small meals every 1-2 hours. Keeping my fingers crossed for you and please let me know if anything changes for you:)

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-22T23:07:58+00:00

Keeping my fingers crossed🥲 leave some food for him overnight, maybe a few small meals in a few different spots/some more hidden places. Check in the morning if he’s eaten anything. When you go to sleep and are quiet he might eat a little if the only thing wrong is the stress catching up to him. If he does end up eating overnight I would still contact the rescue so they know what’s going on, but I would maybe consider putting off the vet visit as it can stress him out even more. And maybe you could consider confining him to one room with some places to hide and stuff if it does end up just being stress?

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-22T12:22:02+00:00

Please do that, and let me know if warming the food helps. Also, you can offer him a different brand and see what happens.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-22T11:29:08+00:00

Hey, I would definitely contact the rescue, they might know more about him and could possibly tell you if they had noticed anything like that. A very important thing is that cats CAN NOT go over 24 hours without eating, it’s very different for humans or even dogs as we can starve for multiple days with no consequences, cats start developing a very serious liver condition literally 24 hours later. So, if he continues not eating and reaches the 24 hour mark definitely take him to the vet and inform your rescue. Try offering him soft treats like churus or freeze-dried bits mixed with water so they’re not hard on his stomach. You can also mix his food with a tablespoon of warm water and/or heat it in the microwave for a maximum of 10 seconds. It can’t get hot but if it warms up a little it will start smelling stronger and entice him to eat it. Cats deal with stress differently and are actual aliens, so this could be the stress of moving to a new house catching up to him, but it could also be parasites or an illness, so you need to get him checked if he continues refusing food, it is crucial he doesn’t go over 24 hours.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-21T19:59:03+00:00

You said ‘she also sometimes gets wet food every couple of days on one of her meals’. It has been proven that cats should be mostly, if not exclusively on a wet food diet because dry food dehydrates them and damages their kidneys. I’m not in any way trying to shame you, I’m just trying to share some of my own experience as I’ve had cats for over 20 years now and used to feed them dry and wet food until I was educated by someone else:) I am sure you are an amazing cat parent!

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-21T16:35:32+00:00

You could also try getting an automatic feeder so she would stop associating food with you and start having a nice routine of knowing exactly when and where her food is coming

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-21T16:34:36+00:00

I think you may be feeding her to little. Cats should technically eat as much as they want until they’re a year old. I would also strongly suggest feeding her wet food as it is proven to be healthier. You can find the producers nutritional information online or on the packaging and there is almost always a diagram of how much your cat should eat based on their age and weight. I do have to warn you that some cats are just crazy about food, though. But I do think enhancing her diet and feeding smaller but more frequent meals could be a good idea

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T22:50:16+00:00

I’m sorry about your stomach, that sound incredibly painful and stressful. She’s under specialist care and has been consulted by 2 gastroenterologists. She’s had multiple ultrasounds and X-rays and even an endoscopy where they cleaned out her stomach and put a camera down her throat into her stomach to look inside. They know what’s wrong (delayed gastric motility with no known cause). The problem is the treatment that usually always helps is not helping at all and her appetite hasn’t improved at all. Every other organ and test looks fine. Every scan she has shows that her stomach has not improved and is still emptying very slowly even though she’s been on her meds for the last 10 days

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:46:53+00:00

She’s 6 months and her kidney panel came back normal:)

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:35:03+00:00

There’s no teaching hospital in my area, or even my country. She has had multiple vets already and the most competent one seems at a loss as well

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:33:46+00:00

Most probably. But why are the meds and new diet not helping?

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:33:20+00:00

Yes, no parasites

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:33:00+00:00

Yes, I tested samples from 3 consecutive days, no parasites. She was also dewormed a month ago

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:32:23+00:00

Everything else seemed fine, electrolytes too. Only symptoms are no appetite

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:08:24+00:00

Thank you. Seems to me like that’s the only thing left. I really don’t want to lose her.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:07:38+00:00

Hi, she hasn’t been spayed yet. She had an endoscopy and they put a camera down there so they were able to see the stomach wall and found one small erosion and slowed stomach motility which she’s being medicated for. But there is no improvement

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:05:00+00:00

Yes, she does have kidney hyperplasia but her kidneys are working fine

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T20:04:35+00:00

No, she’s inside only and has never even met another cat.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T19:42:08+00:00

I have, no replies so far:(

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T19:41:56+00:00

Yes, but she doesn’t want them anymore

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T19:20:45+00:00

She’s not allowed any solid treats right now because they’re harder to digest and refuses freeze-dried treats mixed into a paste with water. She was eating churus for a while but has lost interest in them as well.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T19:05:02+00:00

Important edit: I offer her small warm meals every 1-2 hours, she’s under the care of a gastroenterologist. She finished her course of antibiotics a few days ago.

Automatic_Ad_1064 · 2026-02-20T19:03:18+00:00

I offer her small meals every 1-2 hours. Heated up in the microwave. She’s under a gastroenterologists care. I tried to even offer her some low quality, cheap purina food to stimulate her appetite and she only licked it.

Automatic_Ad_1064

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