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I came home from work after being gone a day and a half (usual routine) and my cat didn't come to greet me. When she finally came out from behind the couch, she was very lethargic and has been so for several hours. She feels warm and has just been lying around, not interested in food. She purrs when I pet her. Her eyes are half shut. Yesterday was her first birthday and she's usually an active maniac. Breathing seems normal. A week ago she ate a piece of flannel off of a toy and a few days ago she re-ate a big hairball (mixed with her just eaten breakfast). I'm wondering if there's some sort of blockage. She ate all of the food I left her as normal, including a small portion of canned food which I added as a treat (not normally part of her diet). Vet's office isn't open until morning. What's your advice?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Cat Gender: Female Age: 12 months Already Tried: Keeping her comfortable and observing.
Hello - I am Dr. Matt - I would be glad to help you with your question.Has she been vomiting that you can tell?Has she had any diarrhea?Does it look like she was drinking water?Does her belly seem uncomfortable when you squeeze it?
No sign of vomiting. Stools in litter box are very soft and globby. Water level was where it normally is when I come home from 2 days at work--a little less than full bowl (and had a toy mousie in it which means she was playing--she likes to store her treasures in water bowl). I squeezed her belly and she didn't seem to mind and it felt normal to me.
Thanks for the additional information.Sorry to hear that she is not feeling well tonight. At this time ingesting something that is stuck inside of her is possible. Most cats what ingest something foreign will vomit after eating and drinking. If she is not vomiting, this does not rule out something foreign inside of her though it is less likely. Her symptoms are unfortunately fairly vague therefore giving you an exact diagnosis is going to be very difficult. I can tell you some of the more common disorders that could be causing her symptoms though:- A fever from a viral or bacterial infection - Kidney or liver disease- Eating something toxic- Inflammatory bowel disease- PancreatitisAt this time since she is not feeling well the best way to make sure that she did not eat anything foreign that could be stuck or have one of the other disorders would be to take her to an emergency vet is you have one in the area. They can examine her and possibly take an x-ray to look at her intestines. IF this is not possible tonight then I would suggest trying to feed her some different types of blander food to see if this will help with her stomach. I would also recommend making sure that she is drinking water to make sure that she does not get dehydrated. Here are some suggestions:- Food - you can try any canned food, meat flavored baby foods, cottage cheese, or pieces of boiled chicken and ground beef- Water or even some low sodium chicken broth can be tried to get her to drink better. Some cats will also like the juice from a can of tuna.Overall when cats act like they do not feel well that means they are generally very sick and need attention from a vet a soon as possible. Hope this helps -please reply if you have any other questions.
Experience: 10 years of experience including dogs, cats, and pocket pets