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Avatar universal

cat wont eat or drink

my cat had his ears cleaned last friday, since then he wont eat his regular crunchy food or drink
water. ive been giving him water by syringe. vet gave soft food, hell eat that. he has a ear infection and is on antibiotics
for 5 days already. he goes to his food dish and water dish and just stares at them.what could be the matter??/
any suggestions?
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Avatar universal
How did this turn out?  Did this go away.  My cat had his ears cleaned and is now having the same problems.  Please post.  Thanks.  Denise
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Call your vet right away! You may be able to administer fluids, use appetite enhancers (from the vet) or discuss comfort care options with the doctor. Please do not wait!
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
It's possible your vet may have caused a preexisting ear hematoma that was "benign" to flare up. That would explain a lot of what's going on...and they can be hard to spot.

I'm going to suggest you take your cat to another vet for a second opinion. That way, if this vet did make an error and is trying to hide it, you can find out the truth of the matter.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
HAD CAT AT VET ON MON FOR BLOOD TEST, EVERYTHING CAME BACK OKAY.
NO PROBLEMS VERY HEALTHY CAT. CAT HAD TEETH CLEANED ON FRIDAY AND
VET FOUND NO BAD TEETH. SAID TEETH ARE GREAT FOR AGE OF CAT.
HE STILL WONT EAT HIS HARD FOOD. WEVE BEEN GIVING SOFT FOOD AND HES EATING THAT AND USING LITTERBOX,
VET IS AT A LOSE AS TO WHY HE DONT EAT HIS HARD FOOD SINCE HIS TEETH ARE FINE.
HE WAS EATING FINE BEFORE TRIP TO VET FOR SHOTS AND EAR CLEANING.
ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
took cat to vet..he did a check of his ears...alllcleared up nothing wrong.
he said heart and lungs okay. but he did find that he has
a bad tooth. hetting a blodd test on mon then getting teeth cleaned and extrated ones that are bad. at least i have some answers as to why hes not eating hard food etc.
i thiught maybe he was losing weight by only eating soft foos but he gained 6 oz in 2 weeks vet said hes ok.some relief...at least.
thanks for all your input and concern everyone. ill let you know how he is after dental appt.. thanks again
Helpful - 0
541150 tn?1306033843
Oh, see, I did not know ear infection and appetite loss were related. One of the strays I took care of got ear infection twice, heh heh, but showed no sign of lethargy or appetite loss while on medication. I guess every cat is different huh.

I'm so sorry your kitty is still feeling down. Please let us know what the vet said, and good luck!

And try and keep him hydrated, k?

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
vet called taking cat to vet on fri. its 2 weeks already and no change.hes very lethargic
and still will only lap up soft food, a only a couple of laps of water so far. i give water by syringe.he finished the antibiotis now.hes just not his self. he has no energy or spunk.he sleeps with us all nite before he was good for a couple of hrs then gone to couch.hedoesnt look out windows like he did, or be playful nothing....im worried
they did something when ears were cleaned. thats the only thing different weve had
done to him.
Helpful - 0
609884 tn?1227329403
Yes, there could be some inflammation.  Disorientation and/ or just stress could also be putting him off his food.

How did it go at the vet this time?
Helpful - 0
549511 tn?1271775930
Ear infections can make eating difficult sometimes and swallowing hurts!Maybe when the pills kick in your kitty will probably start to eat again,and like us when your not well you dont feel like eating well animals are the same.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for replys. im am taking him back to vet after the meds are gone(mon)
he will put a cat treat or peice of food in mouth but its almost like it rolls out or he spits it out. ears were cleaned at vets,they put a solution in ear and swabbed them, then gave me some drops to put in each ears (last fri) vet last mon stopped the drops and gave antibiotics as the cat has some inflammation on membrane between inner and outer ear.
he was very unstable walking for first few days but is okay now except for the food and waterhes okay.hates the meds!!!
can a cat have trouble with his tongue and mouth(besides his smell and taste) due to inflamation. thanks
Helpful - 0
541150 tn?1306033843
How were his ears cleaned up? Did you have to give him medicine orally? Are there any other symptoms besides the ones you've described? It doesn't seem like ear cleaning and appetite loss are related. I honestly don't know how these two events would be, but I would certainly like to know how his ears were cleaned to see the connection.

Mrs_Savas has a great point in the sense that antibiotics or any meds can cause not only appetite loss but lethargy.
You might want to talk to the vet about this. If having his ears cleaned caused a loss in appetite then I'd give it time. If not, then blood work might be a good alternative right now.
I'm very sorry about your kitty going through this. I hope you come back with an update.

Good Luck.
Helpful - 0
609884 tn?1227329403
Antibiotics can definitely cause appetite loss in cats.

It could be that he goes to his food and water dishes out of habit and just stares because he doesn't feel like eating and he senses that this isn't normal.

If it doesn't pass when the antibiotics are discontinues, then you should go back to the vet for further diagnosis.

In the meantime, if he isn't eating enough of the soft food, you can get a liquid food like KMR at most pet stores.  KMR milk replacer comes in liquid form or as a powder that you mix with water.  If you cat doesn't lap it, you can give it to him with the syringe.
Helpful - 0
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