My cat is on asthma meds but won't eat or drink. What should I do?

Not eating is a very general sign of many illnesses, but I can tell you it's very serious JJ hasn't eaten in two days. If a cat doesn't eat going on 72 hours, they will develop a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. You need to take him back into a vet immediately.

Poor Potato! He needs to be examined by a vet right away if he is having a hard time breathing. He could have a problem with his asthma, infection, or fluid in/around his lungs. Your vet can take an x-ray to evaluate his lungs and then determine the best way to treat. He may just need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator, or other medications depending on the cause. Call your vet and have him examined as soon as possible.

Hello, thank you for your question about Mitchell. Prednisone is a steroid medication and can cause a variety of side effects depending on the individual patient, so it is possible that the lethargy you are seeing could be secondary to this. It is also possible that Mitchell is experiencing mild exercise intolerance secondary to his asthma. I would recommend continuing to monitor Mitchell for the next 24 hours. If these symptoms continue or you notice any other concerning signs I would recommend having Mitchell seen by your veterinarian so that they can perform an examination and discuss the need for additional diagnostics. Hope this helps, good luck!

Your cat really needs to be seen by a veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment. She is likely dehydrated from not eating or drinking well and will require subcutaneous or intravenous fluids. Because she hasn't been eating, she is also at risk of developing a condition called hepatic lipodosis. This disease is the most common cause of metabolic liver failure. At home encourage your cat to eat by offering highly palatable food, such as fish-flavored canned cat food or Stage 1 strained chicken or turkey baby food (no onions or garlic). If necessary, gently open her mouth and place a small amount of moist food on her tongue. Watch to see if she swallows it. If she does, place a couple more dollops of food on her tongue, then encourage her to eat a bit on her own.

They sometimes do this when they are very sick with a bad upper respiratory infection (cold), because they can't breathe properly when they eat. It usually means that they are very congested and/or not getting enough treatment. My biggest concern about her not eating for several days is that she may not be drinking enough and could be getting dehydrated. If you have noticed her drinking, then this is promising, but she still may need more fluids. The best thing you can do is take her back to the vet to get assessed for dehydration and see if they can prescribe more mediation to get her eating again. In the meantime, I recommend you try a steam bath to help relieve the congestion. Below, is a link that explains how to do this: http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier I hope this helps and Poodi feels better soon.

Poor kitty! If she is vomiting and not eating or drinking, this is a serious problem - even if the problem began because of stress, she will quickly become dehydrated if this continues. I would recommend having her examined by a vet as soon as you can - he/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to find out what's wrong and get her started on IV fluids and other supportive care if needed.

Poor little one, I would recommend that he has fluids intravenously and medications through the drip until he starts to eat.. then you can start oral medications. If he is dehydrated already, as time goes by without eating, he will be getting worse. Hope you can have him rechecked and that something a little more intensive can be done for him. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.