My cat is dehydrated after sitter forgot water. Does he need a vet?

I am sorry to hear about Dusky! If his skin is tenting due to dehydration, he needs more help than you can provide at home. I would recommend getting him to a veterinary clinic/hospital ASAP. He needs fluid replacement through and IV or under his skin to help improve his hydration more rapidly. They can also examine him and may recommend bloodwork to check for things like liver or kidney damage in case he got into any toxins while out.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A kitten this young & dehydrated needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. She may need supplemental fluids, either give intravenously or under the skin. Then, we need to know why Acil has become dehydrated. Is she sick with an infection, was there any trauma, or does she have a large intestinal parasite burden? If she is eating, you can give her any food that has a high moisture content ( ie canned ), but if she is already dehydrated, it is difficult to remedy this just depending on what she eats on her own. I hope she is well soon. Take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Selina. Oh no, poor girl. The best thing to do for her is take her into a vet immediately. IV fluids would be better for this situation, as they are absorbed quicker to help her dehydration. I'd take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Lynyrd doesn't sound like he's feeling 100%. It is certainly good new to hear that the UA came back within normal limits, but I would be curious to know if he ran some blood work too, and what the results of that showed. I would also be curious to know what medications he ended up prescribing. In terms of dehydration, a single day without some water will not result in any sort of life threatening dehydration by itself unless there is another serious underling health condition. If this type of behavior and low activity level continues however in spite of the therapy provided by your veterinarian, reassessment may be required as well as further diagnostics to determine the root of the problem. If you are truly worried about dehydration, you can certainly try and force feed water at home through a syringe but kitties are usually not very happy and cooperative when it comes to this. I would personally reserve that sort of thing when it is the last option available. Let me know if there is any other way I can offer assistance to you and Lynyrd.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Tigger. You can try offering her canned food and adding water to it, but if she is already dehydrated and weak, she needs to see a vet now. She needs IV fluids. I strongly urge you to take her into an ER vet immediately. Best of luck.

He likely hasn't eaten enough to produce enough stool yet. If he isn't straining to defecate and he seems to be acting normally I would not be too concerned about that just yet. That being said, constipation can be caused by dehydration. If you are seriously worried about him being dehydrated you cannot force him to drink so my suggestion would be to take him to your vet so they can give him some fluids under the skin of neck so his body can absorb them (this is called subcutaneous fluids). I think you are doing fine by feeding the canned food and adding the water. You can try adding a bit more and maybe just a very tiny pinch of salt to see if that will cause him to drink a bit more. I also suggest you feed him a probiotic. That will help with digestion and overall health. My favorite is Fortiflora. You can buy it over the counter or online. If you can't find it or get it then you can use any probiotic but make sure it is made for cats (not humans and no dairy). Hope this answers your questions. If you have more please feel free to post again.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he had a fight with another cat he could have suffered an injury that does not appear apparent at this time. However, it would be best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to examine him to see if he appears to be painful for example which could be a reason to become lethargic and less interactive. He could also be somewhat traumatized by that encounter which he could potentially eventually get over. However, I still think that he should be evaluated. Good luck and have a good night! Hopefully this is nothing to be concerned about.