Why is my indoor cat lethargic and not eating after being outside?

I would recommend keeping a very close eye on your cat for the next 12 to 24 hours. When cats are free to roam outside they are more prone to getting in fights and ingesting something toxic. If she does not eat this evening or tomorrow morning and she is still acting lethargic and I would recommend taking her in to your vet to be checked out.

Hello, thank you for your question about BooBoo. Based on the symptoms that you are describing it is possible that BooBoo may be experiencing some mild GI upset secondary to ingesting something outside or due to another underlying cause. Since BooBoo's signs are still fairly mild and he is eating some food you could continue to monitor him for the next 24-26 hours for signs of improvement. It would also be reasonable to offer him a bland diet to help settle his stomach such as a canned food or boiled chicken/hamburger and rice (if he will eat this). Alternatively you could have BooBoo seen by your veterinarian so that they can perform an examination to evaluate for any concerns. Depending on the results of their examine they may recommend additional diagnostics (such as bloodwork or x-rays) or may recommend supportive therapies. Hope this helps, good luck!

These symptoms are definitely of concern and most likely a sign of illness and not depression. It is not any fault of yours, but he does need to see a veterinarian to determine the cause of his illness. They may recommend running bloodwork to check for signs of systemic illness such as kidney disease or infection, and may want to test his for Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids since he was an outdoor cat before he came to you.

Lethargy can be a sign of many different diseases. I am not sure of his age but he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have an infection, musculoskeletal issue, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, thyroid issue, etc. Your vet can run some lab-work and take x-rays, if needed, to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or other medications, depending on the cause. Hope he feels better soon!

I would start by treating the fleas. Fleas can be extremely aggravating and cause some pets to have weird changes in behavior. With large infestations of fleas, they can also cause anemia, which can cause profound lethargy. Other causes of lethargy can range from internal medical illness (diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease), infection, pain from arthritis, etc. I would recommend that you have Blu rechecked by her vet to look into these possible causes. The vet may recommend bloodwork to see how things are going inside of her body.

Feed him and water him and examine him closely for pain, blood or injuries, check his nail (whether they are frayed...if so, he may have been hit by a car), observe him walk and whether he is lame. If all is well, he is probably just very very happy to be home again with you. He may have been very scared outside considering he is usually an inside kitty. Give him lots of TLC. If he keeps crying or has any signs of an injury, or appears ill or hurt, you should take him to ta pet ER tonight.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Jax hasn't been feeling well. Does he go outside? If he does, even if you can't find one right now I would be concerned that he suffered a bite of some kind, as cats can develop abscesses fairly easily when they suffer a trauma. I would be concerned by his behavior, as it does sound like there may be an underlying issue going on, such as an infection, GI upset, or an underlying medical issue (such as kidney disease or diabetes). If he doesn't perk up, start eating and getting some energy back, I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for his change in behavior, have any necessary testing done (xrays, bloodwork) and start any treatment he may need to resolve it. Good luck!