My cat is on medication. Why is he still lethargic and not eating?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would agree with the veterinarian that the blood work does not look concerning at this time. If his appetite has decreased with antibiotics, I would recommend discontinuing the antibiotics and seeing how his appetite improves. If he continues to be inappetant or is lethargic, I would have the veterinarian recheck him to ensure everything is ok. If he continues to be itchy, I would recommend using a topical shampoo such as Douxo PS shampoo which can be found online quite easily and bathe twice weekly until resolved. I would also recommend using Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent, which can also be found online. If he continues to be itchy, it may be time to consider switching to a different food or even consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

I’m so sorry to hear that this is going on with your cat. If the other symptoms have begun to resolve and the anorexia is the only problem then yes, it could be from the antibiotics. If however the initial symptoms have not resolved and now your cat is not eating it is probably due to a progression of the disease. If this is the case, then I would recommend taking your cat back in to have a recheck. He may need additional medications and treatments or he may be at the end stages of his disease. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since you are in day 1 of the antibiotics I think it would be fair to give it a bit more time to see if Musika gets better. You can try to entice his appetite with things like tuna, tuna water and chicken. If his appetite does not improve by tomorrow, let your veterinarian know as anorexia can be detrimental to a cat's health. Good luck and have a great day!

If the clavamox didn't resolve the issue, I would bring him back in for additional exams such as neurologic examination, bloodwork, x-rays, etc to try and narrow down the cause. These can help rule out metabolic or infectious issues, injuries or joint problems, or neurological disease that could be causing his symptoms. If you weren't comfortable with your current vet, seeking out a second opinion in person or getting a referral to a specialist in your area may also be beneficial.

Have you been giving him the buprenorphine? This could be making him very lethargic. If he doesnt seem really painful, you may consider stopping the pain meds or giving him a half dose to see if they helps to perk him up a bit. But if he is continuing to be lethargic despite not being on pain medication then I believe he needs to follow up with your vet to ensure nothing else is wrong. I hope he starts to feel better!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Leo is having this problem. Many antibiotics cause gastrointestinal issues in cats so you will need to call your vet and let them know what is going on. Most likely they will have you stop one or both of the antibiotics and prescribe something different. I would also suggest that you put him on a pre/probiotic while he is taking antibiotics and then continue for at least one week after the antibiotics have been stopped. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I think your vet's response was the correct one. All antibiotics carry a risk of intestinal upset and vaccines can certainly make pets feel "off". If he's not feeling better tomorrow, he needs to go back in to the vet.