Cat won't drink after surgery. Dehydration? How to keep e-collar on?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cleo. I recommend contacting her veterinarian today. Her pain medication protocol may need to be reassessed. Additionally, subcutaneous fluids (fluids under the skin) may be beneficial. Wet food will provide her some moisture so continue to offer it to her. I hope this information helps!

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.

She is probably a little sore from the surgery and falling off the bed. She needs to rest and sleep so she can recover more quickly. When you are with Kitty you can remove the cone so she can eat and drink. Just make sure she isn't licking the incision. I would do this four times a day so she can get her food and water. After a few days they usually figure out how to eat with the cone on. Often the incision will heal in a week so you can remove the cone when the incision is healed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kitty.

I'm sorry Lilly has been sick! Wet food has a higher moisture content than dry food, so she is getting some water in her by eating that. Also she is getting fluids, so she is getting water there too. If she wasn't getting fluids, I would be worried about her not drinking water, but in this case, I'm not. When the fluids run out, feed her wet food and add water to it.

It may be a combination of factors. Certainly as you mentioned the e collar may be bothering her, and she may just be recovering. I’m not that concerned about pain as it’s been several days since the surgery and she should no longer be in acute pain. I would take off the e collar when you are watching her, then play with her, brush her or interact with her with playing with toys etc. If she becomes more active she’ll get hungrier and will start back eating. As long as she’s drinking and eating treats you’re fine to give her another day or so to see if she returns to normal. If she still isn’t eating and is lethargic then please take her back for a recheck. She may have an infection from the surgery but that is unlikely. Be patient and I expect her to be better in a day or so. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dewey.

Hello. I would definitely take the collar off for a bit & see if he relaxes without it. You can always put the collar back on if he will not leave the biopsy site alone. If he truly needs a collar, check with your local Petco or other pet supply to purchase one of the soft, cloth-like collars. They are much more comfortable & Whisker's may do better with one of these. But if he leaves the site alone, he may not need to wear anything at all. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I think a big factor missing in this question is why did she get stitches. I would say that surgery is painful and it is possible the anesthesia or pain is causing her to not want to eat. I would call your vet and make sure pain was addressed properly and discuss her not eating since they know what surgery was completed. I would recommend trying to warm up some wet cat food to help stimulate her eating. Also can food has more water that can hydrate her. I would bring the food and water bowls close to her so she does not have to move very far to go get them. hope that helps