Cat in pain, not eating after abscess. Is this normal? What to do?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Smokey. Poor boy! I agree, it does sounds like he has a dental problem, and it could be an abscess. It's pretty serious that he's not eating much, and he is likely in a lot of pain. I think it's best you take him into a vet now. I hope this helps!

Many times, we have to give medication to sedate or anesthetise the cat in order to drain the abscess. These drugs will make them drowsy and sometimes not feel good for a day or two after it wears off. Hiding under the bed for a day would not concern me at this time. If he is otherwise acting normal, then he's probably just getting over the drugs and traumatic experience. It might take him a couple of days before he feels like going back to his normal routine. If something else seems abnormal with him - like he won't eat, drink or respond normally to you - then there could be something else going on and it would be best to take him back to the vet for a check-up. I hope that helps and Toby gets better soon.

Poor Clementine, it is a lot to go through at her age, however I am confident she can get better. I would not worry about the ointment if the abscess has already scabbed over. You can try cleaning the pus away gently with some cotton wool and lukewarm water, if she allows you to do so. As her sense of smell is probably affected, you need to offer her food that smells quite strong such as tuna in water, or boiled cod, or Hill’s recovery wet food. In particular, this last food is in a pate form, and it can be made a bit more watery by adding some water to aid water intake. You could warm it up slightly in the microwave, and offer it afterwards. Always start small with portions, and if eating increase the portion and offer again in 2 hours. If she is still not eating by this afternoon best to have her checked over as she could benefit from being rehydrated and have her temperature rechecked as it could still be up a bit. Hope she makes some progress soon.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Mr. Fluffy! I am curious on how old Mr. Fluffy is. If he hasn't eaten well while you were gone either because he was scared or because he is suffering from a medical condition he needs to see a Vet. Cats can not go longer than 3-5 days with out eating before getting even sicker from fatty liver disease. I would take Mr. Fluffy to the emergency room today or as soon as your Vet opens Monday to have an exam and blood work ran. Check the whites of his eyes and if the whites look yellow he should go to the emergency room today. I hope this helps and I wish Mr. Fluffy a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Squeak hasn't been feeling well after a tooth extraction. With older cats, it sometimes can take a couple of days for them to recover from anesthesia, depending on the medications that were used. Did Squeak have any bloodwork run before his procedure? If he had an underlying kidney or liver issue, it could explain some of the signs that you are seeing now. If he is still on pain medications for his tooth extraction, it could also be that he is weak if the medication is affecting him strongly. If he hasn't had bloodwork done, I would recommend checking his liver and kidney function, as well as screening for diabetes, all of which could be adversely affecting him. Additionally, there are appetite stimulants for cats that can be given post-surgery to help kickstart them into eating normally again. I would recommend Squeak be re-evaluated by his veterinarian and have any testing done that may be necessary to start treatment to get him back on track. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it would be ok to wait until tomorrow as long as he is otherwise doing well. Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you keep your appointment to have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. I do agree that an abdominal ultrasound is the next best step. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a good night! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Abscesses can be very painful and usually it takes a few days of treatment to start to feel better. Recovery is normally complete. However as with any infection there is always a chance of developing sepsis, I would monitor him closely and attend the vet if he does not make any further improvements. Also he may still be fairly uncomfortable so it would be worth discussing further pain relief with your vet.