My cat has pancreatitis, is lifeless, and not using the litter box?

Pancreatitis rarely completely resolve, it can be managed (food is the most important part of the treatment) and your cat might often have relapses such as this one, every time he does he will need similar treatment, in cats i find pain killers important with pancreatitis as well as anti nausea drugs such as cerenia.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sage. I'm sorry to hear about his ongoing issues with pancreatitis. Continue giving the fluids as you do not want him to become dehydrated. I typically include pain medication as well as an anti-nausea medication in my treatment plan. Pancreatitis can cause abdominal pain and he may not be eating due to nausea. It is also a good idea to have his cobalamin (vitamin B12) level measured in his blood. If this is cost prohibitive, most veterinarians will give an injection of this vitamin. It can help a lot. I hope these options help Sage. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Franny's pancreatitis. The diarrhea makes sense considering she was administered an enema. This may take several days to firm up again. She may not be entering the litter box because she doesn't have a strong urge to urinate at that time, but once you place her in it, she feels like she should urinate. It is also possible that she doesn't want to climb into the box, perhaps for orthopedic reasons (ie stiff joints), so she is reluctant to. If she is drinking water and/or you are giving her fluids, she should be urinating at least once a day. (And if she has chronic kidney disease, she should likely be urinating at least 2-3x/day). I recommend waiting to see if she will go in on her own before just picking her up and putting her in it. That way you will be able to see if she just doesn't feel an urge to urinate yet, and she eventually goes in to urinate, or if she feels unable to enter the litter box and eventually urinates outside of it somewhere. I hope this is helpful!

Cats are great at hiding symptoms of illness, but there are some signs that may clue you in to how they're feeling. Common pancreatitis symptoms include lethargy, dehydration, decrease in appetite, and weight loss. Less common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. Abdominal pain is hard to determine, but a tendency to be less social than usual, hiding, or any abrupt change in personality can point to pain in cats. If you suspect your cat has pancreatitis, please get him seen by your vet as soon as possible.

Poor Chloe. It sounds like she is pretty sick at the moment, I'm sorry. If she isn't with the vet now, I'd take her back in immediately if she is vomiting still and not eating. Intensive care with the vet is her best chance of survival. I hope she lives!

I'm sorry that Jinx isn't feeling well! Pancreatitis and kidney disease are both serious conditions that require veterinary attention. Not eating/drinking can cause cats to become dehydrated and experience liver injury as the low energy balance causes the liver to metabolize fats differently. Jinx may need to be stabilized with fluids - most towns/cities have emergency clinics that are open 24 hours/day and will be able to help Jinx.

I would expect for your vet to either prescribe or offer injectable antibiotics and anti-nausea medicine for a few days in a row. I love to use cerenia as the anti-nausea medicine as it is also a pain reliever. Your vet may choose this or something else and add in a different pain reliever if necessary. A lot of specialists don't believe antibiotics are necessary, but since a small percentage do get an infection in the pancreas, a lot of vets treat with antibiotics to cover their basis. Also you will want to make sure Coquine is staying hydrated. If he is well enough to be treated at home then your vet may want to have you come in daily for a few days to get some subcutaneous (under the skin) fluids to help keep him hydrated. If he simply has just pancreatitis and no other complicating factors then they usually improve quickly and do really well. I hope this helps!