My cat is very sick, not eating, skinny, and weak. When should I see a vet?

Poor Annie! I would make sure your vet has ruled out any type of intestinal parasites or bacterial infection including giardia and campylobacter. I would also talk to your vet about running an urinalysis and x-rays on her. The urinalysis will indicate any type of infection or crystals in the urine. On the x-rays, they will be able to look for any type of tumor in the abdomen or constipation/megacolon. Your vet can also send off a GI panel (cobalamin, folate, and pancreatic enzymes) to help rule out inflammatory bowel disease and GI cancer. Of course, you cannot completely rule out cancer with a normal abdominal x-ray and normal GI panel. I think the next step would be to do an abdominal ultrasound to look for any thickening of the intestines or enlarged lymph nodes. The most aggressive, yet most direct, diagnostic is an exploratory surgery with biopsies of the intestines. This is usually saved if all other tests are inconclusive. I hope this helps to direct you in a conversation with what may be the best option for Annie. I hope she starts to feel better really soon!

Ange is very sick and she cannot be treated at home. I'm afraid she has something serious like cancer causing her symptoms. Please take her into a vet immediately. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. I'd also see if you can borrow money from family and friends. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Best of luck.

These symptoms can be caused by a range of diseases, and are often accompanied by severe dehydration. Without an exam and some testing, I can't make a diagnosis, and it is illegal for us to make specific recommendations on medications. You should call your local vet for further advice.

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very sorry to hear about Annie. My concern for Annie is that with and much vomiting and diarrhea and being so young and small is dehydration. Also young thin animals can get low blood sugar if they aren't eating or holding food down. Causes of vomiting and diarrhea in young kittens are parasites, viruses, eating something that didn't agree with them, foreign bodies, toxins, congenital liver problems, etc. Unfortunately, my recommendation is that you take her to the Veterinarian. There isn't any home remedy. In some areas there are local shelters that have veterinary clinics that can be low cost. I wish you and Annie the best.

Unfortunately no, there is nothing you can do without taking her to a vet. She sounds quite ill, and she truly has to have veterinary care; in fact, I would consider her current symptoms a medical emergency. She sounds very weak and she's likely starving, and she needs veterinary care now if you want to help her. Please take her into a vet right away.

Hi. It sounds like she is very sick. With these signs, she needs to go to the ER right away. It sounds as if she has a neurologic condition that is progressing. They will do an exam, labwotk and imaging and that will help.guide us to the possible diagnosis. Good.luck

Tiny sounds very sick and I'm quite concerned about him. Without seeing him in person, I cannot narrow down what is going on with him. The best thing to do is take him into a vet immediately. The vet can examine him and possibly do blood tests and a urinalysis to diagnose what is causing his symptoms so he can be treated. I hope this helps!