My 1-year-old cat has viral flu and won't eat. What can I do?

It's very concerning that your cat is refusing to eat. When cats don't eat, they develop a fatty liver that is fatal without treatment. It could be he's really congested and can't smell his food, leading him to not eat. Try gently warming really smelly wet food such as sardine or fish based to see if he will eat. If he does not eat that, take him back into the vet today. Best of luck.

Poor little one, I would recommend that he has fluids intravenously and medications through the drip until he starts to eat.. then you can start oral medications. If he is dehydrated already, as time goes by without eating, he will be getting worse. Hope you can have him rechecked and that something a little more intensive can be done for him. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Legally, we are prohibited from recommending medications, even over the counter ones, in the absence of a physical exam and a patient-veterinarian-client relationship. The good news is that you can continue to feed Chou-Choi and offer Gatorade as you have been doing. Dilute the Gatorade with an equal amount of water. Feed him as much as he'll eat without getting sick. As long as he is eating a good quality food, he will begin to gain weight. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible. Keep his eyes, nose and mouth clear. If he seems congested, run a hot shower and place him in the bathroom (NOT in the tub) for 15-20 minutes. The steam will help loosen congestion. Since a veterinarian is unavailable, consider calling a local clinic and speaking directly with a doctor. Depending on local laws, the vet may be able to send you medication if indicated. You may need to bring him to a veterinarian if he does not show signs of improvement or continues to lose weight in spite of a healthy diet.

A cat that doesn't eat for more than 3 days straight is in great danger of developing a fatty liver syndrome, regardless of the cause of the anorexia. Panchita must have a blood test done and will need to be hospitalized for intensive care urgently, otherwise her prognosis will be very bad.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description and the pictures, I suspect that he has an upper respiratory infection. Many times upper respiratory infections can be contributed to the herpes virus in cats. I would recommend taking Catty in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. An antibiotic will likely be prescribed / administered to help with any secondary bacterial infections. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction and that Catty feels better soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

An upper respiratory infection often involves nasal discharge or swelling of the mucous membranes which can then disable the sense of smell and then cats do not want to eat. One way of helping that is to 1) remove any discharge from the nose as often as possible with a moist tissue. 2) feed her fishy canned food, preferably pate style, and warm it up in the microwave. This will intensify the aroma of the food. Clavamox tastes not so good, and sometimes it can also make a cat not hungry. However, it is absolutely necessary that your kitty eats at least a little bit every day in order not to get a serious liver disease. Try to hand feed her, if she will not eat from the bowl. If she does not eat at all she will need to be seen by your vet for a recheck.

Poor Sourpatch! You typically should start to see some improvement within 24-48 hours, but it can be longer based on the severity of the infection. He likely isn't using the litter box because he hasn't eaten or drank, so he has no need to pass anything. When cats have a respiratory infection, they can't smell their food. Smell is very important to cats, and they won't eat something if they can't smell it. To tempt him to eat, I would gently warm up really smelly wet food, such as sardine or fished based. That will get some moisture in him as well, and hopefully he will start eating soon. If he still isn't eating after trying this in another 24 hours, I would take him back into the vet.