Cat won't drink after surgery. How to help dehydration & constipation?

Keep Lucky hydrated. If he eats dry food, mix in some warm water or low sodium chicken broth. Warm the food slightly to stimulate the appetite. Mix in a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) once or twice daily. Unflavored PediaLyte can be mixed with water to make a 50/50 solution. Monitor for straining to defecate, lethargy or loss of appetite. IF he doesn't eat for 2+ days have him rechecked by your veterinarian to prevent serious liver related complications. An appetite stimulant can be dispensed to jumpstart his appetite.

Because Lily is eating wet food, she is getting moisture into her system through that. If she won't drink water, I would offer her more wet food to increase her hydration. She likely is having trouble drinking water with the cone on. Put the water in a similar bowl to the one she is eating out of, as she can clearly eat with the cone on from that bowl. Be sure to keep the cone on her because she will rip out her drains if she has access to them. To keep it on her, you can use a cat collar strung through the loops of Ecollar to prevent her from taking it off.

Oh my goodness! Poor guy! He does need nutrition. What was your vet's recommendation for feeding him? Its hard to assess the risk of infection without knowing what the area looks like more specifically. Definitely offer him water. Is he on antibiotics? If he is on antibiotics, offer him a liquid diet; you can soak cat food in water, mash it up with a fork and let him lap it up. Sometimes a temporary feeding tube is needed to help patient's recover from significant oral injury. Regarding the IV, My understanding from the information you gave is that he was on IV fluids during the surgery, but he went home after surgery. The IV fluids will help him maintain hydration for the time that he's getting them, but not much beyond that, so he does need to be offered water and if he's unable to drink it you need to take him to a vet and either discuss subcutaneous fluids (fluids you can give under the skin at home) https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-care/how-give-subcutaneous-fluids-your-cat or possibly a feeding tube, as subcutaneous fluids don't provide nutrition (calories, fat, carbohydrates), only hydration and electrolytes. IV fluids also do not provide nutrition. Thank you for asking PetCoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Kent. I am sorry to hear that he is still not eating after his surgery. Is his pain well controlled? Being painful after surgery is a big reason why a cat will refuse food. Perhaps ask your veterinarian to prescribe an additional pain medication. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to cats. Also make sure his incision site is clean and there is no pain, redness, discharge or swelling that could possibly indicate an infection. I hope this information helps!

Hello. Not eating can have serious consequences in cats, so it is important that you do everything you can to encourage Rocky to eat. I would try some different things to spark his appetite, including a little cooked chicken or hamburger, tuna in water, any kind of kitty treats ( many seem to really like the Temptations brand ), & offer, in addition to fresh water, chicken broth, tuna water, even those packets of broth available for kitties, now. You can also offer him some jarred meat based baby foods, as long as they do not have any garlic or onion in them. If Rocky is still not himself by Tuesday, please take him back to your veterinarian for evaluation. He may need some fluids & an appetite stimulant to get him back on tract. I hope he is feeling better soon & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If possible I would contact the veterinarian that did the surgery to discuss any concerns they might have. I recommend monitoring Archibald closely continuing to offer him small amounts of food and water and following the discharge instructions given by your veterinarian. If he begins acting painful, weak, or has any vomiting then he needs to be seen by a veterinarian.

It could be either one - he may not have much in his colon that needs to come out or he may be constipated. Sounds more like he doesn't have enough to go because usually when they are constipated they spend a lot of time in the litter box straining. I suggest you get him back on some cat food as soon as you can. I know you are transitioning back and we usually tell clients to do that over a week's time but I would try to shorten that to 5 days. One of the best ways to help constipation is to increase water intake. Ways to do this: apply chicken broth over the food or feeding canned food only (not dry). You can also try feeding more fiber in the way of canned pumpkin. Most cats will readily eat this: 1/4 teaspoon up to twice a day. Hope this helps. Best wishes.