I took my 8yr. old cat to the vet b/c he hasn't eaten for a week. We dont know y he wont eat. Please Help.

My cat is about 8 years old and is not eating at all. He's eaten the same food for years and never had a problem. We took him to the vet and we're waiting on blood work. I decided to do some at home research and see if I can find any info that would aid us. He's a fat indoor cat and doesn't do much. However, we have noticed a major change in not only his appetite, but also his behavior. He doesn't sit at the window anymore and is very clingy. I'm very worried because he hasn't eaten for a week. He eats a piece or two then walks away. It's almost as if he wants to eat then walks away. He is drinking a lot of water, my guess is to make up for his hunger. Please help!

Did the vet check his teeth? And the mouth for sores? Stomatitis can make eating so painful that cats just stop after a while even if they are hungry and want to.

A general feeling of illness will make a cat act like this too, which is why the vet took bloodwork. Hopefully they can pinpoint what's wrong.

Ask the vet about an injection to get him to eat, there's an appetite stimulant that can work on most cats.

The operative word is fat..... Perhaps he is diabetic? You threw in the clue drinking lots of water. Being clingy may be the fact that he isn't feeling well although some animals would have prefered to be left alone. I would also watch to be sure he doesn't run a fever in case there were some infection going on or swallowed something he shouldn't have. Hope your kitty will be o.k. Keep us posted!

Kidney failure comes to mind. My cat was 10 years old that died of kidney failure. She started sleeping more, not playing, stop eating, and kept drinking so much. She finally started having sezuires and we had to have her put down. Whatever it is don't let your kitty suffer.

What did the vet say? Your cat could be diabetic, as he is overweight and drinking a lot of water but not eating. Have you received any bloodwork results? The vet should be checking kidney/liver/thyroid, as well as diabetes. Has your cat been on a dry food diet? That can be a contributing factor, especially if the dry food is high carb (lots of grain) and low in real meat protein. Obese cats are prone to diabetes, especially if they have been fed a high carb (dry food diet). Diabetes is the first thing I would suspect, but all the other bloodwork should be evaluated to determine the cause of his anorexia. Cats that don't eat (especially overweight cats) are at risk of developing hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) which can be fatal. Please make sure the vet is feeding him, even if it means force-feeding or tube feeding, and that your cat is receiving anti-nausea meds if necessary. Several conditions that cause anorexia in cats also cause nausea. I hope your cat is feeling better soon!

How soon will you hear from the vet? A cat who isn't eating is at risk for developing side complications like fatty liver/hepatic lipipdosis or ketones, so you need to start treatment soon.

Here are some lnks just in case. Please note, if it is diabetes or kidney/renal issues, they are TOTALLY treatable.

Diabetes - www.felinediabetes.com
Kidney/Renal/CRF - http://www.felinecrf.org/ and http://www.felinecrf.com

Please note that your cat MUST start eating, even if its with your help. If its one of the two above mentioned diseases, you can force feed at home.. See http://www.gorbzilla.com/syring%20feedin...

Good luck! Post a new question when you get a diagnosis.