Kitty Needs Food to Take Antibiotic, But Won't Eat

[Firejade1111]

Hello. My kitty has a UTI (she has an inflamed bladder a few months ago and this comes up sometimes). She's 12 y/o female. We took her to the vet yesterday, and they gave her antibiotics. She is a very difficult kitty to pill, but I managed to get a pill in her last night after a fight "to the death." My husband says she threw up early this morning. I have tried to get her to eat more, but she's not had an appetite, and the clavamox can only be given with food. I was trying to coax her with food but she wouldn't eat it. Then, she threw up again, just bile. I can't give her the medicine if she won't eat, but she won't eat right now. Any suggestions on getting my kitty to feel better? She won't eat treats, etc., but does like drinking lots of water and I can't give her my undivided attention because my husband is at the doctor and I have to work (at home). At least I can keep and eye on her. My vet is only available on weekdays, which is why I'm asking here.
Best,
Rachel L.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi, and welcome to TCS - despite the reason that brought you here. Since your cat is not eating well, you may need to ask the vet to prescribe an appetite stimulant for the duration of her UTI/antibiotics. Mirataz is a transdermal form that you rub into the pinnae of a cat's ear to help with their appetite, so you wouldn't need to get her to take yet another med orally. In the meantime, the article link below has some ideas on different foods you might try to see if you can get her to eat. I wouldn't worry right now if it isn't cat food.

When you say your cat won't eat treats, are you talking about the lickable versions that come in little tubes (Churu, Vitakraft, Temptations Puree, Tiki Cat Stix, Squeeze Ups, as examples)? I know it is often recommended to not crush meds, but sometimes it might be the only way to get a med into a cat. So, this med could be crushed up into one of these lickable treats, or into some 'juice' from canned tuna in water. Some say this med is bitter tasting while others seem to think it is not, so it may or may not work to crush it up into anything. Would she eat pill pockets? The licakble treats would at least be a bit of a food source to accompany the antibiotic.

Aside from that, you might have to have the pill compounded into a flavored liquid form that could also potentially be hidden in a lickable treat.

How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Do you know how they diagnosed the urinary tract infection? Have they ever taken an X-ray of the bladder? Have they done an ultrasound? Did they do bloodwork. Did they do a urine culture?

I am not a vet and can only tell you what is my opinion. So, please don’t change treatments without discussing with your vet.

“The treatment should never kill the cat” It is an expression used in vet medicine to basically explain that you do more damage preforming treatments, medicating, causing so much stress to the cat that the damage done to the cat’s relationship with you and the damage of the stress are far worse for the cat than any benefit the medication might have.

Clavamox liquid tastes like artificial bananas. Most cats hate it and drool and gag after having it. If this was my cat, I would not give it until I came up with a different plan with my vet. Clavamox can also cause GI upset in cats and make them not want to eat.

Your cat is able to urinate right? What were the symptoms that made you take her to the vet?

I would be much more concerned with her not wanting to eat and if she was my cat, I would focus more on that.

How long since she last ate? Is she an overweight cat? How is she behaving otherwise?

 

[Firejade1111]

They did a sample of her urine to determine if she had a UTI. My kitty, unfortunately, will eat NOTHING except cat food. No pill pockets, no liquid treats, no tuna, nothing but dry food. We do have her on a high quality protein dry food. She also got her rabies shot, feline leukemia and upper respiratory vaccinations, so those may be making her feel rough or throw up. I'm going to lay off the antibiotics for a day or two and get her to feeling better and eating and then go from there. She is a bit overweight and ate well when she came home yesterday. We'll consider other lifestyle changes like a urinary tract diet food once we get her feeling better.

 

[Firejade1111]

I learned the hard way not to give her Convenia, because it almost killed her, so we have to give her the oral antibiotics. We are giving her the pills, because she drools and spits up the liquid. She wouldn't eat for like four days, even with appetite stimulant, but I may get some of this if she is still not eating much Monday. Hopefully she'll start eating soon though. I'll give it another day to see if she feels better.

 

[Firejade1111]

To clarify, my kitty ate last night and then this morning but threw up her food today and hasn’t eaten since. Her reaction to Convenia was about a year ago when she wouldn’t eat for four days. The more I read, the more I think she’s trying to adjust to the vaccinations.

 

[BeccaCat]

Do you have a pill gun? Still not the easiest if kitty is resistant, but it can help.

 

[Firejade1111]

Do you have a pill gun? Still not the easiest if kitty is resistant, but it can help.
[/QUOT

Do you have a pill gun? Still not the easiest if kitty is resistant, but it can help.

Yes, gave with a pill gun.

 

[Firejade1111]

Cat hasn’t drunk water since late morning. Getting worried.

 

[Firejade1111]

Ct still won’t drink anything. Won’t even let me pet her. We have no vets office open here till Monday. Don’t know what to do.

 

[silent meowlook]

Why general area are you in. Nothing specific. US? UK?

 

[silent meowlook]

Unfortunately it sounds like you are going to have to find an emergency hospital soon. I know you said there aren’t any in your area, but you may have to go a ways to one. The not eating and drinking combined with not letting you pet her, is describing a very sick cat.
Were the vaccines done at the last visit when she was just in?

 

[Firejade1111]

US

 

[Firejade1111]

Unfortunately it sounds like you are going to have to find an emergency hospital soon. I know you said there aren’t any in your area, but you may have to go a ways to one. The not eating and drinking combined with not letting you pet her, is describing a very sick cat.
Were the vaccines done at the last visit when she was just in?

Yes. She got them Friday. Stopped eating and drinking yesterday morning.

 

[BeccaCat]

I’d definitely try to get her to an emergency veterinarian. Or possibly a house call vet? We have some of those around here. You can also call the Chewy veterinarians. They can’t diagnose but they can advise. Ive used them twice both with excellent results.

 

[Firejade1111]

We got her to eat a couple of bites of wet food and my husband got a couple of ounces of water in her. Gonna try to get some more in her.

 

[Firejade1111]

We have no emergency options less than an hour from our house even though we live in a good sized town.

 

[BeccaCat]

We got her to eat a couple of bites of wet food and my husband got a couple of ounces of water in her. Gonna try to get some more in her.

Oh I’m so glad to hear she had a little bit of food and water.

 

[Firejade1111]

Thank you. Will try to get water in her a couple more times today, even if an ounce or two and tempt her with some wet food, then vet in morning.

 

[FeebysOwner]

nothing but dry food. We do have her on a high quality protein dry food.

Any chance she would eat her dry food that has been moistened with water or one of those gravy toppers?