My cat is the love of my life - and he’s suddenly acting weird

[Guest]

So I’m kind of freaking out..

He was sleeping most of the day today while I was cleaning and I wasn’t paying super close attention to him and assumed he was fine. Then suddenly I realized I hadn’t seen him for a while so I shook the bottle of cat treats like I always do to get him to come to me.

He never came and I found him sitting under the Christmas tree just looking at me.

I tried to give him treats and he wouldn’t eat them so I then even tried to give him some tuna which is his favorite thing ever and he wouldn’t eat that either.

I know for a fact he was perfectly fine last night as he was trying to eat my burrito and then I was petting him before bed.

I don’t know if I should rush him to the emergency vet or if I should give him some time to see if he starts acting normally again I’m just so confused as he was perfectly fine yesterday.

[Ruth]

He could have ate something that he shouldn't have ate like the Christmas tree. I would keep an eye on him. If he doesn't eat within 24 hrs he needs to see a vet. Has he been urinating? Male cats can get urinary blockages and that can cause him not to eat.

[Laura]

If it’s a real Xmas tree, then the needles can cause an issue if ingested. Or if it’s a fake tree, the fake snow and stuff could be toxic if he’s eaten it.

If he’s not acting normal and you have absolutely no idea what it could be that’s wrong, then I would say get him to a Vet asap.

[Lauren]

is he urinating? my first thought when male cats start acting strange is a urinary blockage.

[Chelsea]

There is no way to know if this is serious or if it will pass. Not eating is his way of showing you something is wrong. Waiting could be fatal though, you never know. History of eating Christmas tree parts though is a huge red flag.

[Kavyah]

I went through the same situation about 3 weeks ago. One dose of anti nausea meds and a inflammation reducer medication for a week and my boy was back to normal. If he isn't eating it could be something fatal or something simple too.

But the question is how much of a risk are you willing to take ? You know your cat. Go with your gut feeling .

My cat felt instantly better after the anti nausea med and sub q fuilds. He had to go back today for high fever and we will need to explore on what's going on with him. But I am glad he is not in pain cause that was just killing me.

Hope he feels better soon

[Allison]

Some blood work/a vet visit is really the only way you'll know and I recommend sooner than later. When my cat turned 10 she started exhibiting out of character behavior and also refused to eat anything. The only thing I could get her to even nibble on with scrambled eggs waited a few days for the blood work results and got a voicemail at work that she is diabetic and crashing. Took her up there with her eggs packed for overnight to get a call an hour later saying she was stabilized and after discussions with my vet have kept her free of any crashing or diabetic shock for years simply by feeding her real meat cooked and nothing else. part of me was suspecting behavioral changes due to her older age and I count my blessings every single day that I knew my cat and listened to my gut. There's really no downside to taking him to the vet, especially because urinary blocks in male cats are fatal untreated. Their diet is so unique compared to a female's if you're not already I would get him on a low Ash food no treats and certainly no burritos LOL ( I also learned that the hard way) I hope your babe feels better soon I'm just able to receive at least a checkup.

[Crystal]

My cat did this the other day and I was freaking out as well. Idk if it's the same situation, but I have a fat cat that always loves treats. He wouldn't eat them as well, then later he hacked up a fur ball and started acting okay, thank goodness. So idk if this is happening with your cat but hopefully they are okay!