Hi everyone,
I'd like to hear about your experiences as I'm a bit worried about my 9-year-old cat, Rusty.
On Friday, he most likely caught cat flu after being in contact with a sneezing kitten. His flu is mainly oral: he's had almost no nasal discharge, just a bit of a runny eye and no breathing difficulties. However, he was very lethargic, stopped eating and had a fever.
The vet treated him, but the oral medication made him sick. So, the treatment was switched to injections (antibiotics + anti-inflammatories). Since he was barely eating and drinking very little, I asked for him to be hospitalised for 24 hours. He was put on a drip and had an appetite stimulant applied to his ear.
When he was discharged, his fever was gone, the vet said he was clinically fine, and he ate a whole pouch of wet food that evening.
Today, he's much better overall: he's alert, following me around the house, purring, asking for cuddles, looking out the window, drinking well, urinating normally and even had a normal bowel movement today.
However, his appetite is worrying me. He's hungry: he comes over when I'm getting his food ready, he meows, goes straight to his bowl, licks the wet food, has two or three mouthfuls... then walks away. He comes back sometimes, but he's eating very little in total.
I've also noticed that when he eats, he licks his lips and moves his head and tongue a bit, as if something is bothering him. Yet, the vet told me yesterday that she couldn't see anything in his mouth that would explain why he isn't eating.
Another thing: even before the cat flu, Rusty had bad breath for a while and would sometimes make little movements with his mouth or tongue. He lost a canine tooth a few months ago. Two vets have looked at his mouth and mentioned he needs a scale and polish and has slight stomatitis, but they didn't think that could explain his lack of appetite.
Has anyone else been through something similar?
Did your cat take several days to get their appetite back after cat flu?
Have you ever had a cat that wanted to eat but stopped after a few bites?
Has slight stomatitis or a dental problem ever caused this kind of behaviour in your cat?
I'm seeing the vet again tomorrow for his injections, but I'd really appreciate hearing your stories in the meantime.
Thanks in advance, everyone. ❤️
