Cat won't eat or drink.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that your cat is not feeling well.

I always get concerned when a cat does not want to eat or drink. Unfortunately it usually means there is a medical problem and usually a vet visit is necessary.

Does Licorice go outside? If so then the first thing I would think of is an infected wound from a fight with another cat. Often when this happens we don't see the actual wound, as the skin wound heals over but then there can be infection in the muscle underneath. The way we treat this is with antibiotics prescribed by the vet.

It's also possible that he got into something toxic to his liver or kidneys. Common toxins include houseplants such as certain types of lilies or antifreeze, but there are other possibilities. Anything with xylitol (a sweetener) can be very toxic to the liver.

Some cats will go off of their food because of stress (i.e. new visitors in the house), but this is usually a slow process and usually they will still drink.

I would highly advise a visit to the vet as soon as possible. In many cases, early treatment can mean the difference between outpatient treatment with medication and expensive in hospital treatment.

Until you can get there you can try to tempt him to eat by offering heated up canned food or baby food (with no onions or garlic).

I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

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