# Norman not eating, just laying around.



## chops11

Hey all,

About 2 months ago I brough in a stray from a local farm. He is an adult cat who adjusted great and has been a pleasure. He is a little annoying when it comes to food, always crying and begging for it. He also wakes me up each morning at about 6:30 by coming into my bed and stepping on my face.

Last night he didn't come into bed, just staying in the living room, which i thought was weird, but I let it go. Today when I got home from work he didn't eat a thing nor drink any water (usually both are near empty). I even got his bag of food and put some more in the dish (which usually makes him go nuts) but he just sat on the couch and looked at me, hasn't really moved.

Any idea of what could be wrong? Should I be concerned?


Thanks in advance!


----------



## coaster

There's no telling what could be wrong, but it's a good sign of a cat that's ill and needs to see a vet.


----------



## nanook

Yes, I would be concerned. Sounds like he needs to see the vet a.s.a.p.


----------



## chops11

Do cat's ever just get a "bug"? And get better by themselves?


----------



## coaster

Yes, but you don't know that's what it is, do you? A cat that goes without any food at all for longer than two days is in jeopardy of possible serious health consequences.


----------



## Sky Eyes Woman

Looking him over really well before you take him to the vet will help you give him/her more information to go on when s/he is trying to make a diagnosis. Think back and ask yourself if there were any behavior changes in the weeks prior to his refusing to eat, even if they seem unrelated to that. Feel his paws and nose leather, if they are hot and dry he could have a fever. Run your hands all over his body, do you feel any lumps, cuts or sores? Any spots painful to the touch? Look at his gums, they should be pink, not white, yellow or red. Does he show any of his third eyelid when he's just sitting around? Any goop running out of his eyes or nose? Is he breathing like normal? No funny noises or panting? How has the stuff you dig out of the litter box looked recently?

Sorry if I'm throwing a lot of questions at you, but since your cat can't tell the vet how he feels, there's really no such thing as too much information when you describe the problem to your vet.

Good luck...I hope he's ok.


----------



## nanook

One more question to add to SEW's list. Is he USING his litter box? Is there urine in there? Is he staining or using it too often?
And as Tim said, yes, cats can get "bugs" (pretty rarely) but when a cat is laying around and not eating it's often a sign of a serious problem that needs medical attention. They don't tend to show any signs of illness unless there is really something wrong. 
I would rather err on the side of caution, so I would urge you to bring him into the vet.


----------



## chops11

Thank you all for the concern.

Norman slept with me last night and is his chipper self today. He threw up a good size hairball, and the second it came out, ran to the food dish.

I think he's feeling good!


thanks again!


----------



## Sky Eyes Woman

A good-sized hairball...yep, that would make him not want to eat! Kinda like I have felt queasy and not hungry for a couple of days too.

Do you think I might have a hairball too? :lol: 

I'm glad it was nothing serious and he's better.


----------



## coaster

Waaaaaaaaaaaaay to go Norman!!









(I'm glad it was that easy!!)


----------



## nanook

Yippy! I'm SO glad that's all it was!


----------



## chops11

and maybe not 


so norman seemed fine all day, however in the last few hours, he's been in bad shape. vomited food several times, and now is vomiting just white "foamy" like substance pretty often. 

he's using the litter box to urinate, and also has very liquidy diarhhea. it's midnight here, so i don't really have a vet to take him to until the morning, if anyone is open on sunday.

anyone have any idea what it could be? thanks again.


----------



## nanook

Oh, chops, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't answer what it could be. There are several things that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Hopefully, you can find an open vet tomorrow. In the meantime, I would try to keep him hydrated as much as possible. Maybe a little chicken broth, if he'll take it. And, personally, I would withhold solid food tonight. SorryI can't be more helpful.
Keep us posted.


----------



## chops11

*Sad Followup*

So a sad ending to the Norman story. I brought him into the Vet, because he wasn't doing good as explained above. The vet did some blood work and took some xrays.

As it turns out, Norman had a tumor on his small intestine, that had ruptured and was leaking fluid into his abdomen. The doctor said that it wasn't very operable and couldn't guarantee a surgery would work or that the "cancer" hadn't spread.

We were forced to let Norman go. A horrible day that I wont soon forget. Thank you all for your help.


----------



## my5kitties

Oh, I am so sorry. Just know that Norman is in a better place, and free from pain. My heart goes out to you.


----------



## coaster

Oh, I'm so very sorry. Would you like to post something to remember him by in the "Rainbow Bridge" section?


----------



## Superkitties

I am so very very sorry for your loss.  Sadly moving this over to the Rainbow Bridge for everyone to pay their respects.


----------



## nanook

I'm so sorry to hear about Norman. My thoughts are with you.


----------



## jezza

aww, thats not nice, things looked hopeful when he coffed up the hairball, im so, so sorry for your loss, i know how you feel, my cat got put down the other week.


----------

