Cat not eating after neuter -- experiences with this??

[Rain]

I’m worrying about my foster kitty! He went in on Tuesday morning for his neuter. Picked him up that afternoon, vet said everything went fine. He came home, was a little wobbly but otherwise seemed okay. Didn’t eat dinner, but I didn’t worry too much at that point. Yesterday (Wednesday) still not eating. He’s picking up his food in his mouth and acting like he’s hungry, but then spits it out. He will lick the wet food a bit, and keeps going to his food bowls, so he’s definitely acting like he wants to eat. He’s using the litter box fine, playing with toys, and interactive/wanting to be petted. But not eating! It’s now Thursday, so it has been since his dinner Monday evening since he’s had a real meal. Prior to the neuter, he was inhaling 3+ meals a day (he was a skinny stray prior to coming in to rescue).

The vet does not open for a couple hours, and I plan to call them, but I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this. I know cats react to surgery and anesthesia differently. It’s like his sense of taste is gone.

[Simkie]

Was he intubated? His throat might be sore if so. Some vets leave neuters breathing on own, some intubate. Will he let you look at his mouth and down his throat?

Is he otherwise normal? Poops are solid? My last batch of kittens came back from the neuter clinic with some sort of GI bug. They went off their food, then got diarrhea, then started puking. Took a round of metronidazole to clear it up. Also got my big kitties sick, sigh.

Was he fasted pre neuter? Gastric ulcers are also a possibility. A small dose of pepcid might be a good idea, especially since he’s been inappetent.

Good luck! Keep us posted. And remember your kitten tax…pictures???

[Rain]

Kitten tax paid!

Thanks for the response. I don’t know if he was intubated. He lets me syringe-feed him without much fuss, so I’m hoping his system is just temporarily confused.

He was fasted pre-neuter. In most other respects (playing, pooping, etc) he seems normal. His balance does appear slightly off. For example, he’s having a bit of trouble jumping up onto the bed. He doesn’t jump quite high enough and has to scramble up. He is full-grown (or darn close to it) so that jump shouldn’t cause trouble. Granted, he was extremely thin and weak when he arrived two weeks ago, so combined with the surgery and non-eating, he might just be a tad weak.

I called the vet and they seem to think it’s the surgery opiate taking longer than normal to leave the system, and thus his functioning is “off.” If he’s not eating by tomorrow, he’s going back to the vet.

His name is Rigby (named by the shelter), but my S.O. has nicknamed him “Cheeks” for the fluffy fur around his face. He’s a terribly sweet boy!

[Megaladon]

He’s really cute! 3 days seems a bit long for the drugs to wear off but maybe he is just very sensitive. Good job contacting your Vet and informing them, it should be noted on his file. Good luck!

[Ruth0552]

Did the vet give you drugs that you gave him at home? If he had anything else done at the same time that warranted antibiotics- like a tooth extraction- or if he went home with a painkiller, those can throw off the appetite. I’d try watering down some of his wet food and syringing him a little if he is good about syringe feeding to see if that jump starts his appetite. If he is still not eating day 4 I’d call again. He might need an appetite stimulant. As for the jumping up and wobbling a little, he might just be a little sore from the neuter. He did have surgery after all.

[Rain]

@Ruth0552

Did the vet give you drugs that you gave him at home?

Nope, nothing came home with us. He did get a 3-day painkiller shot prior to leaving the vet, though.

The only other “procedures” he had were an ear cleaning and a nail trim.

However, he IS eating left-over roast chicken chunks. Still not eating his regular wet or dry cat food (as of Friday morning). If I put the roast chicken in or near his regular food, he won’t eat it. It’s almost like he doesn’t recognize it as food. The good news is that he’s eating the chicken, peeing, pooping, and playing. The bad news is that eventually I’ll run out of chicken and he really does need to eat cat food!

Thanks for the support. I spend WAY too much time worrying over the kitties (both mine and the fosters)!

[CanadianTrotter]

@Rain

Kitten tax paid!

His balance does appear slightly off. For example, he’s having a bit of trouble jumping up onto the bed. He doesn’t jump quite high enough and has to scramble up. He is full-grown (or darn close to it) so that jump shouldn’t cause trouble. Granted, he was extremely thin and weak when he arrived two weeks ago, so combined with the surgery and non-eating, he might just be a tad weak.

Cheeks is adorable!

Silly question to ask but has he been wormed or wormed more than once?

One of my cats from yesteryear came to me extremely thin and weak. She also couldn’t jump onto the couch or fair and was very wobbly when she walked. I decided to worm her again and I couldn’t believe the amount of worms that came out of her shortly after.

[Simkie]

He’s cute! So fluffy!!!

Nauseous cats often get food adverse to whatever they’re offered when they’re not feeling well…they’ll “blame” the food for how they feel. Guessing that he wasn’t feeling too hot, he was offered food, and is now avoiding it because he was feeling pukey at the time.

I’d be tempted to run some pepcid through him as a precaution and offer some cat food that’s very different than his normal stuff. Different flavor and texture. Tiki Cat is my go to cat crack food, and might be worth a try. Once he’s back in the habit of eating normally, he’ll probably be more willing to give his regular food a go again.

[Rain]

Update, things are mostly back to normal. Phew! He still won’t touch the food he was eating pre-neuter, probably due to Simkie’s explanation. CATS. But he’s eating other cat foods, and has developed this adorable way of telling me he wants some roast chicken: he stretches up on his hind legs and “pats” my hip if I’m in the kitchen at the counter. So cute! Except he has finished the entire chicken, so cat food it is.

Good idea on worming him! I hadn’t thought of that. They do get wormed at the shelter, but the shelter he came from is a crappy one. And he may need a second dose.

New pic from a lazy Sunday morning in pj’s. He’s now playing with great enthusiasm and “guarding” the house from birds and squirrels.

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[WonderCats]

I am having a similar issue with one of my foster kittens. He got neutered Monday. He wasn’t intubated. He has been to a different vet twice this week and they think tracheal irritation. I have tried multiple different types of foods. The best I can get him to lick is just a little watered down recovery food. He isn’t playful either and he can’t jump onto anything. He cries like he is hungry.

[Simkie]

@WonderCats

I am having a similar issue with one of my foster kittens. He got neutered Monday. He wasn’t intubated. He has been to a different vet twice this week and they think tracheal irritation. I have tried multiple different types of foods. The best I can get him to lick is just a little watered down recovery food. He isn’t playful either and he can’t jump onto anything. He cries like he is hungry.

Treat him for nausea. I prefer zofran. Cerenia might work. If you can’t get a vet to rx either of those things, use otc pepcid.

If he wasn’t intubated, I don’t know why the vet would blame tracheal irritation.

[MustangSavvy]

Cats aren’t intubated for neuters, unless they are cryptorchid or need another procedure. It is a very simple procedure and takes like 10 minutes tops once they are prepped/sedated.

He may be nauseated from the sedation and it may be worthwhile to see about a anti-nausea medication such as Cerenia.

Cats not eating is always a big red flag for a extended period of time is not good, they can get hepatic lipidosis from not eating. I would definitely contact the vet and ask about SQ fluids and a injection or oral Cerenia.