My cat is acting strangely :(

[Felii]

She's about 17yo and all of a sudden her behaviour has completely changed.

She's keeping to herself, won't eat (even tuna which she usually goes crazy for) and she's been sick a few times. I know cats hide their pain so I'm really worried about her.

My vet can't see her until Friday. Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do to help her? :(

She's also been lying right up against the window - maybe she is trying to get warmth?

If she’s not eating she needs to be seen asap. Call your vet back and ask for an emergency appointment.

You need an emergency appointment. Do not wait until Friday. Go to a different vet if necessary.

I did ask but apparently they have nothing :(

She ate a couple of biscuits and a tiny bit of wet food this morning. Nothing since then. She's just curled up in a ball on the cat tree now. 😩

Has she brought that back up? And if so was it almost immediately?

Is there another version practice that will see her sooner?

Has she drunk anything? If not I’d be worried about dehydration on top of whatever’s causing this.

Is your vet usually very good? Are you keen to
stick with them? Call them back and ask them to recommend an emergency vet. Or ask around locally (maybe Facebook) for a good alternative vet.

Try some of the lickey cat food (comes in a tube like pack) When my cat was ill this is one of the only things she would have. Keep trying with small amounts of food she likes maybe chicken etc and make sure she’s comfortable. A bit of milk as a treat too if you normally only offer water. Hope your cat feels better soon

Try warming her usual food up a bit, the smell might tempt her.
My non eating cat was finally tempted by a bit of shredded chicken with lick e lix.
Nutritional yeast on food?
Is kitty still drinking and urinating?
If she's seeking heat she might be struggling to keep her temperature up. Have you got a heated blanket or throw?
If she's drinking and not otherwise distressed it might be ok to wait until Friday. If she's been sick she might just have eaten something that disagreed with her. Not eating immediately after vomiting might not be a bad thing.

I’m pretty sure any practice will see you today if you say you feel your cat needs seeing today. They will even see you at 2am in the morning if you say that even if they suspect it probably could safely wait till the practice opens in the morning.

How did it go?

Could be pancreatitis - I have an older cat who had a bout of this recently, she went quiet and withdrawn, wouldn’t eat or drink and then eventually brought up bile. Vet saw her within 20 minutes. I would be insisting on an emergency appt. Hope your cat is feeling better soon.

Thanks all, I eventually got seen.

They said there's nothing obvious, however, gave her an anti-sickness injection. She seems a bit better but not 100%

Did the vet take and run blood samples? Old cats commonly get kidney issues/failure. It would show up on a blood test.

I would be requesting blood tests.

She is seventeen. The time comes when you have to do what is best for them, just as you have all their lives.

She's completely back to normal today. Although as PP mentions, I know she's getting on. So, maybe this is the start of something, but hopefully she'll have a few more years!

Yay! Splendid news for a Friday afternoon. Paws crossed for several more years!

Thank you @doilookremotelyinterested yes, feeling very grateful!