Cat Refusing Water & now food after dental extraction - Any advice?

[TheAphrodite]

Molly is about 11 years old and a we've had her for about 4 years.

Recently after a check up the vet mentioned some of Mollys back teeth did not look healthy and one had a hole in it so needed to come out. Her surgery went well and she had about 4 teeth out (she needs to go back for a 2nd op to get 3 more removed in a months time - which is a pain 😢 as more stress for her)

Molly came home very out of it, pupils dilated like puss in boots but overall really well. Must have been starving as polished off her wet food dinner and ate a lick-e-lik (vet said no biscuits until check up). 2nd and 3rd day another healthy appetite, gave her the pain relief mixed into her food and she munched it down again.

Now from the 4th day, she's gone off her food, barely touching it (her dinner is when ive been giving her the pain relief mixed into it). Molly is notoriously fussy and will go off her food but we can usually be happy that she's eating her biscuits at least, but she can't have them now. We started her on KatKin wet food about a month ago and she's been really enjoying it.

I've checked her water fountain and she's barely drank from it which again is a worry as shes usually there having a good drink daily, but I do know she's obviously getting a tiny bit of water as I add some to her food.

Did this happen to anyone else? the recovery started well but now it's going down hill?

She must be in pain but she's not having her food with the medication in.

Luckily we've got the check up to see how she's healing tomorrow so at least I can voice my concerns tomorrow to the vet but just can't help but feel things aren't going well.

Last night she slept by myself and my partners head all night - shes never done that before, didn't move from about 8pm till 6.30am this morning, dinner (with the medicine) untouched when i got up this morning 😞

Hoping for some advice from anyone who's been through the same. I absolutely adore her so really just want her to be okay.

Call the vet and have a chat. Maybe she needs some antibiotics. She sounds out of sorts.

Agree with the ab's, although I think they've always been given regardless in dental surgery to mine. She will be sore without her pain relief, you could try lick e lix or Oralade and Liquivite cat food is excellent in this situation.
If she still refuses I'd be tempted to syringe in the meds and offer her some biscuits, she might eat them soaked? But definitely needs a vet check, she should be improving.

Give her the medication without the food - if it's Metacam I just squirt directly into the back of the mouth.

MrCat has never shown any interest in taking any medication neat, not even Metacam. So I mix medication with lickylix and give it before breakfast, when he's hungriest. The risk with mixing it in a full portion of food is that he is more likely to leave some and not get the full dose.

Try this if you haven't given her a dose yet today. She may be in pain. And definitely call the vet today, don't wait until the post-op check.

Thank you all! Managed to get her to take her dose of Arthrocam in a lick-e-lik and she's eaten half her wet food! Wish I'd have done the lick-e-lik trick sooner.

Still going to call vets and see what they think as do think she's with-holding water but wonder if its because it's a fountain and it's a bit hard for her to tilt her head to get it? The vets might be able to get her in today instead of tomorrow or even just give me some advice would be helpful.

Thanks so much. Feel a bit better. PFA picture of when she looked like puss in boots after her surgery 🤣😭

Probably worth putting a bowl of water down too if she's struggling with the fountain. Hopefully she'll improve now she's eaten and had pain relief, get well soon puss!

Oh my! What a beauty 😍

the most beautiful girl 🥰 she's had a tough life has our Molls, shes had two owners before us who died so we want to give her the most comfortable forever home and life possible ❤️

How has Molls been today?

sorry for late reply! she's been alright.. caught her staring at her fountain but didn't touch it. she's wee'd in her tray though so I'm assuming she is some-what hydrated-ish. Have also added a bowl of water so she's got that.

made a little dent in her dinner last night but not substantial. I called the vets at lunchtime and spoke to a different one who didn't do the surgery but he said its very common for them to be quite lethargic from the medication she's on. Said she will be getting hydrated from her food already and adding extra water will help. He said as he's seeing her tomorrow (today now) he's going to check her hydration and to see if her gums are healing well and if she may need antibiotics. he did say I can try and syringe her a bit of water i can so I tried that and she had a bit!

She jumped infront of the telly last night while we were in bed, knocked over some coins on the side to the floor and then settled up in between our heads, groomed herself well and slept through so she must be feeling okay-ish (i believe cats sometimes want to be alone if they are really suffering).

hoping today with the vet he can do some additional checks and just make sure she's looking how she's meant to be. she's only got one more dose of her medicine to take today then that's her week done on them so hopefully once the pain relief is out of her system she might be a little bit more herself.

Sorry for long winded response but overall she's okay 🩷

Wet food contains plenty of water, so Moll may not need to drink if as not eating dry food.

MrCat never drinks indoors. We've only ever seen him drink rainwater from the plant saucers outside. So in hot dry weather I worry about his fluids intake. Then I give him a raw egg. He loves it! (And it's quite funny to watch him try to chew raw egg white, and chase the yolk around with his tongue until it breaks 😁)

The pain meds may well be making her a bit dopey. As long as she's eating, peeing and pooing, moving around and not hiding herself away, she's probably OK.

Mine did this and his gum was infected. It was easily sorted.

shes being very chatty today which I'm so so pleased as thats normally how she is. (mostly because she's trying to harrass me for dreamies while I work from home) - No dreamies for you for a while sadly Molls 🥹

Still looking forward to taking her to the vets later so he can give her a proper look over. It's officially a week since her OP so here's hoping maybe today she's turning a corner 🩷

I've not been sleeping well since she's been acting strange so I think once she's been given the once over I'll feel more relaxed. Crazy how much stress our girls and boys can cause us.

yes i do wonder if possibly there could be an infection - luckily vet will check it out today and hopefully can prescribe some antibiotics if needed. She does have proper stinky breath, more so than usual (normally it's a hint of fish but this was something else - could always be because she's only on wet food) so do wonder if it could be. She woke me up about 2.30am this morning staring over me in the dark then started cleaning herself 🥹🤮😩 stinky girl.

I think pps have got it right when they said that without the dry food, she won’t be needing much actual liquid. I once asked our vet, as I was worried because I hardly see our boy drinking at all! He said that they will get the majority of their hydration from wet food, which was reassuring!

yes absolutely. usually she has wet and dry, and the dry biscuits will stay out during the day for her to munch on up until dinner time and more topped up to see her through the night (as if she'll waste away 😩😂) so that's probably why I've seen such a decrease in how much water she's taking in.

they are funny little buggers aren't they.

just to let you all know, mollys vet check up went well. he said the flap in her gum (which they needed to do for one of her teeth) isn't healing totally so that is causing the discomfort.

he's not concerned about the water intake, apparently wet food gives them 70% of the water they need anyway. no biscuits for now (probably not until after her next surgery in a months time), has prescribed her some antibiotics which apparently taste like chicken, and more pain relief. Has another check up booked in a week's time to see how the flaps healing.

Any issues I can bring her back before then ☺️

shes been a lot more herself today, very vocal, tried to steal some of my friends lunch when they popped in 😂, sat in the bath for a bit (no water in it), had half her dinner, and is now asleep inbetween our heads again this evening.

I'll still be keeping a close eye on her but I'm feeling so much more positive today ☺️

Oh good to hear that she's more herself, hopefully soon be healed and more comfy, give her a head rub from me. 😊

Could it be that the metacam is upsetting her tummy? She's probably more comfortable now her dodgy teeth are removed, so might not need it.

yeah i did ask if she could come off the metacam but he said keep it up another week. she's defo alot more perky even with the metacam now so I'm hoping one more week should do it then she's all done on it 🩷

thank you lovely 🥰 I'm so pleased she seems alot more better. think it was just me panicking more than anything. she just got a lovely little head rub & scratch of me from you 🥰🩷

Make chicken soup - get a couple on bone in skin on legs. Once roasted get bones and skin, a carrot and some chicken oxo stock will do, with an onion, batleaves and tarragon. Boil for a while. Strain. Dab a bit of the strained liquid on her nose. She'll like it off. Do it again. Fill a teaspoon and dab the stock/soup on nose and maybe chin. Give her a shallow dish of it. Keep doing that. Mix some of the chicken meat in diced up really small or pulled apart, it should be soft enough for her.

Even if she doesn't tuck right in, she'll be getting nourishment.

glad this are on the up.

I volunteer at CP, we give tuna water (not brine, the spring water type) to cats who are off their food and drink.

Also I keep those sachets of cat “soup” in too.

Ive tried this a couple of times with good results.

Actually, I don't think onions are good for cats so leave that out. No salt either, there's prob too much in the oxo but it encourages our cats to eat it when they're off their food (doesn't happen often).