My cat seems to be starving?

There are many possibilities for what might be ailing your cat. First of all, do not accept either statement that "he's going to die", or "he's going to be fine." And don't pay any attention to "Halo" because s/he knows absolutely NOTHING about cats--including how to spell neuter.

Your cat may be severely dehydrated. Sometimes the only way to rectify that is a visit to the vet. In the meantime, add a good deal of water to the canned food you give him, and feed him often. It may be why he's only licking the gravy. Dehydration can be caused by kidney or urinary tract infections, so watch his urination carefully. If he is straining, or in pain, you HAVE to take him to the vet. Blockage can result in death for a male cat in a matter of hours.

He might also have some mouth ulcers, sore gums or bad teeth that are causing him pain when he tries to eat anything solid. Antibiotics are a good remedy to start with for those. If you cannot afford antibiotics from the vet, get triple antibiotic ointment (like Mycitracin), WITHOUT ANALGESIC and put it in his food or smear it on his front leg so he will lick it off. Be generous.

The kitten food suggestions are good. It does have higher amounts of protein and fats, which is what he needs to gain weight. Make sure it is a quality food and does not list any grain as its first ingredient. That is a poor quality protein. There are also high-calorie supplements that can be added to his food, or smeared on his leg, if you feel he needs additional help.

The individual who suggested contacting the local humane society or other animal organizations is right. You might be able to get some financial help if you check around. And check into the payment programs, too. Sometimes, vets are willing to lower costs (although their expenses have gone up radically in recent years), if you let them know BEFOREHAND what your financial situation is. They often would rather help than abandon a sick animal, if they can.

Talk to your local vets and to other pet owners about the local vets before you decide which one to use. Read up on cat care, because there are lots of alternatives in varied situations that will allow you to keep your pet healthy without repeatedly needing a vet visit. Be judicious, though. Don't endanger the health of your pet just to save money. Research the symptoms and the suggested treatments so you are satisfied that they are safe and legit.

I wish you the best of luck with this. It is possible that he did get closed in somewhere, especially if he is not neutered. It would be good to have that done when you are able.

O.K., relax. Your cat will not starve. He's been pretty hungry and his stomach and system completely empty, so he can only chew down a little bit at a time for right now. There's something outside that's absorbing his entire attention. Has he been neutered? Some tomcats go outside and mate for up to two weeks without real solid food, and come back hungry, and sleep for about a week.

Why don't you try some dry Kitten Chow in addition to the attractive canned food? It's ultra-plumping and nutritious, and should throw some weight back on your fellow.

What else does he like? When he settles his mind back into rejoining the household, maybe you could offer him some tuna liquid from the can. Very good for his coat, too. It stimulates the appetite as well.

If he is unneutered, you realize that he'll be likely to repeat this behavior again. Vet bills are too high in my opinion, but this is one of them that you might save up for. It makes all the difference in the world in so many respects. They fatten up, they are more domesticated, and all-round just more lovey.

Good luck.

Try canned kitten food - it's higher in calories and nutrients.

Sometimes when an animal has gone without food too long, they lose their desire to eat. You may need to syringe feed him to get his metabolism going. Check at a pet store for a large feeding syringe or even ask your dentist for a irrigating syringe.

Also check with CareCredit.com. They have a card that will let you get treatment for 0% interest and spread the cost over time. So a $300 vet bill would cost you only $25 a month. You can also use this for medical and dental for yourself.

Update: Tambra was absolutely correct about getting him neutered. Once her gets his weight back on, you need to get this done to prevent him from taking off again.

Your cat is sick. He will most likely die. Only a vet will help. Ask your local ASPCA to help you locate a low cost vet.

I know how expensive cats are, it's irritating as anything because you feel like you fix them up just so they can escape and do something stupid the next day. I'd normally be able to help you but by the sounds of it he's really unwell. Sorry :(

This happened to a friends cat... some kid kept basically kidnapped my friends cat and stuck it in their playhouse all locked up. My friend heard his cat meowing in the distance and went into a neighbors backyard and recovered his cat.

He had to take it to the vet because it was having the same problems your cat is having... it just would not eat. It was expensive too.

So it sounds like your only option is to put the cat down or let the cat do it's thing and hopefully come back to life.

your cat is probably going to be fine, as long as you are putting food out every now and then im sure it will be fine, it's not like you would starve yourself to death is it? starving hurts... if the cat gets hungry it will eat the food you layed out, and if it doesn't it's probably eating stuff from the outside like mice and such, i hardly ever feed my cat becuuase he either goes and eats mice all the time or eats the neighbors cat food, so im sure he will be fine, 1 thing though...don't say "totally" especially twice it sounds like something a retarded person would say, or a hippie either way it's annoying! anyway goodluck with your cat! the guy below is right though, get your cat nuederd, im fairly sure thier are some places where you can get free nuedering, since my cat got a free one but i dunno you would have to do some searching online.(my cat is a player/gangster) XD

Buy him some chicken (no bones) he will soon be your best friend again.