Hi fellow sitters (and HO’s).
Had a situation recently where a cat I was sitting just wouldn’t eat or drink for a couple of days. As a very experienced cat sitter (I’ve looked after over 100 cats) I know it’s super dangerous if a cat doesn’t eat or drink for a few days and can course permanent issues with kidneys mainly. I tried putting out different foods (various wet food, treats, kimble) without joy. I also put fresh water everyday without joy.
I called the THS vetline to discuss and they advised a vet visit should be organised with the HO. I contacted the HO to advise but they said a vet visit wasn’t needed despite me laying out my and THS vet’s concerns. Fortunately the cat started eating and drinking the next day and seemed fine.
Never had this situation before with vet visit refusal. What would other people do?
I would accept the HOs decision. They may know some subtle habits of the cat.
Sometimes, it’s the change in routine/new person they are not sure of. I’ve looked after cats that only come in and eat when I’m out of the way or in bed. I’ve had cats that I hardly saw, the owners warned me, and said don’t worry just leave the food and they will come in when they want. I looked after them a 2nd time and they were more friendly. I think the main thing is to keep in touch with the owners and ask if you think anything is odd. They often forget to tell you some of their pet’s reactions and habits
It sounds tough.
In the past, I’ve been sufficiently worried about a dog in my care that I contacted a vet and was willing to pay for any treatment myself. However, thhe vet wouldn’t treat the dog without the owner’s consent. I did find out that if the problem had been more serious they would have approached the owner and explained their concerns and would have treated the dog anyway.
The THS vet would have to say that as a precaution, any vet would. However, the owners probably know their cats better than anyone else and that includes their eating habits, so I would have gone along with their wishes, they know best.
You don’t mention whether they were indoor/outdoor cats or not, so perhaps they were pinching food from a neighbour at the same time.
Hi @HappyDeb
She was an indoor cat.
I marked her bowls so knew she wasn’t eating or drinking unfortunately.
The cat started eating and drinking again the next day so the owners were correct that it didn’t need a vet. As previously said, owners know their cats best so I would always respect their decision so long as they were making it with all the available information about signs and symptoms.
As an aside it’s quite stressful for a cat to go to the vet especially with a stranger so rushing to take them unnecessarily may not be in their best interests.
I can understand your worry tho. It’s like looking after someone else’s children, you always worry more then when your with your own 