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Why won't my senior Siamese cat eat or poop after a high WBC count?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female

My siamese is 15 yrs and had her to the vet. Her white cell count jumped from April 1500 to 5400 as of this past Friday. She is not eating or pooping?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 4th, 2016

If precious does not eat, then there is little to poop. So I would not worry about that. With a white count going up like this she likely has an infection which makes her feel bad and not want to eat. Try to hand feed her with chicken or tuna, you can warm it up so that the aroma is intensified. She needs to eat at least something. I am assuming the vet gave her some prescription antibiotics, so you need to give her that. If she is not better tomorrow, you need to take her back for a recheck.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    I'm sorry to hear that your cat is sick. An elevated white blood cell count is normally a sign of infection, although less commonly it can also be caused by certain types of cancer like lymphoma or leukemia. If your cat is not eating or pooping, then she definitely needs additional care - I would recommend talking to her vet about options for further testing and treatment, or asking for referral to an internal medicine specialist if needed.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    A normal white blood cell count in cats typically ranges from 4,900 to 20,000 per microliter of blood. However, that "normal" range could vary depending on the age of the cat. In addition, each lab has its own range of lab values, so without seeing the lab report, I can't say for certain her WBC is high. Based on the normal range I mentioned above, it's only very slightly above normal, so it wouldn't be considered significant. At 15 years of age, there are lots of things that could cause a cat not to eat, like dental disease, cancer, or kidney disease for example. If she isn't eating or pooping, I recommend taking her back into your vet.

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