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My cat has food poisoning, sore throat, won't eat/drink. How to help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 24 years and 6 months old | 10 lbs

My cat got food poisoning and was treated overnight for vomiting. Her throat is very inflamed now and she has had an increasingly hard time swallowing and keeping food down. Her appetite is decreasing steadily and she won't drink water on her own. I cannot afford another $1000 vet bill, is there anything I can do for her from home?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 18th, 2017

Poor Vriska! Did they have her on fluids at the vet? If not she may end up needing them unfortunately. Usually food poisoning will settle with time, but it can make them very dull a nd dehydrated. Hopefully she will not vomit now as she was seen last night. You can try and keep her hydrated at home to support her whilst she heals. However if she gets dehydrated she will likely need that drip. You can slowly syringe water into to her, it would be best with electrolyte solution added such as royal canin rehydration support. To be honest I wouldnt feed her at the moment as it will likely make her worse. Give her a rest day off food then feed feed her plain chicken and rice. If she is going downhill you will have to take her back in unfortunately.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Medications are very important in her state, she is probably still very nauseous and must get anti vomiting meds on a daily basis in order to restore her appetite. soft food can help if you think she in in pain when trying to swallow. there is one more medication called mirtazapin in cases of complete anorexia in cats, it can induce appetite and only need to be taken 2-3 times. all these medication you should of course get from your vet as they are prescription only. the food i would recommend to try is Hill a/d or Royal Canin Recovery.

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