My cat has heart failure. Why won't he eat or drink after Lasix?

Question

My 10 year old male cat started having breathing problems yesterday. I took him to the vet and they said his heart was enlarged and fluid had built up. They gave him lasik injections and he was stable and I brought him home today. They gave me lasik and enalapril to give him from now on. All he has done today is sleep and he won't eat or drink. I managed to force feed him some water but now he is hiding from me. Is this normal after having an event like this". Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 20 years and 7 months old | 16.75 lbs

Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC · Accepted Answer

It sounds like Bubba went into heart failure. It is a stressful event for an animal. Typically, if they respond to therapy (lasix), pets show improvement within a few hours. While his breathing may have improved, it is very concerning that he is not eating or drinking. The lasix rids the body of fluid and as a result should promote thirst and urination. The major side effect of the drug is kidney damage which a lot of older cats already have. If you fail to observe improvement overnight, I would advise you to take him back to your veterinarian or the nearest veterinary emergency hospital for bloodwork and blood pressure.

My cat has heart failure. Why won't he eat or drink after Lasix?

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