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My senior cat is suddenly lethargic, not eating, and acting strange.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 12 years old

my 14 year old cat has in the last 24hrs started acting unusal. she is just curling up all the time, even in places she wouldnt normally. she usually wakes us up in the morning for food and didnt this morning, we put food down but she didnt eat it all day. she looks sad, if that makes sense, when i pick her up, which she doesnt normally let me do she doesnt protest or anything which is very unlike her. she doesnt come when called like usual and we have to go and find her.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Justin Plunk, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 20th, 2018

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Tilly is not doing well. Lethargy and loss of appetite can be signs of significant disease in cats. These signs are common across multiple diseases including diabetes mellitus which is very common in cats, especially when they enter ketoacidotic state (DKA). Because of this I would strongly advise that Tilly be seen by a veterinarian tonight if possible. Your veterinarian may want to start with blood and urine testing. Other tests may be recommended based on what they find on physical examination and discussion with you. I hope this help and that Tilly gets better soon.

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    Answered By Summer Walker, DVM, MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 20th, 2018

    Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry that Paige is feeling poorly. I would STRONGLY advise having her seen by her veterinarian for thorough evaluation. Lethargy and inappetance in a young cat could be a number of things, from foreign body ingestion, to infectious diseases, to trauma. Prolonged inappetance in any age cat can lead to a serious, potentially fatal, disorder known as hepatic lipidosis. While awaiting your veterinary appointment you can try to entice her with new foods such as plain boiled chicken or cooked lean ground turkey meat to see if she expresses interest in eating. At her appointment, the veterinarian will most likely want to perform bloodwork (complete blood count, serum chemistry, FeLV/FIV test if not performed previously, to start), and diagnostic imaging (radiographs, abdominal ultrasound) based on their physical examination findings. Treatment would be tailored to the diagnostic findings. I hope that Paige begins to feel better soon and the veterinarian is able to offer some insight in to her current problem.

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