My cat has a fever and won't eat for days. Should I syringe feed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 7 lbs

My cat just came back from the vet. He has a 104 degree fever and they gave him some liquid under the skin to bring down the fever. No IV since he has mild HCM. He is supposed to be on antibiotics for 10 days. But, he hasnt eaten for almost 3 days now, should i feed him some liquid food using a syringe or wait? He refuses to eat any kind of wet or dry food or even drink water.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Claudia Fioravanti 23

Veterinarian

Published on April 27th, 2019

Hi, has he had any blood tests ? If so, are these all fine ? If no suspect of pancreatitis or liver disease he could have some Hill’s recovery food, slightly warmed up and offer small amounts little and often. You could also offer a small amount of tuna in water or sardines or white fish. Try to encourage him to eat spontaneously, now that he has received some medications, his temperature might drop and he might feel more inclined to eat. If by this afternoon he stilll has not eaten, I would recommend to try with syringe feeding some recovery diluted with water. If he should not eat, I would still recommend that he is on a drip, at low fluid rate and he receives antibiotics intravenously. Hope it helps.