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Found cat with throat injury not eating/peeing. Second vet opinion?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female

My boyfriend found a cat with a hole on its throat. He took her to the vet and the guy told him that it was going to heal on its own and he gave him antibiotics to give to her for a week. But my boyfriend said that the cat hasn't peed or pooped for a whole day. And she isn't eating. Should he take her to another clinic or will she be okay.

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 17th, 2018

How lovely of your boyfriend to take in this poor cat! This hole in the throat will be painful to her, and she likely is feeling terrible. It is a little concerning that she hasn't peed or pooped today, and that she's not eating. It could be related to her injury, or maybe she hasn't had food recently leading her to not poop. I would try to tempt her to eat by offering her some boiled white meat chicken (no bones) with low sodium gently warmed chicken broth. If she refuses to eat that, then yes take her into another clinic. Cats cannot go long without eating because they will develop a fatty liver when starved for too long (about 72 hours). A fatty liver is fatal without treatment, so that needs to be avoided. She may also benefit from pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give her any human ones, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. I'm not sure what tests were done at the first vet, but I do recommend blood work, a urinalysis, and potentially x-rays to see how her health is overall. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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