Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My cat is lethargic and barely moving. Is it an emergency vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed

My cat has been sleeping in the same spot for 2 days. I got her to drink a little water. She walked very slowly back and laid down. It is night. Should take her to an emergency vet or wait until first thing in the morning? What might be wrong?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 16th, 2020

This is an emergency and Chloe needs to see a vet now. It sounds like she may be in pain or is very ill. I do not think you should wait until the morning to have her seen, and I strongly urge you to take her into the ER vet immediately. Best of luck.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our 2 year old, indoor cat is showing signs of anemia- lethargic, loss of appetite, no interest in playing. We have an appointment with a vet tomorrow afternoon. Is that too long to wait for her to be examined? Should we take her to an emergency hosp
If this has been going on for more than a few days it might be better to see an emergency veterinarian today, however if the symptoms are more recent you may be able to wait. If Greta's gums seem pale or she is having trouble breathing, or if she has a history of other medical problems it would also be better to have her seen today. Otherwise I think you can probably wait until tomorrow. Ultimately these symptoms are somewhat vague and can be a sign of a number of problems so you should go with your gut.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 month old cat is being extremely lethargic and hasn’t moved from her spot for six hours. She has her tongue sticking out and is drooling, she is extremely hot and is unable to drink or eatz
Diamond sounds very sick at the moment, and I recommend an immediate vet visit. It's very concerning she is extremely hot, and that could be signs she has a high fever or may be suffering from heat stroke. She is showing you she is very ill by not moving at all in six hours, and I would consider this an emergency. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
So my cat is vomiting, not eating, being lethargic and not using her litterbox. Is this just a hairball or something more?
Poor girl. If she is vomiting up more than once or twice in a 24 hr period, then this is likely something more than just a normal hairball. A hairball obstruction (trichobezoar) is possible; however, I would also suspect Chloe may have another foreign body obstruction, infection or she could have even eaten some sore of toxin. She needs to be seen by your vet right away to help sort things out. The vet will likely recommend some bloodwork +/- abdominal radiographs to gather clues as to what the underlying problem is so that we can start treatment right away to help Chloe recover. I would take her in right away, if possible,before she gets any sicker. You can try offering her small amounts of boiled plain chicken and rice and non-flavored Pedialyte diluted with water if you can’t get her in right away. I hope that your pet Chloe is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best of luck at the vet and take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is having trouble urinating. She ate breakfast and dinner and we have successfully getting her to drink water- but she cannot urinate. She also seems more clingy and less active than usual.
Oh my. This sounds emergent. I would highly consider taking Chloe to your local ER vet if she is attempting to urinate but nothing is coming out. This indicates that she likely has a blockage, which is often the result of a urinary stone. It is not common for this to occur in female dogs however, so I would make sure that you are seeing things correctly here. Try letting her go on a pee pad so that you can visualize if there are any drops coming out at all. If there are only a few drops coming out, and she is trying to go more than once every 15 mins, then a blockage is highly likely, which is considered an emergency. However, if she is posturing once every 30 mins-1 hr, and some pee is actually coming out, then she likely isn't blocked but has a really bad urinary tract infection, which should be ok to wait until morning to treat for. With that said, an ER vet visit should still be highly considered to get some immediate relief. The ER vet can also check her out to ensure the
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Moe became ill 2 days ago. First he vomited a grayish hairball log, he's a black cat, then he started to vomit liquid only, not eating moving slowly very lethargic..my vet is closed 9/7/20 I'm very worried..
Poor Moe! From what you're describing here, I'm afraid he sounds quite sick. Vomiting, not eating, and acting lethargic are always very concerning symptoms, especially since he's been sick for 2-3 days now and seems to be getting worse. Unfortunately, these are very vague symptoms that could be caused by almost any kind of illness, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine him and run some tests. I do think that this sounds like a serious, potentially life-threatening problem that shouldn't wait until tomorrow, so I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic today to be seen. If you're not sure where to go, try calling your regular vet's office - their voicemail message should have contact information for your nearest ER or an on-call doctor for emergencies.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What do I do if my cat will not eat has not used the bathroom and goes limp I'm my arm s
I would advise that you take Chad to the veterinarian as soon as possible. The clinical signs you are describing are very serious. He could have an obstructed urinary tract or a diabetic emergency. Both are life threatening situations that require medical intervention immediately. Sending my best to you both.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
9yr old male cat, 13 pounds. Was fine yesterday, today, very lethargic, moved once from living rm to closet. No food or water. He is moving around a little, and will wake up if I pet him a bit. I am planning on the vet in the morning. He threw up
Poor Alvin - it sounds like he is not doing well, especially if he is lethargic and moving very little. These signs are very nonspecific and can be caused by a number of things, from an injury to a serious infection. I recommend having him seen by a vet right away. It is likely best to have him seen in an emergency clinic, most towns/cities have at least one that is open 24 hours/day. I hope all is well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Cat is a little over a year old and may have been exposed to feline luekemia when she was born. Has been fine since but now is starting to get lathargic running small fevers dilated pupils decrease in appetite ( eating broth and drinking plenty of wa
Yes i would take her in to a clinic. Mobile vets are limited in what they can do diagnostically and treatment wise for sick pets. These sound like concerning symptoms. They can assess for a fever, dehydration, and pain. Likely bloodwork, felv/fiv testing, and xrays will be recommended as the first steps. Additional testing and treatment will be based on what your vet thinks is going on. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
My cat is 16 years old. Since yesterday, she has lost her appetite, lethargic, falling over like she's drunk, breathing in fast and short breaths with her tongue going in and out, she won't close her mouth and is salivating heavily, sporadic distress
This is a serious emergency and you need to take her to a pet ER right now. Please take her now as she may have a pulmonary embolism, cardiac crisis, or other life-threatening condition. Here are ERs close to you: http://www.petflight.com/zip_codes/60419/vet_clinics
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
10-12 year old stray cat threw up once, now not eating except very small amounts a time (usually eats 3+ times a day), very exhausted and sleeping all day, barely moving, not grooming, not meowing or calling or responding to humans like usual. He thr
This is a medical emergency, and you cannot do anything at home for Kitty. He has to see a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Wet Cat Food Electrolytes for Cats Cat Laxatives Cat Medicine Canned Cat Food Diuretics for Cats Cat First Aid Cat Health & Wellness Lactated Ringers Electrolytes for Cats Lactulose Cat Medicine Lactulose Cat Laxatives Chlorpheniramine Cat Medicine Lactated Ringers Cat Medicine Metoclopramide Cat Laxatives CAT by Dr Lisa Cat Health & Wellness Vet Worthy Cat Health & Wellness Vetality Cat Health & Wellness Vet Worthy Cat First Aid
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored