Cat very suddenly became lethargic

[DustyMama]

Hi, everyone,

My cat is an extremely active, friendly 8 1/2 year old. Each day he greets me at the door when I come home from work, then follows me around the house and cuddles up to me, chases his cat balls, etc.

Well, yesterday morning when I went to work, it was business as usual. He meowed at me until I gave him his breakfast, then happily went off to eat. When I left, he was busy chowing down.

When I came home from work, however, he didn't greet me and that seemed strange. I then saw that he'd vomited. I found him curled up in my bed, not really doing anything. He barely paid any attention to me and when I pet him, he didn't purr. I tried to feed him, but he wasn't interested. Eventually, he got up to use the litter box and sadly meowed a little. I again tried to feed him and he licked a pellet of food.

The rest of the evening, he stayed in that same spot on the bed. When my husband came home, he didn't run to the door to greet him, but he did rub noses, which was an improvement. This morning, he was still lethargic, but he did eat a handful of pellets when I fed them to him. He was also purring and jumped into my lap on the bed.

He seemed to be getting better, but I'm still freaking out about the sudden change in behavior. Do cats get little 24-hour type bugs like people, maybe from overeating (he was wolfing down his food), or is this a great cause for concern? I'm nervous about what I'll find when I come home today. I feel guilty for having gone to work.

Sorry for the long post. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

Due to his age I would not wait, get him in to your vet now for bloodwork. It could be anything from constipation to something more serious.

Do not delay call now for an appointment. Mona

[Tina B and crew]

I agree with Mona...any change in behavior should at least warrant a call to the vet. I've had my cats seem to "just not feel well" at times and then be OK...but it's always best to be safe and call the vet. I hope he feels better soon.

[DustyMama]

Here's the update on my cat:

When I came home, there was my sweetie waiting to "greet" me, all bright-eyed and bubbly. His appetite has returned and he's back to his old self, following me around the house and. I'm still going to check in with the vet tomorrow to make sure everything is OK, but in the meantime, I'm so relieved to have my happy cat back. I think he maybe ate too quickly or ate something that was bad for him.

Thank you for your kind responses.

[Traci]

I would not just check with your vet, I'd make the actual appointment to have your kitty seen immediately. Food/indigestion does not often cause a 24 hour+ problem, you need to know if this might be the beginning to an underlying health condition. If you haven't had bloodwork done on your kitty within the last year, now is the time to do so, complete blood profiling, urinalysis, thyroid testing and ask your vet to monitor his heart as well.