Also worth considering... if you took him to an animal shelter to get his shots is the fact that he could have caught some contagious virus while at the shelter. It would be worth calling the shelter to inquire as to if they have any currently active cat infections going around, like Upper Respiratory Infections. Shelters are, by there very nature, FULL of cats with various unknown health concerns, many of which are contagious. I would never take my cats to a shelter for anything, especially not a FELV+ cat, with a compromised immune system. It's kinda like hanging out in the doctor's office waiting room... you're bound to catch something just by being there long enough.
It's very imperative to get him to eat ASAP. Even if you have to force feed him. Many call it assisted feeding, but what it is, is basically making a cat that doesn't want to eat EAT. Usually this is accomplished by using a large syringe and a soupy wet food mixture or a liquid meal replacement supplement. Please take the time to read these included links. They will help you understand why it's important that he eat, and eat ENOUGH, and how to accomplish it: http://www.assistfeed.com/FelineAnorexia.htm http://www.assistfeed.com/FeedingTechniques.htm http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/ http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto10.html http://maxshouse.com/Feline_Hepatic_Lipidosis.htm http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=330 http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/fatty_liver.htm http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hepatic_lipidosis.html (I must caution, this website states 2 weeks, it can happen in as little as 3-4 days in some cats) And a totally sad story that explains the WHYS, which should motivate anyone to just do it, no matter how difficult force feeding is: http://ucat.us/WhenCatsStopEating.html What to feed via syringe posted below... Liquids: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14075&N=2002+113617 http://www.allivet.com/Rebound-Feline-Liquid-Diet-p/12070.htm https://secure.petag.com/products_details.asp?ItemID=1666&CategoryID=2&SubCategoryID=13 http://www.southernagriculture.com/southag/product.asp?dept_id=3028&pf_id=PAAAAABBFKMPKIBH Canned: http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/products/product_details.jsp?JSESSIONID=GuAjzFVwHTxTnHgDaieQz2cRU9C11tl21E4O2Oas4JsKYILFoddD!546891296!167846924!7005!8005&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760567&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302037389&bmUID=1177452579928 (Do be wary of any commercial food these days, due to the recalls) Other options: The liver shake recipe: 1 cup raw liver (chicken is easier to digest than beef) 1 cup fresh carrot juice, tomato juice, or V-8 1/4 cup filtered water 1 raw egg yolk 1 tsp kelp or spirulina Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until liquid with no chunks left. Your vet should be able to supply oral syringes, if not, here is a link for you to order them online: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3393&Ntt=feeding%20syringe&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2002&Nty=1 Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources
