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Pet Parents: Sick kitty :(
I have two cats- Castor & Pollux, twin brothers, 3.5 years old. Castor was diabetic until recently, so we had our hands full with that, but Pollux has always been very healthy.
Pollux has had a tummy virus for about 3 days now- the pet equivalent of food poisoning (yech!), but with no apparent explanation. I thought he was better until I found another accident today, so I called the vet. I had no way to get him in today, so I made an appointment for tomorrow, and they told me to feed him plain white rice and broiled chicken or ground beef. I didn't have any chicken thawed (and we don't eat ground beef), so I made him some ground turkey and put it over plain rice, and the poor little guy won't eat it. He wants his regular rood- he runs to his bowl and meows, but won't eat the bland food. I just feel so bad for him, I know he's hungry, and I know he's in pain. I let him have a little dry food just so he wasn't starving, but I just feel like such a bad pet mom because there's nothing I can do for him. 
Re: Pet Parents: Sick kitty :(
I know exactly how you feel. I had a similar situation with one of my chinchillas a few weeks ago.
If you desperately want to get him to a vet, the MSPCA in JP is open 24 hours... but it'll cost you a pretty penny. We had to take our chinchilla into the emergency room twice, and it cost us $130 + treatment each time.
It might be worth the peace of mind.
aww that sucks, I'm sorry! I know that feeling all too well. I hope it passes soon and he'll be back to normal before you know it!
side note - our cat is diabetic as well. It's awesome to hear that Castor isn't anymore!
Awww, I am sorry.
I know how it feels to think you're a bad mom. :-(
I would basically do what you did, give him the bland food (when he gets hungry enough, he'll eat) and sneak a little bit of his regular dry food.
Other than that, keep lovin' on him if he's willing and take him to the vet when you can.
Don't beat yourself up. :-)
*dog mom here*
It probably won't hurt him if he skips a meal or 2. It will help calm any inflammation in his belly down, at least it does in dogs. I never worry too much if my dogs won't eat for a meal or 3 when they have been sick. Hope he feels better!
I'm sorry! My dog gets stomach issues a lot so he actually gets excited when he sees the rice box come out of the pantry. It's hard to see them in pain but he'll eat if he's really hungry. My dog goes 36 hours at times without eating (his choice)... just make sure you can get him to drink some water... add some water to the rice too. I believe chicken broth is ok to use as well (might want to double check with the vet, we were told it's ok for the dog).
Side note- my kitten would totally gobble down that food-- he eats anything (food and non food products, he doesn't discriminate).
He probably WANTS his regular food, but it won't hurt him if he misses a meal or two. Just make sure he has plenty of water, and just give him cuddles. Cats are usually not the greatest at trying new foods, so the turkey and rice thing is probably just throwing him a bit...
I hope he feels better soon!
We just got home from the vet, 1 hour and $200 later... And poor Pollux is a very displeased kitty. The vet wants him on a special diet and special probiotics for 10 days- but it's just Science Diet, so he will eat it. Yay for food! He's not dehydrated, but the doc wanted him to have some extra fluids so basically (I don't know what it's actually called, this is the explanation I got) they injected him with a ball of fluids that his body will absorb over the next few hours. So there's a big lump on his shoulder that we can't touch, since he's sore. They gave him a wormer, and sent the stool sample to the lab, and told me they had no idea why he's sick; they'll call me with the lab results.
He hasn't eaten anything strange, there are no bugs on the 16th floor of our apt building, no pesticides used here, he hasn't been exposed to cleaners, or been outside... I just hope this food and the meds make him feel better.
Our girl kitty has had the injection of the ball of fluids, too. (She was heart worm positive when we adopted her and we thought it was gone, but when we moved here she had some coughing incidences that scared us.) Anyway, it is weird looking, but it dissipates very quickly.
I'm surprised, though, your vet is giving him Science Diet (other than the fact that he or she probably profits from it.) It's not any healthier for your cat than the stuff they sell at the grocery store, but you pay more for it. It has a lot of fillers in it like corn and rice that cats aren't supposed to eat. Also, you have to watch out when cat food (or dog food, for that matter) says "animal byproducts" because a lot of pet food places will buy animals that have been euthanized and put them into their food... they'll also use parts of the animal that are considered by the slaughter industry as "not fit for human consumption" like hooves, intestines, and cancerous and diseased material.
What you feed your cat should list a meat product first (NOT meat by products; it should preferably list chicken or turkey first) and it needs a high percentage of water since cats don't drink enough H20. You also want to watch out for taurine since cats need this as a supplement. Many cat foods don't have enough. I think it should have at least .1%... but I'm not certain.
http://www.consumersearch.com/cat-food/important-features
I should say that prior to our two current kitties, we owned two cats that ate grocery store food their whole lives and lived into their 20s. However, many cats have suffered health problems from them (particularly urinary tract infections and liver problems.)
We switched our two current kitties switched from grocery store brand to Wellness about six months ago and they have never been so healthy. Their coats COMPLETELY changed - so shiny! And they actually beg for their food. (Sometimes at very early hours... grrrr...) The girl will stand on her hind legs and cry when she sees me emptying the can. It's not cheap - I won't lie... but it's so much better for them.
I sound like a commercial. Sorry. If you've already bought the Science Diet and your doctor thinks that it's bland enough for your kitty to ride out his current problems, I'm sure it won't hurt him, but you might want to ask about alternatives.
Wellness can be purchased at Petco or Whole Foods. You can sign up for coupons and they range from $3-$5 per month (unlimited amount you can print!). Our kitten is on Wellness but we're switching to another organic one when he graduated to Adult since I have to go to PetSmart for the dog and Petco for the cat... I think he'll go on either Blue Buffalo or By Nature.
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/
Vet bills aren't fun!!! I have been to the vet almost every month with the kitten since we got him in October.
We get ours at PetCo. I will warn you - it is NOT cheap and the first few days our cats were like WTF? Where is our Publix beef? What did you do with our foooood? But within the first week they were absolutely nuts over it. It's rated one of the number one brands to feed your cat. They like both the chicken and the turkey, although they prefer the chicken.
I do hope your kitty feels better soon!
What I try to do is stock up when it's on sale and use the coupons-- it can cut $10 off the price that way.