Unfortunately, you have a number of issues going on here. First, how
is Eli's overall demeanor? Does he want to play, purr, be with people?
Is he lethargic, hiding, or otherwise acting unusual (signs that he's
very ill)?

First and foremost, you need to get him to eat! He's lost a lot of
weight in a short amount of time, which is very dangerous for cats.
Have you tried tempting him with his favorite treats? As a short-term
measure to jump-start his appetite, try a fish variety of Fancy Feast,
warmed slightly in the microwave. Another short-term food is Hills A/
D, which is very palatable. You can also use meat baby food (without
onions), turkey or chicken. Anything to get him interested in eating
again, then slowly switch him over to a better diet.

Have you asked your vet about giving Sub-Q fluids at home? I'm sure
he's horribly dehydrated and isn't feeling well because of that. If he
won't eat anything on his own, also ask your vet about force feeding.
It's not a pleasant thing to do, but he needs nutrition badly.

Another idea is to ask for cyproheptide (sp?). It's an antihistimine
that also stimulates appetite, very safe and inexpensive to get from
your vet.

Also, please keep the cat and dog separated right now until things
settle down. It's obvious that he's under a large amount of stress
right now and this might be worsening his condition.

Rene

Will he drink? - I have had cats who neither eat nor drink.....They didn't
last very long. If he drinks, but doesn't eat, then it's likely a
mouth/tooth problem, or a blockage somewhere.....If he takes liquids, then
feed him soups and broths to get some calories into him while you try to
sort it all out.....

Treat him for hairballs.  Get some Temptations for hairballs - they
are in a foil pouch in the grocery or pet store.

Gary,

Cats not eating can develop fatty liver disease very quickly. If he is
not eating much at all -- you may need to syringe feed some more until
you can get this under control.

Has the vet given you any A/D food? It's made for cats who are not
eating. Many will eat that when they won't eat anything else. It is very
rich. We've also used Pro Plan canned food, the one with sardines in it
for non-hungry cats going through an illness.

Something is very wrong and it's going to take some more investigation
to find out the problem. Since this is so serious, I would try for a
second vet opinion. There could be something that's being overlooked and
you don't have a lot of time. Maybe even ask to be referred to an
internist vet. They usually only take appts with referrals. The one we
saw was based in a 24-hour animal hospital.

Keep him as stress-free as you can for now too. I hope you don't have
another vacation planned for a little while.

Are there any other symptoms? Did they do urine tests for bladder
infection, etc? Is he on antibiotics because of his bad teeth? One of
ours was very sick due to infected teeth.

I'm glad you're still trying hard to help him. Let us know what happens.

Rhonda