How can I get my cat to eat or drink? He was

[catdiva]

diagnosed AT FIRST with congestive heart failure. My vet gave me? diuretics to drain the liquid around his heart and lungs. It has been 4 days and it is not working. My cat is now severely dehydrated and I took him back to the vet today. The vet now says he is not sure it is chf due to the fact the diuretics are not draining the fluid from his heart and lungs and it is going to his intestinal tract creating diarrhea. He wanted me to make an appt. with a cardiologist w/o knowing for sure what it is. The vet won't give him and IV because it will create more water around his heart. I have been feeding my cat water with an eyedropper and I also dab a little food on his mouth to get him to lick it off but his mouth is so dry he can't. What could this be? Can CHF happen so suddenly? His blood work came back just fine except he has elevated enzymes which concern me. I want to take all measures to save him but on the other hand his quality of life continues to dwindle. He is 10 yrs o and had the playfulness of a kitten just 1 wk ago. Please help.

[Chelsea Rae]

CHF can happen suddenly But go to the store and buy a seringe we had to do that for my cat once .(you will have to go to a drug store.

[mom 2 4]

I don't know the answer but please accept my deepest sympathy. Could he have been poisoned? Could he have swallowed something? It doesn't seem like something as serious as "chf" could happen so quick, but I don't know. Could it be that recalled pet food with melamine in it? Good luck, I'm sure you must be very scared.

[Cartiphilus]

Maybe it's time to go to a different Vet. I've had two cats that have had fluid in the lungs and in each case the doctor shaved his sides and placed tubes in the cat into drain out the fluids. From having two dead cats I now investigate the Vet before I take my cat to him. If he/she does not have at least 20 years of experience and several recommendations from other pet owners, then they'll never see my cat. My current Vet has over 40 years of experience and is the best I've found. You have a very tough situation on your hands. My only suggestion is to keep feeding him water until he re-hydrates and also keep giving him his medicine from the Vet. You have a full time patient on your hands. You may need to find someone who can sit with your cat and keep feeding him water if you can't stay home from work.