found a stray cat

Question
skin (fur) on bones, spine, ribs, in front of back legs torso appears 'caved in', bones very prominent.
stray has been in my house for 10 hours. april 2, 2011
has water, drinks when prompted
has wet food and kibble, does not eat, very troubling
has been sleeping all 10 hours
has urinated twice, pale yellow colour and clear
very lethargic, i can hold him like a baby, while holding him, i can pick up a front paw and he just lets it drop when i release it
he is having trouble standing or having trouble with balance
i am worried that if he will not eat, he is not going to survive much  longer

Answer
Hi Susan,

Sometimes severely emaciated cats won't eat because they're too weak. I would recommend getting some stage 1 chicken baby food and trying to feed him that with a syringe until you can get him to the vet for subcutaneous or IV fluids, which I suspect he will need at the least. The fluids have electrolytes, and dextrose (a sugar) can be added if warranted to help strengthen him. If you have an emergency vet service in your area, I would highly recommend getting him seen today. The vet can also provide you with a high calorie diet that will help him put on weight, if deemed appropriate.

However, it's possible this kitty has a disease that causes a wasting body condition, such as the feline leukemia or feline AIDS viruses, cancer, or chronic renal failure. The pale urine makes me wonder if kidney issues are to blame. Cat urine is usually quite concentrated, and kidney failure causes it to be diluted. A vet can run tests to determine if this is the case. It's best to put cats to sleep when kidney failure reaches this stage (stage IV), as it's extremely uncomfortable, progressive, and patients rarely stabilize. If he tests positive for leukemia or AIDS, it would also suggest that he's in the end stages of these diseases, which are terminal.

I hope he is only under the weather from being a stray and going without food for too long, however, and that he will make a quick recovery!

Jessica