but when my cat was only four months old I thought she might not be feeling well, symptoms sounded similar to your cat's. She didn't seem really sick just wasn't herself. It turned out she had a blockage in her intestines from eating hair out of my hair brush and she needed emergency surgery. I'm not trying to scare you, it's just that I had no idea she was so sick and the vet said if I had waited much longer I could have lost her.

She's fine and healthy now (a year later) and is making typing very difficult right now by laying on my arm.

Pleas get your cat checked by a vet.

The lack of appetite is what really scares me-Hank NEVER stops eating for more than a few minutes.

it was the lethargy that worried me. She's part tasmanian devil and the rest is some force of nature like a tornado. Ughh, now she's laying on both arms and the keyboard.

I hope all goes well with your kitty.

...he got into something toxic? Anyone in the neighborhood attempting to poison vermin, for example?

He's never been gone that long before and God only knows what he might have gotten into.

You have some good advice here, and I have nothing to add but...

for you and your boycat...

I hope it's something simple and not lethal...

for good measure!

I have a cat who had this problem. If its the same problem, he is gonna need a catheter.

Male cats, especially strays, can be prone to getting bladder stones that block the urethra.

You can't waste any time. Get the cat to a vet as soon as you can. This can cause kidney failure within 24 hours, but if treated before that, then they are almost always fine.

Unless he's back to normal we're going then regardless.

I'm very lucky to be in an area of Columbus, Ohio where there is a 24 hour Medvet about 2 miles from me.

It might not be even this at all and I don't want to scare you. Its just, your description was exactly like what I saw in my youngest kitty. I hope all goes well tomorrow.

and he's very independent, naturally. He doesn't have a temperature or seem to be in any distress but, then again, he's never been inside this long at one time.
I hope he's just been on a big adventure and is really exhausted.

Looks like he's planning on spending his first night inside which suits me just fine.

No clue, could be just about anything.

Not drinking is no good, you might be able to get him to lick up a little water off your hand or to try some in a dish if you put a little broth in it so it smells enticing. If not try to see if he'll eat a little wet food, and at least get some moisture in him that way.

Does his skin have a usual amount of elasticity? Is his nose damp? If he seems dehydrated you should really find an emergency vet now.

and offered him some canned chicken broth. After a few tentative licks to see if he liked it, he drank a decent amount so I really thank you for your recommendation.

The other trick that works for tempting sick animals is canned meat baby food. Just make sure you get one with no salt, though I guess that's pretty normal these days. While he's recovering from whatever it is it might not hurt to keep a jar or three on hand in case he goes on a hunger strike again- cats can get dangerously ill if they go very long without eating.

going to bed. Will let you guys know how we're doing tomorrow. Again, thank you all. DU always comes through....

....will often tempt a cat to drink.

My first thought about this kitty was exhaustion and dehydration.

You definitely want to see if he is peeing. That's really important. So if you can keep the litter box close by and check it by morning, the vet will want to know that info.

He was lethargic and had no appetite. The vet thought he had a couple of broken ribs, so wrapped him. Unfortunately, he was wrapped too tight and of the broken ribs went into his lung and killed him. Make sure to check that. Sometimes a stray cat is doing nothing, maybe drinking and mean people dont want stray cats coming around their house, so they kick them or throw something at them. Be careful and make sure the cat is not wrapped too tightly and that an x-Ray is done.

Hank awakened me about 5:15am. After some snuggling, he hopped out of bed, ran downstairs and into the kitchen, stopped for a snack and a drink before heading outside. He was met by Bryn, another neighborhood cat and regular playmate for full breakfast on the back porch. It appears he's back to normal but I will be keeping a close eye on him for the next few days just in case.

Again, thank you all for your help and ideas. I hope the worst is over, at least for the moment. In the meanwhile I'm going to call the emergency clinic to see if there are any "after-hours" options.

Thank you for the update.

I hope he continues to be well!

Hope Hank continues to be back to normal, whatever that is for a cat!

Hopefully he just wore himself out carousing, or maybe he was a bit dehydrated. Maybe somebody else took him in and fed him, so when he got back home he was stuffed...