Could my kitty have gone away to die alone?
My 4-year-old cat, Marshie, has always been feisty, spunky, cuddly, and very affectionate, with a very good appetite (eats wet food daily, munches on dry food throughout the day, and enjoys the occasional cat treat and even cheese).
On Thursday night, he did not want dinner. Still drank water and personality was normal.
On Friday, he did not want to eat all day, even when offered a variety of options including kitty gravy and treats. He stopped drinking water. He was not responding to us like normal, no head butts, didn't seek us out for pets. He let us pet him and hold him, but he seemed to be staring off into space and not interested. We used a syringe to put water into his mouth, which he seemed eager for. That night, we carried him to bed with us and while he did not fight it, he was even less responsive to pets and cuddles.
Perhaps notable is that his dad (we have the mom, dad, and their four kids) followed us into the bedroom and slept in bed with us as well, which he rarely does. He slept next to Marshie.
Marshie slept in bed with us all night until 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning, when I awoke to see him stand up and jump down from the bed.
That was last time we saw him.
This kitty is up-to-date on vaccinations. Our other kitties in the house have none of the symptoms he is having. The plan was to take him into the ER vet today. But it is now dinnertime (wet food time) and all the other kitties have gathered, but still no sign of Marshie.
My heart is telling me the worst. Any thoughts?