14wks and not eating after surgery

Fillion got neutered and front declawed (no choice since we have parrots I’m afraid, I’m not for it, but we need to keep everyone alive).

His surgery was tuesday morning. My vet is wonderful and keeps cats 2 nights (free) with a declaw as it greatly reduces infection and complications. I love them! They also sent him home with a very small dose of pain meds for 3 days.

Anyway, we picked up Fillion on Thursday about 10 am. He was fine, came home ate, used the litter box. He ate half a Fancy Feast can, mixed with dry food (He gets this 50/50 mix 2Xs a day and has dry available all day and night, typically its a whole small ss bowl full of food he consumes). No issues. We were to give him his premeasured meds at 10pm that evening. It’s metcam, which looking into it now, I’m sorry I didn’t ask for something else, but I had no idea.

Friday morning he ate only a very small meal, maybe 1/4 of his food and we had to convince him to eat that. Then he was babying a paw for a few hours so we brought him in for a (free) recheck. (My vet doesnt charge for rechecks because they want people in to prevent infection, they really care about the animals). They took his temp, examinined all his toes, listened to heart and lung sounds, did a physical (stomach) exam. She couldnt find a thing wrong, and told us he was probably just sensitive to pain and that if we needed it, they’d give him additional meds when the other round was finished.

Friday night he flat out refused wet food (but eagerly lapped the metcam up?), I opened 3 different cans thinking it was the flavor. No go. He did not eat any of his food Friday night into Sat am. I was worried, but not enough to call since he is drinking fine. Later on Sat, I realized his tummy was very empty. We tried everything to get him to eat. He is even refusing Tuna… his favorite treat.

I looked up Metcam, and was startled to see so many negative things. I was calmed alittle when I realized most problems are from ODing, and we did not have to measure anything (all prefilled sryinges by vet) so I know we didn’t get it wrong.

I did read that a side effect is loss of appetite, so we skipped his last dose, which should have been last night. He only got 2 instead of 3.

This morning he took a few bites of tuna (whew) and licked some wet food, but didn’t actually eat it. It was encouraging since he was sniffing everything (very throughly, and then deciding he just didnt want it) and then walking away.

Today I went and got him some kitten milk and mixed it with a bit of wet food to make a gruel. He’s not really interested in that. I gave him a few tiny medicine syringe fulls in his mouth, that he ate and gave me the stink eye for.

He went 36 hrs off food and the 24 hours before that he was very light on food. And he has now resumed very very light eating. This kitten usually EATS! And he was eating fine at the vets office, the tech checking us out even mentioned his hefty eating.

I’m fairly certain its the meds, and switching from an injection at the vet, to an oral at home with more side effects. However I am very concerned and no where to turn on a Sunday.

The ER vet will give me no advice on the phone, and I’m not sure he needs to go in. He is not dehydrated, playing, active and no infections on paws or rear incision. I’ve checked him frequently.

Currently he’s sleeping, but he played for several hours this morning so that is normal for him.

Should I wait for Monday AM? Should I bring him in? Just watch for hydration and keep trying to feed him? Help?