I lost a cat due to this and it’s extremely serious and difficult to treat.
By the time the vets office realized what was going on (after the second blood test) there had been so much damage done that it was pretty much next to hopeless.
They tried a few days of supplementary fluids because in addition to not eating, she also wasn’t drinking.
Even after the fluids she was so lethargic and miserable that I knew in my heart that the vet was right to suggest putting her to sleep.
She was just a shell of the lively energetic cat she had been and had had a good life for 15 or more years.
But it was still heartbreaking and I feel for you. I’ve been there.
I’ll be thinking of you and, regardless of what anybody else on Fluther thinks, I’ll be praying for you as you make this most difficult of decisions (and yes, I actually will do that :)
You need to look the vet straight in the eye and tell him you want his honest evaluation on what the chances are for your little buddy to return to be the cat he was before and then make your decision.
They can tell a lot from those test results. And you’re letting him know that you want the unvarnished truth.
Another question you could ask him is what decision he would make if this was his own cat.
Follow borh your heart and your head. Don’t let your buddy die a miserable lingering death if there is realistically little hope.
It’s hard but that’s part of the responsibility we take when we make a lifetime commitment to our fur babies.
How old is your kitty?