Said It Here

Cat with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia not eating or very sick

Feline IMHA is a severe autoimmune condition with a 50-50 prognosis where cats experience life-threatening drops in red blood cells and hemoglobin, often making treatment complex and relapses terrifying. During active flare-ups or recovery phases requiring high cortisone dosages, cats frequently stop eating entirely, leaving owners feeling helpless and desperate for shared experiences.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Feeding treats in small amounts when possible
  2. 2
    Administering prescribed injections and medications instead of intravenous saline

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/cats2 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“Since yesterday, she hasn’t been eating anything not even her treats.”source ↗

“The doctor said her chances are 50-50.”source ↗

“I honestly don’t know what to do. She is so sick, and I’m really scared.”source ↗

Tararampummmm · r/cats · 13 upvotes

“Back in March of this year, she was diagnosed with Feline Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). We had a small relapse a few months ago and are currently in a recovery phase after increasing her cortisone dosage back up.”source ↗

“I wanted to ask if anyone else here has gone through IMHA with their cat.”source ↗

tagKitty · r/cats · 11 upvotes

“I have no idea tbh they did her blood test. We can’t put saline also because haemoglobin is too less.”source ↗

Tararampummmm · r/cats · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised