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Question re: sick kitty

LGK I am so sorry to hear this. I really hope it isn't cancer. Infections can destroy bones just as quickly (if not quicker in some cases) than cancer. So there's still hope!

A dentist may be able to construct an implant to replace the missing bone in his jaw. I'm really hoping it all comes out with good news!
 
I'm so sorry to hear this, LGK. It's really, really important to get Rat eating again. I have two suggestions for you. One is Fancy Feast. It is really not a good food to feed on a regular basis, but it does sometimes stimulate the appetite when baby food isn't doing the job. It's also higher in calories. If Rat absolutely won't eat it, you can thin it with water and syringe it into his mouth with one of the plastic syringes that are used to dispense medication to babies. Also, your vet probably has access to something called Hill's a/d, which is monumentally stinky, but can be used to get the appetite revved up, and is very high in calories.

Good luck, I'm sending all of you healing thoughts.
 
i too turn to cat foods i would not otherwise feed my fur babies when its life or death.... another thing to do is to use a mortar/pestle to really get the fancy feast or other cheap cat food into a really creamy consistency adding water if necessary. the smellier the cat food the better.

also, get this from your vet: Purina Veterinary Diets FortiFlora packets. pour on top of the cat food. my cats would not eat it mixed in. it was the only way i could get LaHonda to eat prior to her finally quit eating at all and being ready to die in december. i've also used it on my other cats when they've had their push come to shove moments and not eating. they don't seem to like it otherwise. its not cheap but so worth it when you see your cat finally eat!

MoZo
 
movie zombie|1304656672|2913711 said:
i too turn to cat foods i would not otherwise feed my fur babies when its life or death.... another thing to do is to use a mortar/pestle to really get the fancy feast or other cheap cat food into a really creamy consistency adding water if necessary. the smellier the cat food the better.

also, get this from your vet: Purina Veterinary Diets FortiFlora packets. pour on top of the cat food. my cats would not eat it mixed in. it was the only way i could get LaHonda to eat prior to her finally quit eating at all and being ready to die in december. i've also used it on my other cats when they've had their push come to shove moments and not eating. they don't seem to like it otherwise. its not cheap but so worth it when you see your cat finally eat!

MoZo
Click to expand...

Thanks Aoife, MovieZombie- I'm up for trying anything if it'll help at this point. I'm definitely calling the vet tomorrow to see if he's got those packets (and I'll try the Fancy Feast too), and to get the plastic squirter thing. Rat's skeletally thin now- a very noticeable change over the last three days- and it's getting critical. He's, no exaggeration, about two inches wide at the *most* at his narrowest point below his hips now.

I got most of a jar of baby food in him today but it was a huge fight every time. He perked up some this AM and was jumping on counters and stuff, but mid afternoon he started hiding again and is currently droopy and miserable.

I talked to the vet about whether or not this is a pain response or not- he seems to be in pain to me, moderately at least- and the vet was kind of on the fence about whether or not it would keep him from eating or not and eventually decided he probably wasn't in too much pain and was afraid if he was dopey, he definitely wouldn't eat. I'll talk to him again about it, because it could be that if the pain was controlled he would feel more like eating. So far, since he hasn't been eating anyway, I'm thinking I should ask again and see if the vet thinks we should give him some meds and see if he eats if he's not in pain... can't make his appetite *worse* at any rate.

I'm also pretty pissed with my husband- he swore up and down he would feed Rat while I was at work and he was home all day, and instead didn't even try once and just let it go. So he went a solid 7 hours without getting ANYTHING; I've been feeding him every hour or so and if I got most of a jar down him in the evening, he could have had about double that today if the husband had bothered helping. :angryfire: He had damn well better do it tomorrow. Or else there will be *wrath*. Which, in fact, I'm going to go make perfectly clear right now-ish.
 
This is the very worst time, LGK. My heart just breaks for you. Been through it too many times -- spent 40 minutes per meal trying to get something down one dog with cancer. In the end she would nibble only on Lean Cuisine. It's hell, I know.

I do think hiding is a response to pain. Usually pain or stress, and stress isn't Rattie's problem.

When my mother was dying of cancerI learned something I hope to remember when the time comes for my next animal to go. After eating a good dinner complete w/cherry pie a la mode, she piped up when we went to bed: "You know, I'm not going to eat anymore." I asked, "Why, to make it go faster?" "Yeah." She was ready to leave. Not sad, just wanted to take the next step. Mom could say it; animals can't.

If you can help him feel better, terrific! If you can't, helping them go is the last best gift we can give them. I'm sending hugs for you & Rattie & lots & lots of dust.

--- Laurie
 
Lots more ::HUGS:: coming your way! Thank you for your thoughts, as well :(sad


Maybe prednisone could help get his appetite up? When our cat Garet had acute hepatitis and dropped to 8lbs from a healthy 14 - flat-out refused to eat or keep anything we force fed him down - our vet gave us twice a day prednisone pills that were an absolute pain to get into him, but they had him opening his mouth for spoonfeeding within just a couple of days.
 
LGK, believe it or not, there is some very good news in your last report. The fact that after eating Rat felt up to jumping on the counter shows that there's lots of room for hope. If all he has had to eat is a jar of baby food, no wonder he's lethargic. Baby food is not a long term solution, it is only a crisis intervention to get the kitty eating something. Ask the vet about the Hill's a/d, and try the Fancy Feast. There are also some other, excellent things you can do to get Rat eating on his own. I'm going to post a link to an excellent site that is actually targeted at CRF kitties, but the advice about appetite and eating is very applicable here.

http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm
 
you hubby should be glad he's not married to me......i'm hell on wheels when it comes to my cats and, well, it could be a deal breaker for me.

hiding is not a good sign. however, the fact that he felt well enough to jump on counters was a very good sign. the continuity of attention and feeding is critical.

its not just fancy feast...its any smelly soft, creamy food. anything is better than nothing.

another vote asking the vet for prednisone. while it has nasty side effects long term, you need to have all the tools at your disposal because this is life or death. also ask the vet re any other appetite stimulants and the value of pepcid for stomach upset. our cats get all these and more.

also, re water: ask the vet re the value of giving subcutaneous water to keep Rat hydrated.

MoZo
 
LGK, I am so very, very sorry you're going through this. I wish I had some advice to offer, but all I have is good thoughts - I really, really hope Rat has lots of time left, that flushing out the gunk will help him, and that the immediate pain passes quickly. Another vote for both lysine and Fancy Feast here: my doc gave me some powder that I could mash into catfood which made it much easier to administer.
 
So, I got some high calorie cat food from the vet- it's from Hill's and is called Recovery I think- and the syringe. He also gave him a pill that he said was an appetite stimulant (honestly, I didn't ask what it was).

My sister came over to visit him and helped me get the first round of food in him. It was kind of like having a small fountain of cat food. but he did get I'd say a fourth to a third of a can of food in him by bedtime. So that was good. And he isn't throwing it up at all.

But, unfortunately, he's started this awful mournful crying. Just this terrible heartwrenching yow. That's... really not good. Plus extra special hiding and looking miserable.

This morning, he actually went over to his food dish and opened his mouth. Then he walked away like "haha, just kidding!" He repeated this process three times. Never actually ate anything. Didn't want to eat the food I offered him on my finger. Just wanted to pace and cry a bit.

He is still doing stuff like jumping on the counters- did that three times this AM- and following me to the bathroom like he always does. And he actually asked for pets and gave me a headbonk, which he hadn't done at all since getting back on Tuesday.

So, I don't really know what to think. I got some Tramedol for him- earwipe form- which he had before for pain when he broke his hip. And I know it helped then. It didn't seem to do a darn thing to cut down on the yowling. So I wonder if it isn't pain but that he's finally feeling hunger? I don't know. Anyway, wish us luck- he's still got a LOT of food to get down his throat today.
 
Let us know how he does, LGK. I'm aching for you.

--- Laurie
 
Is he going to the bathroom normally? That's something to monitor too (as if you didn't have enough to monitor) Sorry for the situation but Rat is lucky to have such a loving human.
 
How is Rat doing? Any updates? I've been thinking a lot about you and your furbaby, and sending healing thoughts your way.
 
bump...
 
Thinking of you guys.
 
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