Force feeding?

I have been force feeding one of my cats chicken baby food, all natural of course, a syringe full at a time, but I'm wondering how often I should be doing this? I've been doing it about 2-3 times a day, should I be giving him food more often? He has been to the vet, so no need to tell me that....

How old is your kitty? How much does he/she weigh? Your going to want to feed more to a 5 pounder then to a 2 pounder. May I ask why you are force feeding?

Can you call the vet to ask what they think without being charged a small fortune for the call? That might be the best way to go, otherwise it depends on how big the syringe is(I've got 1 cc, 3 cc, 10 cc, & 15 cc ones) and how big the kitty in question is.

Herm weighs 5 lbs, at least he did last Monday at the vet, but I'm sure he may have lost a little since then, he is 7 months old and I am force-feeding because he will not eat, I have tried everything known to man, he is very ill with some leukemia related thing, and I AM NOT going to lose this one!

I am not good with force feeding ... I am sending lots of and prayers your way ....

I keep 1 , 2 , 3 , .5 , 5 , 12 ,30 and 60 cc syringes on hand for all kinds of animal care

Loving headbuts and sooooothing, sooooothing licks from KittenKiya's Clan

Perhaps your vet can give him an appetite stimulant??

Originally Posted by KittenKiya

Loving headbuts and sooooothing, sooooothing licks from KittenKiya's Clan

Perhaps your vet can give him an appetite stimulant??

Click to expand...

I checked and the syringe is 1/2 tsp so he's been getting 1 to 1 1/2 tsps of food a day

The vet did give me a couple appetite stimulants, neither made any difference I'm getting some Interferon tomorrow or Tuesday, as soon as the vet gets it in, so I'm hoping that it will be the miracle drug

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I checked and the syringe is 1/2 tsp

so he's been getting 1 to 1 1/2 tsps of food a day

Click to expand...

Oh dear, that's not very much at all. Are you going to get a bigger syringe? I finally got a 35 cc one from my vet. I haven't had to use it yet but it'll sure beat that little tiny 5 cc one I have used in the past. What a pain!

Originally Posted by SchwarzeKatz

Oh dear, that's not very much at all. Are you going to get a bigger syringe? I finally got a 35 cc one from my vet. I haven't had to use it yet but it'll sure beat that little tiny 5 cc one I have used in the past. What a pain!

Click to expand...

I think this is about all he can handle, as it is he is gagging when I give him just that little bit

Honey, you can only do what you can do. Call the vet and see what can be done......as for the rest of it......we are here for you and your babies.

Loving headbuts and please get better soon licks from KittenKiya's Clan to you and your babies.

Katie you are doing WAY more than most people would even bother. I may sound like a broken record, but have you tried offering him some people tuna mixed with canned food?

I hope to be getting another update from you soon!

1 to 1 1/2 tsp of food a day is not enough to keep the little angel going. I hope the vet helps you out somehow. I was force feeding Jake recently and had to give him 30cc 3 times a day. I don't know what 30cc is for sure but it's a lot more then 1 1/2 tsp. Jake had gone down to 5.8 lbs when I was force feeding him. He's back up to over 9 lbs now. Don't give up! It's a lot of work, but they are so worth it. I hope your kitty comes around.

Katie, I don't have any advice but I just wanted to let you know that I was keeping you in my thoughts. As someone else said, you are doing more than some people would, and your kitty is so lucky to have you taking care of him and loving him Hang in there sweetie and please keep us updated.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Can you call the vet to ask what they think without being charged a small fortune for the call? That might be the best way to go, otherwise it depends on how big the syringe is(I've got 1 cc, 3 cc, 10 cc, & 15 cc ones) and how big the kitty in question is.

Click to expand...

Hi, I am Bobbie, and I am doing about the same thing with Humble. I finger feed for he won't eat through a syringe. I am also finger feeding some of the prescribed food that he has to learn to eat.

I have been giving one small jar of baby food a day (it is 2 oz, I think), plus he eats a little dry food, and I also try to get 1/4 of a can of the prescribed food into him.


PM me if you like! I would love to talk to you.

I call is "assisted feeding."

Hi, Katie. I just went through a loooong bout of assisted feeding with my cat. If you can't increase the amount at each feeding, can you increase the number of feedings? I was feeding 36 cc 3x/day. My cat is probably 12 pounds. IF I was feeding the right amount (it just barely kept her from losing weight) then I'd guess that your little one needs at least 50 cc/ day.

Hang in there--this is not an easy road. But, seven weeks later, with my cat happy and eating again, I can say it was definitely worth it!!

(I used Hill's AD diluted just a bit.)

I was just going to ask if you had any updates for us on Hermes? Did the Interferon work?

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I was just going to ask if you had any updates for us on Hermes? Did the Interferon work?

Click to expand...

Haven't got the Interferon yet the thanksgiving holiday made it take longer to get.... Herm is still living, but he doesn't look good I'm going to attempt to get some regular wet food in him tonight, I have some Wellness which is pretty pate-y, so maybe with a little dilution i should be able to get it in the syringe. Herm is not checking out on me!!!

C'mon Hermes! You can do it...meowmy & everyone here is rooting for you!!!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

C'mon Hermes! You can do it...meowmy & everyone here is rooting for you!!!

Click to expand...

Thanks Natalie and everyone else this has really been a trial my poor little boy, its just breaking my heart to have to do this to him but I know if I wasn't he would have been gone by now. I hate leukemia!!!

Have you tried to get a meal replacement from the vet...like Nutri-cal. It's about 10bucks a tube or so...but having been through extensive force-feeding with my foster babies and Rambo it saves a lot of stress and worry. The nutri-cal is full of calories (i believe it was 1tbsp was the equivalent of a can of wet food).

It's breaking my heart to think of you and your baby at this time. I will be praying for you and hoping for the best. The nutri-cal is a gel (but dissolves on contact in their mouth, but you can also follow it with some ensure).

I would also recommend trying to supplement the electrolytes first (1/2 hour before the feeding), it can really help to give them the energy to actually eat.

Wishing, hoping and praying for the best.