Please Help

Very very well said. Im sure it will not be taken as rude at all, just educational. I dont understand why a vet would not treat this as a dire situation as serious as this is, but I have seen it more than once, where a vet casually addresses a cat not eating and then the cats family casually takes care of it and then the result is not good

Hi! I didn't think you were being rude at all, however, I do have to say that the vet had me read the entire article about what he "thought" Pikey has, based upon the tests that the other vet took. The tests showed that Pikey had a slightly elevated fat content in the liver and the new vet also ran a urinalysis and said he also has a slight bladder infection for which I am now giving him antibiotics. To be honest, I do not remember the name of the affliction that the vet had me read about and if it is what you described, but it said that 70% of cats survive with proper nutritional therapy.
That said, here's the latest on Pikey. I have been feeding him much more aggressively and he is certainly responding. Tonight, I have just gotten home from work, Pikey greeted me like in days of old and for the 1st time in ages, ate several cat treats on him own. That is a very significant thing as he hasn't even showed any interest in eating since he got sick. He even approached the food in his bowel, but hasn't eaten from there as of yet. I feed him the special food about every 45 minutes when I am home and he's honestly responding. He plays with his vat toys again, chases things I throw and is really full of pep once again. I will, however read the thread you suggested, but I'm not positive that is what the vet speculated it was.
Johnny

Oh, I so hope Pikey keeps improving - and, you poor guy - I bet you haven't had more than 2 hours sleep at a time in the last week - not counting the car mishap! I'm surprised you can string two words together, let alone read long technical articles on various cat illnesses - but will you be a pro on eating disorders in cats by time this is over. I'm glad the new vet seems to be working out much better for you both.

More best wishes for Pikey and you, and I hope to see more updates - and maybe a picture? Thanks!

Hi Johnny,
I have been watching your thread since Pikey started having problems, and I am soooo glad he is feeling better. I haven't posted anything because everyone is doing such a great job advising you, and I personnally haven't had the problem you are experiencing. I did want to say, however, that I had a sick kitty a few years ago that seemed to want to eat his new special diet on his own, but wouldn't. I put about a tablespoon of the juice from canned albacor tuna on top, and he did begin eating. I reduced the amount over the following 2 days to zero until he ate on his own. Canned tuna is NOT something you want to give cats
but, hey, if it will get them started eating on their own, so be it.
Best of luck to you and PikeMan!
Bobby

Hi All! Its a little past midnight here and I just got home from work. Pikey was very vocal and spry when I got home, but (I see) he still hadn't eaten anything or had a bowel movement-its been since he had an enema last Friday (a week ago) since he's gone. He does urinate every day or so.

As for he Pikey not having eaten enough for a bowel movement, I think he has. The last two days, I have force feed him a large can of the special diet the new vet gave me each day. I would assume that would be enough to produce a bowel movement. Pikey, even though a large cat, was never a particularly big eater. He would never eat wet food and I always gave him IAMS (dry for indoor cats) and he really never ate that much, but always was ready with the bowel movement for my enjoyment when I returned home from work.
Anyway, off to the vet again tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.
Johnny

Oh Johnny, I am so so sorry you are going through this. It seems like you are holding up amazingly though and thank you for taking such good care of your cat.

Keep up with the force feeding, it is so so important. Maybe get the vet to teach you how to give subQ fluids if you are comfortable with that. I went through this with my cat kismet for 3 months last year until she got better, she had to be force fed and given fluids (She had fatty liver syndrome). A can a day is a really good amount, I'm sure it will help, but I don't know what to tell you about the bowel movements, the fluids might help get things working again.

I am assuming you did have your cats liver levels checked and his skin isn't yellow?

will be watching this thread and thinking about you!

EDIT: I just saw that you did have the cat checked and he may have fatty liver syndrome.

Fluids and Food is what you need to do! If the cat is being cooperative with the force feeding then that's great! It may take a couple weeks of force feeding for him to recover, but what I did once kismet was doing a bit better (pooping again etc.) was I would force feed her during the day, then leave her locked in a room (away from other cats) overnight, with every food imaginable (wet, dry, tuna, baby food, cat treats) available to her, and one night she just started eating it..........

If he's had enough...and he's not swelling up like a balloon...something has to be getting out somehow. A cat is a system that's only open at two ends. Are you sure he's not throwing it up somewhere? Does his belly area still feel normal to the touch, or is it getting larger and/or harder than usual? I once had a barn cat that had something happen...whatever was wrong, it must have been pretty close to the end of the inner workings...where he needed his belly rubbed and kneaded for a while so that he could pass whatever it was, and when he finally "went" it was epic quantities, but then he was fine.

just hoping for a good update soon.

Hello Friends! Just got home from work again tonight and have some good news. Just before I was about to leave for work early this afternoon, Pikey had a bowel movement on his own. I was soooo jazzed. I was joking with someone at work that "has my life become so pitiful that the highlight of my day is for my cat takes a ?" That was just a joke, but the way.
Anyway, the great news is that Pikey not only is going to the bathroom on his own, but also eating cat treats. Those are two really positive steps in the right direction. One other thing I wanted to run by everyone is how is Pikey ever gonna want to eat on his own when I am force-feeding him so much food. I am force feeding him more food than he ever ate in normal life, Off to bed. That's again for your concern.
Johnny

He will prefer eating on his own (the force feeding is uncomfortable) once he is feeling better, so as long as food/treats are available to him you'll know when he's ready, until then keep force feeding (the more the better and the quicker he will recover)! You are saving his life!!!!

Thanks for your input. Pikey really gets excited when I tease him with treats and then eats as many as I give him, then goes over to his food, checks it out and walks away. And just for the record, I have switched several times a day from wet food to dry, back and forth, etc. My sister thought that there may be something wrong with the IAMS I bought. Tomorrow I will buy some IAMS kitten food. Also, I'm gonna have to return the wet food the vet switched me to as it is too solid and I can't shoot it from the syringe.
Johnny

If he really likes the treats, you might try putting a few in a bowl with one or two pieces of the regular food, and see if he'll eat the regular with the treats.

Yay poo!

I bet he'll eat on his own more when he realizes that that's the way to make you not need to force-feed him.

I was actually just thinking about what both of you mentioned. I'll try the treats and food trick when I get home. I have to say that although Pikey is a smart cat, I don't think he will put together the syringe and eating thing. He seems to be repulsed by the food. I've tried many different types also, and the only thing he'll eat on his own is the treats. Its strange. What is it with the treats that he likes? Also, they wet cat food the vet gave me and insists that I give Pikey is very solid for wet food, so I have to manually smash it all up with before I give it to Pikey, so it'll squeeze through the syringe.

Just got home and did an experiment. I laid out some kitty treats on the floor and Pikey ate them. I then put the kitty treats in his bowel and he would not even approach them. I then took the treats out of his bowel and placed them on the floor and he ate them right up. I then put out some IAMS kitten food which I just bought out on the floor with the kitty treats and he ate both (but not a lot of it). Interesting don't you think? Any ideas?

Originally Posted by roby22

Just got home and did an experiment. I laid out some kitty treats on the floor and Pikey ate them. I then put the kitty treats in his bowel and he would not even approach them. I then took the treats out of his bowel and placed them on the floor and he ate them right up. I then put out some IAMS kitten food which I just bought out on the floor with the kitty treats and he ate both (but not a lot of it). Interesting don't you think? Any ideas?

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John - My lucky had a period when she hated her food bowl. She loved food around the apartment though - as if she was hunting for food
Try to put kibbles in places where she usually hangs out - a handfull on the arm of the couch, another close to her bed, another close to her food bowl... Just in different places... First do not put the food in a container. After she starts eating, start putting the food on the same places, but inside of containers. Eventually you will need to coax her into eating from her food bowl again, but that can be easily done...
Good luck and many vibes for your girl....

Pikey ended up not eating that much, but I was/am really encouraged that he will eat on his own. The cat food that the new vet wants me to use (which I am doing now) is very difficult to administer. It is very solid and has to be totally mashed up (which isn't easy) and is very difficult to send through the syringe which makes Pikey very uncomfortable. He is a good sport, but it kills me to continually irritate him like this. It is something that absolutely has to be done, but I feel he is start to not trust me anymore and no longer looks at me as a friend and protector. That is what is tough emotionally. But he has to eat, and I'm off again to force-feed him

Just gave Pikey his nightly cat food force-feeding and it is becoming hell. I have to mix it so much with water so it'll go through the syringe that it literally took maybe 100 injections to finish it all. And the little guy has to endure that three times a day. The other cat food was easy to inject through the syringe, but this is awful. This is a wet IAMS intestinal formula. I just wish he would start eating on his own. And how is he expected to when he's fed all this food through force-feeding? He never ate that much food anyway, even though he's a huge cat. I'm becoming depressed about all this. He will not let me continue doing this abuse too much longer. One thing is for sure, our relationship will NEVER be the same. He will NEVER trust me again and rightly so. The poor little guy.

Roby, I know exactly what you are going through, it is such a painful emotional thing, but you are doing what's right. I used to cry before and after I force fed kismet (yes all three times) I managed to calm down while I was feeding her, and I'd do it in the dark to some soft music, helped calm us both down. I thought she hated me, she wouldn't even look up anymore when I came in a room or patted her it was so hard. I was never very good at the force feeding either, I always got it ALL over her, me, the towel, the room...... But now, almost 2 years later, she is exactly back to the sweet girl she was. Once she got her weight and strength back nothing was different (even though she was force fed for over 2 months) she lets me pick her up, brush her, play with her, clip her nails..... she jumps on my lap, purrs, sleep with me, etc. Cats are very forgiving, and I'm sure your baby will trust you again, please don't worry too much.

At night when he goes the longest without feeding.....are you leaving out all sorts of food for him? (this is when he will most likely start eating again). LEave out baby food, wet food, tuna, treats, anything you can think of and see if he'll eat it during the night. Even just a little bit.

Also maybe you should switch to the Hill's A/D for force feeding. This is by far the best food for syringe feeding, it goes through the syringe nicely when mixed with water and has a very high caloric value. This is what i used and I mixed it with warm water everytime. I did 1mL at a time, 60mL/feeding, atleast 3 times a day.


GOod luck

EDIT

Originally Posted by roby22

Just got home and did an experiment. I laid out some kitty treats on the floor and Pikey ate them. I then put the kitty treats in his bowel and he would not even approach them. I then took the treats out of his bowel and placed them on the floor and he ate them right up. I then put out some IAMS kitten food which I just bought out on the floor with the kitty treats and he ate both (but not a lot of it). Interesting don't you think? Any ideas?

Click to expand...

I just read this. This is excellent news, this is how kismet started eating when she started to get better. As I mentioned before, keep up with the force feeding, but leave little piles around at night (Not in the bowl, just on the floor wherever) I bet he will slowly start eating them at night, and again, not just cat food, but treats and anything else that seems appetizing to a cat.

I wonder if Pikey is associating his old bowl with discomfort? If you don't want to just leave food on the floor, is there maybe a dollar store or someplace where you could pick up cheap flat small plates or saucers - anything that's a different size - and, as mentioned, leaving the food in that, in different areas?

Have you told the vet about the problems with using this new food - maybe they can suggest something you can mix up with it to make it easier, while still being healthy.

You're a hero - and I can imagine that all the stress and lack of sleep is getting to you as well. But Pikey definitely would not still be here without you - and he'll forgive you. More prayers for a speedy return to health and a normal life for both of you.