Kitty comforts

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joliskaluv

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My cat has recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma. He had his first steroid shot on Tuesday, and it seemed to help him move around more and eat. But now he is back to not eating, and not moving. He hides out all day, but he will drink water a lot. He also is recovering from exploratory surgery a week ago. Does anyone think that he is not eating because he is in pain? he seems to be hurting. He will meow at me if I pick him up. I had to travel to my sister's house today, and will be here until Sunday. I brought Gary with me, but how can I make him more comfortable? should I just leave him alone all weekend? I bought him chicken hearts, but he won't even eat those. Is there something I can get for him while we are here, because we are not near his vet this weekend.
Thanks everyone.
 
bunnelina

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Steroids usually increase the appetite, which is a nice side-effect if your cat hasn't been eating. If he responded well to the first steroid shot, it sounds like he might do well to have more of them, or oral steroids.

Have you gotten him to eat anything yet? You might try all-meat baby food (Gerber makes a chicken, a beef, and a turkey, for example, that are just meat, water and cornstarch. Make sure you don't get anything with veggies and especially onions.) Many cats love Hill's Science Diet AD in cans, which is a high-calorie prescription food. Ask your vet. White meat chicken often goes down well, too.

Does he usually travel? Being in a strange place can affect a cat's appetite and other functions for a couple of days.

It does sound like he might be in pain and you should talk to the vet about that ASAP. There are pain meds you can give (I've done it by injection, which is much easier than giving oral meds, believe me!), as well as anti-nausea drugs that might help him if you are going to give chemotherapy. Some cats respond really well to chemo, depending on the type of lymphoma. Our vet treats a couple of cats who have been in remission for years.

I hope Gary is feeling better! Keep us posted.
 
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joliskaluv

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Originally Posted by Bunnelina

Steroids usually increase the appetite, which is a nice side-effect if your cat hasn't been eating. If he responded well to the first steroid shot, it sounds like he might do well to have more of them, or oral steroids.

Have you gotten him to eat anything yet? You might try all-meat baby food (Gerber makes a chicken, a beef, and a turkey, for example, that are just meat, water and cornstarch. Make sure you don't get anything with veggies and especially onions.) Many cats love Hill's Science Diet AD in cans, which is a high-calorie prescription food. Ask your vet. White meat chicken often goes down well, too.

Does he usually travel? Being in a strange place can affect a cat's appetite and other functions for a couple of days.

It does sound like he might be in pain and you should talk to the vet about that ASAP. There are pain meds you can give (I've done it by injection, which is much easier than giving oral meds, believe me!), as well as anti-nausea drugs that might help him if you are going to give chemotherapy. Some cats respond really well to chemo, depending on the type of lymphoma. Our vet treats a couple of cats who have been in remission for years.

I hope Gary is feeling better! Keep us posted.
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I got him to eat a chicken heart that I chopped up. I had to force him to eat some a/d, as that is what the vet gave me to give to him, but he didn't much like it, and only ate it when I smeared it into his mouth. He was very angry with me about that, but he wouldn't eat, and I read that it isn't good for cats to go long without eating.
He does have a couple more doses of pain medication, but I did not bring it with me. I am going to talk with the vet tomorrow, and see if there is anything else they can give him.
Last night, I bought a new type of food, and he ate about half of the container, plus he ate half a bag of his favorite treats. The vet said that he could eat anything he wanted, and I figured that if he wasn't eating, at least the treats will hold him until he is feeling better. He also still drinks a lot of water, but he refuses to come out from under the bed unless I pull him out, which I had to in order to feed him. But he growls at me, but doesn't bite or scratch me. We are going home tonight, so I will give him a dose of his pain meds and maybe he can rest tonight.
Thanks for responding. I've never known anyone with a sick animal, so this site is very helpful for me.
 
carolina

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Originally Posted by Joliskaluv

I got him to eat a chicken heart that I chopped up. I had to force him to eat some a/d, as that is what the vet gave me to give to him, but he didn't much like it, and only ate it when I smeared it into his mouth. He was very angry with me about that, but he wouldn't eat, and I read that it isn't good for cats to go long without eating.
He does have a couple more doses of pain medication, but I did not bring it with me. I am going to talk with the vet tomorrow, and see if there is anything else they can give him.
Last night, I bought a new type of food, and he ate about half of the container, plus he ate half a bag of his favorite treats. The vet said that he could eat anything he wanted, and I figured that if he wasn't eating, at least the treats will hold him until he is feeling better. He also still drinks a lot of water, but he refuses to come out from under the bed unless I pull him out, which I had to in order to feed him. But he growls at me, but doesn't bite or scratch me. We are going home tonight, so I will give him a dose of his pain meds and maybe he can rest tonight.
Thanks for responding. I've never known anyone with a sick animal, so this site is very helpful for me.
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many many many vibes.... you are doing the right thing in force feeding him - you are correct, he needs to eat, whatever he wants to, whatever he can... Just keep doing what you are doing. It seems that the rule of thumb is 1/2 of what he used to eat, or 150 calories a day to keep a kitty out of the risk of developing fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis)... So, being baby food (no garlic or onios), A/D, Chicken hearts, Fancy Feast... Whatever it takes until he regains his appetite. Yuor vet should vet a good appetite stimulant for him.
 
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Last night we got home, and I gave him his pain meds. He drank about 3/4 a cup of water in one sitting, and could not get comfortable. I noticed that his belly was swollen, and had what looked like bruises, then a little wet spot.
I made him comfortable on the floor in his basket, so that he wouldn't fall off the bed.
when I woke up this morning, it was like his belly had exploded because there was this infected body juice all over the upstairs. It smelled really bad and was obviously infected. I cleaned it up, and put him in the bathtub for now, until I can get him to the vet at 8:30.
I called the emergency vet center, and the nurse said to definitely bring him in this morning, and she seemed surprised that they didn't prescribe him antibiotics. He is still alert, and very much in pain. I am going to wrap him in a towel to take him to the vet. He gets scared in his carrier.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts for Gary.
 
bunnelina

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We're all rooting for Gary and for you! You'll be in my thoughts today as I'm nursing my own cats.
 
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currently he is at the vet's still. Dr. Ian said that he is going to make a small incision to check that there aren't any ruptures, or if there is a problem with the sutures. the he is going to give him an antibiotic. He said that if he is drinking and eating and his bm is normal, which it happens to be more normal than it was before, then it this "episode" doesn't have anything to do with his intestines, which is the area that the lymphoma has affected.
I am still waiting for news. He probably will have to spend the night at the vet, but I think that is probably better at the moment.
I will keep updating. Thanks for checking back!
 
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Really thinking of you and Gary and sending vibes your way Please keep us updated.xx
 
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Gary is now recovering after his second surgery. The fat in his stomach was abcessed, so the dr. did liposuction and removed all the dead and dying tissue, etc. Gary is feeling so much better. He walked around this morning, and even was able to jump onto my bed, which he hasn't done in at least two weeks. He also was sleeping, and snuggling, and purring, wanting to be close to me instead of hiding away. I'm to call the dr today and tell him how Gary is doing, then we will probably start the steroids today for his lymphoma.
I'm so relieved. Thanks everyone. I will continue updating as things happen.
 
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