Hydrating a 14 lb cat

My cat Beeba has a UTI and has been off his food and water. He was at the vets yesterday. I have a 3ml syringe and have given him about 12 ml 1/2 hour ago. How much and how often should I do this?

I don't want him dehydrated and put on SQ fluids. He is on 22mg Baytril once a day and a urine acidifyer once a day. This is only day two.

He is my bud, and I love him to pieces.

Thanks for any info.

Best thing is call your vet ... fluid dosing while somewhat standard depends on factors like weight, age , general health ....

I have no idea how much you would have to give by mouth. I actually prefer sub-q to keep a cat hydrated. It just seems easier to me.

I called my vet and he said give him as much as he will tolerate. I would have to take him in to the vet to get SQ fluids. I can't do them at home. It would be very stressful for him.

So, I'll go by what the vet said. Please send us some vibes. Beeba is a sweetheart.

Thanks for the input!

Hi Farleyv - first of all, many vibes!!!
second... a 14lb cat should not go more than a day without eating, so make sure you give him food too... Otherwise he can be in danger of HL... Can you feed him some wet food with your fingers, or a little spoon? If not, blend it and feed it with a syringe... Don't let him go without food though...

I've got wet food up there, but he shows no interest. I will turn it into mush and begin feeding it to him tonight.

Luckily, he tolerates my interference fairly well.

I just am so worried about him. He lost his mom last February. When she died, he looked to me and we have been best friends since.

My brain isn't working too well tonight, what is HL? I should probably know but I am a bit scattered!

Thanks for the vibes!

Originally Posted by farleyv

I've got wet food up there, but he shows no interest. I will turn it into mush and begin feeding it to him tonight.

Luckily, he tolerates my interference fairly well.

I just am so worried about him. He lost his mom last February. When she died, he looked to me and we have been best friends since.

My brain isn't working too well tonight, what is HL? I should probably know but I am a bit scattered!

Thanks for the vibes!

Click to expand...

Hepatic Lipidosis -

• A previously overweight cat stops eating for whatever reason (it can happen on any cat, but faster on overweight)
• Lacking food, the body starts sending fat cells to the liver to process into lipoproteins for fuel.
• Cats' livers are not terribly efficient at processing fat, and much of the fat is stored in the liver cells.
• Left untreated, eventually the liver fails and the cat dies.

In an overweight cat, it can happen in as little as 48 hours... So make absolutely SURE that he eats, no matter what...
Baby food (garlic/onion free), Tuna, boiled chicken... Try adding tuna juice to his food, or clam juice... Warming it up...
Do what you can, but don't leave it up to him. Put a little on your finger, and then place it on the roof of his mouth, or on the side of his mouth.
Vibes

First of all, ask your vet for advice on feeding. Due to his health being compromised, giving him the wrong food may put him in more danger.

If your vet tells you to try and give him whatever he'll eat, then you need to get food down him. If he goes for much longer without it, his health will worsen very quickly. Sometimes, you may have to use a syringe like you do with giving him water and force mushed up, liquid food down him. Do it slower than with water and more toward the corner/roof of his mouth, to make sure he doesn't choke.

Also, warming his wet food will made the scent stronger and sometimes that makes it more appealing to a cat.

for your kitty. Hopefully he'll get over this soon!

Ok, now I got it. I mashed up some FF appitizer, added some warm water and started to feed by finger. He suddenly realized "oh this is good" and got up and walked over and ate the rest on the plate. Then he started grazing between the fish we had for dinner, his regular dry and FF.

In a little bit, I will go back up and give water, but from the way he looked, he will probably do some eating on his own too. I have an eagle eye and will know what he has taken in.

He is still sitting in the litter box for 10 minutes at a time. He has gone a couple of times the size of perhaps a mashed golf ball.

Hope to see marked improvement tomorrow. His body language is good, rolls over so I can do the belly thing. Alert and wide eyed.

I might have given the impression he is overweight. He is long and lanky. No fat. Just a sleek guy! Thanks for the info. It helps to get support soooo much.

Great that you got him to eat! Good thing it is wet - at this point, if you can afford it, you might want to change him to all wet, unless your vet puts you in a prescription diet... again, talk to your vet next time you are in.
But for now, the more wet food he gets, and the least dry, the better off he will be...

BTW - Hepatic lipidosis can happen to all cats, much faster on overweight cats though.

I add a couple of teaspoons of warm water to my girls' wet food in the morning and evening and mix it to the consistency of oatmeal. That way, I know they're getting more water than normally. Also, switching to canned only or mostly a canned diet will increase his water. I also have an oversize coffee mug on the coffee table for the kitties to drink from as well as bowls in the guest room and our bedroom, and mugs on the bathroom counter for them to drink from. Providing water in different places and kinds of containers helps them drink more.