Our Reggie is back home after 9 days at vet - advice needed

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aarong

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Hey all, I am new to the site and suppose my first post is sort of a big splash. Sorry for the long post, but wanted to provide enough info.

My name is Aaron and one of our cats (Reggie, male, 9 years old) went into the vet hospital last Monday evening (10/18) and was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis (HL) (fatty liver disease). While the official cause is not 100% known, our doctor thinks he did not get enough calories when he had a 4-5 day upper respiratory issue (sneezing, clogged nose) the week of Oct 11-15. He is 15 lbs and ideally should be 12-13 lbs, so he is above ideal weight but not "obese". But being overweight likely put him at higher risk for developing HL. A PEG tube was placed in his stomach so he could begin receiving food (which is the main treatment for HL) which has been going well. Only a few vomiting episodes since feedings began on 10/20, which was from being fed too fast.

His mood changed dramatically once he began receiving food at the vet. On Sat he began purring at the vet (we saw him 1-2x a day) and was in good spirits (all things considered).

So fast forward to yesterday and he was cleared to come home. He got home around 6:00 last night and I wanted to get advice from others about his return home. While he is not depressed, he is keeping more to himself. He has groomed himself and is "squirmy" when we feed him (agitated from us keeping him from moving), so he is being alert and responsive. One of his favorite spots to lay is under the coffee table in the living room, which is where he is spending most of the time. I have never dealt with this type of thing before, so is it expected that there will be an adjustment period now that he is back home? Except when we came to see him and when he had "stuff" done, he was in his cage for 8-9 days (which he's NEVER gone through before).

I don't want to jump the gun or anything since he's only been home for ~1 day, is keeping his food down and is hanging out in the living room and not hiding in some back room or under a bed. But is there anything specific we should do to help him re-adjust? Or is it just a matter of time? Luckily my wife or I will be at home through at least Monday, so that gives him 5 days of being at home with us there.

Thanks for any ideas!
 

threecatowner

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I would do what you're doing... give him lots of love - and food. This is a horrible thing for a kitty to go through - sounds like Reggie is going to be just fine.
 

rad65

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Yeah, he just needs time to readjust to being in your home. That is a really long time for a cat to be away from the area it considered safe.
 

ldg

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Our Spooky has regular dentals. That means she gets dropped off in the morning, a short anesthesia, and picked up and brought home that afternoon/evening.

It takes her a day or two to get back to her normal self.


You're doing the right thing - and it's nice one of you will be home for the next few days.
But that it takes a little while to adjust - especially if he's not feeling 100% to begin with - is completely normal.
 
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aarong

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Sorry to share this news, but our Reggie lost his battle with his liver illness this morning. He battled so hard and tried his best. We are devastated by his loss.
 
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