5 YO Cat with Possible HL

laurenwolf

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Hi all!

I'm new to this community, but have been reading some threads on cats and their owners who have battled their way through Hepatic Lipidosis. My 5 year old male cat, Oliver, slowed his eating to about 3/4 of his normal eating about Thursday of last week.  He has lost about about a pound or 2 (he's 10 lbs now - was about just shy of 12). We had him at the vet on Tuesday, who prescribed him the Science Diet A/D.  She also said a feeding tube may be necessary if he doesn't start eating.   He seems to turn his back on his water and food that's normally in a bowl, but we have been somewhat successful at feeding him pieces of chicken throughout the day and syringe feeding him the A/D - usually getting him about 25- 30 mL of the A/D per day.  Sometimes more, when he's feeling more up to it.

His disposition is fairly normal, he isn't sulking or lonely, he does his normal activities of putzing around the house and watching the birdies fly by outside.  I'm really not wanting to get him the feeding tube, he's normally not the most social cat and can actually be very aggressive towards strangers and the veterinarian. The vet said it may not be a possibility for him, due to his aggression, we may not be able toget close enough to even feed him, and he would have to be sedated constantly.  That's not the life that I want for my cat for the next 4 -6 weeks.  Without sedation, he is constantly hissing and screeching, when he's approached unwantingly, it's very upsetting and quite intimidating actually.  But when he wants to be around people, he's been quite the cuddlebug lately.

He seems to be peeing about twice a day, so I'm wondering if that means he's not severely dehydrated? I just don't know what to take as a good sign, or what to take as a bad sign. He seems to try liquids once, then not again. So far, we've gotten him to try tuna juice, 2 % milk, & kitten milk, but once he's had a few sips, he seems to walk away. I just hope it's not causing a food aversion, but at this point, I just want him to be able to try something!

Any suggestions are welcomed. We all just want Oliver back to his normal (though anti-social and tempermental) self!   I rescued him from a barn when he was just a few weeks old, and he did have some digestive issues, and was put on Vetasil for the first few months of his life.   Would anyone suggest continuing the Vetasil? As we cannot pinpoint the reason he stopped/slowed his eating, and thought it may have been a kitty "bellyache" that stopped it in the first place. The vet also prescribed Mirtazapine, but we haven't had much luck getting him to try eating that either. We're just at a loss!

Again, thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing any and all suggestions! We will continue the syringe feeding for now.

-Lauren & Oliver
 

carolina

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Sorry you are going through that.... I am not sure if your vet was clear with you though.... You have to syringe feed what he normally eats per ***day***. What you are giving him right now, 25-30ml, or about 1oz, is less than a meal; not nearly enough.
He needs to eat a full can of A/D, or a bit less of it a day, if you want to prevent HL. If you can't do that by syringe feeding, yes, a feeding tube will be necessary..... HL is a vicious cycle, very dangerous, and can be lethal quickly if not dealt with a lot of care. The only medicine for it is food.
Because of the way the body works, the worst HL gets, the less hungry he gets the less he eats, the worst it gets. Basically, if you don't intervene, he won't get better.
You can try treats, junk kibble, different wet foods, raw meat, baby food..... But he has to eat the full daily ratio for his weight.
Also, act fast, as with HL you are on a fight against time- it moves quickly.... Be as proactive as you can.
If he doesn't eat the appetite stimulant, pill him.
Be aware... HL kills, and kills fast. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:

I made a thread in the past about force feeding.... Has some good links and info: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating
 
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laurenwolf

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Thank you Carolina! I am continuing to feed in small portions with the chicken every hour or 45 minutes. He seems to be most receptive to this, but I do worry about the lack of nutrition and calories included in a piece of chicken.  We were also able to syringe feed him the 5 mL of food this morning and will also be continuing that throughout the day.  Also as you suggested, we are trying baby food of chicken, and hopefully he will take a nibble of that and start to like it.

I'm thinking the cat bag is going to become a necessity. He hasn't hissed or scratched during the syringe feeding, which is a bit of a shock, beacuse that's all he has done to us for the past 5 years.  I know people say their cats squirm and that the cat bag helps, but I'm really just worried that with Oliver since he can be SO nasty it may not even help.  Anyway.....thank you so much. If we cant start to get more food in him, it looks like Sunday will be the day he goes back to the vet. The vet seems to be hopeful as he will eat on his own, but only if I put the chicken in front of him and pet him. We'll just continue to do several feedings about every hour or so, and hopefully a supplement of the A/D will start to work with him as well.

Again, thank you so much, I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to help!
 
 

carolina

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Raw chicken is very nutritious, I feed a raw diet.... Raw meat is the best food you can give to a cat. It doesn't take much to make it a full meal either..... My 12lb eats 4.8oz a day, divided in three meals of 1.6 oz. If he will eat raw chicken breast, by all means, feed him!
 
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laurenwolf

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Once again, you have calmed my nerves! Perhaps with the chicken he is getting enough nutrition  - although we weren't feeding him raw, just plain (not marinated) baked chicken breast. Going forward, I may try to incorporate a few raw pieces to see how he reacts to it. Perhaps the syringe feedings weren't going well because he was just stuffed full of the chicken! So far today he's had about a 1.5 oz of chicken, about a 1 tsp of chicken baby food, and a few laps of milk. It's not ideal, but we're hoping it continues throughout the afternoon, and possibly be able to supplement a few syringes this evening just to try to get a few more calories into him.

Any other suggestions are welcomed, thanks so much!!!
 

carolina

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Once again, you have calmed my nerves! Perhaps with the chicken he is getting enough nutrition  - although we weren't feeding him raw, just plain (not marinated) baked chicken breast. Going forward, I may try to incorporate a few raw pieces to see how he reacts to it. Perhaps the syringe feedings weren't going well because he was just stuffed full of the chicken! So far today he's had about a 1.5 oz of chicken, about a 1 tsp of chicken baby food, and a few laps of milk. It's not ideal, but we're hoping it continues throughout the afternoon, and possibly be able to supplement a few syringes this evening just to try to get a few more calories into him.

Any other suggestions are welcomed, thanks so much!!!
:lol3: That's a very good possibility!
Raw is more nutritious than cooked though, so it is preferable, let alone easy! So, just warm it up a bit in a little baggie under warm water and see if he eats - aim for 4.5oz a day, or a bit more, in several meals, and you are all set! :clap::clap::clap:
You can then look up a raw diet, balancing it and feeding properly.... For now, for his calories requirements, he can go for a while on chicken breast alone....
But a raw diet will prevent a whole bunch of medical issues in his future.... IMHO, it is, by far the best and the healthiest diet for our obligate carnivores - and if you feed canned, or even canned/dry, the cheapest too, which helps!! :clap::clap::clap:
 
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