Smudge was lost for 7 days, skin and bones, but won't eat :-(

Hi everyone!

Smudge is a dsh 1.5 year old tabby cat. he's indoor/outdoor, but something happened to him that he was displaced (probably the local feral doppelganger). After heartache and tears, and trying every means necessary to find him, i fouvnd the lucky craigslist posting by a neighboring cities animal control. He was 8 miles away!

Smudge had a severe flea infestation (despite my efforts with flea treatment two weeks prior), had lost a lot of weight, and had fur darkening and loss.
After rescuing him from the pound, Smudge had the worst vet visit of his life. Blood work, electrolyte shot, corticosteroid shot, an intense 4 hour flea killing pill (could someone tell me the name of that?), and some take home clavimox. (he bit the vet while they were trying to give him shots :-X)

the battle right now is getting him to eat. We have him in our bedroom, first room he was introduced to when he came home from adoption. We had out tuna (vet recommendation), dry food and water. no noticeable dent in the food. I ditched the tuna, (bacterial cesspool after sitting out for 24 hours), and put out kitty tuna flakes instead. Also put out cat milk in hopes of coaxing him to drink more. No attempt at feeding.

This evening, i tried the high calorie gnc paste, he wouldn't try it, so wiped it on his paw, he wiped it of on the floor. So after antibiotic rx, i filled the syringe with some water squirted it in his mouth. He didn't like it, but at least i know dehydrated kitty has little water in him. Also, i wiped some of the hi Cal paste in his mouth. But, then he started doing the most awful sounding teeth gnashing!

I don't know what to do. Vet said he should be fine with the meds she gave. Worst case they'd hospitalize him, which i can't afford as an underpaid grad student.

how do i get ptsd Smudge to eat??

(he won't come out from under the bed, we have to grab him by the scruff to get him out for med time despite calling him and petting as a means to get him out. before he was a typical friendly but fickle cat. How can we rekindle relations?)

Thank you for taking the time to look this over and help Smudge become the fat happy cat he was!

Fantastic! that Smudge is back home. Good on you for seeking, searching, and finding him. Bad that he's not eating. I think you are absolutely right that he has a case of PTSD.

When my cats won't eat sometimes human baby chicken or turkey food from the grocery store does the trick. My old lady cat adores the freeze dried chicken treats, little cubes that I crumble between my fingers over her wet food - she starts to eat the treat and keeps on going with the canned wet food.

I've seen people here on TheCatSite recommend KFC chicken, skin removed, to bait hav-a-heart traps. If it is so enticing that cats go into the rap maybe it will entice Smudge to eat.

Scruffing and pulling him out from under the bed is possibly / probably traumatizing. He thinks, here I am hiding but I'm not hiding well enough 'cause they find me and drag me out. I'd push a dish with food, heck - several little dishes each with a different food - under the bed and go away. Let him hide in the dark and maybe feel safe enough to eat.

Poor boy. I do hope he comes around in a day or so. Poor you, wanting to do the best you can to make him feel safe and happy back at home. Please do give us updates.

Poor boy, he has been through a lot. As well a s PTSD he may have Hepatic Lipidosis, which is basically a form of anorexia that hits cats that haven't eaten.They just lose the will to eat and then the liver starts to shut down. SO you must get food and water into him somhow - it is very dangerous just to leave him to start eating by himself - not that you are doing that. The high calorie paste is a good idea - I smear it on the gums and ignore protests! You could also try unsalted fresh cream cheese - gobs of that in the mouth dissolve and they have to swallow it. And most cats in normal times love it, so it is worth a go. And keep syringing him with water or homemade chicken broth. Even if he protests, he must get something down him though I know it is difficult. Good luck, I hope you get your boy back to normal soon.

I agree you need to get some fluids and food into him, quick! The most important thing right now is getting him hydrated, because they can't digest well if they're dehydrated. I find a large plastic medicine dropper to be a lot easier than a feeding syringe. You can find them in the baby medication section of a drug store. Pedialyte is better than plain water; if he's badly dehydrated plain water won't absorb well. If you can't get unflavored Pedialyte, Google "oral rehydration solution" and make some of that up. He'll need a lot to get him hydrated, but if you give too much at once he'll probably throw up. So frequent administration of a small amount (1 or 2 dropperfuls every 10 minutes, etc.) is best. If you can't get him hydrated that way, take him to the vet for sub-q fluids.

After he's hydrated, it's important to get some food into him. I've always used turkey baby food, watered down a bit with Pedialyte so it'll go in the dropper. He'll need at least one jar a day, 2 would be best. Again, a small amount at a time. You can also get some a/d from the vet--it's specifically made for force-feeding and sick pets.

I would keep him in a small room with nothing to hide under (like a bathroom), because hauling him out from under the bed every 10 minutes is a huge pain! And it's probably stressful for him, too. Unfortunately, you're going to have to stress him in order to help him recover, but he should get over it once he's feeling better.

I hope he recovers soon!

It's great that you found him!  The next thing that must be done is to force feed.  After this, the vet can prescribe appetite stimulants that work really really well and don't really cost that much.  A small bottle/ container or a syringe.  You can mush his food up into a gruel.  Mix it with water to thin it out.  You can then suck it up with the syringe and add it all to the small bottle.  Put he tip on the bottle and cut a small hole big enough for it to come out in little bite/ drops.   Hold kitty and slowly feed.  He also probably needs to be fed water too.  This is the important thing right now because cats must eat. 

I have had things as simple as an upper respiratory infection in a cat where he could not smell his food and therefor refused to eat.  This could have really hurt him, but I kept the food and water coming until I got him to a vet who was able to fix him.  He was also dehydrated and the vet said that this contributed to nausea and lack of appetite.  He rehydrated him, sent me home with appetite stimulants and kitty was up hill since.

If he is skinny, chances are he could use some hydration.  He simply must eat.  Good luck.  Sending prayers for you and kitty!!!!   

Prayers being said for Smudge's quick recovery..

How is he today?  I'm hoping that once relaxed after his traumatic experiences the past several days,he will have eaten some.

Thank you everyone for taking time to respond

Smudge Update: 
Yesterday morning went a little better, I could tell he had eaten about a tablespoon of the soft cat food but unsure if he's drinking fluids. Getting out from under the bed went better too, hardwood floor and I was able to scoop and slide him out from under (hopefully less traumatizing). Gave him antibiotics, about 2 teaspoon of the hi cal gnc gel in small doses wiped on his tongue alternated with about 1ml of water (3 ml total, not nearly enough). I purchased a Feliway diffuser this morning to put next to the bed, hopefully it will calm his nerves.  

While I had him out from under the bed, I brushed him down with a flea comb. He has a lot of scabs from what vet says is flea allergy dermatitis, but he loves being brushed! Probably scratches all the itchy scabs from him. 

Last night and this morning we gave him the diluted turkey baby food with a syringe. He took it okay, but he continued to grind his teeth together after he was fed (plus taking a couple pretty mean bites into the plastic). So, 1 jar in 24 hours = 70 Cal  and 2 teaspoons of hi cal gel = 42 Cal so, 112 Cal  in 24 hours

(and this morning there was a BM in the litter box!) 

Catapault said:

Scruffing and pulling him out from under the bed is possibly / probably traumatizing. He thinks, here I am hiding but I'm not hiding well enough 'cause they find me and drag me out. I'd push a dish with food, heck - several little dishes each with a different food - under the bed and go away. Let him hide in the dark and maybe feel safe enough to eat.

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         Would the regular (higher fat %) be preferred due to the cat high protein high fat diet?

Willowy said:

 Pedialyte is better than plain water; if he's badly dehydrated plain water won't absorb well. If you can't get unflavored Pedialyte, Google "oral rehydration solution" and make some of that up. He'll need a lot to get him hydrated, but if you give too much at once he'll probably throw up. So frequent administration of a small amount (1 or 2 dropperfuls every 10 minutes, etc.) is best. If you can't get him hydrated that way, take him to the vet for sub-q fluids.
After he's hydrated, it's important to get some food into him. I've always used turkey baby food, watered down a bit with Pedialyte so it'll go in the dropper. He'll need at least one jar a day, 2 would be best. Again, a small amount at a time. You can also get some a/d from the vet--it's specifically made for force-feeding and sick pets.
I would keep him in a small room with nothing to hide under (like a bathroom), because hauling him out from under the bed every 10 minutes is a huge pain! And it's probably stressful for him, too. Unfortunately, you're going to have to stress him in order to help him recover, but he should get over it once he's feeling better.
I hope he recovers soon!

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        I will definitely try that as soon as I get home! I work in a research lab, so I "borrowed" a couple sterile 10 mL. How much water does a cat typically ingest? 

        The vet did give him an electrolyte subq, two days ago in the evening. His skin is still lacking the elasticity to move quickly back into place, so I want to make sure he's getting fluid. 

Lovemycats2 said:

 After this, the vet can prescribe appetite stimulants that work really really well and don't really cost that much.  

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I'll talk with the vet about on our follow up on Monday. how is the stimulant administered?

Thank you again everyone!

If we keep this up, Smudge will soon be his old happy chubby self!

What a cutie!!!

Glad to hear he's doing somewhat better. Please keep us updated

He is precious   So glad to hear he is improving.  So happy you were able to find him.  Keep us posted on his progress if you have the time
 

Smudge has improved by leaps and bounds! He has been nibbling on soft food and he will now lick the hi cal gel off my finger (rather than wiping it in his mouth). At night, he'll come out from hiding and he runs around the room, jumps up on the bed, meows to wake us up for attention (at 1, 3 and 5 am   ). It's so good to have him socializing with us again!

We leave the tv on in the room, we live in a very urban area so there are lots of loud sudden noises. Our hope was by leaving the tv on, the noises would blend and be less harsh. He's been watching the Olympics and rooting for USA

Now to get him out during the day

Things that worked:

Turkey Baby Food: While he wasn't eating or drinking on his own, I diluted the baby food glass jar by half with the Oral Rehydration Solution (sugar/salt water) and gave him half of the dilution in the morning and again at night. I put the syringe on the side of his mouth, where there are tooth gaps, and it made it easier to give to him. He chewed on the plastic tip, which I think made him feel better (due to the teeth grinding he was doing otherwise).

GNC Calorie Booster: He doesnt care for the texture, but I think hes starting to like the flavor. First couple days was slightly opening his mouth to wipe it onto his tongue. Now he'll lick it off my finger.

Soft Food: We use purina pro tuna. I add water to it and stir it so that it doesn't harden too quickly, and pull it after 24 hours. 

Things that didn't work:

Canned Tuna for humans (turned icky too quick, and it didnt entice him)

Fiskars Cat Milk: Maybe when he's feeling better, but wouldn't drink it. 

Cream Cheese: Wasn't interested in it, also don;t want to upset his stomach with the lactose

Yay! Glad to hear he's doing better. I can't count how many times I've saved kitties with baby food and Oral Rehydration Solution. Glad it worked for him, too!

I'm told the teeth grinding is because of nausea. I suppose I'd feel nauseous with a totally empty stomach, too. It should go away now that he's feeling better.

Now just to get him to stay close to home! Maybe he's learned his lesson now. :tongue2:

So glad he's doing better

Very glad he is doing better. To answer your question on the cheese - the processing removes lactose, so it is OK to use it - I give it to very young kittens. But if Smudge has decided he doesn't like it, then the most important thing right now is to get food into him, no matter what sort. Do keep a watch on his fluid intake, he needs lots of liquids.

Smudge went back to the vet Wed, we got him appetite stimulants and omeprazole (antacid). He ate the first night we gave it to him, and he ate a little the second night (but a lot less :[ ). Then this morning, I got a call from vet saying he tested a strong positive (4plus?) for bartonella. 

So, now smudge needs another 21 days of antibiotic, which is already a fight. 

And he went from not grinding his teeth yesterday, to grinding them again when I gave him hi cal gel this morning. 

I'm mildly worried about this bartonella, as I've been scratched repeatedly for the past week and a half. Time for a doctor visit for me?