Advice needed on syringe feeding

This is a first for me so any advice is appreciated...

On Monday, kitty started sneezing. Vet gave me Lysine powder for her food. Tuesday morning, eyes watery, bad congestion, coughing and no interest in eating. That evening I started syringe feeding - not sure of the amount. Wednesday morning, brought her to the Vet. No lung congestion, urine good. Vet gave her fluids, a steroid to shrink sinuses, and Orbax to administer for a week. Still no interest in food so syringe fed four times. Today, syringe fed 3 times so far and last one she vomited back up. I figure because we woke her from a sleep caused the vomiting? The feedings have been about 30 cc's each time about 2 to 3 hours apart. 

She still has sneezing, congestion and coughing spells. I believe she has show a little improvement but cannot be certain. She has tried to eat on her own but stops after a few licks. As far as I know she is not drinking on her own, although I have seen her standing over the water bowl.

My questions are:

How often to feed?

How much to feed? She is about 9 lbs.

Do I need to give water also or is the wet food adequate?

I have fed a/d and now Wellness. I have her favorite Friskies but have not used that yet. 

Any advice for this worried parent?

Thank you

Okay, I'm by no means an expert, but here are my thoughts:

How often to feed?

She would be less likely to vomit if the food is given in smaller doses.  The consequences would also not be as bad - that is, vomiting one meal wouldn't be as big of a deal if that one meal only constituted a quarter of her daily intake as opposed to half.  What you're doing sounds pretty good to me.  I can't really see a need to feed more often than that.  

How much to feed? She is about 9 lbs.

My inclination would be to feed her the same amount she ate before she was sick, if you can get her to eat it.  If she won't eat that much, then just whatever you can get her to eat.  

Do I need to give water also or is the wet food adequate?

I think wetting the food down further would be beneficial in this situation.  She sounds like she is losing lots of fluids.  Plus, fluids are more important than food in a situation like this.  Cats (and other animals) can go much longer without food than they can without water, so if she's getting adequate fluids she'll be much better off, even if she's not getting enough food.  

You could talk to your vet about at-home intravenous fluids.  Also - are you clearing her congestion in any way?  I had a cat with a stuffy nose once and I used a 1 cc syringe to squirt a little bit of warm saline solution up her nose, which loosened the mucous.  She then sneezed it all out.  She thought I was trying to murder her, of course, but it worked.  

socksy said:

 Plus, fluids are more important than food in a situation like this.  Cats (and other animals) can go much longer without food than they can without water, so if she's getting adequate fluids she'll be much better off, even if she's not getting enough food.  

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Not true at all..... There is plenty of water in the canned food..... Unlike dogs, who can go for quite a while on fluids only and very little to no food, losing only weight, cats can develop Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic Lipidosis) very quickly when they go off food - yes, dehydration is bad, but for a cat, starvation can be lethal, and fast.
Nutrition is of vital importance - please keep force-feeding - FOOD.
To the OP - if you dilute the food by adding water to it, which is ok, make sure to feed more. The calories, or the original amount in OZ, before you add water is what counts.
Keep in mind that cats that are fed a 100% wet diet drinks very little water, if any, and do very well - mine went from drinking a ton of water when on kibbles to barely drinking any at all now that they are on raw. Their water comes from their food.

I think you seriously misinterpreted my post.  I wasn't saying there's not enough water in canned food or that she shouldn't be fed, just that her fluid needs are heightened because she's losing it through mucous.  I certainly did NOT suggest she stop feeding her cat.  Ludicrous.  

socksy said:

I think you seriously misinterpreted my post.  I wasn't saying there's not enough water in canned food or that she shouldn't be fed, just that her fluid needs are heightened because she's losing it through mucous.  I certainly did NOT suggest she stop feeding her cat.  Ludicrous.  

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Well.... I direct-quoted you.... So..... I see you did not say to stop feeding her, and did not say that in my post. But read what you wrote. It is not true. More thant that, it can be dangerous for a cat.

Welcome to the forum, gooned!

This page from the Assist Feed site should help http://www.assistfeed.com/feline_assisted_feeding.htm

I'd say 30cc at a time is too much...smaller amounts, more frequently...that's the way to go.

Here's some info about Orbax. http://www.vetinfo.com/orbax-for-cats.html

In assist feeding, it's critical that she doesn't aspirate the liquid food - which, can easily happen when she and you are stressed out. Dropping small amounts into the corner pockets of the mouth and letting her swallow is best....never directly down the throat.

The Orbax can cause vomiting...when antibiotics can cause stomach upset, it's generally recommended to have some food in the stomach first, so the "give with food" label is probably appropriate here.

The Hill's a/d is already blended smooth...you should blend the Wellness into a slurry and add a little water so it flows smoothly through the syringe.

Both the "cold" and the antibiotics usually deter the cat from food, so you may have to continue this for a few days yet.

As to the amount of food, she needs to have as much as you can feed to approach her usual caloric intake...humans can fast and metabolize body fat for energy, cats cannot and serious liver damage can result without adequate food intake. Here's a formula to calculate her caloric need:

Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70

http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity#How_Much_Do_I_Feed

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Just use her current weight in that formula.

Keep up with the L-lysine - the powder can be added to the food slurry. You can use 500mg twice a day while she's going through this.

As with us, humidity can help...I confine my cats in a small room with a warm steam vaporizer, some people use 20-minute "steaming" sessions with a hot water shower running in the bathroom (and, someone with her in there).

Keep us posted!

Thank you both for the feedback. I managed to get a jar of baby food down her tonight after 80 cc's of a/d earlier. I add some Pedialite to the cat food for additional fluids; I just did not know if I should supplement that with additional water. We just gave her half of a Chlortab and will see what happens.

gooned said:

Thank you both for the feedback. I managed to get a jar of baby food down her tonight after 80 cc's of a/d earlier. I add some Pedialite to the cat food for additional fluids; I just did not know if I should supplement that with additional water. We just gave her half of a Chlortab and will see what happens.

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A/D is perfect to be fed as is
Good job momma! :bigthumb: