How long does Nutri-cal take to help my kitten?

lili c

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Hello everyone!

I am very new to this site and a first time cat owner. I have a 5 month old kitten who was spayed 3 weeks ago. She has had a few problems such as constipation and lethargy, She has no energy at all but eats. I have taken her to the vet who stated that her incision site looks great but he was not sure whether she would survive. He said she has a 50% chance of getting better as she has lost almost a pound in a few weeks. He said the only thing he would recommend is for me to give her Nutri-Cal and she if that helps her. I have been giving her 1 inch of Nutri-Cal 3 times a day for the past 4 days. She eats canned food and she eats it pretty well. I have also given her treats and pedialyte which he recommended. But even though she eats well she does not seem to have very much energy. She spends most of the time sleeping of laying down in a meatloaf position and once in awhile looks a little active but will not play. I would just like to know if this is how long it should be taking to help her because I have read positive reviews about Nutri-Cal from other people but I am not really seeing many results yet. And it also makes me wonder if it is even working? I would appreciate any feedback. 
 

mrblanche

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Are you also feeding her a kitten food?  If not, you should be.  She needs the extra fat and protein.  You say she's eating OK.  If she is, and she's using the litter box normally, she should be OK, but do keep in touch with the vet. 
 

GemsGem

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Has your kitten always been like this or only since she was spayed ?
 
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lili c

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No I tried mixing it with the canned food but she will only eat the canned food. She ignores the kitten food and I have tried a few different ones such as Purina and the Meow Mix. Can you recommend any that you think are good? And she had been using the litter box normally until today  but today she seemed a little more awake than normal. And I will contact him tomorrow again thank you!
 
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lili c

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GemsGem: know she was actually very active before she was spayed. She used to jump on people and on the walls. Now she no longer does that and can jump onto high surfaces but looks very tired and barely makes it onto the surface.
 

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Usually nutrical effects are pretty instantaneous meaning the results should be quick.  Something definitely sounds amiss with your kitty.  Was bloodwork performed on her before her spay?  You might want to have her xrayed and/or have bloodwork ran.  She should be back to normal after her spay, maybe something happened during the spay or after the spay.  You want to get better brands of cat food such as Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Felidae etc.  You can also feed canned Fancy Feast.  Canned food is best for cats.  Kittens should eat as much as they want every day.  You can learn more about cat nutrition here:  http://catinfo.org/

Here are a couple of other links:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food
 
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GemsGem

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I would take her to another vet for a second option. This is not right at all !! After 3 weeks she should be back to her old self by now this is not normal at all
 
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lili c

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No blood work was performed because I was told it was not necessary. They said she looked like a healthy kitty and should be fine. And she had an x-ray done 10 days after her surgery when she needed her stitches removed and the vet said that all he saw was that she was constipated and saw no signs of infection. I had him check the incision site twice because I noticed a lump a few days ago but he said that was normal after the procedure. And yes I found it strange that he only recommended Nutri-Cal but he said it was not a good idea to perform any bloodwork right now as it could stress her out and probably the reason why she is lethargic is because the surgery stressed her out. Thank you right now I am giving her fancy feast and I will try to give her some of the others listed. 

Yes I was looking for other vets today but because it is Sunday many of them are closed but I will take her somewhere else tomorrow.

I just find it weird that she has been eating and using the litter box pretty often but is very lethargic. Possibly still pain? 
 

cprcheetah

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IMO Bloodwork should be done on any cat undergoing anesthesia (I work for a vet and have for 20+ years).  Even in kittens they can have something like a birth defect.  Something is definitely going on.  The lump could be causing your cat pain as it could be a strangulated hernia from the spay.  The stress of the surgery could have brought out an underlying condition.  Has your cat been tested for Feline Leukemia & FIV? I would definitely find a different vet.  Your vets attitude is really odd.  Bloodwork is normally done regardless of whether or not it will stress the cat out.  Your cat sounds really sick. 
 
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lili c

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IMO Bloodwork should be done on any cat undergoing anesthesia (I work for a vet and have for 20+ years).  Even in kittens they can have something like a birth defect.  Something is definitely going on.  The lump could be causing your cat pain as it could be a strangulated hernia from the spay.  The stress of the surgery could have brought out an underlying condition.  Has your cat been tested for Feline Leukemia & FIV? I would definitely find a different vet.  Your vets attitude is really odd.  Bloodwork is normally done regardless of whether or not it will stress the cat out.  Your cat sounds really sick. 
Yes she did have both tests done and they were negative. What are the signs of a strangulated hernia? Do you know? She has a small lump and is not hot or oozing. I gave her antibiotics for 5 days before she began throwing up. I am really worried for her. And yes I will no longer be going to that vet. 
 
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