trying to save emaciated stray

Oh this is WONDERFUL news!!!!!

Wow! Really hope he recovers! Showing signs of interest in you and food is a positive thing!

LDG said:

Ramping up the vibes for this sweetie! He's got some fight and a reason to try now.

and more vibes!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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           This is heartening! 

Great to hear he's making progress. He's got a sweet face, poor boy must be so glad that you took him home.

You've had some great advice already, all I have to add is that a cat has really bad watery diarreah a thick bed of straw is easy to keep clean. The watery poop goes through the straw so the top layer is cleaner and drier. More comfortable for the cat and you don't have to bathe him so often.

Keep us posted, vibes for a full recovery.

Bless you!! He's a lucky kitty!! I hope he recovers soon!!

Still hopeful but worried. Sending more vibes!!!!!!

Aw, he does have a sweet face, the early feelings of a cat who clearly knows he was rescued. Cats like him make the best companions, they never seem to forget what you did, the bond is unmistakable. You will see.

The showing interest in food is a VERY positive sign. Exactly what you want from him right now. Eating on his own.

True, he is certainly not out of the woods, and it will take time to know he can continue to gain strength, and has a long recovery internally to make, but with all the positive vibes from this site, he should really be feeling them!

I have a true belief in the spiritual side of saving him, and how far that can go to help make him well again.

Imagine a cat as tame as he is, someone owned him, someone left him behind, to suffer day in and day out, the wonder of why, and where the comfort of home went. The fear of having no place to be safe. To become more and more weak, lack of food, warmth. The state of existence feels so grim.

You are giving back to him what he lost, taken him in to your home, and most of all, have given him a sense that maybe he DOES belong someplace in this world, that he DOES matter, someone makes him feel they care, raises his spirits, shows him love and attention.

Love and compassion can make miracles happen.          

@catwoman707 Our other cat wandered into our yard 10 years ago. He was super skinny, too (although not nearly as bad as poor Krookshanks here) He was still a kitten, maybe 6-9 months old. My kids were still babies and it was amazing what he would let them do to him all through their toddler years, never complaining or hissing or trying to bite. He would just sit there and take it with this really long-suffering look on his face. We always said it was because he was just grateful to have a home and if having his whiskers and tail pulled was part of the deal, it was a small price to pay!

Nothing new on Krookshanks this morning- his diarrhea continues to clear. He had some loose stool a couple of times yesterday, but it wasn't liquid like before. I didn't have to change out his bedding all night! He is sleeping round the clock except when I wake him to feed. Hopefully, now that he has a full belly, he can rest and recuperate.

If his diarrhea doesn't completely clear up by today, call your vet and ask for another de-wormer medication. There are different types of parasites that are targeted by different de-wormers. The last cat I took in had severe parasites and was squirting out diarrhea for a few weeks. He was put on liquid panacur for 3 days along with Metronidazole for the diarrhea for 5 days. Then he was given a dose of Drontal (a different de-wormer),  and another round of Metronidazole for 7 days. Since the vet already saw your cat, s/he won't charge you for another office visit but will simply have you come in to purchase the medicine (the Drontal is only about 7 dollars). It took all that to clear up my cat's parasites ( plus a few rounds of Frontline and Revolution to get rid of the fleas). Once the diarrhea completely stops, then your kitty will be able to respond to the fluids and food. Good luck!

Sounds good.  Sleep is part of recovery, both from his being sick at this moment, but surely also, his experiences in the long and exhausting weeks before.  As long he isnt comatose, awakes to eat, and hopefully awakes to go to the litter, let him sleep if he so want.

Some mild petting as soft stroking with a hand is probably just welcome.

We can probably sink down the red alert flag now, and have the yellow warning flag up.

Good luck!

MsAimee said:

 
If his diarrhea doesn't completely clear up by today, call your vet and ask for another de-wormer medication. There are different types of parasites that are targeted by different de-wormers. The last cat I took in had severe parasites and was squirting out diarrhea for a few weeks. He was put on liquid panacur for 3 days along with Metronidazole for the diarrhea for 5 days. Then he was given a dose of Drontal, a different de-wormer,  and another round of Metronidazole for 7 days. Since the vet already saw your cat, s/he won't charge you for another office visit but will simply have you come in to purchase the medicine (the Drontal is only about 7 dollars). It took all that to clear up my cat's parasites ( plus a few rounds of Frontline and Revolution to get rid of the fleas). Once the diarrhea completely stops, then your kitty will be able to respond to the fluids and food. Good luck!

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Its true, severe infections usually need several rounds of deworming.  And or a combination of  a couple different dewormers.

But your vet will surely know this, and when exactly its best to take the next round.  Typically, they shold be taken some time apart.

So follow MsAimees advice, phone himher and ask.

Following along and hoping for the best.

Karen

Bless you for helping this sweet boy.  With LDG and the others here, both you and he are in good hands. Sending love, light and healing vibes.

Sending Positive vibes for Krookshanks, too!                  

StefanZ said:

 
Its true, severe infections usually need several rounds of deworming.  And or a combination of  a couple different dewormers.

But your vet will surely know this, and when exactly its best to take the next round.  Typically, they shold be taken some time apart.

So follow MsAimees advice, phone himher and ask.

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He is in quite the state at this point, so any medications/dewormers will be likely spaced so his system doesn't have added stress of processing them as well. His sleeping is good, it's mind and body working in sync to focus on healing. 

While worming meds are likely helpful, an otherwise healthy cat has the capability of controlling a worm infestation to a point, not to rid himself of them but to control basically.

I am pretty confident it is more parasitic such as coccidia/giardia/tri-trich type invasion that is able to take over to this extreme point.

Of course along with lack of regular, healthy foods, and love. Again, mind and body working together.

In the coming days, you should see small improvements, as he gains strength, he will be able to handle the next treatment, hoping for ponazuril, hoping your vet uses it.

I also think he is fairly young, too hard to tell accurately now but I'd guess 3 years or less, which should work to his advantage

Lots and lots of vibes still coming! We are all rooting for him!!            

catwoman707 said:

He is in quite the state at this point, so any medications/dewormers will be likely spaced so his system doesn't have added stress of processing them as well. His sleeping is good, it's mind and body working in sync to focus on healing. 

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100% agree. :nod: As Stefan pointed out, the use of "dewormers" is spaced out in healthy cats. I think maybe msaimee didn't see the part where carrots33 says

carrots33 said:

...his diarrhea continues to clear. He had some loose stool a couple of times yesterday, but it wasn't liquid like before. I didn't have to change out his bedding all night!

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S boulardii often seems like a miracle :lol3: , but it can take a few days to do its job.

For those unfamiliar with it, it is the most-researched probiotic in the world for a reason. The main thing is that it is incredibly effective, safe in the elderly AND children, and it does not work systemically. It is purely mechanical in nature: it is not digested, it physically acts in the lumen of the gut, thus it helps for bacterial and protozoal problems.


The S boulardii is stopping the diarrhea (in combination with the pedialyte) so this boy can derive nutrition from the baby food. This is what he needs to survive. Everything else can be worked on later. :heart2:

carrots33, my husband and I have rescued a number of older, sick feral cats. The last one we rescued in winter did nothing but sleep for six weeks. Oh - he wasn't older, he was not quite two, actually, and he was well-fed prior to bringing him inside. They just need that deep, deep sleep of the safe and loved while their bodies heal. :heart2: :rub:

I love the description of "sleeping" vs "comatose." !!!! I'm not stopping those vibes yet, but I'm SO glad for you and your daughter that it looks like he wasn't beyond help, and this is working.

I would keep up the pedialyte, and the baby food S boulardii mix. Is he eating on his own at all yet? Or licking at the syringe?

I should clarify that my point was that if the diarrhea is still occurring, the vet should be called and notified. S/he may prescribe something else to help with the diarrhea. In my case, Metronidazole was prescribed for my cat's diarrhea, and a second de-wormer about a week after the first. Since severe diarrhea in a weak and sickly cat can be fatal, the vet should be informed if current treatment isn't effective. Sorry if I was unclear in my post.

Oh gotcha! Yes, absolutely, a vet should be notified if the diarrhea was still severe. But the diarrhea is no longer severe, the stool is firming up.

How much? It's so traumatic for him to be force fed constantly, I'd like to keep it at a minimum. 

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First of all, bless you @carrots33   for taking care of this helpless creature in need.  Some thoughts about getting him to eat...

When I was a teenager long ago our family cat developed an intestinal blockage due to scar tissue from a near-fatal poisoning event when he had been an indoor/outdoor cat years earlier.  Following surgery he would not eat.  The vet kept him for a few days on IVs and sent him home thinking he would do better with his family.  He was down to four pounds and just stayed in his bed all the time. When he wasn't sleeping his eyes wouldn't open all the way..  We kept him in the laundry room so his litter box was close.  For nutrition, we used a dropper for hydration but tried to get him to eat the meat baby food (lamb, turkey, etc.) off of our fingers.  When he wouldn't even do that, we smeared it around his mouth and he licked it off.  Eventually he would lick it from our fingers and then from a plastic spoon.  We also gave him a lot of love but we couldn't really hold him as it caused pain.  It took a while but he ended up recovering fully and lived to be almost 18.

Best wishes for a full recovery for little Krookshanks.

2 dozen said:

 
Following along and hoping for the best.

Karen

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Me too.  Fingers and toes crossed!