Pyometra, OHE and mass removal post surgery troubles

My 6yo calico Selene is now a week out of stiches and staples, after 2 in them for open pyometra OHE surgery. A mass was also removed, but not completely because vet said it was into or around a main vein. I couldn't afford sending it for testing, so don't know if cancer.(Question at *s if too long) Her time in the cone was rough but ok, appetite mild but normal for the weight loss from the months before surgery. At pre surgery weigh in, she was 6lbs 3oz-down from 8 a year before. I didn't get a post surgery weight, but was less. Her appetite was heavy last Monday after suture removal, but dropped quick, to almost nothing Friday with vomiting. Back to the vet, 5lbs 11oz. Got cerenia and mirtazapine, appetite was same or less, no help from the pill. A spoon at a time for the 8 hours between 11hr work nights, pedialyte, just didn't seem enough. Now having been through a nightmare in 2012/2013 of FIP devastating her grandkittens, one by one, I fought the losing battle, becoming a crash course home vet. Like clockwork, appetite goes, muscle waste, fade out. I could rival War and Peace with that fiasco.
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Though no evidence(cbc wrong for it and no bloated belly) this feels exactly like those days of trying to save an FIP cat. Friday he said her new cbc looked really good, except for mild shift in lymphocytes. So my mind is twisted that she's not improving. I have pestered that poor vet almost every day for a month, so felt bad asking without him thinking she needed it, but got subq fluids equipment and a liquid food today. She eventually ate 2/3 a 5.5oz can of Wellness Core over the last 8 or so hours, but I still want to give her subq. Vet said 50mL every 12 hours. It's been a while, doesn't that seem like a lot? With the volume of vomiting the last 2 days, I'm afraid this will trigger her to lose all the food today, whether by the fluid or the stress(I have no help so it's going to be a fight). Anyone ever had subq cause vomiting?

Quick extra note; I fear muscle waste is started.

Hopefully someone experienced in subq will come along but I just wanted to mention that Nutri-cal is a high calorie gel that can help with cats losing weight. Hoping for the best for little Selene.

I have a 5 lb calico, and give her up to 150 ml sub-q in a day, so 50 ml every 12 hours does NOT seem extreme, particularly due to her circumstances.  You are not going to be doing this for long, I suspect.  Maybe only a day or two here and there?   I've had a couple of cats get sub-qs and none of them have thrown up from them. 

Muscle wasting could indeed be happening if she is not eating, and hasn't been eating well for some time.  Good quality, high protein is what she needs.  I think the Wellness CORE probably fits that bill .  If she'll eat it, try adding in some egg yolk to her wet food.  Just mix it right in.  cooked or raw, either way will work.  It's great protein, plus added calories.  Very healthy for cats.  If she likes it cooked, it's ok to give her the entire cooked egg, scrambled probably.   You could also try giving her some Coconut Oil, NOT the virgin stuff, as that tastes like coconut.  Organic if you have it.  It's caloric and healthy too.  Most animals like it.

Thank you, I've searched all over and couldn't find the vet papers from when I'd done it before, they must have just told me and I forgot. Cowboy was a kitten when he had subq so it was less, but she's not much bigger than he was at the time. I haven't been able to do it yet, don't have enough arms. BUT, she has eaten steady since I got home from work yesterday. Mostly a few licks off the spoon every half hour or less. It's torture on the rest of the zoo seeing a can open so often. She eventually threw up while I was asleep, but it had to be way after food since it was mostly watery. I'm only going her the Core unless she snubs that and then give her fancy feast kitten. Plus the liquid diet the vet gave which has the same stuff as pedialyte. That seems to trigger appetite. Oddly, she's gone from eat a bit and poo a bit (my poor bed, floor, sleep) constantly, to I have seen her head for the litter box at all and no involuntary. Hopefully she's sending most of it to muscle now, but she's bugging the heck out if me. The food has been cold/warm a lot so I'm heading to get another can, it worked last night. If I had help I'd go for it as I think the fluids would speed things up, but I'll take slow over nothing. The FIP cats would just fade and eventually need force feeding and get nothing from it. She's getting lumps that have turned to sores so I fear cancer more now, but I can imagine dehydration making a regular sore just easier to get.

It's been a couple days...how's she doing now?

Well, I thought we were doing OK, but she threw up again this morning. I just can't do the fluids myself so she's dropped to 5.2 pounds, as best as I can guess with a human one decimal scale(weigh me with and without her). I have to work tonight through Monday morning 11 hr shifts, so she'll probably lose more without constant food pushed in her face. I have thought of ordering a cat grooming restraint bag to do it, but it goes to the neck so not sure how you give fluids in the shoulder area that way. Tried sprouting a third arm but I guess my reptile brain is too weak.... Oddly she isn't going to the litter box(in or out if it) much, so she should be at least staying steady. I doubt the fur regrowth is taking that much of the nutrition. This schedule and having a lot of cats leads to minimal friends so I'm on the verge of hitting up a rescue group for a softy to help. The liquid diet helps, but I'm afraid to put too much in her via stomach for now. I hand raised 2 kittens at work before but they're having an adult cat up there. Different uppers anyway. So I'm stuck trying to drag her along til the next vet appt on the 18th. Gotta get ready for work.

Got her to eat a little before leaving (late) for work, her belly got extremely hot. The hair hasn't grown back yet so I imagine it being a little warm to touch, but this is super hot. I don't think she has a fever. Weird

kaveman said:

Got her to eat a little before leaving (late) for work, her belly got extremely hot. The hair hasn't grown back yet so I imagine it being a little warm to touch, but this is super hot. I don't think she has a fever. Weird

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That does not sound normal.  Thinking she needs to be seen by a Vet again, sooner than later.  "Course, since part of that mass remains, and not knowing what it is, that could be the problem .  What did the Vet speciulate?  Anything?  Prognosis? 

Does she seem to be suffering?   This may not be just the recovery process here, but something else.  You said she was a week our of stitches when you started this thread.  When exactly was the surgery?  Please discuss in depth this situation with your Vet.  I know you're working a lot these next few days, but maybe you could call them?

mrsgreenjeens said:

That does not sound normal.  Thinking she needs to be seen by a Vet again, sooner than later.  "Course, since part of that mass remains, and not knowing what it is, that could be the problem .  What did the Vet speciulate?  Anything?  Prognosis? 

Does she seem to be suffering?   This may not be just the recovery process here, but something else.  You said she was a week our of stitches when you started this thread.  When exactly was the surgery?  Please discuss in depth this situation with your Vet.  I know you're working a lot these next few days, but maybe you could call them?

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I'll post a longer response with answers after I get to work, I have to spend the next 2 hours getting ready and trying to get food and fluids in her. But I wanted to update that everyone should grab their coats because by some miracle she let me give her 48mL of subq when I got home. She doesn't react like I'm used to, just gets annoyed. Cowboy used to claw to get away then by the end changed to clawing to get away so he could book it to the food bowl. I have to put them in early but she just got up and headed for some Friskies. I'd rather her not eat that but hate to stop any eating. Her diet has been mainly grain free for a couple years so friskies may not mix well. We'll see, ttfn.