Help! Cat won't eat after surgery.

ring

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I am at my breaking point here - posting here is my very last resort. I have no other options left.

I have a 7 year old DSH male kitty. Perfect health his whole life. On Christmas, I got the call every pet owner dreads when they are on vacation - the pet sitter called to tell us that kitty was hiding and very lethargic. We got home as quickly as we could, and had to rush him into surgery for a blockage in his stomach - he had cysts in his stomach and pancreas. Luckily, the biopsy came back negative for cancer. Hi GI tract seems good, all blood work is clean, breathing and heartrate is normal, and other than his mild cold he has picked up this week, the vet says she cannot find anything medically wrong with him. Even his incision is healing quicker than expected.

Since the surgery, he has refused to eat. Syringe feeding him is no longer an option - it is too much of a fight, even with 2 people holding him down, and he vomits it all up anyway. I'm afraid he's going to pull out his staples with the struggle he gives when we try to feed him. I've had to take him back to the hospital 3 times. As soon as he is in the hospital, he willingly eats food, and shows his normal personality. The vet sends him home almost right away, saying he is fine. I get him home, and he won't even smell the food and returns to a lethargic state. I've spent thousands of dollars I did not have on him this week and taking him to the emergency vet every time we need to get food into him is not something I can afford to do any longer. He's on antibiotics, which he's supposed to take with food twice a day. He is keeping those down. The vet gave me an appetite stimulant, which he threw up. I was told to discontinue use. He has not eaten since early yesterday, which was the last time he was at the vet.

Here is what I've tried:
- 28 different types of canned food (yes, that is correct, I've bought one of every brand I can find). I've even brought home the stuff that he willingly eats at the vet. He won't smell any of them. 
- Tuna water

- Tuna fish
- Boiled chicken breast

- Popeye's fried chicken - he usually smells that within a 5 mile radius and starts begging. He did smell that, but wouldn't do anything
- His favorite treats
- Baby food
- Warming up all food
- Putting food on my finger for him to lick off

- Rubbing food on his gums to stimulate his appetite - he just spits it out
- Milk (don't lecture me on this, I know it isn't good, but I'm desperate)
- Chicken broth
- Mixing tuna water into his regular water

Not one of these has anymore effect than the other. My vet insists he is fine. I just don't know what to do, as I don't think I'm getting a lot of help from my vet. I've called another vet the next town over, and she was not particularly helpful or interested in helping me with our problem. I don't want to sit here and watch him get hepatic lipidosis.

Is there ANYTHING at all someone can suggest that I haven't already listed above?

Thank you so much.
 

mphscat

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Yogurt. One time I had a sick cat and until he felt better, all he would eat is blackberry yogurt. Weird, I know.

Or sprinkle Parmesan on the food. That has been my go-to as well.

Crushing his favorite treat on top of the good. Tried that, too.

So is there anything/anyone in the house that is causing him undo stress that evidently he's not feeling at the vets? Is boarding him at the vets an option to get him over the hump of not eating since he'll eat there.
 

handsome kitty

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Have you tried putting honey, karo syrup on his gums?  It sends a sugar rush into the bloodstream.  We suggest this for tiny kittens to give them energy to eat.  Not exactly your cats issue but it may help.  Do it before you offer food.
 
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ring

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We have him separated from the other pets. He seems perfectly content just curling up in the sun. I brushed him this afternoon and got a very loud purr. I don't think he is stressed, just sort of "blah".

We did board him at the vet twice this week after surgery, but the vet discharged him both times because he was fine. Besides, I'm very cash strapped at this point. Emergency surgery on a major holiday is not cheap. 

Thanks for the yogurt suggestion. Trying that one now.
 

kittens mom

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It sounds like everyone here is stressed out. Was your cat given something for the nausea ?

burrito wrap your cat and tuck him back in the crook of your arm. Reach that arm around and gently open his mouth and put a small amount of food in his mouth. Gently hold up his chin.  One bite down is better than two thrown up.  My younger cat stopped eating for two days after losing her buddy. She is not an easy cat. the syringe was a no go but I was able to finger feed her. I had the best success by putting in the cheek rather than the front. I used the high calorie nutra cal gel first and that seemed to stimulate her appetite. Make sure it's room temp and it liquefies quickly in their mouth.

The most obvious question is did anyone demonstrate how to syringe feed your cat ?
 

catpack

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Did your cat voluntarily eat while boarded at the vet clinic? Or did they syringe feed him?
 

stephanietx

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I agree with KittensMom that everyone is stressed out.  Remember, he will pick up on your stress, so try to not be so stressed.  I know it's easier said than done... To help him de-stress, try getting some Feliway diffusers (Comfort Zone with feliway is usually how they are sold) and plugging those in to see if that helps him.  He may also be associating pain, fear, and discomfort with your home much like kitties with urinary issues associate those things with the litter box.  So keep that in mind.  In addition, if they have given him fluids at the vet's, he may not be as hungry at home. 

One thing that may be stressing him out is isolating him.  If you have a large crate, try putting him in there and then putting him in the living room where the other kitties can see him.  Allow him to walk around your home.  That may help his stress level.  I sprinkle bonito flakes on top of kitty food to entice them to eat sometimes. 

I think the biggest issue here is stress, all the way around. 
 
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ring

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Thanks - I am absolutely positive that I am stressing him out, but I don't know what to do.

Since my posting, I've tried:

- Corn syrup on his gums. This caused him to voluntarily drink water, which is a good sign.

- Yogurt

- More tuna

- Sour cream. He licked this off lips, but wouldn't take anymore if offered.

Finger feeding is not working. If I dab it on his tongue or his cheek, he spits it out. The kitty burrito isn't working for us either - even the vet couldn't get him wrapped up in it. It took 3 people to give him a pill while he was boarded there. 

Surgery was last Sunday. He came home Monday, went back to the vet Wednesday because he wasn't eating. They gave him anti-nausea and sent him back home. I took him back to the vet again Thursday night because he still wasn't eating. He ate his last meal Friday morning, voluntarily. That is when the vet sent him home. He has not eaten since. He has visibly lost weight.
 
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ring

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Also forgot to add - we've lifted the isolation a little bit. He was isolated really more for his safety - post op care said we should limit his movement and jumping. He did walk to his scratching post and scratch a couple of times, and had a 20 minute snuggle with the dog. The other cats don't want anything to do with him. He then went back to his secluded room on his own and doesn't want to move.
 

zed xyzed

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Poor kitty, I know I don't ave to tell you but this is getting serious. Have you considered a feeding tube? he needs to get food in him.  Have you tried chicken liver?
 

catlover73

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I also had some luck using goat milk with a senior to re-start his appetite.  He would not drink regular milk which I tried too because I was desperate.

I don't know if you can get this type of wet food where you live or if you have already tried it.  I was able to use fancy feast pate style wet food to get my cat to eat after she had tummy issue that caused puking. The vet had given her a nausea shot but she would not eat anything I had fed her before for about a week.

I know this is not a great idea but one of my cats likes Italian Beef which is an occasional treat.  

One of my other cats likes plain white meat turkey which is an occasional treat.
 
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ring

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Update: finally got the vet to give a feeding tube. I had to threaten euthanasia to get it. Not proud, but it got the job done. I don't think there were any other options here, since I've tried everything - except the goat milk. Don't know where I can find that.

The procedure is taking place this AM, and he will be able to go home tonight or tomorrow. We will be able to syringe feed him through the tube. As an extra benefit, his medicine can be given to him through there, so hopefully this is less traumatic for him.
 

kittens mom

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Thanks - I am absolutely positive that I am stressing him out, but I don't know what to do.

Since my posting, I've tried:

- Corn syrup on his gums. This caused him to voluntarily drink water, which is a good sign.

- Yogurt

- More tuna

- Sour cream. He licked this off lips, but wouldn't take anymore if offered.

Finger feeding is not working. If I dab it on his tongue or his cheek, he spits it out. The kitty burrito isn't working for us either - even the vet couldn't get him wrapped up in it. It took 3 people to give him a pill while he was boarded there. 

Surgery was last Sunday. He came home Monday, went back to the vet Wednesday because he wasn't eating. They gave him anti-nausea and sent him back home. I took him back to the vet again Thursday night because he still wasn't eating. He ate his last meal Friday morning, voluntarily. That is when the vet sent him home. He has not eaten since. He has visibly lost weight.
Update: finally got the vet to give a feeding tube. I had to threaten euthanasia to get it. Not proud, but it got the job done. I don't think there were any other options here, since I've tried everything - except the goat milk. Don't know where I can find that.

The procedure is taking place this AM, and he will be able to go home tonight or tomorrow. We will be able to syringe feed him through the tube. As an extra benefit, his medicine can be given to him through there, so hopefully this is less traumatic for him.
Thank goodness. And yes it takes the fight out of shoving things into a cats mouth.
 

stephenq

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Update: finally got the vet to give a feeding tube. I had to threaten euthanasia to get it. Not proud, but it got the job done. I don't think there were any other options here, since I've tried everything - except the goat milk. Don't know where I can find that.

The procedure is taking place this AM, and he will be able to go home tonight or tomorrow. We will be able to syringe feed him through the tube. As an extra benefit, his medicine can be given to him through there, so hopefully this is less traumatic for him.
Great i was about to post that this is becoming an emergency.  Your vet should have been counseling you to syringe feed days ago, and is late with the feeding tube.  Personally I think you could use a new vet.
 

di and bob

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I just wanted to give you a little hope, I have a feral kitten that refused to eat for almost 2 weeks, he was skin and bones and I knew he would die soon. He fnally became so weak we caught him, cleaned his nose and eyes which were horrible with mucous, and gave him some antinausea medicine usually used in distemper kittens. He started eating that night! He's fat and sassy now and doing fine, i do give him Lysine now to build up his immune system, he still has mucous. So don't give up, I'll pray that everything goes good for you and him!
 

grizzlysapien

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@ring   I pray that you come back with many more awesome updates!

I was thinking that cats tend to lick off whatever you smear on their coat. You know they go ballistic when their coat is covered with something else than their own saliva 


If this goes on after you've taken out the feeding tube, you can try and smear some of his favorite wet food, or butter, on his coat/mouth/nose. He will lick it off. He might not do it for the right reasons, but he will get some callories in him!

Animals normally tend to avoid food after a major surgery. Let alone if this surgery is on the stomach, which is a quite "huge" surgery.

I am very optimistic that your kitty will overcome this. Please stay calm during this stressful time, to help him stay calm as well 
 He needs you to be his rock. 
 
 

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I'm going through something very similar with my 18 year old right now who had a tumor removed from her liver last wednesday. I've gotten her to finally drink some water as of this morning (yay!) but she's still turning her nose up to food (brought her home yesterday) and her twice daily rounds of medications are so far just traumatizing us both. My vet is now talking about inserting a tube if she isn't eating by tomorrow.

Wishing you the best, know that you aren't alone!
 
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