Tumor / SCC: Defying the Odds with Hospice Care - Living with a Terminally Ill Loved One, I share w

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nerdgirl5

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Thanks @2Cats4everLoved    Lamont's issue isn't the smoothness. I mash everything up a lot, add water to it. And serve in a small bowl.  I think he's a two part issue: 1) he's just not hungry and 2) he's spent his entire life eating whenever he felt like it. Sometimes would go for 12 hours without eating and munch out late at night.  I'm trying to get him to eat on a regular basis and at first he went for it. Now, he's not.  

I've tried switching food, mixing food, I add tiny little pieces of freeze-dried chicken (which he's addicted to) on top. Still, no dice.

It's tough....
 
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2Cats4everLoved

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Thanks @2Cats4everLoved    Lamont's issue isn't the smoothness. I mash everything up a lot, add water to it. And serve in a small bowl.  I think he's a two part issue: 1) he's just not hungry and 2) he's spent his entire life eating whenever he felt like it. Sometimes would go for 12 hours without eating and munch out late at night.  I'm trying to get him to eat on a regular basis and at first he went for it. Now, he's not.  

I've tried switching food, mixing food, I add tiny little pieces of freeze-dried chicken (which he's addicted to) on top. Still, no dice.

It's tough....
That is tough.

I really hope he finds the urge to eat. Best of luck with sweet Lamont.  Please keep me updated.
 

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Thanks.  Will do.  This morning, the most he did was lick one finger full of food.  He's refused to eat anything else.  
 

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@nerdgirl5  can your baby have acid meds like Pepcid? If he isn't eating it sounds like nausea to me-Cerenia/Zofran are options-and appetite stimulants-wasn't sure if you already tried this.

pain meds wont hurt his diabetes-buprenorphine and tramadol would be something to discuss with your vet-if he isn't eating=its more than likely pain and nausea. You can always try it short term-maybe do the meds for a day on and day off kind of thing?

@2Cats4everLoved  I think they tend to get fussy with food. My old girl right now loves fancy feast any flavor-turkey and liver are her favorites right now-licks the bowl clean after adding water and mashing it to a pudding..keep up the good work!!
 

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Thanks for the tips @foxxycat   I will discuss with my vet.

Meanwhile, I took a little Wellness (chicken) and put it on my plate and handfed him about 3 finger fulls. Which was encouraging--or, at least, better than nothing.  
 

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Cats!! They really surprise me-what about shrimp? my cats absolutely LOVE shrimp but I have to sit and hand shred it otherwise they wont eat it-my middle cat pumpkin face wont eat people food not even babyfood-but SHRIMPS!! oh she LOVES them. also what about rotisserie chicken? Just shred the meat and hand feed-my old girl Floey loves the dark meat-the greasier the better-we have this once a week-and of course she jumps up next to daddy and sticks her face into his plate trying to steal his chicken.  All this talk about food is making me hungry!! Come on kitties=EAT already!!
 

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Lamont went to sleep under my coffee table and about 5 minutes ago, I brought him the plate with the Wellness Chicken on it. He sat up and ate about 1/4 of it. I hand fed him about 3 more finger fulls. I will try the rotisserie chicken. He LOVES that.  In fact, about 3 weeks ago, I brought one home and it was still warm and he came running into the kitchen and tried to get into the fridge to get it.  I'll get some later.  I'll pick up a few shrimp, too. 

Part of this might be him being finicky. It is SO hard to buy food for a finicky cat--I tend to buy by the case. And my house is starting to look like a warehouse with all the unused cans.  

Thanks for the tips!  
 
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2Cats4everLoved

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Cats!! They really surprise me-what about shrimp? my cats absolutely LOVE shrimp but I have to sit and hand shred it otherwise they wont eat it-my middle cat pumpkin face wont eat people food not even babyfood-but SHRIMPS!! oh she LOVES them. also what about rotisserie chicken? Just shred the meat and hand feed-my old girl Floey loves the dark meat-the greasier the better-we have this once a week-and of course she jumps up next to daddy and sticks her face into his plate trying to steal his chicken.  All this talk about food is making me hungry!! Come on kitties=EAT already!!
Simon just gobbled up another little bowl of mixed, tuna and duck.

@nerdgirl5  - Have you tried @foxxycat's suggestion with the shrimp.

Simon never ever ate canned food and was limited on people, he was a vegetarian and dairy cat.  I think that was one of the issues with the high protein, besides syringe feeding him, which he accepted but hated, he didn't like the food.  I believe that Simon knows it's a do or die moment.  If he doesn't eat on his own then I will have to help him and if he doesn't let me help him he's doomed.
 

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I will try the shrimp. And the rotisserie.  Lamont ate dry food and dry treats his whole life (which got him into the diabetes trouble.) So I switched his diet in December to wet and I was shocked he ate it (he steadfastly refused any wet food prior to that.) 

Thanks you guys!  And glad to hear Simon's gobbling up food right now!  It's incredibly encouraging!
 
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I will try the shrimp. And the rotisserie.  Lamont ate dry food and dry treats his whole life (which got him into the diabetes trouble.) So I switched his diet in December to wet and I was shocked he ate it (he steadfastly refused any wet food prior to that.) 

Thanks you guys!  And glad to hear Simon's gobbling up food right now!  It's incredibly encouraging!
Simon was the same actually, Royal Canin urinary so only.  

Good luck!
 

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@2Cats4everLoved  - Simon continues to amaze us all, as do you.  The "night of passion" made me laugh out loud.  My Maine Coon, Tiger, was madly in love with one of my bathrobes, and would drag it through the house wailing, until he got to his chosen spot, where he would roll around and become almost indecent with it.  lol  Needless to say, it became HIS bathrobe.  It had a tie at the waist and as he dragged it down the hall, his little sister Maggie would dash after it, pouncing on the tie, which would make Tiger fume.  It's like living in a circus when you are owned by cats - endlessly entertaining.  I did hospice care with Tiger for months, and I understand everything you are going through.  It takes me back to read Simon's journal. 

There is now a food which isn't nutritionally adequate as their only food, but it's a great way to get them to eat when they refuse everything else.  It's Fancy Feast appetizers.  They are solid meat, in a little oblong dish, so you will probably have to make them into a consistency Simon can handle, but all four of mine go crazy for these things.  Fancy Feast also makes a broth in various flavors that might help, either by itself, or poured over food. It's a nice alternative to tuna water.  I have a little tortie who was rescued from an active meth house during a police raid.  They were actually cooking meth when the police arrived.  Before I found her, she waited a year to be adopted from her foster mom's house, because no one wanted to tackle the numerous health problems those chemicals left her with.  I've had to nurse her through several illnesses, and those FF appetizers are, as is most FF, truly kitty crack.  My others instantly smell it and make a mad dash for it, and of course, they get some too.  Be prepared to save a little bit on the side for Chestnut.  This boy of yours is absolutely unbelievable!  Simon truly seems to be enjoying his life, and that's all any of us can ask.  I can't believe he is eating so well and that he dashed out of the apartment into the hall!

@nerdgirl5, Lamont is such a beautiful boy!  He might be tempted by the FF appetizers and/or broth mentioned above.  You and Lamont are in my prayers, along with 2cats and Simon, and @mphscat  and her Maggie.  You're so right - it is an absolutely terrible position to be in.  There will always be things that you question - should I have done this or that, am I doing enough of one thing for him or too much of another?  To me, the answer is that whatever we do with this much love is recognized and appreciated by them, and, of course, reciprocated ten times over by their unconditional love for us.  You might want to discuss pain meds with your vet again.  Cats are such masters at hiding pain.  Maggie, mentioned above, who would chase the tie on the bathrobe, was diabetic once she reached her teens, caused by steroid shots.  From the time I adopted Maggie as a kitten she had an impossibly itchy skin condition that caused complete hair loss and sores on her tummy.  She went from her frustrated vet to an actual cat allergist at a local cat hospital and they never were able to tell me what she was allergic to.  We changed literally every aspect of her life involving diet and environment, with no luck.  The steroids were the only thing that brought her relief, but at the cost of diabetes as an older cat.  And yet she was put on Buprenex during several illnesses as a diabetic cat in remission, if that's any help.  I wish you both all the best.
 

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Thanks for all of this, @MaggieMay  ! I'm hesitant to try the FF appetizers, only because I don't know how many carbs it has and Lamont is on a very very strict low carb diet (because of his diabetes.)  It appears (because the ingredients are only meat, broth and vitamins/preservatives, but I think I'll try the rotisserie and shrimp first.  I have an entire case of Cats in the Kitchen chicken which he used to gobble up and now won't touch. He seems to be attracted to the pates more now...
 
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@MaggieMay  - Save some for Chestnut. LOL  She's 20 pounds...  She's on the diet Royal Canin Urinary SO, I've seen this in the store and will buy a couple, if not for anything else, to air out the place from the fish smell. LOL  Thanks for the tip.
 

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Thanks for all of this, @MaggieMay  ! I'm hesitant to try the FF appetizers, only because I don't know how many carbs it has and Lamont is on a very very strict low carb diet (because of his diabetes.)  It appears (because the ingredients are only meat, broth and vitamins/preservatives, but I think I'll try the rotisserie and shrimp first.  I have an entire case of Cats in the Kitchen chicken which he used to gobble up and now won't touch. He seems to be attracted to the pates more now...
I just got one out so I could tell you what it contains.  This says "Natural White Meat Chicken in a Delicate Broth Plus Vitamins & Minerals."   It contains no by-products or fillers.  I've used Weruva foods, but haven't tried the Cats in the Kitchen pouches, so I don't know how similar they are.  Cats can be SO particular at the best of times, but when they're ill, anything we can get them to eat is the right thing.  I hope he loves his rotisserie chicken and his shrimp!  You've made me hungry!  lol
 

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@MaggieMay  - Save some for Chestnut. LOL  She's 20 pounds...  She's on the diet Royal Canin Urinary SO, I've seen this in the store and will buy a couple, if not for anything else, to air out the place from the fish smell. LOL  Thanks for the tip.
I have a 20-pounder too!  But you know they still think they are little bitty kitties.  Fritz is such a big, rangy boy (part Bengal) that I think he could whip a German Shepherd if necessary, but he's the biggest fraidy-cat of them all.  He even scares himself sometimes.  lol  Chestnut will definitely beg for a bite!
 

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Ok. About 20 minutes ago, Lamont pooped outside his box (after he ate the Wellness.) He then went to sleep under the coffee table. 5 minutes later, he went behind the couch.  10 minutes ago, he screamed. I went to get him and he stumbled out and collapsed and vomited. His breathing was VERY labored.  He's calmed down. His head is up. He's partly in his vomit. 

I'm calling the vet.
 
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Ok. About 20 minutes ago, Lamont pooped outside his box (after he ate the Wellness.) He then went to sleep under the coffee table. 5 minutes later, he went behind the couch.  10 minutes ago, he screamed. I went to get him and he stumbled out and collapsed and vomited. His breathing was VERY labored.  He's calmed down. His head is up. He's partly in his vomit. 

I'm calling the vet.
Oh noooooooooooooooooooo.  Get him to the vet asap.  I'm so sorry.  Keep us posted.  Good luck.  Simon and I will be praying for you...
 

nerdgirl5

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I spoke with the vet who said that because he's back breathing on his own, I shouldn't bring him down. They said, if he's going to pass away, it's better to do it at home where he's comfortable. If anything, to come down there to get pain meds for him.  He tried to get up and kind of collapsed.  He's breathing ok. His tail is wagging.  I don't want to leave him to get the pain meds. I don't want him to be alone if he dies. 
 
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