force feeding a sick cat

is it advisable to force feed my sick cat? i'm taking him to the vet tomorrow (the earliest i could get an appt. from any of the five vets i called) and he's been sick since saturday. i'm not sure if he's eating. he drank some water yesterday. he's lethargic and not willing to be petted. he's spitting up and has a hoarse meow.

If your not sure if hes eating i would suggest putting only a few pieces of food it his bowl. If hes an outdoor cat then I would keep him inside.

Even if he does eat a tiny little bit then he would be fine untill tomarrow. If he doest then you might have to force feed but i would be absolutly sure if hes eating or not. Force feeding can be kinda scary and risky if done wrong.

Have you thought about just phoning the vet and asking what they think about foce feeding?

Definitely wait to talk to the vet before attempting to force feed.... it's not the easiest thing to do and a sick cat is even less cooperative about it... maybe try offerring a little bit of boiled chicken and rice - if he's got an upset stomach, it may help him feel better

Not knowing what's wrong makes me hesitant to consider assist feeding as it's called on my support list for one of my cats. I'd call the vet, ask if they can work you in as an emergency - I realize it's now late afternoon, but unless they close at 5, you still have some time. Perhaps they could take in for an overnight - get an initial exam done and begin testing.

If it isn't possible, you might want to consider getting him to whatever emergency/after hours clinic this vet recomends for supportive care tonight.

If none of the above is doable, the most I would try is some plain baby meat (no onions in the ingredients), dab this on your finger and gently place some of this in his mouth (be careful not to get accidentally chomped on). If he's drinking, you can mix nutrical in water (makes it a funky white color, but then he can just drink it down). Most pet stores carry Nutrical - a high calorie supplement paste. Another idea re liquids - boil up some chicken - make a plain, unseasoned broth and see if he'll drink this.

But my vote is to get him seen tonight if at all possible. Poor fellow...please keep us updated?

I would suggest getting something really smelly, like fishy canned food, or chicken baby food (Gerber #2) Make sure the baby food does not have onions. If you've force fed before I would do it, but if not wait till tomorrow to have the vet show you how. A nice way to encourage a cat to eat is to take some wet cat food & put it right on their lips, then they have to lick it off & sometimes just that will make them intrested in eating.

thank you for all your responses. i ended up taking him into the vet who promptly admitted him. he was dehydrated and he was well on the way to getting jaundice. i don't think they've figured out what's wrong with him, but he's now on an IV and getting food injections.

If he is jaundiced and has not eaten since Saturday (anything) It is likely he has Feline Hepatic Lipidosis. Cat's get caught in this disease when they don't eat for and extended period of time. Here is an article about this- 4 days without eating is not good.

Feline Hepatic Lipidosis

Good luck and please let us know what they find-

i just talked to the vet who said b/c of some tests he ran, he can pretty much rule out feline hepatic lipidosis, which is a huge relief for me, but sadly, my little dublin is still not eating on his own, so he's staying another night at the vet's.

Alll, I hope they can help him. Sending many good vibes your way.

Susan

Ask your vet about Cyproheptadine. Sometimes, it's just what's needed to get a cat eating again.

Originally Posted by PAmommyof2

i just talked to the vet who said b/c of some tests he ran, he can pretty much rule out feline hepatic lipidosis, which is a huge relief for me, but sadly, my little dublin is still not eating on his own, so he's staying another night at the vet's.

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Oh good! Do they know what is wrong yet? And June is right, the appetitie stimulant works quite well.

sending get well soon vibes to ur kitty

chin up my friend - at least you got him to the vet

stay positive, I am sure your little one will continue to fight!!

sending LOTS of (((((HEALING)))))) vibes your way from across the ocean

thank you for all your advice and good wishes. he's going to be there for another night. he has not responded to the appetite stimulant or the IV really, so they're going try steroids and a couple of oral meds they weren't going to try until he stopped throwing up (which he has...one of his few progressions). i don't know what to do...

It is really hard when they are not well and not home with us. One step at a time...I'm glad the vomitting had stopped. Sending wishes for them to figure out what is causing the problems and that he begins to turn around.

Just thought I'd post a link to some photos of my guys, since I'm not sure how (or if I'm allowed) to post them in my profile. The gray, white and brown is Galway and the orange and white is my sickie, Dublin. Thanks again for all your good thoughts. I'll keep you updated.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...y=-shuqic&Ux=0

They are both adorable!

Thanks to everyone who gave advice and good wishes but despite the meds and IVs and attention at the vet, Dublin got even worse and we had to put him down on Saturday. The vet ran out of options and he did not respond to anything we tried. Galway and I (mostly me) had a really rough weekend...

I am so very sorry for your loss. I do believe there is a place for cats in heaven, or you can call it going over the Rainbow Bridge..where they are happy and whole again, and waiting for us.