Cat hasn't eaten for 48hrs

rhorsley · Oct 31, 2005

Hi there. My 13 year-old cat is having some real problems.

Tuesday a.m. I realized she hadn't moved much the day before, so I put her in front of her food bowl. Her back legs gave out and she used her front paws to push herself into a corner while crying.

We took her to the ER and they said she had blown a blood clot and they put her on the floor and, wobbly, she walked to me. They also told me that the lung cancer the vet diagnosed 2 years ago is not cancer and may be chronic pulmonary disease.

Anyway, we got her home and she didn't walk much and eating was less and less. We took her to our vet Friday night and blood work & urine turned up fine. She recommended this special wet cat food the texture of pate and supposedly something cats love. She ate a little Friday night and none since.

I was able to get about a tablespoon of milk into her on Saturday, but nothing yesterday. If I put her in her littler box she still does her thing, but other than that she just wants to hide under the bed.

I am planning to try to force feed her with a feeding syringe tonight and I fully expect that to go very badly. If I can't make any progress they want me to drop her off at the vet tomorrow to get IV fluids.

Has anyone else had any problems like this? Can you give any advice on the force-feeding? Thanks in advance for any help.

blueyedgirl5946 · Oct 31, 2005

Sorry, I can't give you advice about force feeding. I just wanted to say I hope your cat gets better. I am sure someone who knows will read your post and give you some good advice. Good luck and prayers for you cat.

hissy · Oct 31, 2005

Force-feeding a cat is not easy. If they get into a situation where they don't eat, their body sends them signals they are not hungry and the body starts basically eating nutrients stored within. The cat is an anorexic state by then, and food does not interest them. You need to make sure this cat eats. Talk to your vet about appetite stimulants, there are some that once given the cat will eat everything in sight.

Here is an article that might help you as well, for it contains ways to get your cat to eat. But if she continues to not respond, and her quality of life is slipping- I pray you will do the hardest thing of all and let her go in peace.

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H...Lipidosis.html

kathylou · Oct 31, 2005

I have done the force feeding. If your cat is really weak, it will not be difficult. I started with about an inch or two in the syringe at a time, and could get her to swallow about 4 syringe fulls every few hours. (To be honest, when I could between work and school) After a few days, I got her to eat about 10 syringe fulls at a time. Finally, she started fighting me and I knew she was better.

I did this for a young cat. It might not work the same for a 13 year old cat. It might just be your cat's time. I am sorry.

touro1979 · Oct 31, 2005

Originally Posted by rhorsley

Hi there. My 13 year-old cat is having some real problems.

Tuesday a.m. I realized she hadn't moved much the day before, so I put her in front of her food bowl. Her back legs gave out and she used her front paws to push herself into a corner while crying.

We took her to the ER and they said she had blown a blood clot and they put her on the floor and, wobbly, she walked to me. They also told me that the lung cancer the vet diagnosed 2 years ago is not cancer and may be chronic pulmonary disease.

Anyway, we got her home and she didn't walk much and eating was less and less. We took her to our vet Friday night and blood work & urine turned up fine. She recommended this special wet cat food the texture of pate and supposedly something cats love. She ate a little Friday night and none since.

I was able to get about a tablespoon of milk into her on Saturday, but nothing yesterday. If I put her in her littler box she still does her thing, but other than that she just wants to hide under the bed.

I am planning to try to force feed her with a feeding syringe tonight and I fully expect that to go very badly. If I can't make any progress they want me to drop her off at the vet tomorrow to get IV fluids.

Has anyone else had any problems like this? Can you give any advice on the force-feeding? Thanks in advance for any help.

Dont give up. I sucessfully force fed my aunts cat back to health. Once she gains her strenght she will prob start to eat on her own. I ouwld recomend not giving her alot at one time. Give her a syringe full/wait and hour and give another and maybe another later on but dont give more then one at a time. Also you want to grab the sides or her mouth at the corners with your two fingers and open her mouth just enough to squirt the food in/hold her head firmly BUT genlty so she doesnt thrash around hurting herself. You also want to apprach her from behind and kneel down into a crouching postition and cross your legs behind you. The cat will try to back out of it between your legs and she will have nowhere to back into. I just want to say this again PATIENCE This will not be easy but it is well worth the effort.

pat · Oct 31, 2005

You have had great responses. I've had to force feed my oldest off and on to jump start his appetite (he is 18 1/2 and has been dealing with chronic kidney failure the past 3 years - yes, he still has quality of life it is why he's still here).

I also recently had to feed another of my cats for 6 weeks (we both thought we wouldn't survive it!) when he had to wear a collar while healing a corneal ulcer and simply refused to eat. He survived the experience, so did I. I fed him 3-4 times per day, going for 1 1/2 ounces to 3 ounces canned per feeding. Your vet can tell you how many cc's food slurry to give (or how many ounces of a specialty food such as Hills A/D (hich is easy to syringe feed) per day.

Fwiw, I have a dear friend whose cat through a clot...she went on to have many more years of quality life, though she was on medication and watched like a hawk by my friend

Only you can tell how the quality of life your cat is, and she will tell you when it's time.

semiferal · Oct 31, 2005

Have you had full bloodwork run to see exactly what is going on with her? It is likely that even if the problem is not curable, she can be made more comfortable and therefore will want to eat again.

bikeman · Oct 31, 2005

Prayers and good vibes for your kitty. A good blood test can tell a lot. Please keep us posted.

rhorsley · Nov 1, 2005

Thanks to everyone who responded with good hearts and great info.

I was able to get about 4 to 5 teaspoons of Hill's AD wet food mixed with water/milk into her last night. It wasn't too difficult for me, she was pretty weak, but it really stressed her out, so I stopped.

I was very excited to see her drink on her own for quite a while this am, so I didn't take her to the vet right away. I thought if she got a taste for drink, she might get one for food. No such luck. I came home at lunch and tried to get her to eat with no progress. I started to force feed again, but realized I needed professional help. I dropped her off at the vet about 2.5 hrs ago and they call a few minutes ago. She is settled in and getting IV fluids and the really nice vet techs are going to start force-feeding her. Apparently they are not as affected by those big green eyes looking at you like "why are you doing this to me?"

They still think all she needs is to start eating again and put on some weight. I said that although I'd never come out and said so much, that we are getting to the point where if she doesn't get better or is going to be in pain, I would prefer to let her go before I make her completely miserable.

It's funny, I'm okay when I think about it, but somehow putting it in words brings me to tears. I know it is the right thing to do, it's just hard. I do think the little bit I was able to get into her yesterday helped. She slept on my pillow (she likes to sleep right next to my head, I think she knows I'm allergic. God bless Zyrtec) and was curled up and purring like before.

Our sheltie is completely stressed out that one of his "sheep" is unwell and has left the house. He has been guarding her every night and cries outside the door while I try to feed her. Between the 2 of them I feel like the worst mommy ever.

Well, now I'm babbling and need a tissue. Thank you all for listening and your support. As an adult, I have been very fortunate not to have lost anyone/thing very close to me. But I guess what doesn't kill us, makes us bitter.

Rachel

pat · Nov 1, 2005

Rachel,

You are doing all that you can, and most importantly, she knows how much she is loved. We merely get to share space with these wonderful creatures, who knows for how long? So we do our best and make the most of the time we have with them.
Hang in there, I am still hoping she begins pulling around with feeding. I realize you don't really have an answer as to what is wrong, but if all systems are basically working well, aggressive feeding may do the trick. I hope she begins to improve, if not, we will be here to support whatever decision you make.

blueyedgirl5946 · Nov 1, 2005

Originally Posted by rhorsley

Thanks to everyone who responded with good hearts and great info.

I was able to get about 4 to 5 teaspoons of Hill's AD wet food mixed with water/milk into her last night. It wasn't too difficult for me, she was pretty weak, but it really stressed her out, so I stopped.

I was very excited to see her drink on her own for quite a while this am, so I didn't take her to the vet right away. I thought if she got a taste for drink, she might get one for food. No such luck. I came home at lunch and tried to get her to eat with no progress. I started to force feed again, but realized I needed professional help. I dropped her off at the vet about 2.5 hrs ago and they call a few minutes ago. She is settled in and getting IV fluids and the really nice vet techs are going to start force-feeding her. Apparently they are not as affected by those big green eyes looking at you like "why are you doing this to me?"

They still think all she needs is to start eating again and put on some weight. I said that although I'd never come out and said so much, that we are getting to the point where if she doesn't get better or is going to be in pain, I would prefer to let her go before I make her completely miserable.

It's funny, I'm okay when I think about it, but somehow putting it in words brings me to tears. I know it is the right thing to do, it's just hard. I do think the little bit I was able to get into her yesterday helped. She slept on my pillow (she likes to sleep right next to my head, I think she knows I'm allergic. God bless Zyrtec) and was curled up and purring like before.

Our sheltie is completely stressed out that one of his "sheep" is unwell and has left the house. He has been guarding her every night and cries outside the door while I try to feed her. Between the 2 of them I feel like the worst mommy ever.

Well, now I'm babbling and need a tissue. Thank you all for listening and your support. As an adult, I have been very fortunate not to have lost anyone/thing very close to me. But I guess what doesn't kill us, makes us bitter.

Rachel

Are they running any tests to try and find out what is wrong?

stampit3d · Nov 1, 2005

Is she doing any better tonight with the feeding? (Tuesday 11-1-05)
I`ve been praying for her to have a speedy and complete recovery.
I`m sure your heart is broken as you struggle to know what the right thing is to do for her.
Linda

rhorsley · Nov 2, 2005

Sad news here. I got the call from the vet this morning. Her breathing became much worse overnight (now they do think she had lung cancer) And this morning she was in respiratory distress and the situation looked bad, with little room for improvement. The vet advised me that she was no longer comfortable and that was not going to change. I made the decision to put her to sleep. They said she was in such distress it would be wrong for me to wait until my husband or I could get there. (We both work about an hour away from the vet and at rush hour in Baltimore, longer) I asked that they have one of the female technicians (she was always partial to women) to hold her and give her a big kiss from me. I decided on a mass cremation. She hated the outdoors and there is no point in burying her there. And as the part of her I loved is gone, any ashes from a personal cremation would be just a pile of carbon. I've been crying off and on all morning and have to end this soon because it is hard to type and blow your nose at the same time. Thank you all for all the help and support. We did the best we could and it was just her time.

catsrnmom · Nov 2, 2005

Oh, I am so sorry for your loss of your precious kitty...run free at the RB sweet one.

jcat · Nov 2, 2005

I'm so sorry for your loss.

crittergirl · Nov 2, 2005

My heart goes out to you, i've been there. It is not an easy decision but you put her well being as top priority and that is a selfless act.
RIP sweet angel!

pat · Nov 2, 2005

Originally Posted by rhorsley

Sad news here. I got the call from the vet this morning. Her breathing became much worse overnight (now they do think she had lung cancer) And this morning she was in respiratory distress and the situation looked bad, with little room for improvement. The vet advised me that she was no longer comfortable and that was not going to change. I made the decision to put her to sleep. They said she was in such distress it would be wrong for me to wait until my husband or I could get there. (We both work about an hour away from the vet and at rush hour in Baltimore, longer) I asked that they have one of the female technicians (she was always partial to women) to hold her and give her a big kiss from me. I decided on a mass cremation. She hated the outdoors and there is no point in burying her there. And as the part of her I loved is gone, any ashes from a personal cremation would be just a pile of carbon. I've been crying off and on all morning and have to end this soon because it is hard to type and blow your nose at the same time. Thank you all for all the help and support. We did the best we could and it was just her time.

I am so sorry, I just read this. You did the right thing (not that you need my opinion), but from the perspective of having lost my Joshua this past year to what they felt was lung cancer, I know how rapidly he went downhill from a slight respiratory distress and diagnosis (tumors we chose not to put him through a biopsy as he was dramatically losing weight, it was pretty clear he was terminally ill), and within 4 days the distress progressed to where it was clearly time to release him.

I am truly sorry

ckatz · Nov 2, 2005

I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP sweet kitty.

touro1979 · Nov 2, 2005

sorry for your loss/you did the right thing. When I first started law school I had to leave my cat with my mom. He got sick 2 weeks before I was going to come home and died 2 days (put to sleep) before I could make it home so I know how hard this can be. I am glad my mom did the right thing by ending his suffering but I was slightly angry that my mom didnt let me know how quickly he was going downhill because I would have come home earlier to say goodbye. Its very hard not being able to say goodbye. She didnt want me to miss class but I would have made arrangements to come home so that could say goodbye.

semiferal · Nov 2, 2005

You made a courageous decision. I know it was hard to make but it was the right thing to do.

Cat hasn't eaten for 48hrs

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