Any temporary liquid diet tips?

[WarszawaScream]

Hey y’all - so one of my 11-ish week old kittens seems to have an ouchie in his mouth, he’s drinking lots of water but any time he eats anything, even of Churu or baby food consistency, he does that twisty-head tongue flicking like it hurts and snubs it. So I’m worried about him not getting enough nutrition. I’m getting him to the vet next week, but in the meantime - any tips on something I can pick up at PetSmart or whip together at home that’s liquid and will get some good calories/taurine/protein into him? Gonna grab some KMR Step 2 but other suggestions are super appreciated!

 

[daftcat75]

Can you ask the vet for a can or two of Hills A/D? It's an emergency food so even an emergency vet might be able to sell you a can or two possibly without even seeing your cat. It's worth it to call around. A/D is a very smooth, high calorie recovery food for sick cats and those who have trouble eating. In other words, it's perfect for this. You can add a little warm water to make it even thinner, if needed. It's also highly appealing. Poor lil guy will probably eat a fair amount even with his sore mouth. It's going to be much better for him than anything else you're considering because it's already nutritionally complete and balanced. If he likes the stuff (and most cats do!), I would let him have small amounts throughout the day. It's a little rich to expect him to eat enough in two or three sittings.

Another option: A lot of cats don't really chew kibble. Depending on where the ouchie is in his mouth, he may be able to grab kibbles and crunch once or twice before swallowing while avoiding the area that hurts. This would also give him a complete and balanced food.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Can you call the vet and explain what is going on that he isn't eating because of his mouth pain and ask if there would be anyway to get seen sooner??

Can you mix wet food with water also not the food thar has chunks in it. I would try a pate style food this way he doesn't have to try to chew anything. The added water night make it liquidy enough so he doesn't get hurt. And he is drinking right?

 

[WarszawaScream]

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it! I left a message for my vet about the situation and I’ve been keeping an eye on the little man - he IS now grazing on kibble (I always have a full feeder of kibble available to them), jumps on Momma Cat whenever she’s allowing them some Teet Time, and he’ll eat high calorie gel mixed with Churu. Not ideal but way better than nothing. He’s still snubbing wet food for some reason; I tried different brands, textures, flavors, adding broth, mixed pâté with formula replacement, and tried switching from their bowls to paper plates. No dice. He’ll lick the gravy from the meat and leave the chunks/shreds/what have you.

I weighed him and he did lose a little bit of weight over the past week and a half, but he’s still in the healthy range for his age and still acting normally, very active/alert, eyes bright, gums/skin good color, no lumps in his abdomen, etc. I didn’t see any signs of trauma to his mouth/throat but I’m not a vet SO that’s for them to determine.

He did make a sizeable poop yesterday that was - green? Which the internet tells me could be Giardia or another bacterial issue, orrrr an organ issue which I’m trying not to panic thinking about. So that’s bagged up and also coming to the vet. (His littermates have all had fairly normal turds, and they just went through their second round of de-worming a week ago. But this little man is the wild one of the bunch so lord knows what he could have gotten into in their five weeks outdoors.)

I’ll pop back in with another update once I have some more news, right now things are looking positive and the mad lad is curled up in my lap purring away. Really appreciate y’all, and I promise if anything changes in the wrong direction I’m taking him right to the emergency vet.

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it! I left a message for my vet about the situation and I’ve been keeping an eye on the little man - he IS now grazing on kibble (I always have a full feeder of kibble available to them), jumps on Momma Cat whenever she’s allowing them some Teet Time, and he’ll eat high calorie gel mixed with Churu. Not ideal but way better than nothing. He’s still snubbing wet food for some reason; I tried different brands, textures, flavors, adding broth, mixed pâté with formula replacement, and tried switching from their bowls to paper plates. No dice. He’ll lick the gravy from the meat and leave the chunks/shreds/what have you.

I weighed him and he did lose a little bit of weight over the past week and a half, but he’s still in the healthy range for his age and still acting normally, very active/alert, eyes bright, gums/skin good color, no lumps in his abdomen, etc. I didn’t see any signs of trauma to his mouth/throat but I’m not a vet SO that’s for them to determine.

He did make a sizeable poop yesterday that was - green? Which the internet tells me could be Giardia or another bacterial issue, orrrr an organ issue which I’m trying not to panic thinking about. So that’s bagged up and also coming to the vet. (His littermates have all had fairly normal turds, and they just went through their second round of de-worming a week ago. But this little man is the wild one of the bunch so lord knows what he could have gotten into in their five weeks outdoors.)

I’ll pop back in with another update once I have some more news, right now things are looking positive and the mad lad is curled up in my lap purring away. Really appreciate y’all, and I promise if anything changes in the wrong direction I’m taking him right to the emergency vet.

You can run that bagged poop sample down to the vet any time they are open. You do not have to save it for your appointment. I once had the vet office tell me that I could have dropped it in their mail slot. I replied with, "I don't dislike you guys enough to leave cat poop in your mail slot." Keep it refrigerated until you bring it in. I am not terribly weird about scooping cat poop. But retaining and storing it makes my nose twitch with fear about airborne cross-contamination and scent retention in plastics. When I do have to store a sample, I triple baggy it and then seal it up in a Tupperware or something I'm not attached to, and will be recycling when it's served its doody duty.

 

[WarszawaScream]

You can run that bagged poop sample down to the vet any time they are open. You do not have to save it for your appointment. I once had the vet office tell me that I could have dropped it in their mail slot. I replied with, "I don't dislike you guys enough to leave cat poop in your mail slot." Keep it refrigerated until you bring it in. I am not terribly weird about scooping cat poop. But retaining and storing it makes my nose twitch with fear about airborne cross-contamination and scent retention in plastics. When I do have to store a sample, I triple baggy it and then seal it up in a Tupperware or something I'm not attached to, and will be recycling when it's served its doody duty.

LMAO yeah I’m not the biggest on putting the bagged turds next to the groceries in the fridge either! I have it double-bagged in Ziploc freezer bags for now, they open at 8am tomorrow so I’m going to see if I can run it down to them before I go to work.

Just took a nap with lil man Rude on my chest and ughhhhh that boy has some GAS so I’m hedging my bets on something happening in his tummy or intestines, I just hate that I didn’t realize something was off sooner. First time with an entire litter of kittens under my care so it’s a crash course; the last kitten I raised was solo and had every parasite and bacterial thing going on that a feral kitten could have - blessedly now she’s five years old and a happy, healthy, absolutely binchy lady. Will keep y’all posted <3

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I'm not sure but I think a fecal sample can only be kept for 24 or 48 hours. When is his vet appointment?
I would take that in the morningbefore you go to work just to make sure it is still a viable sample.. Also if he goes again get the new sample. If it looks better than his previous one then I would keep both label them with date and time and drop them both off. I'm one to double, triple check though lol you don't have to take both but at least the freshest sample you can get would be better I think.
I guess it is 24 hours.. here is a link I found

Feline Stool Sample: How Long Can It Last In The Fridge? – CelestialPets

www.celestialpets.com

 

[WarszawaScream]

I'm not sure but I think a fecal sample can only be kept for 24 or 48 hours. When is his vet appointment?
I would take that in the morningbefore you go to work just to make sure it is still a viable sample.. Also if he goes again get the new sample. If it looks better than his previous one then I would keep both label them with date and time and drop them both off. I'm one to double, triple check though lol you don't have to take both but at least the freshest sample you can get would be better I think.
I guess it is 24 hours.. here is a link I found

http://[URL]https://www.celestialpets.com/feline-stool-sample-how-long-can-it-last-in-the-fridge/

[/URL]

GOOD CALL, I actually didn’t think about that. Little man is going to the vet at 1:15 today, I’m bringing the poop I have just to be on the safe side and then I’ll see if I can get a fresher turd tonight and drop that deuce off in the morning. (Gosh, raising kittens is so glamorous!)

Gave him some ham baby food last night (the good Gerber kind with nothing added except cornstarch) and he LOVED that, mixed in Churu and more hi-cal gel; I have some powdered taurine coming tomorrow just so that I can make sure he’s getting enough (so thankful I have a sensitive little milligram scale at home I can use to properly measure it out.) Wasn’t as big of a fan of the turkey baby food this morning. Hopefully today’s appointment sheds some light on what’s going on with my poor buddy.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

GOOD CALL, I actually didn’t think about that. Little man is going to the vet at 1:15 today, I’m bringing the poop I have just to be on the safe side and then I’ll see if I can get a fresher turd tonight and drop that deuce off in the morning. (Gosh, raising kittens is so glamorous!)

Gave him some ham baby food last night (the good Gerber kind with nothing added except cornstarch) and he LOVED that, mixed in Churu and more hi-cal gel; I have some powdered taurine coming tomorrow just so that I can make sure he’s getting enough (so thankful I have a sensitive little milligram scale at home I can use to properly measure it out.) Wasn’t as big of a fan of the turkey baby food this morning. Hopefully today’s appointment sheds some light on what’s going on with my poor buddy.

I definitely hope that the vet figures It out for your little guy.
When you have time after his appointment give an update on your little man.

 

[WarszawaScream]

I definitely hope that the vet figures It out for your little guy.
When you have time after his appointment give an update on your little man.

All right, little Rude dude and I are home, boy howdy them “free” kittens get expensive! XD (Already knew that was a thing, not momma Warzy’s first feral kitten rodeo lol)

My scale at home IS accurate and he did lose some weight, about 1/4lb which is a lot for a little guy. Doc asked me what tests I was comfortable having done, I said “do whatever it takes to make sure my dude is ok, not worried about the money.” So he got X Rays, a blood panel (full results tomorrow), subQ fluids, Strongid, and an injection of… I missed the name tbh but basically an anti-emetic/anti-acid/“tummy no more ouchie” med. XRays showed he is a VERY gassy lad and had some detritus in his stomach that might just be food, she’s having Radiology do an interpretation. No foreign bodies anywhere, gums/skin still a good color, temperature normal, FIV/FeLV snap test negative (also including those in the blood panel), I can’t say he was the bravest boy at the vet BUT it was his first time there without his siblings.

But of course now I find out he’s got fleas, because my husband’s mangy mongrel dog brought them in the house a week or two ago >:C (kidding, I love our dog - but yeah, he got fleas and now everyone has to be treated. RIP my hands trying to treat feral momma Missy later.)

So nothing conclusive yet, but she sent us home with some of that Hill’s high calorie stuff and whoa MOMMA he went nuts on that once we were finally settled in, so I guess the injection is helping! Right now we SUSPECT those gottdang roundworms to be the culprit by causing him a hundred miles of gastrointestinal distesss, I gave the rest of his litter another healthy dose of Pyrantel and I’m just waiting on momma to come out for dinner so I can dose her as well (it was time for their 3-week re-dose anyway.) I’ll talk to Doc tomorrow for the blood panel and radiology results.

So fingers/paws/claws crossed for the Rude dude, right now he’s eating good so that’s the most important thing! Got some high-calorie cat food supplement coming to try and bulk him back up to a whopping 3lbs, and I have the Kitten Spy Cameras set to flag an alert any time there’s motion at the food bowls so I can see how much he eats through the day while I’m at work.

Obligatory Kitten Tax attached, Rude laid the heck out on my belly/lap for a nap after his Big Rough Day.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

All right, little Rude dude and I are home, boy howdy them “free” kittens get expensive! XD (Already knew that was a thing, not momma Warzy’s first feral kitten rodeo lol)

My scale at home IS accurate and he did lose some weight, about 1/4lb which is a lot for a little guy. Doc asked me what tests I was comfortable having done, I said “do whatever it takes to make sure my dude is ok, not worried about the money.” So he got X Rays, a blood panel (full results tomorrow), subQ fluids, Strongid, and an injection of… I missed the name tbh but basically an anti-emetic/anti-acid/“tummy no more ouchie” med. XRays showed he is a VERY gassy lad and had some detritus in his stomach that might just be food, she’s having Radiology do an interpretation. No foreign bodies anywhere, gums/skin still a good color, temperature normal, FIV/FeLV snap test negative (also including those in the blood panel), I can’t say he was the bravest boy at the vet BUT it was his first time there without his siblings.

But of course now I find out he’s got fleas, because my husband’s mangy mongrel dog brought them in the house a week or two ago >:C (kidding, I love our dog - but yeah, he got fleas and now everyone has to be treated. RIP my hands trying to treat feral momma Missy later.)

So nothing conclusive yet, but she sent us home with some of that Hill’s high calorie stuff and whoa MOMMA he went nuts on that once we were finally settled in, so I guess the injection is helping! Right now we SUSPECT those gottdang roundworms to be the culprit by causing him a hundred miles of gastrointestinal distesss, I gave the rest of his litter another healthy dose of Pyrantel and I’m just waiting on momma to come out for dinner so I can dose her as well (it was time for their 3-week re-dose anyway.) I’ll talk to Doc tomorrow for the blood panel and radiology results.

So fingers/paws/claws crossed for the Rude dude, right now he’s eating good so that’s the most important thing! Got some high-calorie cat food supplement coming to try and bulk him back up to a whopping 3lbs, and I have the Kitten Spy Cameras set to flag an alert any time there’s motion at the food bowls so I can see how much he eats through the day while I’m at work.

Obligatory Kitten Tax attached, Rude laid the heck out on my belly/lap for a nap after his Big Rough Day.

Little guy looks extra comfy in the pictures he is laid out.. he had a long day poor guy but hey it will help him get better and that is what matters.
It does suck that they got fleas.. but it's an issue that can be handled.. how often do you have to worm them for roundworms?
I really hope the test results show something that is an easy fix for him.
Seems like the vet did everything to get to the bottom of what is going on that will help in his treatment for sure.
Did the vet check his little mouth to see If he had anything that was hurting or did his mouth pain go away on its own?
Thank you so much for the update!!
Also thank you for the cute little pictures of the little guy!!! He is absolutely adorable!

 

[WarszawaScream]

Little guy looks extra comfy in the pictures he is laid out.. he had a long day poor guy but hey it will help him get better and that is what matters.
It does suck that they got fleas.. but it's an issue that can be handled.. how often do you have to worm them for roundworms?
I really hope the test results show something that is an easy fix for him.
Seems like the vet did everything to get to the bottom of what is going on that will help in his treatment for sure.
Did the vet check his little mouth to see If he had anything that was hurting or did his mouth pain go away on its own?
Thank you so much for the update!!
Also thank you for the cute little pictures of the little guy!!! He is absolutely adorable!

The vet actually didn’t see anything to indicate he had mouth or throat pain, so he may have just been reacting to the fact that eating was making him feel sick Poor little man.

I spoke to the vet this morning, bloodwork all came back good, white blood cells were a bit elevated so as a precaution we’re putting him on a gastroenterological antibiotic. X Rays didn’t show anything terrifying, just a lot of gas and indications of diarrhea; all the detritus was just food thankfully.

Put the Rude dude back on the kitten scale this morning and mercifully he’s back up to 3lbs, way better than yesterday’s 2.14lbs, so things are heading in the right direction <3 Gotta go through my camera footage from last night to see how much he ate and drank.

Momma Missy is actively pushing the kids off her teets now; Rude dove on her this morning while she was trying to eat and basically got mule-kicked away, so he’s definitely got some appetite back - I just have to get him back to eating proper food. He snubbed the Fancy Feast Kitten but went for the Churu with his meal supplement in it, so I’m going to swing by the store and buy a whole variety of kitten foods to see if I can get anything to tickle his fancy. Now is not the time to be finicky, young man!

Kitten tax attached: screenshot from my spy camera feed of all four of them piled up on each other last night. <3 Love to see the Kitten Cuddle Huddle.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

The vet actually didn’t see anything to indicate he had mouth or throat pain, so he may have just been reacting to the fact that eating was making him feel sick Poor little man.

I spoke to the vet this morning, bloodwork all came back good, white blood cells were a bit elevated so as a precaution we’re putting him on a gastroenterological antibiotic. X Rays didn’t show anything terrifying, just a lot of gas and indications of diarrhea; all the detritus was just food thankfully.

Put the Rude dude back on the kitten scale this morning and mercifully he’s back up to 3lbs, way better than yesterday’s 2.14lbs, so things are heading in the right direction <3 Gotta go through my camera footage from last night to see how much he ate and drank.

Momma Missy is actively pushing the kids off her teets now; Rude dove on her this morning while she was trying to eat and basically got mule-kicked away, so he’s definitely got some appetite back - I just have to get him back to eating proper food. He snubbed the Fancy Feast Kitten but went for the Churu with his meal supplement in it, so I’m going to swing by the store and buy a whole variety of kitten foods to see if I can get anything to tickle his fancy. Now is not the time to be finicky, young man!

Kitten tax attached: screenshot from my spy camera feed of all four of them piled up on each other last night. <3 Love to see the Kitten Cuddle Huddle.

Ok that is great he is back up to 3 lbs. And I'm really glad he didn't have an issue in his mouth.. it socks he wasn't feeling well but it seems like he is starting to feel better. And isn't that the truth.. it is definitely not the time to be picky lol
Thank you so very much for letting us know. It sounds like he is going to be just fine.
I'm dealing with gas in the small intestines and diarrhwa with my little lady so she has another vet appointment on the 10th. I can say that her having gas has been making her uncomfortable.. so maybe your rude dude was feeling bad because of the gas and diarrhea. I hope the meds continue to work for him

They are so cute in that little pile lol

 

[WarszawaScream]

Hey everybody! Wanted to come by with another update and happy ending: the Rude man has made a FANTASTIC recovery! As of three days ago he has completely stopped shunning wet food, and he’s gained over a pound and a half since Monday morning. No more vomiting, no more icky poops, he’s back to being a healthy boy with a voracious appetite just like his momma and siblings. Everybody goes back to the vet this Thursday for their final booster and I know Doc will be thrilled to see how well he’s doing!

Wanted to thank everybody again for all the advice and tips and concern, I’m so glad I found this forum - I have pretty gnarly anxiety disorder and it really helps me to have other cat folks I can discuss these things with and get pointers and advice. You all rock <3

And of course, obligatory kitten tax attached: Mr. Rude and all one of his brain cells. Love this crazy little man!