Care And Feeding For Cat Who Had A Rectal Prolapse

[kstavert]

I had 4 sisters.

One had rectal prolapse a number of times.
The vet didn't tell me that it was likely to
recur and I didn't have any aftercare instructions
for her. It happened again about a year later and
we couldn't catch her... she died

Now, another of the sisters - Sashi - had the same
thing happen.

We were instructed to put her on a wet food diet.

All of the cats ate the same dry cat food for 3 years...
never fussed or complained.

Now, Sashi will gobble down a bowl full - when I first
open a can. Then, the rest of the day, she turns up
her nose... looks at me... walks over to the dry food
bowl ... looks at me again... meows .. and, if I don't
do anything... she begins to eat the dry food...

We have 12 cats - rescues - and can't afford to feed
everyone the wet food.. so have to keep bowls of
dry around the house.

Any suggestions on how to keep Sashi interested
in her wet food? It would break my heart if she
prolapsed again.

She's a manipulative little cat and I know it... love
her anyway.

your suggestions will be much appreciated

Karen

 

[duckpond]

I would say if the vet said to feed her only wet then it is important. Also keep several fresh clean bowls of water in different rooms.

You say she does eat the wet you give her, but then eats the dry you put out for the others? I know it would be hard to do with this many cats, but you can feed dry food in meals, or timed feeding too. Maybe try that so she does not get the dry. Feed her a wet meal, and the other guys the dry meals?

Did the vet say why she is having such a problem with this? Genetic, since it happened with two sisters?

Is he recommending a specific wet food, or just any wet food? Also what dry do you currently feed, does he think it may have too much fiber, too little fiber, or not have any bearing in the situation with her?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

The only other thing I can suggest that @duckpont didn't cover is perhaps crush a tiny bit of the dry food and put it on top of Sashi's wet food to dry her interest to it when she's not "in the mood" for it. That might be all she needs to take a bite or two and then dig in

 

[kstavert]

I would say if the vet said to feed her only wet then it is important. Also keep several fresh clean bowls of water in different rooms.

You say she does eat the wet you give her, but then eats the dry you put out for the others? I know it would be hard to do with this many cats, but you can feed dry food in meals, or timed feeding too. Maybe try that so she does not get the dry. Feed her a wet meal, and the other guys the dry meals?

Did the vet say why she is having such a problem with this? Genetic, since it happened with two sisters?

Is he recommending a specific wet food, or just any wet food? Also what dry do you currently feed, does he think it may have too much fiber, too little fiber, or not have any bearing in the situation with her?

DuckPond,Thank you kindly for your thoughtful response...

There was no recommendation for any specific or particular type of wet food.

It would be insane to try to set a feeding schedule for 11 other cats...

they all come and have little snacks all day long.. they never eat much at any one sitting... and spend a very long time - not eating much at a time...

they always have loads of fresh water... I'd been adding water to the wet food since Sashi "eats" or rather licks all of the sauce off of the food first..

I did think about pureeing the food and adding more liquid ... will give this a whirl, too

The vet would not say anything about genetics... though, that is my guess...

they also said nothing about the likelihood of it occurring again - though, that's also my guess...

Sashi will now consume a bit of the wet ... and walk away... I went and got a wide variety of wet foods... which may have contributed to her progressively finicky behaviour.

Karen

 

[kstavert]

The only other thing I can suggest that @duckpont didn't cover is perhaps crush a tiny bit of the dry food and put it on top of Sashi's wet food to dry her interest to it when she's not "in the mood" for it. That might be all she needs to take a bite or two and then dig in

Hey. Mrs Green Jeans.... that's a good suggestion

Another one I read was to put parmesan cheese on top... tried that and Sashi at a bunch the first time... not so much the second...

seems that she's looking for something that's "missing"

I also read that dry food is like a drug for cats... so, what is in dry
food that affects them that way???

I'm going to try the sprinkle of dry over the wet ... thank you

 

[Cat Person 12]

I had 4 sisters.

One had rectal prolapse a number of times.
The vet didn't tell me that it was likely to
recur and I didn't have any aftercare instructions
for her. It happened again about a year later and
we couldn't catch her... she died

Now, another of the sisters - Sashi - had the same
thing happen.

We were instructed to put her on a wet food diet.

All of the cats ate the same dry cat food for 3 years...
never fussed or complained.

Now, Sashi will gobble down a bowl full - when I first
open a can. Then, the rest of the day, she turns up
her nose... looks at me... walks over to the dry food
bowl ... looks at me again... meows .. and, if I don't
do anything... she begins to eat the dry food...

We have 12 cats - rescues - and can't afford to feed
everyone the wet food.. so have to keep bowls of
dry around the house.

Any suggestions on how to keep Sashi interested
in her wet food? It would break my heart if she
prolapsed again.

She's a manipulative little cat and I know it... love
her anyway.

your suggestions will be much appreciated

Karen

 

[Cat Person 12]

Hello Cat People,

My cat has had six or more rectal prolapse fixes. The last fix was performed just a few days ago. The prolapse fix before that one lasted for only two months. I was told to schedule her for a colopexy, which is a more invasive procedure, and a little too costly, even using Care Credit. I've heard of a silicone elastomer implant, approved by the National Institutes of Health, but my vet never mentioned this procedure. I don't know what to do. I feel I'm on a time limit . It was [finally!] explained to me that the purse string sutures will eventually wear out, leaving her open to yet another prolapse . I suppose I can just try to find a vet who charges considerably less than $3,000.00 , which is the quote from my current vet.