Jessieboy - 16yr old beautiful sweet grey cat

[spincus]

My cat jessie I've had since he was a baby stopped eating about 10 days ago - I started trying to encourage him to eat, give treats and even put some food in his mouth so he would get some nutrition. I ended up taking him to animal hospital to find out why - he was anemic and not eating - appetite stimluant wasn't working and he was weak. The hospital is still trying to figure out what exactly is causing this - it may be a form of cancer or imflammation. He got a few blood transfusions with the last one holding which is great but still not eating- I got him to eat alittle when I visited but not enough. Now they are talking about a feeding tube but is this is the right thing to do? I could bring him home and hopefully get him eating but I still don't know what exactly is causing this and should I put him through this! He is such a sweet boy and I am torn. Does anyone have any guidance or been through this? Its so hard to know what to do!
Thank you.....

 

[verna davies]

If it is an infection, he will need antibiotics. Has your vet given him any?

 

[Catmom1234567890]

I am so sorry you are going through this. My gal was severely anemic after the surgery. The vet denies any post op complications. Long story short, after discharge she ended up at the ER because she was severely anemic and hypovolemic. Her PCV was 11%. That is DEATH. She got a few blood transfusions and was stabilized somewhat and was discharged.

When she came home, she still was not eating with appetite stimulant and became severely dehydrated. She was admitted again and dr gave her fluids and started Yunnan Baiyo. It is a herbal supplement used commonly in vet medicine to help with clotting. In order to find out if she had torn vessels, they had to do exploratory surgery. I declined. Another option was to assume she has a bleeding ulcer and treat it with Sucralfate, Omeprazole, Vitamin K, and Yunnan Baiyo for clotting. She had surgery for hairball obstruction and subsequently found out she has IBD as well.

Your case may not mirror mine, but just wanted to share it with you. Watch for black tarry stool. That is a telltale sign of anemia. If your cat is bleeding, need to find out why and where. My cat bled but it was not internal.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If you want the chance to see if there is something they can do for Jessie - and the vets think he is stable enough to insert a feeding tube - then, that might just be the way to go. The feeding will not preclude you from trying to get him to eat food by mouth, but you will need to be trained on how to maintain the tube and how to feed him through it. I have no personal experience, but there are a number of members on this site who do, and most of them say once you get the hang of tube feeding it is relatively easy.

I gather they have run a battery of tests (blood work, fecal/urine analysis. x- rays, ultrasound)? How have they narrowed it down to cancer or inflammation, and how do they say the anemia plays a role in it?

 

[spincus]

If it is an infection, he will need antibiotics. Has your vet given him any?

Yes actually I started with my regular vet who put him first on antibiotics and appetite stimulant - but he did blood and xrays only and said he was very anemic but referred me to access, IM specialist. that's where he's been the last 5 days or so - they've done numerous tests, 3 blood transfusions with the last one holding at 22, and took some samples and one of the IM drs said under the microscope he saw cancerous cells. But the pathologist can't confirm that. He's lost some weight but actually looked pretty good yesterday when I visited He ate some treats out of my hand and was purring but I am afraid to bring him home without having a more definitive answer and to find he still won't eat on his own. This is so heartbreaking!

 

[spincus]

If you want the chance to see if there is something they can do for Jessie - and the vets think he is stable enough to insert a feeding tube - then, that might just be the way to go. The feeding will not preclude you from trying to get him to eat food by mouth, but you will need to be trained on how to maintain the tube and how to feed him through it. I have no personal experience, but there are a number of members on this site who do, and most of them say once you get the hang of tube feeding it is relatively easy.

I gather they have run a battery of tests (blood work, fecal/urine analysis. x- rays, ultrasound)? How have they narrowed it down to cancer or inflammation, and how do they say the anemia plays a role in it?

That is what I still need to know - they think its a form of cancer but nothing definitive from the pathologist. It would be better to know more in terms of his diagnosis and if the feeding tube will be helpful - I don't want to put him through any more torture unless it is going to help him with a decent quality of life. His vitals look good overall, he's peeing fine, and he looks bright, but still won't eat! He'll eat alittle out of my hand with my encouragement so something is keeping him from it. He'll nibble alittle on tuna but not much interest. Is the feeding tube painful? Such a fine line between helping and hurting them.

 

[spincus]

If you want the chance to see if there is something they can do for Jessie - and the vets think he is stable enough to insert a feeding tube - then, that might just be the way to go. The feeding will not preclude you from trying to get him to eat food by mouth, but you will need to be trained on how to maintain the tube and how to feed him through it. I have no personal experience, but there are a number of members on this site who do, and most of them say once you get the hang of tube feeding it is relatively easy.

I gather they have run a battery of tests (blood work, fecal/urine analysis. x- rays, ultrasound)? How have they narrowed it down to cancer or inflammation, and how do they say the anemia plays a role in it?

Thank you so much for your reply. They have done many tests, have him on meds such as appetite stimulant, prednisone, and some others, and his vitals look good and finally the 3rd blood transfusion is holding! I thought for sure he would now have an appetite but still nothing. So difficult and I feel so helpless as to which way to turn. Thank you for writing.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry that you are facing this. You are really trying to do as much as you can for your cat. While I have not used a feeding tube myself, I just want to second that numerous members have with uncomplicated results. If you decide to go this route, insist that the vet or a tech give you careful instructions. You might even want to watch a video online first as it might help you to formulate some questions about one.

Tube Feeding in Cats

This article gives a quick overview of the use of feeding tubes and about 3/4 of the way down does assure the reader that they are not as hard to use as they would seem.

 

[spincus]

thank you so much! the support and encouraging kind words really help - I am not giving up! Maybe I will try the feeding tube.....they will need to show me how to use it. Best to you.