My Feral, Sweetie, Stopped Eating.

[Judey]

I've been taking care of Sweetie for 6 years now. He is estimated to be 8 yrs old. He comes home every day at least once to eat. He stays and enjoys the safety of my patio and yard.
In January of 17 he was badly injured in a fight.
We were finally were able to trap and get him emergency medical care. We were able to have him neutered.. He recuperated in our garage in a dog crate with a portable heater and all the luxuries he could ask for. He was well enough to be released in May '17.
This past January he disappeared for 9 days during a blizzard. He returned home and again we were able to trap him in his house and get him the help he needed.
Whenever he goes to the vet he must be sedated to be examined. The vet ran blood-work, e-rays and did a thorough physical exam. Everything was fine.
In late April he stopped eating. He would go to the dish and take a lap or two and then bolt as if the food was on fire! This went on for 2 weeks. Once again we trapped him and got him to the vet. He was dehydrated but there was nothing to cause concern. Another round of sub-q fluids, precautionary antibiotics, vitamin b-12 shot, prednisone shot and flea & tick meds were in order. He started eating the very next morning. this time we kept him in his garage set-up for a few days.
Fast forward to this week. He was eating fine; then Monday nothing. Tuesday morning he at almost all of his wet for and some dry as well as some treats.
Since then nothing. He doesn't even come to the bowl. If I put the bowl to him he turns away. I have tried baby food, tuna and different cat foods...no interest.
This is my dilemma. I can not touch him. If I get too close he swats at me and runs.
Since the weather is mild he does not go into his house. That is where we usually trap him.
I am besides myself with worry. I love him as much as my indoor cats... maybe even a little more.. How can I help my Sweetie???
I am trying not to panic!

 

[Margret]

That sounds very worrisome. You say that if you get too close he swats at you and runs; is this new behavior, or normal for him?

One more thing you can try him on is a little bit of KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer). It's high calorie, and it should be a "comfort food" for him. Check any pet product store for it.

Margret

 

[Judey]

That sounds very worrisome. You say that if you get too close he swats at you and runs; is this new behavior, or normal for him?

One more thing you can try him on is a little bit of KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer). It's high calorie, and it should be a "comfort food" for him. Check any pet product store for it.

Margret

This is totally normal for Sweetie. The only time I was ever able to touch him was when he was sedated. I’ve tried fir years to get him to trust me.
As for the KMR, I will give it a try. He hasn’t even approached his food. But maybe he’ll try this.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[Margret]

You're welcome; I just hope it works.

I'm glad to hear that Sweetie is behaving normally except for the food problem; a major change in behavior that appears to be unrelated to the primary problem would probably mean that it's some kind of catastrophic illness, distemper for instance. It could still be that, of course, but at least this is somewhat good news.

Do you know whether Sweetie was vaccinated against distemper?

Margret

 

[Judey]

You're welcome; I just hope it works.

I'm glad to hear that Sweetie is behaving normally except for the food problem; a major change in behavior that appears to be unrelated to the primary problem would probably mean that it's some kind of catastrophic illness, distemper for instance. It could still be that, of course, but at least this is somewhat good news.

Do you know whether Sweetie was vaccinated against distemper?

Margret

Dear Margaret, He was vaccinated either in January or April of this year.
Yesterday i offered him some tuna. He took a few laps then spent some time grooming himself in the bright sunshine.
He looked like he just enjoyed a feast.
He ate a small amount of food this morning which made me very happy. I am hoping that this means he's feeling better and his appetite returns.
I am still going to try to trap him and get him back if for nothing else they can apply the flea and tick medicine.
I seriously wish someone would make a chewable flea and tick medication for cats! it would make life so much easier.
Please keep Sweetie in your prayers.
Warm regards, Judey

 

[Margret]

Do you know whether distemper was included in his vaccinations? I'm not sure that it's one of the vaccines that they give automatically.

It does sound like he's feeling better, and there's always the chance that he just had a temporary tummy upset (hey, I get them, why not cats?).

I wouldn't try too hard on trapping him - you don't want to scare him off. You may want to leave it until there's some bad weather and it gets easier.

Margret

 

[Judey]

Do you know whether distemper was included in his vaccinations? I'm not sure that it's one of the vaccines that they give automatically.

It does sound like he's feeling better, and there's always the chance that he just had a temporary tummy upset (hey, I get them, why not cats?).

I wouldn't try too hard on trapping him - you don't want to scare him off. You may want to leave it until there's some bad weather and it gets easier.

Margret

Dear Margaret,
I thank you for your replies and advice.
When I got home from work he was relaxing in the back yard. I know he is still not feeling well. I offered him cheese, he took a lick and and left.
He is a tough character and refuses to be touched. I ordered Clinicare online and paid extra to have it shipped by tomorrow. I didn't want to wait so I went to the store and bought turkey baby food (they were out of chicken, go figure!) and the KMR.
I warmed up a tablespoon of the turkey. He sniffed but that's as far as he went.
I am going to try the KMR soon.
It's truly breaking my heart. I am totally helpless.
All I have is my prayers that he will feel better or I will be able to catch him and get him to the vet help him.
If you are a person who prays please sat a special prayer for my Sweetie.
Thank you!
Judey

 

[1 bruce 1]

Poor Sweetie!
How does he look over all, physically? You say he's taking baths, which to me is a somewhat hopeful sign. Is he doing this regularly and keeping his coat nice and not disheveled? Do his eyes look bright and normal, or are they squint-y looking and "off" with the 3rd eye lid, etc?
Have you tried offering food them immediately leaving, going back into the house, and watching out the window? As much as we love these ferals, if they're not 100% trusting of us sometimes they won't eat while we're around. I've had semi ferals that, one day, will happily gorge themselves with food right at my feet and the next day they won't even consider it but start gobbling the moment I'm out of sight.

Special prayer sent, btw

 

[Judey]

Dear Bruce,
I’ve been taken by care of Sweetie for almost 6 years now. I found him eating bread and my bird feeder.
As you said ... in the beginning he so L’s play mannequin. I’d put the food down and as soon as I’d turn away he’d make his move. If I’d turn aroubd he’d freeze.
We’ve gotten past that. He will eat in front of me. He stays close. In January of ‘17 he was badly injured. We were able to trap him get him help and thankfully neutered. He spent close to 5 months recuperating. He was feeed in May ‘17. All was great. In Jan ‘18 he disappeared for 9 days after a blizzard. He was trapped somewhere. We trapped him again got him medical care he was dehydrated and lost weight with medical care were able to release him in a week. While he was at the vet they ran all tests, X-rays and blood work. Everything was good. In late April he wasn’t eating we were able to catch him because he was still using his house.
He checked out ok. His tonsils were a bit inflamed and he was given antibiotics, sub-q fluids, vitamin b-12 m, drop shot and flea and tick meds. He was great! Started eating that night. Again released in a few days. In the last 3 weeks he has had 3 ticks. And it looks like a scratch on his face by his mouth. He looks “ok” not great. But was grooming. I know he doesn’t feel well. I just wish I could catch him and get him the help he needs!!
Sorry to be so long winded. I appreciate all the prayers!!