PLEASE HELP - FLS/Force feeding experience

[catcaregiver]

Originally Posted by lmunsie

she can beat this........we can beat this.......

Yes - you can! You don't know how happy I am to hear that your outlook has improved. That's not only good for you but good for Kismet. Keep a positive attitude.

It sounds like you have a good plan going, I'm glad you worked things out with your Vet. Keep up the good work and please keep us posted.

 

[xocats]

I am really proud of you.

You walked though your panic and fear to find solutions for you and Kismet.
That is not an easy thing to do.
Bravo

I'll be watching for your updates.

Kismet

 

[pat]

This is very good to hear. I am so glad you have the vet working with you now on this, and that Kismet is doing some eating.

Please keep us posted.

 

[catzrule40]

My prayers for you and kismet. What is FLS???

 

[lmunsie]

Feline fatty liver syndrome. Google it and you'll get lot's of info. Basically don't ever let your cat go more then 1+ days without eating.....it could kill them.

 

[mzjazz2u]

It's also called Hepatic lipidosis and cats can go into it very fast in as little as 3 days. It's usually secondary to some other underlying issue. For example, Jake had the rare feline lupus but when he would have a flare up he would sometimes get fatty liver.

 

[lmunsie]

This is true, but with Kis we've ruled out almost all other causes, only her liver enzymes were elevated, the rest of her bloodwork was beautiful and she is FeL/FIV negative. It can also be brought on by stress but life has been pretty quiet lately so I have no idea what initially got her off her food...

 

[xocats]

Just checking in to see how you and Kismet are doing.

 

[lmunsie]

Todays update is good. She hasn't gotten 'better' per say but we are making steps. The feedings are getting easier, and she is getting a little bit more energy. She had her first bowel movement in 5 days.....i never thought I'd be so excited about poo. I did my first at home sub-cutaneous fluid treatment and it went well, although it leaked a bit more then when I did it at the vets she didn't seem to be in any pain and lay quietly beside me while she was atteached to the IV needle. As soon as it was done she jumped off the couch, went to the litter box then came right back and jumped up on my lap where she has fallen asleep and been for the last hour, I don't even want to move because this is the first time she has come to me in days instead of hiding......it almost made me cry.

She still isn't eating on her own, but I'm not expecting miracles.......just small steps, she did eat two temptation treats, which is more then she has done on her own in ages, and is showing a teeny bit more energy. I don't want to get too excited too early, but I am just so happy that she is atleast more comfortable and happy...... Thank you so much TCS!!

 

[xocats]

This good news calls for a happy poo dance.

Way to "go" Kismet.

More healing vibes are on the way.

 

[pat]

Yay!

We've made jokes in this particular forum before, that we'd never expected to get so excited about poos and pees

 

[danimarie]

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hey there...glad you found us. I hope we can ease your mind a bit until tomorrow.

I'm currently having to assist-feed one of my cats completely - and highly, highly recommend a support group I initially belonged to re this (will pm you the url to read about the group and to join if you wish). They have a ton of info in their info files.

First...here is a site that helps you calculate how many calories your cat needs (obviously if underweight, will need more - consider putting in the weight your cat should be and feed that number of calories to get her to gain): http://www.petdiets.com/default.asp?...culate/der.asp

Second - to feed, I use a 12 cc syringe and in this case, cc's of liquid material equals mls of liquid material (think of it, syringes are marked as x number of cc's).

third (sorry, very much not awake and working on first cup of coffee): assist-feeding can become a fairly quick routine (though messy!! Tyler is excellent at flinging food on both of us) - where you know exactly the target amount you want to feed, have your towels set up (we have a "we're done now lets wash the whiskers routine).

key tips: syringe from the side (corner) of the mouth --- NOT straight in toward the throat which can cause choking and aspiration into the lungs. Syringe 1cc (ml) or less, then rest a few seconds to give the cat time to swallow it (don't worry if your cat spits some out), syringe another cc or less, rest, repeat, etc.

your goal is small amounts fed frequently. It's advised to try to syringe 15-20cc (ml) every two or three hours at first, during waking hours. If you work all day and cannot feed then, reverse the schedule and feed during the night. Then, in a day or two, slowly work up to larger amounts, increasing in 5cc increments every few feedings. As you progress, you can decrease the overall number of feedings.

baby food meat (gerber second foods - always check label to be sure there is no onion listed in the ingredients list) such as chicken or turkey, ham or beef can be used just to help get you through today.

do make sure whatever you are feeding is at room temp or slightly warmed.

fwiw, I have been feeding Tyler for about a year now (yep, he eats a bit on his own, but not much)...I feed him 3x a day, 48 ccs at a meal. It's a snuggle time for us, he gets am and pm meds at which time I feed him plus one other. We have our routine and it's not a big deal.

You can do this! Off to pm you.

Had to bump this thread up because you have NO idea how much this advice just helped me out.

I'm going to the supermarket now to get some babywipes and baby food, as recommended by the vet yesterday to force feed my Sophie her medications.
I had NO idea what to get, but glad you spoke about the onion thing.

The vet said to crush the medicines (she's on FOUR) and mix them with baby food, then syringe feed her, which is soooo hard...but I needed this advice.

So thank you.

 

[xocats]

Isn't it wonderful how members feedback can help so many.

Thanks for letting us know.

Be sure to keep us updated about Sophie's progress.
Sophie

 

[catzrule40]

Originally Posted by lmunsie

Todays update is good. She hasn't gotten 'better' per say but we are making steps. The feedings are getting easier, and she is getting a little bit more energy. She had her first bowel movement in 5 days.....i never thought I'd be so excited about poo. I did my first at home sub-cutaneous fluid treatment and it went well, although it leaked a bit more then when I did it at the vets she didn't seem to be in any pain and lay quietly beside me while she was atteached to the IV needle. As soon as it was done she jumped off the couch, went to the litter box then came right back and jumped up on my lap where she has fallen asleep and been for the last hour, I don't even want to move because this is the first time she has come to me in days instead of hiding......it almost made me cry.

She still isn't eating on her own, but I'm not expecting miracles.......just small steps, she did eat two temptation treats, which is more then she has done on her own in ages, and is showing a teeny bit more energy. I don't want to get too excited too early, but I am just so happy that she is atleast more comfortable and happy...... Thank you so much TCS!!

yah yah yeah,yeah Stinky in the litter box stinky in the litter box!!! So happy to hear that lil angel has gone poo!!! And even more awesome that she came into your lap!!