Going to have to say goodbye to my kitty girl

AMAZING NEWS! Congrats!!

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Oh wow, I had no idea Vitamin C could possibly do that (or that cats could even have it). I already know I don't want my kitty to undergo invasive surgery to remove the lung mass and I don't want her to get chemo, partly due to the cost and mostly because, from what I know, feline lung cancer does not respond too well to chemo anyway. BUT this is assuming the lung tumor is, in fact, cancer - it was never biopsied, so for all I know, it could be benign. My cat is not displaying any respiratory symptoms.

Not that I'm complaining, but what could have caused the esophageal stricture if not a blockage and not a tumor? I don't know if a tumor was actually seen via endoscopy or on the X-ray or ultrasound, or if the vet was just assuming the cause was a tumor because there was no visible cause. The issues with eating and vomiting and all that disappeared just as strangely as they appeared a few weeks ago. My cat has not vomited or regurgitated at all since she began taking solid food again. Which I'm definitely glad she's doing because I know she didn't like having food shoved down her throat (at least she liked the A/D when she ate on her own). My understanding is a stricture is not something that would improve on its own. But that just made my kitty's recovery that much more of a pleasant surprise.

I don't think her appetite is 100% where it was before, but she's eating about one 5.5 ounce can of food a day. She seems to have lost interest in her dry kitten food, but she definitely still goes for wet food. She'll pick at her dry kibbles now and again, but she won't eat nearly as much as when she gets canned food. I'm just glad she's eating at all, and seems to be putting on weight very slowly, but she feels a bit heavier and I can't feel her spine and ribs as easily.

I don't know how much wet she was eating before, but one 5.5oz can is actually the daily amount needed by most average cats.
It may just seem like she is eating less than normal, but that might just be because pouring out kibbles is a much more physical thing that registers as more food.
:nod:

Either way, you might feel better knowing that once she eats past one can, you don't need to push her to eat any more.

Lindsay, the vitamin C they use for IV administration is different than the vitamin C one buys over the counter, so if this is ever an option for treatment just make sure a vet sets the protocol and administers it. It was amazing to watch RJ (the kitty in the pics) get better and better. His vet says there is no evidence of cancer at all now after doing testing and labs. Pretty cool!

Well, I'll be. She's eating without upchucking now! This is great!! Just me, but I'd ditch the kibble entirely. Next to a raw diet, grain free canned is the best for kitties. Kitties don't have the thirst drive that other mammals have e.g. dogs, humans, so they can't stay properly hydrated because of the lack of moisture in kibble and little thirst drive that prompts them to drink enough water to compensate. Just saying that in the long run she'll be a lot healthier and help her avoid kidney problems and diabetes, to name a couple diseases.

I would read the can of food to see what is recommended for kitty by body weight. Is this the A/D? You can read this here. I wouldn't limit the amount of food until she's fully recovered (I'd also keep adding egg yolk every other day or so). My Maxie would starve on only one 5.5 ounce can of food a day. On our home prepared raw diet he out eats both my other two, but he's a BIG Maine Coon bubby (18-19lbs of pure muscle, no fat on him). Izzy eats the least, but she's a wee little sprite at 6 pounds. Abby eats less than Maxie, but he would still eat more than 5.5 ounces a day--he's around 15-16lbs. On raw they do eat less than they would canned, but that is because it is more nutrient dense (real meat w/no fillers) than canned.

Keep up the good work! So very happy to hear how wonderful she's doing!

Well I was making a post saying how I was sorry but she would almost certainly die. However now she is eating again you should definitely look after her with all your mind, body and spirit until she either dies or recovers. One of our cats also had to be syringe fed after a stroke recently. He sadly died but we kept feeding him right to the end even though it stressed him. So good luck! And I'm sure she forgave you for all the syringe feeding. I look forward to reading more updates.

Wow...I was away from this thread for a few days and look what's happened!   Such great news   I really never expected such wonderful news as this...that she'd be able to eat as much as she wanted and no have to be held up afterwards or anything?  Holy cow!   I'm thinking miracle here.  Well...tis the season

I guess I was kind of hoping she might still be interested in her dry kibbles because it's her kitten food that packed weight on her in the past. I may try leaving out a little bowl of them for her near her favorite napping spot so in case she wants a snack between wet food meals, she can help herself. I'm also finding that mixing an egg yolk into her wet food not only helps thin it out, but is a way to get her to eat said yolk. I notice sometimes she kind of laps at her wet food when it's not moist enough, so the yolk helps with the consistency.

I also wonder if I could give her poultry baby food too (I mean along with wet food). Considering it's just pureed meat and water, I imagine this would be good for protein. While one 5.5 ounce can is good for most kitties, I think I'd like to get in more calories for her if I can. I'd say at her heaviest, she was between 10 and 13 pounds. This was when she was eating the kitten food about every 3-4 hours. I know 8 pounds is a normal weight for a cat, but she still feels kind of bony and I don't think it's her ideal weight. I definitely won't push her to eat more - I don't think I need to. She's quite vocal when she wants food, usually right after she wakes up from her naps.

Perhaps she's still slowly recovering and that's why her appetite is not totally back to normal? It's obvious she's hungry, but if the stricture was caused by some kind of inflammation (and it stayed inflamed for as long as it did), I suppose it's possible that inflammation isn't 100% gone and that's why she isn't going ape for her kibbles.

Leaving food by her bed can backfire for a few reasons.

Smelling food all the time can actually turn off the appetite center that tells a cat she is hungry. She becomes desensitized to it. It also causes the body to start making the enzymes needed for digestion, and if she doesn't eat, then she can get a build up of acid in her tummy.

And, if she doesn't feel good, smelling food all the time will make her feel worse.

Free feeding really isn't the best way to get a sick cat to gain weight. It may cause a healthy cat to be overweight, but it just doesn't work with cats who are ill. Feeding small meals frequently will work better.

That's wonderful that she likes the egg yolk mixed into her food! SO nutritious!

You're doing a wonderful job taking care of her. Congratulations on her continued improvement.

But feeding her baby food (chicken or turkey) (make sure no grains or cooked with onion or garlic) is always OK. 

I have no idea if this has anything to do with stuff that's been happening with her health, but I've caught my kitty peeing on the bathroom floor a few times in the last few days. There's some bags in a corner behind a hamper that she likes to pee on, but she knows perfectly well where her litter box is. In fact, tonight I caught her doing it after feeding her and then about 5 minutes later, she went right downstairs to her litter box and peed there too. Maybe I just kept her in the bathroom too long (I have to shut her in there because the other two cats or the dogs will go right in and eat her food). It's never more than maybe 10-15 minutes. But she's never had issues with urinating outside her box before. It's not a matter of her not knowing where her box is or the box not being clean enough. Maybe one of the other cats wet in that spot, she smelled it and assumed it was okay to go there? I've also heard before that kitties with cancer might start peeing outside their cat box, so maybe it's just that. Is just strange for her.

RuneKeeper said:

I have no idea if this has anything to do with stuff that's been happening with her health, but I've caught my kitty peeing on the bathroom floor a few times in the last few days. There's some bags in a corner behind a hamper that she likes to pee on, but she knows perfectly well where her litter box is. In fact, tonight I caught her doing it after feeding her and then about 5 minutes later, she went right downstairs to her litter box and peed there too. Maybe I just kept her in the bathroom too long (I have to shut her in there because the other two cats or the dogs will go right in and eat her food). It's never more than maybe 10-15 minutes. But she's never had issues with urinating outside her box before. It's not a matter of her not knowing where her box is or the box not being clean enough. Maybe one of the other cats wet in that spot, she smelled it and assumed it was okay to go there? I've also heard before that kitties with cancer might start peeing outside their cat box, so maybe it's just that. Is just strange for her.

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WOW!  I've followed this thread.  What an ordeal you are going through and what a wonderful pet parent you are!  I can't really tell you what the litter box issue is but I know it can be a combination of many things.  I'm wondering if she can hold it long enough to get to the litter box?  Since I don't live with her and know her full condition it's hard to tell.  You probably already do this but be sure to clean the area with a good organic cleaner and not household cleaners.  Get the scent out of the area if you can.  It might be she just smells the urine scent and assumes it's okay to go there. Yes, sometimes cats that have been through a lot of health issues will just go... or so I've heard.  I haven't had that problem with Hoot... yet.  I am so happy this has turned around since the beginning of the thread.  Sending you vibes and please keep us updated! 

I don't know about relating this to cancer, but stress can definitely bring an uti on so I would have her checked for safety.... She has been through enough.... I would make sure to have a culture done. IF there is no bacteria, make SURE to give NO antibiotics, you don't want to push her digestive system any further....Reducing stress is a must and pain meds might be beneficial

NutroMike said:

...be sure to clean the area with a good organic cleaner and not household cleaners...

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The best thing is a warm solution of enzyme (biological) laundry liquid or powder.  Don't use anything with amonia in it as the smell of amonia lingers and attracts the cat back, ditto bleach.