Cat not eating, when to hospitalize?

[JoannaP]

My cat is just 15 months old. She was diagnosed with biliary system infection and pancreatitis on Friday. She's on antibiotics, anti-acid, anti nausea painkillers and appetite stimulant ( mirtazapine). She's been eating tiny amounts since Friday, maybe a couple teaspoons wet food at best. Today she didn't want to eat at all, I fed with a bit with the syringe with of course she hated. I've been offering her like 5 different canned foods, plus dry and nutrical. She lost 100 grams since Thursday, which doesn't seem like too much. I know cats are in danger when not eating which makes me want to take her to the emergency to be hospitalized. On the other hand, I don't think she'll be eating in the hospital if she's not eating at home with all my efforts and different foods. Would keeping her on fluids be enough? And for how long? I'm afraid she will end up with a feeding tube.. she still has some energy and comes to cuddle and be petted a lot. I hate thinking of her locked in a cage with strangers. I'm thinking what if she's on the verge of improving and hospitalization will make her worse? I'm also thinking what if she's getting too weak or getting fatty liver and then it'll be too late to save her? It's too hard to make this decision. Vets want to air on the side of caution, so they always advise hospitalization in such cases. I'll call my vet tomorrow to discuss, just wanted some advice on meds that helped your cats in similar cases, especially appetite stimulants. If you've been in similar situation, how long did your cats go without eating? Thanks for listening.

 

[Meowmee]

My cat is just 15 months old. She was diagnosed with biliary system infection and pancreatitis on Friday. She's on antibiotics, anti-acid, anti nausea painkillers and appetite stimulant ( mirtazapine). She's been eating tiny amounts since Friday, maybe a couple teaspoons wet food at best. Today she didn't want to eat at all, I fed with a bit with the syringe with of course she hated. I've been offering her like 5 different canned foods, plus dry and nutrical. She lost 100 grams since Thursday, which doesn't seem like too much. I know cats are in danger when not eating which makes me want to take her to the emergency to be hospitalized. On the other hand, I don't think she'll be eating in the hospital if she's not eating at home with all my efforts and different foods. Would keeping her on fluids be enough? And for how long? I'm afraid she will end up with a feeding tube.. she still has some energy and comes to cuddle and be petted a lot. I hate thinking of her locked in a cage with strangers. I'm thinking what if she's on the verge of improving and hospitalization will make her worse? I'm also thinking what if she's getting too weak or getting fatty liver and then it'll be too late to save her? It's too hard to make this decision. Vets want to air on the side of caution, so they always advise hospitalization in such cases. I'll call my vet tomorrow to discuss, just wanted some advice on meds that helped your cats in similar cases, especially appetite stimulants. If you've been in similar situation, how long did your cats go without eating? Thanks for listening.

I would call dvm and see what they say. My cats have been on the same meds in the past. Mirtazipine, cerenia, steroid helps appetite too and will help pancreatitis. I recently gave rx elura to one of my outdoor kitties I tried to save. It seemed to work well. Cyproheptadine is another that worked. I hope your baby feels better soon.

The Anorexic Cat: A Breakdown of Appetite Stimulants

 

[StanAndAlf]

I wouldn't leave it any longer than 24 hours with absolutely nothing to eat, especially with a sick cat. Hills A/D is often very enticing and full of good nutrients for sick animals, but I am unsure how suitable it is for pancreatitis. Hills I/D low fat is the food of preference at my clinic for the intensive care of pancreatic patients.

The affect of fluids is often underappreciated, they can really help pick up a sick animal, so it may seriously benefit her to receive them. Also don't be afraid of a feeding tube - it isn't half so unpleasant to them as it may seem to us, and if she does truly need it, it may speed her recovery exponentially.

Best of luck, please keep us updated.

 

[MissClouseau]

I don't think she'll be eating in the hospital if she's not eating at home with all my efforts and different foods. Would keeping her on fluids be enough?

You can ask what they will do. In Istanbul a feeding tube is the last option and usually vets and vet techs syringe feed the cat at the clinic themselves. I don't know about you but personally I'm not good at syringe feeding at all which also gets very stressful for the cat.

She was diagnosed with biliary system infection and pancreatitis on Friday.

My own cat has some liver issues and my personal rule is if a cat who already has a problem with biliary system-liver-pancreas and goes a day without eating despite the efforts, it's hospitalization time. You are right it's a concern the clinic is stressful, some clinics are more than the others. But it should be taken into the risk calculation being sick is also stressful, going without food is making them feel extra lethargic and vulnerable. IV fluids help to provide hydration that also certainly helps healing.

P.S. Personally I would ask them to use Fortiflora at the clinic.

 

[LTS3]

Feeding tubes are necessary if the cat isn't eating. It looks scary but it can save a cat's life. Here's some info: Feeding Tubes For Cats

 

[JoannaP]

Thank you everyone. I took her for hospitalization yesterday as it was obvious she wasn't going to improve on her own. They will keep her on fluids hoping she will start to eat. They would also try to insert a tube in her nose to deliver nutrients, but not sure if they managed to do so due to her nose structure. I'm waiting for a call back for an update soon.

 

[JoannaP]

She's getting discharged tomorrow but they had to insert a feeding tube as she showed little interest in food. I hope it won't be for too long..her overall state seemed good although she's been much less active than usual. She's also a stressed cat that doesn't like new people and places, this hospitalization must have been so hard for her. Her fever spiked a few times as well. Her liver enzymes had normalized but are high again. Kidney values are a bit worrisome as well. This is all too scary. I hope she will recover at home.

 

[Meowmee]

She's getting discharged tomorrow but they had to insert a feeding tube as she showed little interest in food. I hope it won't be for too long..her overall state seemed good although she's been much less active than usual. She's also a stressed cat that doesn't like new people and places, this hospitalization must have been so hard for her. Her fever spiked a few times as well. Her liver enzymes had normalized but are high again. Kidney values are a bit worrisome as well. This is all too scary. I hope she will recover at home.

I hope she gets better too, being at home should help. Hugs

 

[JoannaP]

She was unrecognizable after 4 days in the hospital. So quiet..no spark in her eyes. They told me it was because of the meds. She's not much better at home, sleeping all the time and turning away when presented with food. I know the painkiller she's on can cause drowsiness but while she's on it, how can I tell if her energy is improving and if she's getting better? I don't want to stop it either, I don't want her to be in pain. My family vet has been so supportive and accessible, but now she's been transferred to specialists, they are so hard to reach for advice....

 

[Norachan]

Does she still have the feeding tube in?

It's essential that she keeps eating. Even just a little is going to make her feel a lot better. If she doesn't have the feeding tube you need to syringe feed her.

I'm having to do that with one of my cats at them moment. You can either get some of the soft, paste type foods they make for sick cats or you can blend some of her usual wet food with some warm water in a food mixer. You need to syringe the mixture into the side of her mouth, across the back of her tongue rather than straight down her throat.

This article explains how.

How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles

 

[JoannaP]

She does have the feeding tube so she's getting fed. I thought nutrition would make her feel better but doesn't look like it. She shows 0 interest in food, she smells it and walks away in aversion. It's been 4 days since she got the tube. She barely goes to drink either. I can't see how she can go from this to eating again. She's alive because of the tube at the moment. I tried syringe feeding before I took her to the hospital and she would not accept it. She's on painkillers and antinausea, so she cannot feel that bad. How can she hate food altogether...

 

[JoannaP]

Hi everyone, I wanted to share some good news. Sigrith has started eating again. It had been 2 weeks she hadn't touched food and I was losing hope. They started her on steroids empirically as she was not responding to antibiotics. She started eating next day and now ( 4 days) later her appetite is back 100%! I couldn't believe this drastic improvement. She started grooming herself again and she looks healthy. I'm so happy but at the same time scared as they are still not sure what caused her inflammation. Antibiotics did nothing so it cannot be bacterial and steroid dose is low ( anti-inflammatory) so it's probably not immune mediated. I've been researching but cannot identify any other causes for liver inflammation, other than FIP which she can't have as she's been improving, her red blood cells are normalizing after slight anemia and her albumin/ globulin ratio is 1.0...I hope she doesn't relapse once steroids stop. It's so frustrating not having a definite diagnosis...