Finger Feeding Hacks, Or Is Syringing Better? Or Some Other Hack Like Putting Food On Paw?

[reginaq]

here is one of my posts explaining her whole story:
Slippery Elm Bark Syrup, Any Other Tips To Settle Cat's Stomach? She Won't Eat

to make a long story short, cat who won't eat (we are not sure why - i thought it was nausea bc she is licking her lips but someone else here says it's probably not nausea bc our cat is willingly pursuing cats milk) has been living on nutrical and catmilk for 2 weeks (after MANY vet visits and tests showing all clear, and 2 appetite stimulants not working well) and i am eager to get protein in her. her energy level is good but as of yesterday she is beginning to look thinner & i gotta get food in her.

my friend who rescues cats is like don't syringe feed her! that's why i haven't done it yet, BUT here i see people doing it all the time and my gut says it is time! i read assistfeed.com for some tips. someone here mentioned it is possible finger or syringe feeding her will jump start her desire to eat. i think this is a great idea and i am wiling to try anything.

i am fine with syringing but read finger feeding may bother them less (not sure if this is true-what do you think?) so I just finger fed her, using AD from the vet. it was messy but we got some in her. i also put some food on her chest, tapping into her desire to keep herself clean. i wonder are there any other hacks? wet pate food is not like gel, it's not sticky so it falls off her. should i try putting it on her paw?

or is it happier for her if i just syringe her?

also on the advise of this forum, i ordered lickimats and am awaiting their arrival from amazon, but i doubt she'll go for it at this juncture, she turns up her nose at everything.

i ramble, i am not good at finding and using usernames etc - one day i'll navigate this site better but right now i just have specific questions im looking for answers for, while also trying to work :-) any help deeply appreciated. i am so grateful for this forum. her energy level is still great so i have hope.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Keep trying the finger feeding as well as syringe feeding (why doesn't your friend like it?)
Also in case you haven't already, ask your vet for a different appetite stimulant and anti-nausea med, or try a different vet.

 

[reginaq]

Hi! Keep trying the finger feeding as well as syringe feeding (why doesn't your friend like it?)
Also in case you haven't already, ask your vet for a different appetite stimulant and anti-nausea med, or try a different vet.

my friend doesn't like it bc she says it causes food aversions (so i am using food she wouldn't normally eat) and she thinks i could choke our cat or put it down her throat - but i don't tilt her head far back, and when i syringe i do it through the side of her mouth, not down her throat. i am starting to think my friend is just very "natural", doesn't like to force anything, but my cat needs to eat.

vets gave me 2 different stimulants, neither worked, i just found zofran and left a message with one of the vets to ask dosage but she didn't respond. i will google it. i am trying one thing at a time to control variables....after today's finger feeding, she didn't want her cat milk...interesting!

i love your username and thank you for responding

 

[daftcat75]

But you still haven't figured out why she's not eating?

Have you tested for pancreatitis or EPI? These are not standard tests so they do get overlooked. Only the third vet my Krista saw mentioned the possiblity and sure enough, she had pancreatitis. How long did she have it undiagnosed? I don't know.

fPLI will test for pancreatitis and fTLI will test for EPI. Also test for B-12 because it is so important for so many biological processes. My Krista's recovery wasn't meaningful until we started the B-12 replacement.

Cats want to eat. If they aren't eating, something is wrong. You can assist feed them through it if you know are also treating what's wrong. If she's licking her lips and not eating, she's likely got pain in her mouth or she's nauseated. I don't think that your friend is right saying that she's not nauseated because she goes for cat milk. I can drink a meal when I'm nauseated but that doesn't make me any less nauseated. It suggests that despite her nausea, she's likely also still hungry.

If your kitty will go for it, I think you should absolutely consider assist feeding (syringe feeding) because getting her nutrition back up will likely make her feel better even if you still haven't figured out why she's off her food. I don't think my Krista would ever be this well-behaved, but show your friend this video. He doesn't look traumatized like he would develop a food aversion.

 

[Furballsmom]

Thank you hang in there!

 

[reginaq]

But you still haven't figured out why she's not eating?

Have you tested for pancreatitis or EPI? These are not standard tests so they do get overlooked. Only the third vet my Krista saw mentioned the possiblity and sure enough, she had pancreatitis. How long did she have it undiagnosed? I don't know.

fPLI will test for pancreatitis and fTLI will test for EPI. Also test for B-12 because it is so important for so many biological processes. My Krista's recovery wasn't meaningful until we started the B-12 replacement.

Cats want to eat. If they aren't eating, something is wrong. You can assist feed them through it if you know are also treating what's wrong. If she's licking her lips and not eating, she's likely got pain in her mouth or she's nauseated. I don't think that your friend is right saying that she's not nauseated because she goes for cat milk. I can drink a meal when I'm nauseated but that doesn't make me any less nauseated. It suggests that despite her nausea, she's likely also still hungry.

If your kitty will go for it, I think you should absolutely consider assist feeding (syringe feeding) because getting her nutrition back up will likely make her feel better even if you still haven't figured out why she's off her food. I don't think my Krista would ever be this well-behaved, but show your friend this video. He doesn't look traumatized like he would develop a food aversion.

you've got it exactly right - we still have not figured out why she's not eating after multiple vet visits and tests :/ i have to find out how accurate the ultrasound and x rays were bc they said everything was clear except for a UTI which we treated with antiobitics. i know we should go to another (3rd) vet i suppose, we already up to $1900 in the past 3 weeks, PLUS transportation plus medicine, food etc - and this year I am low income bc my chronic illness flared up. and i am afraid to take her to another vet, spend another 1k to be told 'we can't find anything' bc so far they've been pretty dang unhelpful. i've learned way more on this site then from them. i am grateful youve told me what tests to take though, that's helpful. my friend who loves cats was suprused no one took a fecal sample from her.

may i ask you what is the treatment for both pancreatitis and epi? bc i agree, something is most def. not right. she wants food, leads me to bowl, then won't eat anything but catmilk or nutrical. our cat had a b12 shot and it didn't do anything for her but maybe she'd need ongoing....

it's someone on this site who said she's probably not nauseous, and i wondered why she'd still be licking her lips then. i said when i'm nausous, i want ice cream sometimes but she is also the one who suggested assist feeding and that felt so right, so i am grateful for her. i am a first time cat owner and i am reading stuff you all say, then hearing from my friends/cat lovers different things, on top of trying to work and trying all these products with her, it's a lot! vets said her mouth looks clear but i don't know if thye really looked in there in depth. both vets said her teeth r ok but not great, but not bad. maybe i can check in there for an ulcer?

you will be happy to know, today we tried finger feeding AND just did syringe feeding of A/D! i totally agree, getting her nutrition up can help, or at least that's the hope. i can't let her go on with just cat milk. she took to it ok. i saw another helpful video on youtube before i syringed fed for the first time, then i logged on and saw your video, which i loooooooved , SUPER helpful. you are amazing. thank you so much for that, i will show it to my husband when he gets home since we do it together. he actually went out to buy more syringes.

i am rambling as usual. but you are right we need to get to the bottom of this. the other poster seems to think this assist feeding may kick start her into eating again, worth a try. 2 vet visits ago, she came home and wasn't on dugs and was eating like a freak, then became constiated and went back to vet for enema, and after that would not eat. so she was eating, not eating, then eating. all so very strange and confounding.

i thank you so much, i am going to save that video and watch it again.

 

[Furballsmom]

And you know what?

 

[reginaq]

And you know what?

awww thanks, so do you!!! i am soooo glad i found this site, the more i learn the more i realize i don't know. i am so grateful you all take the time to write these informative messages. <3 <3

 

[daftcat75]

If she likes NutriCal, you can make a gravy with it, disolving a glob of it in just enough water for the consistency you want. I wouldn't put this in the syringe. But I would use this gravy on wet food to entice her to eat on her own. The other trick I used a lot with Krista during the worst of her panc. was to put a glob of Cat Cal (similar produt to NutriCal) on the back of a fork and a biteful of food on the front of the fork. The smell of the gel would trick her into eating the food.

To really know what's going on with her mouth, she needs her teeth examined under anesthesia. There are problems that can happen under the gum line that a peek inside the mouth won't reveal. If she was eating eagerly before the UTI, her mouth is probably okay. How's her breath? Does she drool? If her breath is okay (she's a cat, it's not going to be minty, but it shouldn't be especially objectionable either) and she isn't drooling, her mouth is probaly okay. Maybe. You'd only be able to know for sure under anesthesia though.

I have to get going but I'll come back later to answer your other questions.

 

[daftcat75]

Pancreatitis is a nasty one. Let’s pray she doesn’t have that. Inflammation of the pancreas and/or small intestine causes the pancreatic digestive enzymes to “activate” earlier than the small intestine, and instead digest the pancreas itself. I know she’s not eating much but does she look pained after eating? How’s her energy? Is she otherwise responsive and playful or is she lethargic and withdrawn? If you can only afford one test, I would want to rule this out.

If she has pancreatitis, it may require aggressive treatment depending on how long she hasn’t been eating and if she’s also dehydrated. Treatment typically includes something for inflammation (usually a steroid), something for pain, an anti-nausea, and an appetite stimulant. Also B-12 restoration helps immensely with panc. One shot won’t do it. It’s typically one subcutaneous shot weekly for four to six weeks and then once a month after that as needed.

EPI is the flip side of pancreatitis but can also be a result of it too. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency is the pancreas not producing enough digestive enzymes. If pancreatitis does enough damage, it can result in scarring and reduced functionality. But EPI can happen without pancreatitis too. The treatment for this is supplementation of digestive enzymes with every meal for the rest of her life.

The symptoms for both often overlap with Ibd and constipation so they can be overlooked. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, lethargy, and pain with pancreatitis (tight squinted face, head hanging low, uncomfortable looking crouching like about to vomit.)

Regarding ultrasounds, I have heard they are only as useful as the skill of the sonographer reading the results. Not all inflammation is visualized on ultrasound either. And even if they do see inflammation, it doesn’t say anything about the cause.

Anyway, I don’t want to scare you into believing your cat has pancreatitis. But I also don’t want it not mentioned to you either. I don’t know how long my Krista had it undiagnosed but I shudder to think where we would be now if we hadn’t tested for it.

 

[Sandy Beach]

When my girl stopped eating we offered baby food...plain chicken or turkey with no onion or garlic seasonings. She started eating again right away. Anything to get them to eat. Scrambled eggs, lunch meat...hope your kitty feels better.

 

[reginaq]

When my girl stopped eating we offered baby food...plain chicken or turkey with no onion or garlic seasonings. She started eating again right away. Anything to get them to eat. Scrambled eggs, lunch meat...hope your kitty feels better.

that's great advice - we tried that and it used to work, not anymore. now we are assist feeding her and seeing if it helps, and seeing if we can find another vet :-) great advice though, thank you!

 

[reginaq]

Pancreatitis is a nasty one. Let’s pray she doesn’t have that. Inflammation of the pancreas and/or small intestine causes the pancreatic digestive enzymes to “activate” earlier than the small intestine, and instead digest the pancreas itself. I know she’s not eating much but does she look pained after eating? How’s her energy? Is she otherwise responsive and playful or is she lethargic and withdrawn? If you can only afford one test, I would want to rule this out.

If she has pancreatitis, it may require aggressive treatment depending on how long she hasn’t been eating and if she’s also dehydrated. Treatment typically includes something for inflammation (usually a steroid), something for pain, an anti-nausea, and an appetite stimulant. Also B-12 restoration helps immensely with panc. One shot won’t do it. It’s typically one subcutaneous shot weekly for four to six weeks and then once a month after that as needed.

EPI is the flip side of pancreatitis but can also be a result of it too. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency is the pancreas not producing enough digestive enzymes. If pancreatitis does enough damage, it can result in scarring and reduced functionality. But EPI can happen without pancreatitis too. The treatment for this is supplementation of digestive enzymes with every meal for the rest of her life.

The symptoms for both often overlap with Ibd and constipation so they can be overlooked. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, lethargy, and pain with pancreatitis (tight squinted face, head hanging low, uncomfortable looking crouching like about to vomit.)

Regarding ultrasounds, I have heard they are only as useful as the skill of the sonographer reading the results. Not all inflammation is visualized on ultrasound either. And even if they do see inflammation, it doesn’t say anything about the cause.

Anyway, I don’t want to scare you into believing your cat has pancreatitis. But I also don’t want it not mentioned to you either. I don’t know how long my Krista had it undiagnosed but I shudder to think where we would be now if we hadn’t tested for it.

I'm sorry I haven't responded, I've been crying all day. She's been fine, then this morning at 6 am I heard a thud, her back legs gaveout and she wasn't breathing right, I thought she is dying and stayed calm. My husband said let's try syringe feeding her and giving her water and I thought she wouldn't swallow but we tried anyway. We propped her up, syringed her pedialyte and then food and she was using her legs again, wobbly, but walking fine. We have continued to syringe feed her today and she acts cool, but I am going to try to find a third vet Asap.

As usual your response was amazing. I am not totally coherent, i have been crying but I will say - she wasn't eating, a few weeks ago, then was, then wasn't - no foaming at the mouth, her breath only started stinking after nutrical, smells like fish breath,but not too foul. So maybe it is not her mouth BUT when we see another vet we can be sure they tested. Thanks for all this info. It confounds me how no vet told me any of this stuff.

Her head doesn't droop, she doesn't really vomit (she did 2x this month, which was very rare), only time she ever had dirreah was when I gave her the appetite stimulant - cyproheptadine, and also lactulose gave her a little diarreah but other than that, no. Her energy was never, ever playful since Ive known her. I adopted her from someone else and she wasn't the personality I expected but I soon fell in love with her. She is placid and sweet, with a very sassy side lol. But we have bought her toys, try to play with her, she's more of a sitter lol. But her energy is the same now as before. Actually she just scratched in her Scratch Lounge, that's a good side. But anyway she does look like she has nausea, doesn't eat on her own (althugh before today she would lead me to the kitchen like she wanted food and drink ct milk. i am done with the cat milk, syringe feeding her real food now.)

You are not scaring me about pancreatitis or the other thing, don't worry, you are informing me and I appreciate it. i've wondered since the beginning if she had that, failing kidneys, or IBD before. I thought the 2 vets ruled out both those things...but maybe the tests weren't right. It really sounds like I need another vet. I found out the ASPCA reopened, I'm going to call them tomorrow (closed now for the night), they help low income people which I am this year.

I kick myself for not syringe feeding her before. I have spent hours and hours..and hours, researching products, reading amazon reviews, reading cat forums online, taking her to 2 vets, etc and yet I feel I've failed. Until yesterday, I listened to my friend who said not to syringe, and that was stupid of me. I wonder if she's beyond repair - this morning she felt thinner, but now that we've syringed her more she feels heavier again and is walking around. And she's not hiding, she's grooming herself...so maybe there is hope. I will call the ASPCA tomorrow...

I probably didn't answer all your questions, I'm sorry. I've just been crying for a long time but tomorrow morning i will reread your post and if I can get an appt soon with vet I will print out and bring your comments with me...

I can't thank you enough. Krista sounds like she has a great parent in you and I'm glad you found out what was wrong with her <3 <3 I will pay this info forward when I meet cat people in person.

 

[daftcat75]

Depending on how long she hasn't been eating full nutrition, she may have developed multiple nutritional deficiencies just as you or I would if we tried to live on pedialyte and milk for how many weeks. That alone could be making her nauseated. Keep with the syringe feeding. She will feel better as she gets her nutrition back up. But the next vet you see, ask about that. Also give her the six inch ribbon serving of Nutrical. Split it up over however many feedings she gets so she gets additional supplementation while you're bringing her back to full nutrition again.

 

[reginaq]

Thank you daftcat75, so very much. I will do exactly as you say and thank you, your response made me feel like I am on the right track - I didn't know if I was prolonging her suffering but now I know she does have the chance to get better. I will bring your notes to the vet. We will continue to syringe feed her and we will do a 6" serving of Nutrical. Usually she won't have anywhere near close to that but I will give her as much as we can, and call the ASPCA tomorrow first thing. I am very grateful for your response.

 

[daftcat75]

You don’t have to give her the six inch ribbon all at once. But don’t be shy with the stuff either until she’s eating again. Do take her to a vet as soon as you can. Collapsing is never normal.

 

[Furballsmom]

Actually she just scratched in her Scratch Lounge,

That is a good sign, hang in there, you're doing ok. We're sending you every good thought we have!!

 

[reginaq]

You don’t have to give her the six inch ribbon all at once. But don’t be shy with the stuff either until she’s eating again. Do take her to a vet as soon as you can. Collapsing is never normal.

yeah it is surprising to me - some of the 'high calorie' stuff - nutri cal, AD - not as high in calories as i had thought. i won't be shy with it, you got it and will call vet asap tomorrow :-)

 

[reginaq]

That is a good sign, hang in there, you're doing ok. We're sending you every good thought we have!!

THANK you so much!! She has all our focus right now, we can use all the good thoughts you can spare, thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]