Finicky eater won't eat

[lisahe]

How great that he ate ravenously, that's definitely good news. He's been on fluids, right, for the dehydration? Fluids are so great for perking cats up and (often, anyway) making them hungry again.

Here's hoping for results tomorrow from the FNA data machine. And for another short trip to the courthouse! Maybe everybody will plead guilty again?

 

[Susanna72]

Not only did I get picked for jury duty, but I’m the fore person. Ugh!! Aspirate results still aren’t in!!!! So frustrating. They gave him steroid and I said go ahead on the Elspar.

 

[kakers]

Oh my! Hopefully the case you're assigned to will be a quick one and the aspirated results come back quickly. The fact that he has started to eat again is encouraging, though. For me this is where my brain is able to switch from urgent emergency to still stressed but hopeful. Regardless of what comes up in the results eating is a very good sign and in the very least means you have more time to figure things out.

 

[Susanna72]

They said the results are “probable lymphoma.” They stopped just short of saying 100%. The parr assay will just tell me how aggressive it is so not sure I need that. They talked to my sister and said he should stay another night but I’m not sure why. He’s eating. We start him on steroid and next is whatever chemo pill we decide on. Still waiting for them to call me back. I called when I got out of jury duty and no one was available. I really want him to come home. My bill is enormous at this point and if he’s eating, why can’t he come home??

 

[FeebysOwner]

They said the results are “probable lymphoma.” They stopped just short of saying 100%. The parr assay will just tell me how aggressive it is so not sure I need that.

The FNAs done on Feeby were inconclusive, however one of the specialists said it was probable lymphoma. It was the PARR that actually confirmed it was lymphoma, so I am not sure who told you the PARR will only tell you how aggressive it is. If it were to be lymphoma, the PARR could shed light on whether it is small or large cell, which can be a factor in how aggressive the cancer might be. And, in the case of small vs. large cell, the chemo treatments/protocols are generally different.

I am not saying it isn't lymphoma, but a PARR can do a better determination than the FNA alone. None of these tests, including a biopsy, are 100% accurate, but each level of testing is a step more accurate than the previous one.

I think you need to ask why he needs to stay another night. If no one can be reached, how is overnight monitoring handled at the location where he is? I know some places do not necessarily keep staff on duty overnight; others may keep 'monitors' who will call a vet if needed; so, maybe they don't let calls come in? If they are moving forward with Elspar, which is an injectable cancer drug, and the steroid at the same time, perhaps that is why they want to keep him overnight - for monitoring?

It is terrible timing for you with the jury duty on top of all of this going on with your cat. I wish this wasn't the case. Hang in there.

 

[lisahe]

They said the results are “probable lymphoma.” They stopped just short of saying 100%. The parr assay will just tell me how aggressive it is so not sure I need that. They talked to my sister and said he should stay another night but I’m not sure why. He’s eating. We start him on steroid and next is whatever chemo pill we decide on. Still waiting for them to call me back. I called when I got out of jury duty and no one was available. I really want him to come home. My bill is enormous at this point and if he’s eating, why can’t he come home??

I hope you were able to get Oliver home tonight! I also hope that the court case is over quickly.

 

[Susanna72]

I hope you were able to get Oliver home tonight! I also hope that the court case is over quickly.

Thank you. They discouraged me from taking him. Said they wanted to observe him after the Elspar dose. I was a little upset but I’ll get him home today. The nurse this morning has been watching him nights since Sunday. She said he has gotten very chatty and is “telling me how he feels.” She had a buffet of food for him and he was eating a little bit of each. He’s such a little Goldilocks! I miss him.

 

[lisahe]

Thank you. They discouraged me from taking him. Said they wanted to observe him after the Elspar dose. I was a little upset but I’ll get him home today. The nurse this morning has been watching him nights since Sunday. She said he has gotten very chatty and is “telling me how he feels.” She had a buffet of food for him and he was eating a little bit of each. He’s such a little Goldilocks! I miss him.

to you and that nurse! It sounds like she's doing a great job with Oliver, feeding him the buffet and chatting with him. That's so nice to hear. When Edwina had her surgery last year they only kept her in for one night... they sent her home fast because she was so shy. "A nervous Nellie," as the nurse called her. That was enough to tell me that bringing her home was the best thing, despite her still being a little wobbly and having zero appetite. It's nice that the same nurse has been taking care of Oliver, observing him and his feeding, and getting him ready to come home.

As always, crossing my fingers for you to have a quick day at the courthouse and (I hope?) good news for Oliver.

 

[CrazedCatLady]

The little stinker in my pic, Oliver, has decided he doesn't like his Hills Digestive food anymore. He went a few days without eating anything but treats, so I looked on here and someone recommended Hill's Prescription Diet a/d Urgent Care, so I called my vet and picked up a few cans. He's eating maybe half a can a day. (As a sidenote, I tried putting Fortiflora on it since that was a recommendation, too, but he immediately said no to that, too.) They also gave me some Hills Biome to try since he's decided he doesn't like Hills Digestive. He's not eating that. He was on Digestive because he's prone to tummy upset and diarrhea. We have tried so many foods.

My question is: I can't keep him on Urgent Care forever, so what do I feed him? Should I try Friskees or Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers? Is it worse to keep throwing different food at him? He is so odd because he does this with treats, too. He will beg for and devour a treat and then one day he decides he doesn't like them anymore and won't eat them. He is not lethargic and his eyes are bright, but he's starting to get skinny and I'm worried. He still eats treats, so I give him those every day. He can't live on that, though.

The vet also gave me a probiotic to give him for a few days to help with diarrhea. That did help, but he's not into the Fortiflora sprinkles on his food.

My cat is a finicky eater and I couldn't figure out why she wouldn't eat so I brought her to the vet and she had a tumor in her mouth. So maybe see if its something wrong with her mouth or stomach.

 

[Susanna72]

Jury duty is over and I picked up Oliver! They sent him home with prednisolone and Zofran for nausea. He’s drooling so I’ll give him that when it’s due later. He went right to the litter box and did both. Not interested in Fancy Feast gravy lovers or Hills Senior vitality(he used to love that), but he ate a Churu once I locked him in the bathroom with me. Now he is in his favorite cubby in the cat tree. I figure he’s been in the hospital for three days, I’ll give him some space.

I was thinking of getting some high calorie kitten food or something. Any suggestions? They told me to try whatever I could. They were offering him a buffet and he ate a bit of all of it.

Oncologist appointment is April 20.

 

[marshmallow2013]

When my cat had a tumor under his tongue, he liked beechnut 1st stage turkey. He preferred it over the gerber 2nd stage, chicken and turkey. I also tried kitten fancy feast pate mixed with baby food.

Hugs to Oliver, it‘s great he is home.

 

[kakers]

Tiki Cat makes a high calorie supplement for senior cats "senior comfort" that's supposed to be used as a meal topper or treat. May be worth a try!

 

[lisahe]

Our cats also love Beechnut stage 1 baby food, either chicken or turkey -- it's just broth and meat. Baby food and Sheba are what got Edwina eating after her surgery. Another food they love is Nulo chicken and duck mousse (it really is fairly "silky" as the label promises, kind like baby food, Churu, and the like), which is sold in pouches. It's expensive but they love it so at least they'll finish it!

None of those are especially caloric but if Oliver will eat something low-calorie that's better than eating nothing that's high-calorie.

 

[Susanna72]

He ate some fancy feast kitten food with baby food stage 1 mixed in. He scarfed it up! I had to run some errands so I put his feeder and the camera on the second floor. Ate some fancy feast gravy lovers out of that while I was out.

My question is about portions. He hasn’t been eating so I assume his tummy is tiny. Should I let him eat a 2.9 oz can of kitten food if he’ll eat it? Is that too big of a serving?

 

[lisahe]

He ate some fancy feast kitten food with baby food stage 1 mixed in. He scarfed it up! I had to run some errands so I put his feeder and the camera on the second floor. Ate some fancy feast gravy lovers out of that while I was out.

My question is about portions. He hasn’t been eating so I assume his tummy is tiny. Should I let him eat a 2.9 oz can of kitten food if he’ll eat it? Is that too big of a serving?

I'm glad to hear he's scarfing up the food! Your question about portions is such a good one. Edwina has a tendency to regurgitate so I'm conditioned to suggest smaller portions! Beyond that, too much food at once may be a lot for his digestive system to handle after everything he's been through, including not eating much for a few days. Of course he may do just fine, though, it's always so hard to know.

Most of all, I'm glad he's back with you and eating.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

On the portions, I would say it does all depend on whether that large of a portion stays in. Even my big boy (15 pounds) who eats three meals a day cannot have more than 2 oz per meal or he regurgitates it. But my little guy (9 pounds) ate 4.5 oz in one sitting after being deprived of food for 24 hours because of a dental, and he held that in just fine. (well, I doled it out over a period of about an hour)

So if there is no vomiting or diarrhea with almost 3 oz of food, I'm thinking you're good to go. I'd try to stay away from the FF gravy lovers though. Personally I think the kitten food has better ingredients. But I get where you're coming from...you just want him to eat.

 

[Susanna72]

On the portions, I would say it does all depend on whether that large of a portion stays in. Even my big boy (15 pounds) who eats three meals a day cannot have more than 2 oz per meal or he regurgitates it. But my little guy (9 pounds) ate 4.5 oz in one sitting after being deprived of food for 24 hours because of a dental, and he held that in just fine. (well, I doled it out over a period of about an hour)

So if there is no vomiting or diarrhea with almost 3 oz of food, I'm thinking you're good to go. I'd try to stay away from the FF gravy lovers though. Personally I think the kitten food has better ingredients. But I get where you're coming from...you just want him to eat.

He is loving the FF kitten food so I just bought 20 cans of that. He hasn’t thrown up, but his stool is very loose and runny. Could that be the steroid or Zofran?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

The lose stool could be pretty much anything . Could be the meds, could be the food, could be his health issues. Try giving him some S. Boulardi and see if that helps. I don't see how it could hurt with any meds he's on, but you could always run it past your Vet.

 

[kakers]

Sometimes runny stool is just a matter of stress, or just from eating a new food if you weren't able to do a slow switch over. Probiotics and/or some pumpkin mixed into his food may help if it lasts more than a day.

 

[Susanna72]

I’m back to feeding Oliver with a syringe. Three syringes of Royal Canin Recovery and two of water. The numbers have worn off, but it’s like 2-2 1/2 tsp in the syringe. I stopped when he started to get antsy. I figured his tummy might be getting full?

So despite the steroid and Zofran, he won’t eat. I put some fresh FF kitten pate in front of him and he licked it. I have two microchip feeders. One has kitten food. The other has three piles: tuna entree, tiki cat Senior mousse, and baby food. I opened the feeders, put both in front of him and we sat in the bathroom for a while. Licked for a few seconds and went to door. Now he’s back in his cave.