Force feeding cat, hopeless?

[karissima]

Pan acted much much better this morning. Eyes open, standing on his own, talking to me. He still has a lot of discharge and is very congested, but if he were eating normally I would consider him just a normal kitty with a bad URI. He even used his litter box!!! <3 <3

I took him in to the clinic but told the staff to please not give him anything until the vet and I talk and she looks him over. She will be in soon I hope. I wanted to quickly give you guys an update while waiting. Since he seemed so far gone yesterday I couldn't justify tormenting him with all the medicines. Now I am wondering if he has allergies or something to one of the medicines, because he acts so much better. I have only had one other cat who had a URI so bad that I gave her medicines for it -- with everyone else I nursed them through with stinky wet food and isolation for resting.  Maybe the antibiotics and everything else were causing more problems than they were solving?

The absolute best news I saved for last: this morning while I was preparing Pan to go to the vet I grabbed a can of cat food for the other kitty currently isolated, Bear, who is the "other kitty" from the pound that is not sick. When Pan saw/heard the can of food he meowed like he was excited or begging. I offered him a little but he decided he did not really want to eat it after all. I am feeling very buoyed by his reaction though, because he has not displayed much evidence that he is aware of his environment, and now he is begging for food! Perhaps I can convince him to eat something later on!

(I'm sorry if this is jumbled. I'm excited and also very tired.) Thank you all so much for your responses, I will let you know how Pan does!

 

[catsallaround]

With Pan make sure to NEVER give a long acting shot of any sort-especially Convenia.  If the case is allergic to meds a shot like that could be horrible as there is no way to counteract it.

Amazing to hear the change!!!  Good luck!

 

[karissima]

I'm a little giddy with relief right now, so excuse all the !!! and such!

The vet was shocked by the change. (I'm still not sure my husband didn't go buy another black cat, bleach his tail, and smuggle him in...) She gave him a vitamin B12 shot and some subq fluids. She says he seems to have "turned a corner" and that she thinks she is on his way to recovery!!!!!

I'm going to grab some kitten milk replacer and baby foods and anything else I can think of that might be tempting and go pick him up!! It's so amazing!!!!

Thank you all so so so much for your kind support and comfort! I'll let you know in a few days how he's doing. I'm sure if he will just eat a bit on his own that everything will be fine!!!!!

 

[catsallaround]

They sell milk made just for adult cats-if you have Petsmart look for the GNC section/the supplements. 

 

[vbcatparent]

Yes I would definitely stick to liquid food for now.

 

[karissima]

I got some of the gnc "nutrition drink" milk for older cats, thanks for the suggestion! I hope to find something he can't resist in all this stuff I threw in the cart... I didn't even know they made venison cat food? Craziness.

 

[alistair]

Great news [emoji]128522[/emoji] Do you feel comfortable syringe feeding him even if it's just a little bit?

 

[red top rescue]

Goats milk too, most supermarkets have it in the dairy section.  Most cats like it and it agrees with them.  Also, hearing the can and meowing but not trying to eat MAY mean that he just can't smell the food.  He may be able to taste.  Put a tiny bit on your finger and rub it on the roof of his mouth just behind the front teeth.  I've known that to start them eating when they cannot smell.  I pulled one back from a similar sounding situation, it took a couple of weeks, and he lived to be 19 1/2 years old.  Perhaps if yours was "unwanted" he just gave up, but now he is "wanted" he may turn around.

 

[karissima]

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to syringe feed him -- it was a horrible experience all three times and he hated it -- but I will try to drizzle some nutrition drink into him and try Red Top's suggestion of putting some behind his teeth.

He had never before reacted to the can of food being opened, but he seemed disoriented/far away from reality.

I don't know what woke him up, but if being "wanted" is all he needed then we'll be fine!

 

[catsallaround]

If you go to a high end petstore you will be even more shocked!  I have had cats for years but normally shop Petsmart or Target for their needs. I went to a local place that had so many interesting flavors and brands I never heard of.

I find syringe feeding to be a pain but prefer to do wet on the roof of mouth.  Either Science Diet A/d(RX) or the high calorie gel depending on the cat.  If he is willing to get cleaned so easily may try a tiny dab of food on top of paw and he may lick it off.

 

[karissima]

I offered several choices of wet foods to him this eve. He definitely showed interest in them, but would not actually eat. Royal Cabin Baby Cat and Wilderness Blue Duck Topper get honorable mention, as he took a few licks of RC and repeatedly sniffed at the Wilderness plus taking a taste.
But since he was not up to eating, I poured about 2 oz of the GNC nutrition milk for older cats into a small bowl. He drank about half with me urging him, and now he is resting. I finally can give him a true bed now that he's back to litter box use, and he has snuggled down into it.
I am so happy and so relieved and I can't believe our narrow escape. He's still very fragile but he's obviously trying to work with me now.
I've been advised not to "get my hopes up" but I don't think I am. I have faith in Pan and if he is willing to try then I'm not going to hold back hope. He is no longer bleeding from the nose either, or only a very tiny bit. I'm going to see if he will drink a little more of the nutrition milk in about an hour.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

These are hopeful signs, but I really do hope he starts eating soon.  Have you tried warming the food slightly?  I'll bet he's having a difficult time smelling the food, so warming it may help. 

 

[vbcatparent]

It's hard to keep from hoping for an animal like that. They can sense when you stop caring.

 

[bonepicker]

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to syringe feed him -- it was a horrible experience all three times and he hated it -- but I will try to drizzle some nutrition drink into him and try Red Top's suggestion of putting some behind his teeth.

He had never before reacted to the can of food being opened, but he seemed disoriented/far away from reality.

I don't know what woke him up, but if being "wanted" is all he needed then we'll be fine!

Wrapping cat in towel like a baby with limbs held down and putting syringe in side of mouth by cheek may help

 

[karissima]

I'm sorry I didn't update over the weekend -- I had to catch up on some sleep and the chores that had been neglected while we battled this problem.  The GREAT NEWS is that Pan is much better!

This morning he begged for breakfast and started eating almost immediately. He is using the litter, drinking, and has started grooming himself again. He purrs and begs for petting! Except for some mild congestion and seemed a bit weak still, he acts very normal! We even went for a short exploration of the garage/driveway yesterday, as I thought some time in the sun would be good for us both.

After he ate some dinner Sunday I even felt confident enough to leave him alone and play with our kitties and then I went to bed at a reasonable hour! Amazing! I'm so glad he's feeling better and seems to be over the worst of it all.

(Re: bonepicker: We did try making him into a "purrito" to feed him, but he's a very large bodied cat and he would inevitably get a paw out! Plus he just didn't like it much. Thankfully he is eating on his own now!)

Thanks everyone for your help and ideas and support! This was a rough time but thankfully everything ended up ok!!

 

[zoneout]

Great story.

 

[di and bob]

Thank you so much for the update, it is always so uplifting to get some GOOD news for a change! Good luck and may you be blessed for caring so much!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

SO happy to read this update

 

[karissima]

It's funny, I didn't take any pictures of Pan when he was sick. Partly because that would seem cruel, and partly because I didn't think of it, and mostly because of contamination worries I did not bring anything that couldn't be washed with me.

I did take this picture the first time he ate broth.

20140920_214047.jpg

• karissima
• Sep 23, 2014

And today he looks amazing!

20140923_173739.jpg

• karissima
• Sep 23, 2014

He's eating like a champ! He's mostly upset that I'm keeping him from exploring too much. I want to have a few good days of eating plenty before he gets too active!

Thank you everyone!!!

 

[karissima]

Wanted to let everyone know that Pan had a relapse of his not-eating behavior. His tests showed that his kidneys were failing. The exact nature of the damage is unknown. For right now, he is on a special renal diet and getting subcutaneous fluids once a day at home. He tolerates the fluids very well. He's sweet and loving and we are hoping for many more months/years with him. 

Thanks for all your help. I thought it might be nice for you guys to know that the mystery has finally been unraveled!