How to safely cut back on assist feedings?

[cheeser]

Are there some basic guidelines re: how to safely cut back on assist feedings while trying to encourage a cat to eat more on his own again?

Buddy had a wicked bout of diarrhea and a little bit of vomiting about a week ago, although we're not sure whether it was from introducing a new food that didn't agree with him, or the stress of having his daily routine disrupted while we had some work done on the house.

Unfortunately, even in the best of times, Buddy usually only eats about half the calories he needs due to some chronic sinus issues that can't be fixed, so I have to assist feed the rest. But ever since he bounced back from this latest setback, he's only eating about 20 calories a day on his own.

We lost one of our cats to fatty liver disease many years ago, so I don't feel comfortable following professional veterinary advice to "starve him out" for several days until Buddy gets hungry enough to start eating more on his own again.

Any ideas, especially for a scaredy cat like me who is afraid to try to do too much too soon?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. If your vet advised to “ starve him out” , you need a new vet. Look for a cat friendly practice. If you want I can post a link. I would look into more of the reasons why he isn’t eating.
The sinus issue, what is it?
You can try warming food. You can ask for appetite stimulants. But really, you have to get to the bottom of why he won’t eat, and I doubt you will find out with any vet that recommends starving a cat.

 

[cheeser]

Hi. If your vet advised to “ starve him out” , you need a new vet. Look for a cat friendly practice. If you want I can post a link. I would look into more of the reasons why he isn’t eating.
The sinus issue, what is it?
You can try warming food. You can ask for appetite stimulants. But really, you have to get to the bottom of why he won’t eat, and I doubt you will find out with any vet that recommends starving a cat.

Unfortunately, the vets in our area have been less than helpful when it comes to trying to get Buddy to eat.

I mean, I guess I kinda sorta see their point, in that Buddy is mostly a happy healthy cat, despite his FIV status, and they don't want to prescribe meds to stimulate his appetite when he's not actually sick.

His sinuses are just so badly damaged from chronic upper respiratory infections that went untreated when he was a stray, his sense of smell was pretty much shot when we took him in, and it's gotten worse as Buddy has gotten older.

We've been through similar situations before with other cats over the years, such as when one of them forgot how to eat after having a feeding tube for a while. I just forgot what we did to get her back on track!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Buddy sense of smell could very well be affecting his interest in food. And I am not sure why an appetite stimulant can't be given to see if that might get him over the hump with regard to eating. A cat does not have to literally be sick to warrant trying an appetite stimulant.
Maybe this article will trigger some ideas for you to try.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

 

[cheeser]

Buddy sense of smell could very well be affecting his interest in food. And I am not sure why an appetite stimulant can't be given to see if that might get him over the hump with regard to eating. A cat does not have to literally be sick to warrant trying an appetite stimulant.
Maybe this article will trigger some ideas for you to try.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

Thanks much for the link! I'll run over there and check it out and see if there's anything that we've overlooked.

It is disappointing when the vets won't prescribe anything to help stimulate Buddy's appetite, but again, I suppose I can see their point. It's not that he isn't hungry. He just can't seem to recognize food as food. This is an issue we've struggled with ever since we took Buddy in about ten years ago. It has just become more challenging over the years -- especially when the few foods that he would eat have been discontinued or the formula has changed.

The weirdly funny thing is that Buddy always knows when his next scheduled feeding is, and will come hunt me down and have a hissy fit if I'm running a few minutes late. So at least he knows he needs to eat. He's just a little fuzzy about the rest.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The appetite stimulant could be viewed as a form of starving out a cat, without the starving part. It makes them want to eat, and even though he appears to want to eat, he isn't. Maybe you could convince your vet about an appetite stimulant from this angle???

My cat has health issues but will eat better - even some things she isn't as crazy about - when given an appetite stimulant. For her, it will be a lifelong scenario where I do have to place food in front of her often to get her to eat. But her overall health is behind this as far as I know.

I presume Buddy has been checked for nasal polyps, and/or bad teeth?

 

[cheeser]

The appetite stimulant could be viewed as a form of starving out a cat, without the starving part. It makes them want to eat, and even though he appears to want to eat, he isn't. Maybe you could convince your vet about an appetite stimulant from this angle???

My cat has health issues but will eat better - even some things she isn't as crazy about - when given an appetite stimulant. For her, it will be a lifelong scenario where I do have to place food in front of her often to get her to eat. But her overall health is behind this as far as I know.

I presume Buddy has been checked for nasal polyps, and/or bad teeth?

Buddy has some structural damage to his sinuses that make it difficult for them to drain properly, and chronic allergies and inflammation just makes matters even worse.

One of his problems seems to be that his sinus issues make it too uncomfortable or painful for him to lower his head enough to eat or drink. So even when he was able to eat pretty well for us, we've always had to feed him from a spoon or our fingers (sometimes having to smear it on his gums first to give him a good taste), and provide him with elevated water bowls.

Maybe for now, I can restructure his feeding schedule to ensure that he gets enough calories per day, but just space it out differently in the hope that he'll get hungrier between feedings.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Elevated food bowls too?

 

[cheeser]

Elevated food bowls too?

Yeah, we've also provided those, but he's not interested in eating his meals from any of them. Guess he likes that purrsonal touch of us feeding him by hand.

However, he's usually willing to eat his bedtime snack off a little Corelle plate we place on an improvised elevated platform. Cats, you know?

 

[silent meowlook]

At the cat hospital I worked at, the veterinarian would sometimes prescribe a nebulizing treatment that consisted of a regular nebulizer that had saline, acetylcysteine, and dexamethasone. The cats had one or two treatments a day in a carrier with a towel over it for about 15 minutes. It worked really well for those cats. It is kind of a pain because you have to take the nebulizer apart and wash it in very hot water and let it air dry between each use. It might be something for you to discuss with your vet. Can you post a picture of your cat?

 

[cheeser]

At the cat hospital I worked at, the veterinarian would sometimes prescribe a nebulizing treatment that consisted of a regular nebulizer that had saline, acetylcysteine, and dexamethasone. The cats had one or two treatments a day in a carrier with a towel over it for about 15 minutes. It worked really well for those cats. It is kind of a pain because you have to take the nebulizer apart and wash it in very hot water and let it air dry between each use. It might be something for you to discuss with your vet. Can you post a picture of your cat?

I honestly wouldn't mind doing whatever it takes to use a nebulizer, including any maintenance and whatnot. Unfortunately, our vet isn't open to the idea. He said to just use steam treatments (e.g., closing the bathroom door and running the shower for as long as the hot water lasts) and running a warm mist humidifier.

Buddy got some relief for a while from an antibiotic/steroid eye drop that was prescribed for him for off label use as nose drops. But over time, it lost its effectiveness. Now the vet said to just use OTC saline drops to try to thin down the mucous to make it easier for him to sneeze out. That's all fine and good, except half the time I can't get Buddy to sneeze, and it breaks my heart into a million little pieces to hear that snot rattling around in his nose all the time. It's like having a little kid that doesn't yet understand the concept of "blow." Thus far, the only things that seem to help encourage Buddy to sneeze is to chase him around the house like a maniac to the point where his nose starts to run, or putting him in a sunny part of the house and hope that the light will trigger a sneeze.

I mean, at some level, I understand that the vet doesn't want to prescribe any form of steroids for Buddy since his immune system can be pretty fragile at times, and he doesn't want to suppress it even further. But doggone it, sometimes I just want to do whatever it takes to make Buddy feel better right now, and aren't thinking about the possible long term consequences.

On the bright side, last night Buddy finally started to eat more on his own again, thank God. So I guess I need to go back to the drawing board, and rebuild my cat food ingredient spreadsheet from scratch and find some more food options for Buddy, as some food allergies and/or sensitivities seem to contribute to his immune system going a little haywire sometimes.

 

[cheeser]

At the cat hospital I worked at, the veterinarian would sometimes prescribe a nebulizing treatment that consisted of a regular nebulizer that had saline, acetylcysteine, and dexamethasone. The cats had one or two treatments a day in a carrier with a towel over it for about 15 minutes.

Just a dumb question...

If I can get one of the vets at the clinic to reconsider about the nebulizer, what could you recommend we use instead of a carrier? Would draping a towel over a box suffice?

Buddy is still traumatized by his last trip to the vet's office, and is terrified of the carrier right now.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I personally think a box would work just fine - as long as you can keep him in it.

 

[silent meowlook]

You can use even just a towel draped over him with the nebulizer tube towards his face. It doesn't have to be an enclosed space. It is very important that you don't stress him. Although if you are holding him, you will also be nebulized. It's never bothered me, but for someone that cares about their health, it might not be the best. You could even do the treatment in a small bathroom.

 

[louisstools]

I've been working with a behaviorist since March to get my girl to eat on her own. I don't have to spoon feed her but the feedings -- 12 of them -- are all assisted in other ways (bowl shaking, petting, etc). I'm fairly convinced part of the problem is she just can't smell the food but no one (vet, behaviorist) seems to agree with me. She paws at her nose a lot and sneezes and sometimes won't even look at the bowl until I put fresh kibble in it (I can notice a smell difference between fresh and an hour old kibble).

You might see if there is a behaviorist in your area to help you. It's possible part of your problem is the cat likes feedings with you b/c they are getting attention.

 

[Alldara]

Does warning up the food help at all?

Os there any difference in height or angle from how you feed him and the raised bowls? I had to finangle a box for Lily to get the right height and angle that I would feed her at.

 

[cheeser]

I personally think a box would work just fine - as long as you can keep him in it.

Well, usually, he absolutely adores boxes, and puts up quite a fuss if we have to drag him out of them! I've given up on buying him cat furniture, as he's much happier with Amazon boxes.

 

[cheeser]

You can use even just a towel draped over him with the nebulizer tube towards his face. It doesn't have to be an enclosed space. It is very important that you don't stress him. Although if you are holding him, you will also be nebulized. It's never bothered me, but for someone that cares about their health, it might not be the best. You could even do the treatment in a small bathroom.

Cool! Thanks!

Unfortunately, I think I'm one of the major stressors in Buddy's life, as it seems I'm always having to do something to him that he doesn't like, even if it is for his own good. Thankfully, he gives me plenty of opportunities to redeem myself, by demanding pets, long brushing sessions with his Zoom Groom brush, my complete and undivided attention when I'm trying to get something done, etc.

 

[cheeser]

I've been working with a behaviorist since March to get my girl to eat on her own. I don't have to spoon feed her but the feedings -- 12 of them -- are all assisted in other ways (bowl shaking, petting, etc). I'm fairly convinced part of the problem is she just can't smell the food but no one (vet, behaviorist) seems to agree with me. She paws at her nose a lot and sneezes and sometimes won't even look at the bowl until I put fresh kibble in it (I can notice a smell difference between fresh and an hour old kibble).

You might see if there is a behaviorist in your area to help you. It's possible part of your problem is the cat likes feedings with you b/c they are getting attention.

Thanks much!

It has always been a challenge to get Buddy to eat, and most of the tips and tricks that work for other cats don't work for him because his sense of smell was pretty much shot by the time we took him in. But for many years, we were able to get around that by smearing food on his mouth, and he'd start to eat on his own once he got a good taste or two. I just wonder if he's also losing his sense of taste as well these days. Alas, our cats usually die fairly young from major health problems, so I'm not that familiar with what happens as part of the normal aging process.

 

[cheeser]

Does warning up the food help at all?

Os there any difference in height or angle from how you feed him and the raised bowls? I had to finangle a box for Lily to get the right height and angle that I would feed her at.

Warming his food hasn't helped that much, although we continue to do it anyway. And food and water are always available to Buddy at a height where he can just walk up to his bowls and eat or drink without having to lower his head, or we feed him from a spoon.

Honestly, I'm just so frustrated right now I could cry. Bless his heart, Buddy has had more than his share of challenges these past ten years, but we've always been able to eventually figure something out to help him. God willing, hopefully we'll figure out something soon for this latest challenge.