Mac Stopped Eating, Please Help

macadamia12

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Aloha everybody,

Our Cat (Mac) had been vomiting off and on for a couple of weeks. Two weeks ago he stopped eating. We took him to the vet, did a full blood test(he had to be put under anesthesia as he was very upset). Vet said everything looked normal except one liver enzyme being a little high. They gave us Sciencediet digestive care i/d food which Mac ate for a couple of days and then he stopped eating again. We called our Vet again and he prescribed Entyce to stimulate his appetite. Entyce only worked one time and then stopped working. We took him back to the vet yesterday, they did the following: exam recheck, Xray of abdomen, dexdomitor, butorphal, subcutaneous fluid administration, cerenia and famotidine. He was put under anesthesia again and brought back using antisedan. Vet said everything looked normal again and gave Mirataz Transdermal ointment to put inside his ear once a day. Mirataz worked great yesterday evening and he ate quite a bit but failed to work today. He hasn’t eaten more than a few sips of tuna water. We called the Vet to give an update and were told tube feeding would be our next option.

We are really worried about losing our cat if he continues to not eat and keep losing weight. Even on days when he did eat in the last two weeks, the quantity was a lot less than usual. One thing we noticed when he eats is, he seems to be straining to chew and push food down the throat. We have been diluting his food to make it easier for him. He is been mainly withdrawn from the house and is staying outside on the lanai. He seems to be seeking cold air and wanting to be alone.

Here's a pic on Mac on the Lanai from 4 days ago. Notice his eyes


Mac being happy and playful before getting sick
 

Leomc123

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Did they check macs throat maybe there is inflammation in the throat making it hard for him to swallow or maybe something is irritating him in his throat like he may have chewed on a poisonous plant or mushrooms or toxin . What food were you feeding Mac when the vomiting started ? Wet food or dry food ? It is strange how so many healthy cats out there, out of the blue start vomiting and then suddenly stop eating and end up to the point of resorting to a feeding tube or being put down. Something isnt right.
 

denice

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The main thing right now is to get him eating something consistently. The raised liver enzyme is the result of not eating and he can go into something called Hepatic Lipidosis or Fatty Liver. My IBD kitty had it, it was a slow recovery with a feeding tube.

It isn't a complete food so it is a temporary thing but try plain meat baby food, the kind with no garlic or onions. You can also try the Fancy Feast pates. My vet calls it Kitty Crack. I would probably try that first since it is a complete food so wouldn't have to be real short term like the baby food. Try warming the food, it amps up the scent which makes it more appetizing.

If this issue continues ask your vet about a trial of steroid like Prednisolone. If the steroid works then it probably is an inflammation issue usually referred to as IBD.
 

LTS3

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Could it be dental problems? Dental issues can be painful. If your vet isn't experienced with dental care (and many vets aren't), seek out a veterinary dental specialist.
 

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I am sorry for what Mac is going through - and you too! I don't know if you've ever had to deal with a feeding tube (I haven't) but there are at least a couple of 'experts' on this site that I hope will see your post and offer their experiences with using a tube. It sounds, or they have made it sound, pretty easy to deal with - I am sure that is once they got the hang of it. I know it has proved to be a life-saver on a few occasions from what I have read. I would strongly suggest you seriously consider it, it could mean all the difference in helping to get him 'back on his feet' again - although, I think you will have to consider how to keep him either inside or in an enclosure on your lanai.

Just in the hopes one of these members will respond to you, I know one who has dealt with this and his name is daftcat75 daftcat75 .
 

daftcat75

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A feeding tube will buy you time to figure out what's going on. I definitely reccommend it as his eating has been disordered long enough and he's losing weight. He'll hardly mind it. In fact, the only time my Krista ever minded her tube was my fault: feeding too fast or feeding too cold. You get the hang of it quickly enough. The feeding tube won't prevent him from eating on his own. In fact, a lot of cats will start eating on their own again once their belly has food in it. And when you've figured out what caused all of this and you're sure you're through it (and you've waited just a little longer than that because it's easier to leave it in than put it back in), you can have it removed and he'll heal up in a week like it was never there.
Feeding Tubes For Cats
 

daftcat75

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Some thoughts on what could be causing his anorexia (not eating):

1. Dental issues. Did he have his teeth looked at under sedation with mouth x-rays? If not, that's where I would begin.

2. Has he had an ultrasound? An X-ray would only show signs of obstruction but an ultrasound would help identify inflammation and changes to the internal organs that might suggest one disease process over another.

3. Ask to have him tested for pancreatitis too. That's Spec fPLI or fPL blood test. It's not included in the usual panels and a lot of vets overlook it. It often happens secondary to something else like IBD. But if he's got pancreatitis, that needs to be treated first.

Get the feeding tube inserted so you can start re-feeding him. That should also help with the liver. Which enzyme was out of range? Do you have the results or do you remember? In any case, the liver is often a secondary problem. Find and fix the primary problem and the liver can often heal itself.
 
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basschick

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have you tried a variety of flavors of fancy feast, particularly the chunky and the classic pate flavors, which have more solid food and less juice in them. cats who aren't tempted by prescriptions are often tempted by fancy feast or meat baby food, which you could also try.

when HK had problems, we added some fish juice or cat food gravy to the classic pate flavors to make a slurry, and it was easier to swallow.

best of luck to you and your cat!
 
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macadamia12

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Thank you Leomc123, Denice, LTS3, Feebysowner, Daftcat75, Basschick for responding.

I apologize for the delayed update. We had an family emergency with my mother in law falling and fracturing her hip bone. She is an Alzheimer's patient and we got Mac from her last November.

Our Vet supposedly checked his teeth and throat but couldn't find anything.

Mac is 12 years old and has been overweight most of his life. He lost 7 pounds in the last 5.5 months. He was 30lbs in Nov and 25lbs 2 weeks ago. Now he is at 23lbs. He was on a combination of a dry high protein diet(youngagain brand) and (Tikki cat) wet food. We completely stopped youngagain dry food since last two weeks and have been mostly trying baby food, science diet digestive care wet food, ham, chicken and some other stuff with very little luck.

Mac loves going out in our garden and chewing grass and is one of his favorite thing to do. But we stopped this approximately 20 days ago after we felt that the grass could be making him throw up. He was quite angry initially and but adapted few days late.

Mac has only had 4 to 5 tablespoons of food in the last 3 days. He has been unable to poop. As for drinking water, it seems like he wants to drink it but walks away after sniffing. Same with food.

We had first gotten his blood test done in Dec 2018 from Vet1 and they said everything looked good. When he started vomiting and stopped eating(which started 2 weeks ago), we took him to Vet1, but they seemed to not care much, so we made took him to Vet 2 who did all the tests(blood on 4/5 and xray on 4/12 ).

We called Vet2 today to give an update and he first wanted to see Mac again tomorrow for blood tests which made us very confused since it was just done on 4/5. My husband said no as we are very scared of sedating Mac again for something that was just done. They said, our next option is to start tube feeding from tomorrow which we are very afraid of. Our Cat was so happy and healthy a month ago, this is very overwhelming.

I wonder why is Vet 2 not recommending a Ultrasound or other tests if he can't provide diagnosis from blood and xrays tests. How are we going to get to the root cause?

Now we only have 1 more option Vet3(who isn't available till 4/29) unless we drive atleast an hour one way for other Vets. Also Mac doesn't like travelling and generally requires Sedation for tests and we are afraid to start all over again.

We can't even sleep at night worrying about the worst case scanerio. If he doesn't eat today, we might have no other options to put Mac on a feeding tube tomorrow. This has been very hard on us and he is no less than our own child.


Here's a pic of Mac being cuddly with my husband and purring. He still does this despite not being well.


Thanks a lot for guiding us during this tough phase of our lives.
 

Furballsmom

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Try some of these to help so that maybe the hour drive is a possibility;
You could look into these;
Only Natural Pet has a product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Music can be useful in helping a cat to relax (not 24 hours a day though, just now and then for a couple hours or so). Musicforcats . com, or there's an app called Relax My Cat.

You could try one of these, only a small selection of a fast-growing section of pet products;
Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, Quiet Moments Cat treats, and there is Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.

Also Thunderease has diffusers as does Sentry, Comfort Zone and feliway as mentioned although diffusers are expensive and not always the answer.

If it's legal where you are, you might want to check with your vet but some people have good results with CBD oil, plus there are vet-prescribed calming products too.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, 1-800-petmeds, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This discussion's post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat
 

Furballsmom

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What's your vet saying about the not pooping? Is it only because he's not eating, or is it constipation? Often cats eat grass because their stomach is upset, and the result is vomiting, you're right.

If by any chance these might help entice him, --if you don't utilize a feeding tube, or for afterwards if necessary;
You could try a flat paper plate--this often works to get a kitty eating, and hopefully something here helps;

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members

Also here is a compilation of things;

Try feeding in different locations - and utilize different heights. For example put a couple of books underneath the dish, next time use two thick phone books, or a small-ish box so the heights are varied....

Try sitting with her and scoop some food on your finger or a spoon and hopefully your kitty will lick it. Or gently tuck some food inside the cheek.

Try some raw egg yolk. Egg white must always be cooked, and some people cook the white and make a slurry of sorts by adding in the raw yolk.

Also you could try some Nutri-cal or similar product.

Try making these recipes - they're just as viable for an adult cat as for kittens;
Kitten-Rescue.com

These below can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave.

Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.
  • Chicken, beef or ham flavored (pureed) baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients
  • Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch
  • Salmon, mackerel
  • Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
  • boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings
  • canned kitten food any brand
  • Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought
  • Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)
  • Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food
  • kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
  • Bonito flakes
  • fortiflora
  • fish oil
  • green beans, asparagus mushed up, lettuce, applesauce, mashed chickpeas, black olives
  • whipped topping such as reddiwhip
  • dry pasta
  • goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
  • whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
  • broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
  • There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  • Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables, Only Natural Pet, Primal
  • There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
  • shredded cheddar cheese, string cheese
 
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macadamia12

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Here's Mac enjoying grass from last month. Its hard looking at happy pics of Mac. We don't know if we would have that back again in my life.

I would appreciate if you all could please help/guide us in what we should do next?

I feel so helpless being on Big Island with very limited options.




 

Furballsmom

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Take a look at my post #11 above regarding calming products - hopefully there's something that gives you more options and maybe flexibility regarding getting to a different vet and my post #12 might have something, even a paper plate, that might help entice him to eat a bit more. Try finger feeding, try spoon feeding, try the different things in that list.
 

Furballsmom

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Try some chamomile tea for yourself with honey - you need to be strong for him because he can pick up on your emotions.
 
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macadamia12

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Thank you Furrballsmom for all the tips.

I am really grateful for your support. We will definitely try some of these recommendations. Mac does respond to hand feeding but stops after a 1 or 2 tablespoons.
 
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macadamia12

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Hi @daftcat75,

Thanks for your input.

We have decided to go for tube feeding tomorrow.

Can you please help us with what food we should be tube feeding him? We don't fully trust our Vet and don't want to feed Sciencediet in case he recommends.

Also when should we have our Vet do the Ultrasound and pancreatitis tests. We received the blood test results copy today and I can't find any fPLI or fPL spec.

I am so confused as to why did our Vet not do Ultrasound when he did Xrays. The Pancreatitis tests should have been done to since we are struggling with a diagnosis.

Everytime we do this tests, Mac has to be sedated which is very hard for him.

We are really worried about tube feeding Mac since he has a lot of fat around the neck area and hope this doesn't cause any issues.

Thanks in advance.
 

daftcat75

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The feeding tube is a simple procedure. You can watch it on YouTube if you’re up for that. While he’s sedated, they can take another blood sample to order the pancreatitis test. You can also ask about B-12. If he’s losing weight, he’ll very likely be deficient and need the replacement therapy. But vets usually want to test for this before they begin.

As for food, you have to dilute it to make it fluid enough for the tube. They’ll probably recommend a high calorie food. If Mac tolerates it, go with that. Remember that the tube doesn’t stop him from eating by mouth too. Whatever he eats by mouth, you can subtract from what you would have to give by tube. If he doesn’t tolerate the vet food, find a high calorie pâté and blend up the whole can especially that jelly stuff on top if it had that. That will help it blend smooth. Ask the vet or search on the web how much water needs to be added. I want to say 1:1.

Have a look at kittykollar.com for a protective collar that makes the tube site easier to keep clean. You’ll have to clean that every day. Ask the vet to leave extra tube length so you can secure the tube flat with the strap on the kollar. It’s easier to make a too long tube shorter than to add length to a too short tube.

Check out kittykollar.com for other resources and tips regarding feeding tubes.
 

denice

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Your vet may not have the machine to do an ultrasound, many vets do not. It isn't cheap but I think it is worth it. It is important that it be read by someone with experience.

He does need to get enough calories in. The blood test your vet wants to do is probably to check his liver enzymes. Cats are prone to hepatic lipidosis when they don't eat enough, also known as fatty liver. Overweight cats are more prone to it. A cats liver is not efficient at metabolizing fat. If the body breaks down and tries to use more fat then the liver can metabolize then fat deposits build up on the liver. That becomes a vicious cycle. The cat becomes more anorexic because of the fatty liver, they eat even less which means the fatty liver becomes worse.
 

di and bob

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I'll pray for your precious boy, and for you to be strong. Tube feeding is scary, but the first time, like most things is the worst. It will definitely get easier in time, many people have done it and so can you. I truly pray he will start eating on his own!
 
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