Slippery Elm Bark Syrup, Any Other Tips To Settle Cat's Stomach? She Won't Eat

[reginaq]

long story sorry, cat stopped eating about 3 (?) weeks ago, so we took her to vet, she got enema & bloods, came out clear except for UTI. she had a broad spectrum antiobiotic shot at vet, came home and was on veraflox and mirataz, after 2 days of eating fine right after vet, she got a cold, stopped eating, back to vet for enema and ultrasound, came out clear. vet said nothing wrong but to give cat royal canin fiber food, which she touted as a miracle food to make cats poop (i think she assumed that cat had stoped eating bc of constipation). cat ate royal canin like it was crack for days, following me around for food, trying to open bag on her own :-) we were so relieved! but never pooped!! finally on day 5 she refused to eat, we assumed bc she was constipated. back to vet for enema. :-( came home over a week ago and since then has refused to eat, even though she was not constipated! we took her back to vet for anti nausea shot (cerenia) bc she continues to lick her lips. didn't help. so we are out $1900 and we still don't know what's wrong.

i can tell you she is still licking her lips a little, so i think she is nauseous.

YES she has been home for a week and not eating normally. we have tried bonito flakes, KMR, KMR2, goat's milk (i am trying powdered goat's milk next), fortiflora she won't touch. baby food. tuna, sardines. boiled chicken and rice. she won't touch any of them, she sniffs and walks away.

yet her energy level remains good (jumps on bed, on sofa, walked around) and she put on a pound or so - why? she has been living on whiskas cat milk & more recently, nutrical. that's it. she also likes a fancy feast creamy broth which isn't a real meal, it's called a "complement" . she wont' eat anything else so far.

at first she didn't like the nutrical but we smeared it on her lips, she ate it, and then after that she goes for it, but it's basically like sugar. at least the whiskas catmilk has taurine. we mixed nutrical with wet food, no go, she walked away. i can also try smearing nutrical on top of her wet food and see if that's better for her than mixing it in.

so i am looking for other ideas to settle her stomach and get her to eat other things besides catmilk & nutrical, since mirataz didn't help. someone had mentioned slippery elm bark, what exact kind should i buy? and raw egg yolk i have to try next.

i am also going to try goats milk, should i also syringe her fortiflora (since she wont eat it) in case that will help?

i can also try the "glop' recipes you guys have posted about, but i dont know if that will stop the nausea. but it is on my list of things to try.

i am at my wit's end. i love her so much and want to get her to eat something else. she is 11 and i don't get the vibe she is ready to cross the bridge, since her energy level is still good.

any other ideas for things to settle her stomach and other things she could eat? you guys have suggested a lot in the past and so far 2 things work which i am grateful for those two things!! :-) maybe i am missing some. i also have a bad cold so my head isn't straight. i really appreciate any advice.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Is her nose still stuffed up? Are her teeth ok?

The glop, Pedialyte, the goats milk, cheddar cheese as a topper, freeze dried treats...

A licki mat could help, spread with nutrical, yogurt, etc
The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This has been used by at least one TCS member, as an unprocessed, somewhat more palatable powder form,

 

[reginaq]

Hi!
Is her nose still stuffed up? Are her teeth ok?

The glop, Pedialyte, the goats milk, cheddar cheese as a topper, freeze dried treats...

A licki mat could help, spread with nutrical, yogurt, etc
The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This has been used by at least one TCS member, as an unprocessed, somewhat more palatable powder form,

thanks! her nose doesn't seem stuffed up and i havent heard her sneeze. her teeth are ok, not perfect but vet said that is likely not the problem.

she's refusing treats but i will try glop, goats milk, cheddar cheese. pedialyte i will try again

just curious, how would a lickimat help if she's already eating nutrical? you think it could entice her to eat wet food?

i just bought that slippery elm, THANK YOU!

 

[Margret]

Mamanyt1953 , would chamomile tea help?

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It may, if the upset is due to stress. It certainly won't HURT her at all.

Use commercial tea bags from your local grocer's coffee/tea aisle to be sure you are using only German chamomile. Brew a cup, chill it in the fridge, and administer 1-3 teaspoonfuls up to 3 times a day, via syringe. The tea will keep for up to three days in the fridge.

If you haven't syringed before (although it sounds as if you may have), place the tip of the syringe between the gum and the cheek and SLOWLY inject, allowing time to swallow. If this works, LET ME KNOW!

Ginger tea is also safe for cats, and does a lovely job with tummy upsets. Buy the root, grate about a tablespoon of it, and brew that into a tea. Then continue as with the chamomile tea.

OH...a cup of BOTH of these, but hot, will do wonders for humans, as well!

 

[cheeser]

We've been going through something similar quite a bit lately as our FIV kitty has been having herpes flare ups every time I turn around. I really need to stop turning around.

For Buddy, we've had the best luck with homemade slippery elm bark syrup. But that may be partly because he has a lot of problems with mouth sores during herpes flare ups, so the SEB syrup may help to soothe those as well as to alleviate the nausea and inappetence.

We've also had some success with chamomile tea as Mamanyt1953 suggested. I don't know if it's because it help with anxiety, helps to settle his tummy, or what. But it does seem to help sometimes. And I'm definitely going to give ginger tea a try, too!

Good luck, hon, and hang in there. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be when our kitties aren't feeling well. But as our vet is fond of reminding me, cats can pick up on our stress and anxiety, which can make them even less likely to eat. So maybe you can brew some chamomile tea for both of you.

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried Pepcid to calm her tummy?

 

[reginaq]

Have you tried Pepcid to calm her tummy?

yep, it didn't help much, she was still licking her lip (nausea) and not eating. even cirena injection didn't help. doh. but i've heard it works great for other cats!

 

[reginaq]

We've been going through something similar quite a bit lately as our FIV kitty has been having herpes flare ups every time I turn around. I really need to stop turning around.

For Buddy, we've had the best luck with homemade slippery elm bark syrup. But that may be partly because he has a lot of problems with mouth sores during herpes flare ups, so the SEB syrup may help to soothe those as well as to alleviate the nausea and inappetence.

We've also had some success with chamomile tea as Mamanyt1953 suggested. I don't know if it's because it help with anxiety, helps to settle his tummy, or what. But it does seem to help sometimes. And I'm definitely going to give ginger tea a try, too!

Good luck, hon, and hang in there. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be when our kitties aren't feeling well. But as our vet is fond of reminding me, cats can pick up on our stress and anxiety, which can make them even less likely to eat. So maybe you can brew some chamomile tea for both of you.

aww thanks for this! i got the now slippery elm bark as suggested above, then i saw in some reviews people said it doesn't form a gel so it's useless. the link you sent also says it needs to be thickened into a gel, which now brand powder doesn't do, so i wonder if i can just slip it into her catmilk. she just snezed again so i wonder if she's having a herpes flare.

it sounds like you know so much and you're such a good mom! ah so you've heard they can pick up on stress. i wondered if this is true. haha i've been using my best sing song voice and playful attitude on her :-) but yes could use some tea too! i will try chamomile tea too thanks for these tips

 

[reginaq]

It may, if the upset is due to stress. It certainly won't HURT her at all.

Use commercial tea bags from your local grocer's coffee/tea aisle to be sure you are using only German chamomile. Brew a cup, chill it in the fridge, and administer 1-3 teaspoonfuls up to 3 times a day, via syringe. The tea will keep for up to three days in the fridge.

If you haven't syringed before (although it sounds as if you may have), place the tip of the syringe between the gum and the cheek and SLOWLY inject, allowing time to swallow. If this works, LET ME KNOW!

Ginger tea is also safe for cats, and does a lovely job with tummy upsets. Buy the root, grate about a tablespoon of it, and brew that into a tea. Then continue as with the chamomile tea.

OH...a cup of BOTH of these, but hot, will do wonders for humans, as well!

ok i will try this too, thank you! german chamomile? any particular brand to get or is that taboo to say on this site? i wont think you're a shill

 

[Mamanyt1953]

We've also had some success with chamomile tea as Mamanyt1953 suggested. I don't know if it's because it help with anxiety, helps to settle his tummy, or what. But it does seem to help sometimes. And I'm definitely going to give ginger tea a try, too!

Oh, that is SO good to hear! Let me know about the ginger!

ok i will try this too, thank you! german chamomile? any particular brand to get or is that taboo to say on this site? i wont think you're a shill

Not really. I usually get either Bigelow or Celestial Seasonings, but just because I know those brands. If I see something else on sale, though, I get that. LOL, sometimes I get the Celestial Seasonings just because the boxes are so pretty! But ANY commercial tea bag is German chamomile.

 

[posiepurrs]

If she is not eating try meat concentrate. Numerous breeders use it for ill cats, including me. Here is how to make it: Take cut up beef (no liquid) and place in a heat proof jar with a lid. Tighten the lid slightly. Set in a pan of water and bring to a simmer. As it simmers juices will accumulate in the jar.
These juices are what you use to feed the cat. Empty jar as needed and simmer until no more liquid is coming from meat. Throw the meat away. Cool and strain the juice (if you want to remove fat). This is has been used for quite ill cats. It can be syringe fed (carefully) or even tube fed, but when I have used it the cat will lick it up.

 

[cheeser]

aww thanks for this! i got the now slippery elm bark as suggested above, then i saw in some reviews people said it doesn't form a gel so it's useless. the link you sent also says it needs to be thickened into a gel, which now brand powder doesn't do, so i wonder if i can just slip it into her catmilk.

For what it's worth, I use this slippery elm bark powder from Starwest Botanicals. The only reason we started out with this brand is because it was the smallest package Amazon sold at the time.

I have to let the slippery elm bark syrup simmer a bit longer than the recipe on Tanya's site recommends, and even then, it's a little more watery looking than I'd like. But once it has chilled in the fridge a bit, the consistency is perfect for our needs -- more like boogers than egg whites.

You can also substitute marshmallow root powder for slippery elm, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet since what we have is working so nicely. But supposedly marshmallow root is more pleasant tasting to cats, and easier to sneak into their food.

And I use Bigelow chamomile tea, only because we live in a little town, and we don't have a wide variety of options.

 

[daftcat75]

I found this one at Whole Foods.

Best Organic Slippery Elm Capsules | Oregon’s Wild Harvest Oregon's Wild Harvest Online

I tried making the paste: opening a capsule and adding water, and yes this one forms a gel. But my Krista has no interest in it. I haven't tried making the syrup yet. She won't take it with food. Not anymore anyway.

I used to use it for treating the acute stages of her IBD by mixing it with Cat Cal (similar to Nutrical.) For awhile, I was able to get her to eat a slurry of supplements stuck into a glob of Cat Cal with tuna water, her "medicine tray", before each meal. One day, she decided she was finally done with those meds. And her food. I rebooted her slowly on Rawz and Rad Cat and while she could still use some of those supplements, I'm not forcing the issue because she's eating very well now. I don't take that for granted after her pancreatitis and IBD.

 

[cheeser]

Oh, that is SO good to hear! Let me know about the ginger!

Sorry for such a dumb question, but do you peel the ginger root before grating or zesting it?

And can you make tea from ground ginger in a pinch if you don't have fresh ginger root on hand? Oh, say like when your kitty's tummy gets upset after the stores have closed for the night?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, peel it. And ground ginger will do, but spices lose potency quickly on shelves...get the freshest you can find!

I KEEP ginger root on hand, for Hek AND for me. I also keep a six pack of Canada Dry ginger ale for me, since it actually has real ginger. I think Vernor's does, too, but that's hard to find in this area.

 

[Furballsmom]

Just to add to the thought, there's a All natural Jamaican style ginger brew (alchohol free) made by Reed's that I'm finding in my local supermarket/grocery store - it is YUMMY

 

[Mamanyt1953]

PM me with the brand, please! I WANT SOME!

 

[daftcat75]

If I kept ginger ale in the house, I would drink it all the time. Instead I try to keep a bottle of soda water on hand and bitters in the pantry. That’s my morning after.

 

[Furballsmom]