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tl;dr: I am very paranoid about hepatic lipidosis and other issues caused by not eating enough, so I’m reaching out to you all for advice on whether or not I should continue syringe feeding my kitty tonight (and continue majorly stressing her by doing so) before her vet appt tomorrow.
Chilli has been lethargic and not eating well over the past few days, so she’s going to the vet tomorrow. I’m suspecting a mouth issue and/or nausea since she comes to sniff the food, but just sort of plays with it in her mouth and doesn’t end up eating much before refusing. Meanwhile I have a new kitten who has been demanding all my time and attention as well as stealing Chilli’s food, so it’s been difficult to accurately gauge just how much Chilli is/isn’t eating... But today was the first day she refused everything (including her favorite treats and boiled chicken and canned mackerel) and I was getting paranoid, so I decided to blend up her wet food along with some pouch treats and syringe feed. She is a remarkably good girl about it but I know it’s very stressful for her. She’s longhaired with a big ruff and the food gets all over her fur. I know the basics of syringe feeding but I don’t think I’m particularly neat or competent at it so it gets everywhere.
It’s almost 10pm here now and I just want some advice on what to do between now and the vet appointment tomorrow. I can go in to the vet as early as 10am but it’s going to be FREEZING tomorrow morning so I was hoping to go a bit later to spare her the added stress of the cold during the walks to the car and from the car to the vet clinic... but maybe that’s not a big deal. I can always put blankets and hot water bottles in the carrier if necessary too. Anyway, point is it’ll be at least 12-16 hours before the vet appointment. With that in mind, here is what she’s eaten today:
-a couple small bites of wet food this morning
-using a 7 ml syringe, about 8 syringefuls this evening over a few hours - based on what I blended up, to be generous I’d say about 1/2 of what she eats in a day, plus the added water
-about 1tbsp boiled chicken
-possibly a couple of kibbles
-3-4 Ciao Churu lickable treat tubes - the only thing she would eagerly eat, until this evening when she started to get tired of them, so I just kept offering them
I’m not a vet of course but I’ve done my best to check her over thoroughly for any other symptoms:
-No fever that I can tell (if anything her ears and body are a bit cooler than usual, probably since she’s been inactive and it’s the coldest day of winter thus far!)
-No yellowing/jaundice in whites of eyes, ears, tummy, etc
-Gums seem normal colored
-Skin tent doesn’t seem to indicate dehydration, though it’s hard because she’s so fluffy
-Bright clear eyes, but pupils slightly more dilated and stressed looking than usual
-No reaction to any gentle palpation or touching of her body
-Still grooming herself but with a little less energy than usual. Maybe 85%.
-Still playing gently, and chased a wand toy very energetically earlier, but generally prefers to hide or sleep
-Litter box usage has slowly gone down over the last few days as she’s been eating less and less. Still drinking okay but not as much as normal
-Meowing - sounds silly, but last time she was ill she stopped “talking” for several days. Right now she is still talking, but less than usual.
In general.... she’s clearly just not feeling good.
What should I do? Should I continue syringe feeding? I’m sorry if I repeat myself or am missing something obvious here—I can’t think straight because I am so stressed and anxious. I just lost Chai three weeks ago. I just want my kitties to be happy and healthy.
Chilli has been lethargic and not eating well over the past few days, so she’s going to the vet tomorrow. I’m suspecting a mouth issue and/or nausea since she comes to sniff the food, but just sort of plays with it in her mouth and doesn’t end up eating much before refusing. Meanwhile I have a new kitten who has been demanding all my time and attention as well as stealing Chilli’s food, so it’s been difficult to accurately gauge just how much Chilli is/isn’t eating... But today was the first day she refused everything (including her favorite treats and boiled chicken and canned mackerel) and I was getting paranoid, so I decided to blend up her wet food along with some pouch treats and syringe feed. She is a remarkably good girl about it but I know it’s very stressful for her. She’s longhaired with a big ruff and the food gets all over her fur. I know the basics of syringe feeding but I don’t think I’m particularly neat or competent at it so it gets everywhere.
It’s almost 10pm here now and I just want some advice on what to do between now and the vet appointment tomorrow. I can go in to the vet as early as 10am but it’s going to be FREEZING tomorrow morning so I was hoping to go a bit later to spare her the added stress of the cold during the walks to the car and from the car to the vet clinic... but maybe that’s not a big deal. I can always put blankets and hot water bottles in the carrier if necessary too. Anyway, point is it’ll be at least 12-16 hours before the vet appointment. With that in mind, here is what she’s eaten today:
-a couple small bites of wet food this morning
-using a 7 ml syringe, about 8 syringefuls this evening over a few hours - based on what I blended up, to be generous I’d say about 1/2 of what she eats in a day, plus the added water
-about 1tbsp boiled chicken
-possibly a couple of kibbles
-3-4 Ciao Churu lickable treat tubes - the only thing she would eagerly eat, until this evening when she started to get tired of them, so I just kept offering them
I’m not a vet of course but I’ve done my best to check her over thoroughly for any other symptoms:
-No fever that I can tell (if anything her ears and body are a bit cooler than usual, probably since she’s been inactive and it’s the coldest day of winter thus far!)
-No yellowing/jaundice in whites of eyes, ears, tummy, etc
-Gums seem normal colored
-Skin tent doesn’t seem to indicate dehydration, though it’s hard because she’s so fluffy
-Bright clear eyes, but pupils slightly more dilated and stressed looking than usual
-No reaction to any gentle palpation or touching of her body
-Still grooming herself but with a little less energy than usual. Maybe 85%.
-Still playing gently, and chased a wand toy very energetically earlier, but generally prefers to hide or sleep
-Litter box usage has slowly gone down over the last few days as she’s been eating less and less. Still drinking okay but not as much as normal
-Meowing - sounds silly, but last time she was ill she stopped “talking” for several days. Right now she is still talking, but less than usual.
In general.... she’s clearly just not feeling good.
What should I do? Should I continue syringe feeding? I’m sorry if I repeat myself or am missing something obvious here—I can’t think straight because I am so stressed and anxious. I just lost Chai three weeks ago. I just want my kitties to be happy and healthy.