Took my cat to hospital on October 28th, and got her out November 6th. They gave me instructions to feed her every 2 hrs with syringe and Hills I/D wet food. I started out giving her way too much and too soon (I think) because she would throw up every day...about 24 hours apart. I also was adding boiled chicken, scrambled egg and yogurt water to her food, (the vet told me that is what she could eat). So I pureed that all together and fed her. Well, after throwing up every day I decided to just give her the food mushed with water only. She kept it down a little better and after her anti-nausea meds, she still threw up. So today (Monday), I am starting over with SLOWER feedings every 3 hours with only 5cc of food per feeding. She has not thrown up yet and i just gave her her second feeding of the day. She is urinating. She HAS NOT had a bowel movement since she has been home (it has been 3 full days since she has been out of hopsital.)
I love my cat more than anything and if anyone is reading this and if you think im doing anything wrong, please tell me.
The hospital I took her too is 100 miles away, and the vet here isnt a good one, so I am basically alone.
Tink is bathing a little bit, she is walking much better without limping (she walked like she was drunk when she came home). She is drinking water on her own, but not a whole lot.
She likes to hide under my bed or in a dark corner. She plays a tiny bit with a string for about 3 minutes, and thats it.
ANyone out there, please help me. She is my child. I cant lose her.
Thank you.
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Hi Tinkerbell's Mom,
Thank you for your comment on my blog, Cleo's Progress. Perhaps the link I put in my sidebar will bring you some traffic.
I think you are on the right track. I'm glad you took out the "people food" -- I personally think that sounds like too much for a sick cat. However, don't cut back her food (the canned stuff) so much that she is not getting the full amount she is supposed to every day (probably about one full can or just over). The key to jump-starting the liver again is making sure the cat gets enough protein every day, so that the liver stops trying to process fat stores as energy.
In my experiences with Cleo, it was the bigger feedings that caused her to throw up. I gave her about 1 1/2 syringe-fulls every three hours or so. You also have to go VERY SLOWLY -- if you try to feed her the whole syringe too quickly, she'll almost certainly throw it up afterward. Don't forget, the fatty liver makes her feel nauseated, so anything you can do to avoid making her feel sicker (while still getting enough food in her) is good!
Finally, although you should try NOT to make her throw up, don't worry about it too much when she does. Cleo threw up almost every day for the first several weeks, and she still recovered just fine. I think the important thing is getting the food into her -- and not giving up!
Thank you katharine! According to my calculations, I will be giving Tink about 35cc's of food every day. (mixed with water). Is that enough or should i do more? That is feeding 5ccs every 3 hours. Should I do something different? And I am also giving her 10ccs of water with every feeding. This morning she tried to poop and it got stuck, so I helped her get it out. I was really HAPPY with that!
I certainly dont have a problem force feeding my girl, I just want to make sure I am giving her enough. The vet said about a can a day. But i am just freaking about her throwing it up.
THanks for your help.
One more thing, how often should she have a bowel movement?
I don't know how many CCs are in a can, but I think your vet is right about a can a day. I would try to at least get close to that.
As for Tink's constipation -- is she drinking water on her own? Cleo, wasn't and I had to give her fluids intravenously (i.e. with an IV bag and a needle once a day) until she started drinking on her own again. If Tink isn't drinking that could have something to do with her constipation.
As for bowel movements, I don't know how often exactly. I would think once a day would be expected, maybe once every other day if her body is still in starvation mode.
She does drink water just a little bit, but I give her water every feeding with a syringe. about 10ccs every 2 hours.
right now she is eating Hills I/D can food, should I stick with that or try other can food like fancy feast? she used to love fancy feast for a treat.
Update on my Tink...took her to my town vet (not the hospital she was at for 9 days) and he gave her an enama...she was so constipated! We also got better Hills food that is easier to syringe feed her and she has had a bowel movement this morning. She is walking much better but still lays around under my bed and showing no interest. She is peeing up a storm, and I am feeding her every 2-3 hours about 7 cc at a time. Which comes to almost a can in a day. I do not feed her throughout the nite. I start at 7 am and stop about 8 or 9 a nite.
She is not vomitting as much, maybe once every other day. I am trying with all my heart to get my Tink better. It has been a week today that she has been home from the hospital, so PRAY that she will be ok.
My cat has fatty liver disease too, this is 7 days worth of force feeding today. The blood work was bad, in the liver profile the ALP was 305 and 10-90 is normal and the ALT was 344 and 20-100 is normal. The TBIL was 2.4 and 0.1-0.6 is normal. The vet said until the TBIL is under 2 he will be yellowish on his ears. I don't see the yellow so much, I must be used to it. The TBIL is supposed to be the best indicator of whether a cat is getting better but I am not taking him back to the vet until he is eating better, there's no point to the stress of labs etc unless he is less yellow. I will decide then whether I want the vet to see him, if he is getting better then there is no point. I don't want to think about whether he will get better or not I know he is acting somewhat better already. The vet wants more tests and yet when pressed she admits the tests (ultrasound and x ray) may not show the cause. I fed chicken breast in the can liquified the first two days, I didn't know what I was doing, then I got a case of Hills a/d at a animal hospital, I just walked in and asked for it. They sell it by the can as well and they told me what the cat doesn't use they will buy back. I know he will need it though.
I am mixing two cans of food to one can of water and putting it in a bowl in the fridge (it makes 4 feedings) I heat a 1/4 of the mixture in a separate bowl for ten seconds and stir it and then syringe 120 cc of this mixture into him three times a day to try to get his caloric requirement in. He had weighed 18 pounds and lost 4 so I went on the 14 lb plan. I have not weighed him since. I fill two large syringes that hold 60 cc apiece and take them with me as well as a large towel to wrap him tight, a damp cloth to wipe him afterwards and also a cloth for my shoulder that I use part of the towel on my sholder to dry him after I wipe him with the damp towel if there isn't too much food on it. He throws up some, sometimes a lot, less of often a little, once or twice he didn't throw up. The more small feedings more frequently didn't work for him and like the vet said if I get that much in and he throws up half he is doing good. I am not giving him extra water most times because that makes him vomit and the Hills a/d is wet food anyway and I am adding water like the company says to do. I am flying by the seat of my pants. My vet said give sam-e so I give him one (100 mg) tab a day in the evening halfway between meals (scary to make him swallow). On my own I read zantac, so I cut a 75 mg tab in quarters and give him a quarter a half hour before force feeding him. I make sure the zantac goes down because it foams in his mouth if it doesn't go down. I am giving the cat 1.5 cc chronulac three times a day. The vet didn't tell me that, I read it. It's for liver and it helps with bowel movements. He finally had a bowel movement 5 days in. It may have been longer. I didn't catch onto anything being wrong at first.
He is on amoxacillin 1 ml two times a day prophylactically and I know that causes nausea but I am scared not to give it. It is supposed to be 21 days worth and she only gave me 15 days worth. I am unsure whether to call the vet for the rest of the prescription. I did see where amazon sells a fish amoxacillin, and amoxacillin is amoxacillin whether it's for cats, fish or humans. That's just in case anyone needs to know that. My cat looked really bad the first few days of force feeding, lethargic and droopy. I read that's normal to look worse at first. He IS perking up, he is walking, although slowly. I wake up at 4:15 am to get him done. I give him the antibiotic and 1/4 tab OTC 75 mg zantac and I drink coffee then I feed him, and then I get a shower and leave the house by 6:10 am. (and again sometimes cleaning up vomit) My husband gives him a 1/4 zantac as stated before at 1 then he feeds him about a half hour later and I give him the antibiotic and sam-e at 5 pm and then at 8 pm I give him zantac and feed him at 8:30 pm. And of course clean up vomit sometimes. At least the Hills a/d doesn't stain. All the vets online say to do tube feeding and say that force feeding causes food aversion. I think they want to have you pay for a tube feeding procedure to feed the cat and end up scaring most people into doing that and the rest of us feel guilty until we learn to trust our ability as good pet owners. My vet says the cat doesn't like force feeding so if/when he feels better he will eat. I am having my up and down times but I need to learn patience. I am loving the cat and petting him and spending all the time I can with him. His name is Yoda, can you pray for him? I don't want to lose him. He is 9 years old and yes he was overweight (dry cat food, and yes it is supposed to be the good stuff) and all the signs fit for this feline fatty liver disease. I think stress was the cause for starting the process.
Hi Blue Eyed Susan,
I read your post and I thought you might be interested in my blog on hepatic lipidosis. I went through all the same stuff with my cat a couple of years ago.
I don't agree with the vets online about tube feeding vs. force feeding. I believe that to a cat that is already dying, the shock of having a tube surgically implanted has to be horrible! Force feeding is the easiest, cheapest, and least invasive way to get food into your cat, and if you have a good relationship with your cat it shouldn't be detrimental at all.
If you didn't get all the antibiotic that you paid for, then yes, I would go back and ask for the rest.
Don't worry overly much about the vomiting. Cleo threw up a lot, too, and still got better. As long as you keep feeding Yoda regularly he will be okay.
If you aren't sure why Yoda stopped eating, you might want to eventually do some tests to make sure nothing else is wrong. But I would concentrate on getting him stronger first. With my cat it was because we introduced a dog into the family, and she was afraid to go to her food dish. It could be something like that, or he could be sick with something else that made him not want to eat anymore. At some point you'll want to try to find out, so that he doesn't develop fatty liver disease all over again once he's well.
I did find your site. Really there needs to be more info out there about this disease. As far as my cat as long as he gets better I am not worrying about what caused it. I think fatty liver disease fits the bill. However I do believe it was stress. My cat doesn't like change and I really cannot get into exactly what it was, but it traumatized him. I will call about the antibiotic. I don't want to take a chance. I already told the vet I am not keeping the follow up for now but I do need to call her office and cancel. I had to be persistant to find out anything and really the place I bought the cat food was more help with telling me how to mix the formula. I was able to get large syringes. I pity anyone that has to use the small ones.
Good news though. I fed him at 8:30 and he is lying with my husband in bed right now. He is tracking people and he is stronger. He is turning his head away from food and water but he isn't retching, at least as hard or as often. I am not going to worry about getting him to take food by himself yet. I am taking it a day at a time. Your site helped me learn to swaddle him to feed him.
Blue Eyed Susan,
Glad my site helped, and I agree -- there definitely needs to be more information out there about this, particularly that it is CURABLE!
My concern for finding out what caused it is this. Fatty liver disease happens when a cat, for whatever reason, stops eating (or stops eating as much) for several weeks. The cat's body then tries to process its fat stores as energy, which bogs down the liver. The failed liver causes nausea, and the cat stops eating entirely.
The problem is, SOMETHING had to have made your cat stop eating in the first place. Often cats that are sick with something else develop fatty liver disease as a complication because they don't feel like eating.
Stress is definitely a possibility, but if Yoda is 9 years old and hasn't stopped eating because of stress before, you should probably try to pin down the cause exactly. A major stressful life event could definitely have caused it, but if that's the case you ought to know what it was. If you aren't sure, you might want to do further testing just to make sure it's nothing serious (a friend of mine's cat developed fatty liver and that's how my friend discovered the cat had advanced cancer).
In any case, though, it definitely sounds like you should change vets. Maybe a better vet could advise you better as to what tests may or may not be necessary.
I am terrified. My cat Yoda did keep down two feedings, he only threw up a little after I gave him water. He isn't acting right, he seems weaker and my youngest son is not returning my calls as to whether he cleaned the litter box today because if he didn't then the cat did not void today. Yoda is turning away from food and walks away. His gums are yellow now.
Blue Eyed Susan,
Don't panic!! He'll be fine. Just keep doing what you're doing. Not going to the bathroom is NOT the end of the world; keep an eye on it, but realistically it's gotta come out at some point.
I force fed Cleo for four weeks before she would even look at food. The yellowish tinge lasted a couple of weeks beyond that. This takes time but you just have to remain consistent and patient. Yoda will be fine! Don't give up hope, and don't panic!
I love Yoda just the way he is. He has always been a little special, maybe a little slow. Today he is just strange. He is awake but very weak, more than yesterday and his gums turned really yellow. It doesn't worry me about the pooping, in fact I just put him in the litterbox, he sniffed and scratched awhile, he always scratches before he goes. He had a BM but he didn't pee. I have him in the bathroom with water running slightly in the tub. He used to sit and look at a faucet for a long time even when water wasn't coming out. He doesn't care about much of anything today. He is taking fluids with the special diet, the Hills a/d. His gums might be a tad bit dry but when I tried to give him water he instantly vomited, His skin at the top of his head isn't tenting. I don't think he is dehydrated but then I am not an animal nurse. When the vet checked him she felt nothing. As far as cancer she said a x ray or sonogram might not show that. I am afraid I am torturing him with no hope. Please tell me if this is cruel, force feeding him and him fighting and vomiting. I don't want to give up on him. he didn't vomit his food today, just a little food with the water I gave him.
I left you a blog on your page Susan!
Update on Tink...she is getting better every day. (knock on wood) Thursday I was doing her usual 2 hr feedings and she kept eating chicken and dry food on her own, after every syringe feeding! well, me, not knowing any better, I just kept feeding her. She vomited about 4pm and I called the vet earlier that day and he finally called me back. I told him what she was doing, and he told me to feed her every 4hrs if i was FOR SURE she was nibbling thru out the day. So I followed his instructions and she seems to vary with her eating. Just this morning (saturday) she came out from under the bed (her hiding place when she is sick) and walked to the litter box, did her business, and then when and ate a bit of dry (Hills dry) food ON HER OWN! So then I waited til right before I went to work and did her usual syringe feeding. What I have been doing is when I am feeding her boiled chicken, i will take a piece of dry and take a bit of chicken and "mold" the chicken around the dry food and she will eat it. So with my trickery and patience, she is getting the nutrtion of the cat food and the protein of the chicken. :)
this is such a long process! Her yellowing is getting better on her ears and nose and her paws. Her body is still yellow and the whites of her eyes are getting just a little better. She has good days and bad days.
I spend alot of time brushing her face and petting her showing her alot of love. It just seems like since the first day of doing this with her, my love for her has grown more. I love this cat so much it is unreal. Keep praying!
And Katharine, thank you for your help and advice. I couldnt of done alot without your help!
Today is Nov 22, how long have you been treating your cat altogether? I just fed Yoda and he kept it down so far, but no peeing today yet. Today for me is 10 days, and 8 since the Hills a/d
Susan,
NO, I don't think you are torturing him by treating him and keeping him alive. If you only have been force feeding him for 10 days, that is NOTHING. It took me 4 weeks with Cleo and that was on the SHORT end of the expected. Once Yoda recovers he could live for years -- Cleo recovered 3 years ago and is doing fine! Don't take this chance away from Yoda!
Tink's Mom,
I am so glad to hear that Tink is getting better! Hooray! Congratulations... Your hard work has paid off!
Susan,
I would definitely look into dehydration concerns. Dehydration can make a cat lethargic and sick, just like it can with us.
When I was feeding Cleo, the vet gave me an IV bag and a bunch of needles, and I gave her a small amount of fluids intravenously every night. They definitely need fluids besides what is in the wet food, so if your cat isn't drinking on his own you should consider asking the vet to check for dehydration, and maybe give him some fluids to get you through a couple of days.
Susan,
Have you tried giving Yoda water with the syringes? Thats what I do with Tink. When I feed her, I do a squirt of food, then water, then food, then water, etc. I keep water in her. Dehydration will make your kitty tired and not feel good. And water will help with his BM's. And yea, I was SO SCARED with Tink....I was afraid I will hurting, torturing, etc. It was heartbreaking. BUT it would be torture if I let her lay there and die or have her put to sleep, knowing she would get better with just a little power I charged on.
My cat came home Nov 6th and thats when I started force feeding.
Saturday and Sunday she wasnt doing much eating on her own, so I had to double up on the feedings, and it seemed like a set back, but I know its not. Like people, she has good and bad days.
She has been eating some boiled chicken thru out the day.
So, keep doing what you are doing with Yoda and IM sure everything will be fine.
I have some questions if you can answer them Katharine, Tink is eating on her own, both boiled chicken and the Hills Rx dry food, so I have started doing the force feedings 2x a day. Do you think that is enough? It has only been little over 3 weeks. Her ears, nose, and skin are bright pink again and I am just wondering if I should be doing something else. I guess I am being paranoid. I want to make sure she is well enough to quit the feedings with the wet food. She will not eat wet on her own, she hates ALL wet food. So just keep a tab on her daily eating and force it 2x a day? And another thing, when do you know its time to STOP the force feeding all together?
Thanks for your help!
If Tink's skin is pink again, I would say chances are she is well. You could have blood tests done to be sure, but if you don't want to I would suggest stopping the force feedings for 2 or 3 days and see if Tink will eat enough dry food and boiled chicken to meet her daily requirements. She might not the first day or so, but when she gets hungry from not getting the force feedings she might start eating more on her own.
Three days with a little less food isn't long enough to cause another bout of fatty liver if she's already recovered from the last one, so it's a safe enough test. If she doesn't eat enough (check the bag of dry food for how much she should have!), you can always resume force feeding.
If she doesn't start eating 100 percent on her own again, I would probably take her into the vet, have the blood test done to determine how her liver is doing, and if that's fine have some tests run to make sure there isn't something else that has caused her to not eat. It's always possible that she was sick with something else BEFORE getting fatty liver disease, and that still hasn't gone away.
Also, if you are not comfortable stopping the force feedings entirely, you could try cutting back to just one (i.e. half the amount of food force fed every day), and see if she starts eating more on her own to make up the difference.
Thanks Kathrine!
Tink did have pancreatitis and thats what caused the FLD, so when I went to pick her up they told me they got the pancreas under control with meds and starving the pancreas, which in turn that (the pancrease being messed up) turned to FLD. So, they said no fatty human food and strict bland diet.
I am going to wait another week and take her back for blood tests.
I take boiled chicken and crumble it over the dry food and she does eat some of the dry. IT is hard for me to tell if she is eating alot cause I also have her sister Pixie, and she is eating the Hills food too. I leave another bowl out near Tink so I can monitor the food level. I went home a few ago and gave her 10cc of food cause I am sooooooo paranoid that she isnt eating enough!
Man, this is major stressful. I dont want her to get sick again.SHe is absolutely fighting the force feedings now! Being really fiesty!!!! She is doing things that she used to do before she got sick, I am logging it down in her progress book. Bathing, sleeping on the bed, playing with string, running from me when she sees the feeding blanket I wrap her up in, etc. Really encouraging stuff! If it wasnt for this blog and your info I would of went nuts!
I hope you and Cleo have a GREAT holiday!
It's good to see these helpful suggestions. Yoda is not eating yet (still gagging at the sight of food) and it could be my imagination but I think his ears and nose are improving in color. he did had a major vomiting episode last night. I put a blanket on my coach where I feed him. He seems to only want to stay in my bedroom, he doesn't want out in the living room probably because that's where I feed him. He is a little more active and fighting when I feed him. I am going to cut out the vegetable oil after today because he is pooping like mad. Someone was in the bathroom today when he had to pee and he went on the floor, poor thing, he waited in the hallway and gave up.
I laughed when I read that Tink runs from you when she sees the feeding blanket! That is TOO funny! We had a cat when I was younger who had kidney failure and got a pill every night for a year. It got so that as soon as you said the word, "Pill," he would quietly disappear.
If Tink is fighting you more now it sounds like her strength is definitely back up. If I were you I would keep her locked up in a room by herself whenever you're not home for a couple of days so that you can determine how much she is eating on her own. It may be the only way you'll be able to tell for sure.
This is the formula I use, two cans of Hill a/d, 6 oz of water and I was adding vegetable oil and chronulac. So I reduced the chronulac and the oil, tonight when I make it up for tomorrow I will cut out the oil entirely. I give antibiotics morning and evening and a sam-e pill in the afternoon, around 5. I may start reducing the zantac. I have been giving a 1/4 pill of zantac a half hour before feedings. (three times a day)
He is eating two cans of Hills a/d a day by force feeding and 6 oz of water. He is hydrated now. His gums are moist and his skin on his head is not tenting
Susan,
I think I'm getting confused or something, so if you've already explained this I'm sorry... But what is the Zantac for? Are you thinking an ulcer caused him to stop eating? Also, what are you giving him antibiotics for?
Other than my confusion over the meds, it sounds to me like you're doing great -- getting plenty of food into Yoda. Just be patient -- it'll pay off!
The vet gave him antibiotics and I am scared not to give them, I think it was in case thing. The 1/4 zantac helps with the nausea and vomiting. I didn't give him a part of a zantac this afternoon and he threw up. I had to split his feeding in half because I had to take hubby to the Dr. so I gave half a feeding before I left and half after I came back. It was too close to his AM feeding. I wasn't here at the usual feeding time. I was afraid to give the cat a zantac twice that close together before each mini feeding. I hate the smell of cat yack.
Oh! Okay. I don't remember what the vet gave me for anti-nausea medicine. It didn't work with Cleo, though. She was actually MORE likely to throw up if I gave her the anti-nausea meds, so I stopped giving it to her after the first week.
You might want to stop with the chronulac now, though. I'm sure the only reason he wasn't pooping was because his body was in starvation mode. Sounds like he's pooping up a storm now!
I am so glad Yoda is giving you signs of improvement. When Tink first came home, all she did was hide under my bed. She wouldnt come out for anything!! Now she will come out on her own when she hears someone stirring in the kitchen.She still tends to want to hide but she did that before....she is quite a finicky kitty! :) So Yoda just needs peace and quiet and will hide until he feels better.
Also, I quit the anti naseua meds about a week as well cause it was making her vomit worse. But after a week or so she quit vomiting. So Katharine was right, it is just the fatty liver making Yoda throw up.
I couldnt give Tink any oil or fatty stuff for a laxative cause of her pancreas, so the vet gave me some laxative to lube things up and now Tink poops.
Tink is really pink now except for the skin on her backbone (she is still kinda skinny) and Im sure that will turn pink soon.
So dont give up on Yoda. I read on some of these websites that if a cat has FLD and pancreatitis that it wont survive!!! But Tink is alive and improving every day (KNOCK ON WOOD). So dont give up hope. Yoda will be better in no time!
Yoda didn't throw up today. He still wants to hide but I am attempting to socialize him and get him to trust again. I shut the bedroom door (he was hiding in there and would scratch on the door to get in) I laid down on the floor with him and just petted him allowing him to get away if he wanted. He found his old spot on his special cat rug and did lie down. He is on the back of the couch at present. He still walks away from cat food but the retching doesn't seem as bad. I am not sure what caused this. I do think stress (too many different people around who forced their attentions on him) but I sometimes see his back haunch twitch. The oil helped his bowels and I thought giving him fat would help his liver. I have now stopped it due to the frequent bm's. No bm today now. I am taking it a day at a time but I see improvement. The day he eats a bite of an type of cat food on his own is the day I breathe easier.
Update on Tinkerbell!!
Took her to the vet this morning for blood work and she is DOING MUCH BETTER! Her BiliRubin was .8!! It was 18 I think on October 28th. Her Liver profile is much much better with numbers just slightly high, but nothing to worry about. Her White Blood Count was high, so he is doing further testing on that and gave me anti-biotics for that.
She will still be on the Liver enzyme pill, but only until he tells me to stop.
She is now eating all on her own. I feed her boiled chicken and changed to Purina Natural Balance after looking at the ingredients in the I/D Rx food, they are pretty much the same. The vet is going to research the Purina to make sure it is ok to feed her. Her and Pixie would not eat much of the I/D so after reading, I just changed to a different food after researching both ingredients.
I feel like as long as I dont feed Tink from the table (Captain D's, french fries, turkey bacon) and she eats a weight management healthy food she will be good.
I quit force feeding her on Nov
26th, and she has eaten on her own since. She plays like a kitten again, she doesnt hide anymore and roams the house like she used to. She jumps on the bed, the couch and purrs up a storm and is very loving again.
I am a firm believer in prayer and will power and I know if I hadnt of stuck with those feedings, my girl wouldnt be here today.
DO NOT GIVE UP ON A CAT WITH LIVER DISEASE! Or one with pancreatitis AND Liver Disease. She made it and is still making progress!
Exactly how long was it til she ate on her own and also drank on her own? My cat Yoda just ate about a tablespoon of food today which THRILLED me. I need guidelines to look for as well as exactly how did you switch from force feeding to finally taking a breathe and knowing she was doing well all on her own?
Hi Susan,
Im so glad Yoda ate just a bit on his own! Thats a good sign!
I fed tink exactly 3 weeks. When I would feed Tink, I then would put chicken or her dry food in front of her and she ate by herself. And she would eat after every syringe feeding! So I called the vet and he told me to go every 4hrs with offering her food and see what happens. well, after 3 or 4 days of that, Katharine told me to switch to 2x a day and monitor her eating in between. Well, the day before Thanksgiving was her last syringe feeding, and now she is walking to the food bowl and eating like usual.
Have you tried to offer Yoda boiled chicken breast? I boil Tinks and kinda shred it with my fingers and she eats it up. It is one of the recommended bland foods you can give a cat with FLD. Scrambled egg, fat free plain yogurt and fat free cottage cheese as well. All Tink eats is chicken. She is picky. Maybe you can try that. And as hard as it is, and I had to learn this on my own, I had to let Tink just have her space. I would offer and offer and offer food and nothing. Then, poof--one day she wanted it.
If Yoda ate on his own, then that is a good sign. Just keep feeding him his daily intake and in between see if Yoda will nibble.
Let me know how he is doing.
You said "So I called the vet and he told me to go every 4hrs with offering her food and see what happens. well, after 3 or 4 days of that, Katharine told me to switch to 2x a day and monitor her eating in between."
Do you mean offer as in syringe or just offer food? My cat is only eating a tablespoon or so now. I just gave a full 120 cc feeding with about a 1/3 going on me as usual. I need to know how and when to wean to the cat feeding itself. I don't want to go too fast, on the other hand doesn't the cat have to get a little hungry in order to want to eat by himself?
The vet told me to syringe feed her every 4 hours as long as she was nibbling in between on her own. (Because the day before, she would eat after every syringe feeding and eventually threw up cause she ate too much.) So i would feed her 8cc of food. Then offer her chicken or dry food. She would eat that. Then the next 4hrs I would syringe her again. She would eat chicken and dry again right after. That was all day for several days. Then Kathrarine told me to syringe her in the morning and see if she would eat on her own thruout the day. Well, she did. Then I would syringe her at nighttime. Finally, I syringe fed her on that Wednesday morning and then about an hour later, she walked to the food bowl and ate dry on her own. So I just watched her all day, and she would go eat. I would offer chicken and food and she ate all that day on her own. That was the last time I syringe fed her. Also, she would FIGHT the syringe feedings really bad, letting me know she had enough.
HOw long has it been since you started syringe feeding Yoda? Dont push him eating on his own too much. He will when he gets ready. Right now he is probably still weak, disoriented and just is tired. He will eat on his own. Just keep the syringe feedings and keep offering him food. Keep the calories in him. He will come around. I didnt believe it either, but man was I wrong!
I'm still force feeding Yoda but he is eating some by himself!
That is great! Just keep doing what you are doing and the more he eats on his own, the less you force feed him!
GO YODA!!! :)
Susan,
I'm glad Yoda is eating some on his own. SUCH a big step. He's on his way to getting better!
Tinks mom,
I would love to write about Tink's recovery on my blog. I'm starting to do little "success stories" blog posts to show that cats recover all the time from fatty liver disease. Would it be okay if I used Tink's story?
Also, as for cat food, I recommend researching more than just the ingredients listed on the bag. Cat food manufacturers put some nasty stuff in their products. For instance, dry cat food is sprayed with grease, often rancid grease, to make it more appealing for cats.
I personally like Spot's Stew, which is all-natural food for dogs and cats, and is supposed to be one of the best ones out there. They have dry food for indoor cats that I like quite a bit. It's a bit expensive, but it's worth it. My cats are so much healthier because of their diet that I can even feel the difference in their fur -- it's soft, not at all greasy, and gets matted much less often.
ABSOLUTELY you can use Tink's story!!!!! I will send you a pic as well if you want one! I hope her story will help other owners help their cats as well!
I hope Yoda is doing good!
you can email me at eufaulalockandkey@yahoo.com if you would like a pic.
Pam
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