Force feeding pets

[Parrothead]

I had noticed my cat wasn't eating as much as normal, but still eating. After hardly eating for a couple of days, a trip to the vet's was called for. Waiting for test results tomorrow morning, but he did also get some fluid put under his skin at the vet's for hydrating purposes, poor guy had dropped a good 4 lbs from his "normal" weight. I'm finding out quickly that force feeding my cat is not an easy task :-? Not only would I need body armour if I were to attempt giving him a bath, it might come in handy with feeding him too :P. Telling him to work with me, not against me isn't helping much either. :wink: I'll be happy once he starts eating on his own again, in the meantime, I'll gladly take multiple scratches for the sake of his health. He's been his normal self, other than the eating factor as of late. He's been a great pet for the past 15+ years. :D

[pumpkinpie]

Wow, 4 lbs to lose is a lot for a cat. Even if he's one of the huge 20-pounders, that's still a fifth of his weight.
Did the vet give you any explanation for the weight loss--an infection, illness, whatever??
Good luck nursing him back to health. What's his name?

[Parrothead]

His name is Kiisu (estonian for Kitty) and looks like Sylvester, right down to the white tip on the tail :D. The vet suggested it could be liver or kidney related, looking at blood and urine samples she said he likely is anemic. Searching the web earlier, I found this (http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Health/Feline_Hepatic_Lipidosis/1.html) which pretty well fits what has been going on. I guess I'll find out more, when the vet calls back in the morning.

[beskeptical]

Poor kitty. I hope he gets better soon.

[Enzp]

All my best wishes to your kitty. I lost my kitty a year ago, he was my best pal for 20 years. At that age something was going to fail. In him it was the kidneys. it was sad, but not unexpected. We now have a new kitty who is about a year old and he is a real treat to us. He has never had a single reason to mistrust us, and he gives us a lot of joy for the price of catfood and a bit of home-shredding. Home is empty without a kitty. I hope yours pulls through.

[Amadeus]

I've grown up with cats all my live and have had some die of old age in that time. First time it happend I was a kid and my dad sat me down and said something along these lines that made me feel better.

Look son, from the day he was born he was fed, groomed loved and free to live his live however he wanted. He had no fears no doubts and lived life to the full. We can only hope to achieve to same.

I hope your cat pulls through though. They can go off their food for many reasons just like humans can. Something like a bad tooth can do it.You can always try feeding it it's favourite food to see if that makes a difference. Ours have got a thing for pork and will camp outside the oven whenever theres a gammon roasting.

[Parrothead]

Yay! I'm relieved. He's fine, except for kidney related numbers from blood/urine samples. He received another treatment of fluid under the skin today. The only task is to get him eating and drinking on his own. Currently I'm being ignored, trips to the vet's two days staight seems to be unacceptable behaviour. At least, I'll be able to let him outside again, with no worries. :D

[The Supreme Canuck]

Great! Glad to hear it! :D

[gethen]

Hey, Parrothead, I've got a 20 year old cat myself (Bob) and I think kidney problems in old cats are almost inevitable. Things just wear out. Bob drinks huge amounts of water and urinates by the quart, but so far his appetite is excellent. Since my husband is a vet, I have access to pretty decent health care for my cats, and so I know that Bob's kidney deficiency is just a fact of life at his age and I don't think there's much you can do about it. I do feed Bob Science Diet's k/d for cats, which is just easier on his kidneys. Other feeds are probably also available, but he really likes the k/d, although he has difficulty eating it in the canned form and prefers the dry. Good luck with your old cat.

[Moose]

Well that's good news, Parrothead. =D> I think your advice went a long way towards saving mine, too. Thanks. She's still a bit wary of eating much at a time, but she's eating and drinking on her own now. (Possibly rather than have me force her, but I'll take it either way.) I'll still have her checked for dehydration, but we're out of the woods now, I think.

Thanks again, Parrothead.

[pumpkinpie]

Currently I'm being ignored, trips to the vet's two days staight seems to be unacceptable behaviour.

That's a good sign. He's healthy enough to ignore you!