My cat stopped eating

charbama · New member Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 8

My 15 year old cat Slider stopped eating almost week ago. I took him to the vet who did blood test and urinalysis. His liver count was "off the charts" but everything else was normal. I took him back and they did an ultrasound and an x-ray and found nothing unusual. They were very excited about the results. However, he still wont eat. They gave him some fluid under his skin and an antibiotic and I took him home. He would throw up almost instantly when I gave him the antibiotic. I went back to the vet and they gave him baytril a different antibiotic. I asked the vet if I could give him fluid under his skin to keep him from getting dehydrated. I have been doing that for three days and force feeding him babyfood. I have tried several kinds of canned cat food, pureed tuna, but the baby food seems to be the most effective. The only improvement I have seen is that sometimes he looks up when I walk in the room, which may be wishful thinking.

I have had many pets over the years and he is by far my favorite. Does anybody have suggestions on how long I should continue this? I don't want to keep him alive if he wants to die, but I don't want to stop trying either. Please help me.

Mary_NH · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:18 am Post subject:

here's a good sryinge feeding recipe
AD canned food (gotten from the vet)
Pedialyte
NutraCal
little bit of Karo Corn Syrup
mix these together to make them soupy (keep adding Pediatlye to make it watery...not running watery but thin enough to easily go through a plastic feeding syringe - vet should have those too).
Get at least 1/4 cup of this into him a day.
It's a good energy boosting food. I've had to use it often on foster cats when they stop eating.
also I would mix in milk thistle. You can buy it at any vitamin place. Get capsules so you can pull them apart. Mix in about 1/8 of the capsules. The milk thistle helps the liver to regenerate itself. Stuff does work - takes awhile (weeks) but it does work. My dog was on it for years. Her liver count was also off the charts but the milk thistle helped to bring it down.
Let us know how it goes

kodiak2006 · New member Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Location: texas

I also have a cat not eating and will try Mary_NH recipe to get food into her. Has anyone had a cat that is having trouble breathing? She pants and has shallow breath. The vet thought it might be asthma. Any help would be welcome.

Mary_NH · Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:09 am Post subject:

the vet thinking she might have asthma isn't enough...they should do some chest x-rays just in case there is something going on with her lungs.
For cats with severe asthma a neubulizer is commonly used to help with their breathing if they are having an asthma attack.
I believe also with asthmatic cats (I fostered one last year) there's a lot of coughing too.
I'd get a chest x-ray.

kodiak2006 · New member Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Location: texas

Unfortunately, I could not get the tests at the vet I took her to. They wanted $700 for all the tests and meds. We compromised on trying the meds for now and getting her to eat a little more before bringing her back. I just didn't have that kind of money. I have some friends looking for a vet who charges more reasonable rates.

On the bright side, I tried the "soup" mix last night. She took a full 1/4 cup and was sleeping peacefully. When she got up this morning, she used the box and took some more of the "soup" without fighting me. I feel if she can get a little weight back then we can fight the other problem. I think part of her breathing problems might be because her throat was dry from not drinking enough water.

charbama · New member Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 8

Unfortunately I had to put Slider to sleep. I took him back to the vet because his breathing was very shallow and rapid. They did another ultrasound of his chest and in addition to the liver problem he had an enlarged heart and had fluid surrounding his lungs. They drained some of the fluid and we tried a few other medicines but it seemed as if all his problems were working against each other. It was a very hard decision and I feel like I lost the love of my life. He was such a great cat and friend. He was a funny cat and when I took him in, they gave him one shot to put him to sleep and he was completely asleep and limp. Then they gave him the other shot, he growled and stuck his tongue out and then he was gone. In my heart, I felt he was trying to be funny by sticking his tongue out at the vet.

To the person who has the cat with the shallow breathing, my vet was able to feel the fluid around his lungs and gave him a diuretic. They also did an x-ray to confirm but if you can not afford the x-rays, hopefully your vet may be able to treat him based on just an exam. Also, if there is a vet school in your area they may be able to help you at a substantially lower rate.

charbama · New member Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 8

Also Kodiack, it is a great sign that your cat is eating!!!!!

kodiak2006 · New member Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Location: texas

Thank you so much for the information. I will look up the vet school and see what they say

I am really sorry to hear about you loosing your cat. They have such personalities that when they are gone, you really miss them. My husband has always been a real dog person until we got this cat. He loves her to pieces and she is worthy of that love. I'll try to keep you all posted on how she is doing in the next few days. Thank you so much for all the support and suggestions.