Please help.. Tatters wont eat..

[theredangel]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place for this. I'm so.. so worried about my cat.

The vet I took her to isn't being overly helpful either.. and I'm not even sure if the vet visit was the cause of all this.


With the help of an organization called Fixed For Life, I was able to get Tatters spayed. She is the third of a brood of three that I have. I got her as a very small baby when I had a good paying job. Shortly after I lost my job.. and things have been very downhill in the finacial department. I do have another job now, but it pays less than half of what I used to make. I am explaining this because while I would love to put Tatters in vet hands to care for.. I cannot afford to do this.

Tatters went in to get spayed on Tuesday, the 16th. She came home coughing. I called the vet.. they said it was throat irritation from the tube they insert during surgery. They've stuck to this story like a broken record so I'm starting to wonder if they jammed the thing in her throat so hard that they feel guilty about it.

Two more visits and a few calls to the emergency vet late at night later.. and it turns out she has a respiratory infection. I wanted to say I TOLD YOU SO so badly but I didn't.

Now.. she has never had a sick day in her life. My other two cats, Tizzy and Kasha, have also never had sick days in their lives. None of them have ever been outside. Tizzy and Kasha were also spayed at a different vet, years and years ago.

WHY does she suddenly now have a respiratory infection? From what I managed to gather from the vet herself she thinks it's the herpes infection.. but there has been no bloodwork done on Tatters to support this theory. Only an Xray.

I've been given Sulcrate to coat her throat and stomach with 30 minutes before I attempt to feed her, and Baytril pills to give once a day.

You all know what it's like to give pills to cats.. I THINK I am getting these into her. She's on her third pill. Her fever (which was 40C) has finally come down. She still rasps a bit when she breathes, tho not as badly now. She isn't coughing, unless she chokes a bit at feeding/watering times. She even tried to purr a bit for me this morning.

She is getting better, obviously.. but.. SHE WILL NOT EAT. I have wet food from the vet that she will not touch, and her usual dry food is untouched.. as well as the water. Tatters takes in nothing that I don't force into her.. which is very, very difficult to do and involves alot of upset and stress on her part. Thankfully my mother came over last night and assisted with a feeding. She got more into her than she's had in a week.. but the fact remains that she hasn't had a decent meal for days. She's losing weight. And she was a tiny, skinny cat to begin with.

No, she doesn't have worms.

I called the vet again and they offer no real advice. I'm unable to bring her back in because this has already sucked my minimal funds dry.. if I could sell myself on the street to make money to take her in and have her fed properly I would. But I am suspicious of this infection to begin with.. and of this vet. I'd like to know where and how she could have gotten this infection when she is in an indoor cat and always has been.. and when she was 100% BEFORE she went in.. why is she so sick now?

And.. does.. anyone have any ideas on how I can tempt Tatters into eating again.. please.. I'm not overly religious but I've been on my knees, begging whoever might be listening to make her better.. make her eat..

Help.. anyone.. please?

[theredangel]

I forgot to add.. she doesn't keep the Sulcrate down. She immediately vomits it up.

[Love4himies]

I am sorry to hear about your kitty. Baytril may be the culprit in your cat not eating, and it is imperative that your cat eat and drink, you may want to discuss with your vet a different med. Baytril caused my Snowball to stop eating.

When you force feed her are you using a plastic syringe and watered down food? Are you giving her something right after pilling her to get the pill down to her tummy so it doesn't stick in her throat. I found Kitten Wellness Canned is the best for watering down so it easily passes through a plastic syringe. I use 30-50% water so it is quite runny. It is also very palatable for cats and one of the best cat foods you can buy. You can get large horse syringes (minus the needle of course) from the vet that you can use to feed adult cats (I think they are 12ml size??). Very slowly inject the food into the mouth so your cat doesn't choke.

Fixed for life, is that the Belleville ON rescue?

[Love4himies]

You may want to mix with Tuna juice, rather than water, to make it more palatable for her.

Good luck.

[theredangel]

Yes, we're in Belleville.

I do have syringes for feeding. Tatters and I just got through another feeding with my roommates help, and she seemed to go through it ok. Now she's grooming because feeding is really, really messy. But at least she has something in her stomach now!!

I've been using the medical recovery food that the vet gave me.. she's not used to eating wet food tho, so I'm not sure if this is part of the problem. Obviously she's not going to touch her dry food..

I'm going to go out and get some tuna.. and I'll look for the food you mentioned. Maybe some Whiskas wet too, because she's used to eating the Whiskas dry.

I have been watering down the food and feeding it to her, as well as just getting water alone into her. She wasn't eating before I started her on the Baytril so I don't know if that's the problem or not. Either way.. the vet doesn't really seem to want to be more helpful unless I have fistfuls of cash..

[Love4himies]

Dry food is not optimal for kitties, they should be getting the majority of their water through their food. I can't seem to get Whiskas' ingredients, but they mention "Meaty flavours" which means to me there is not much meat, but some flavours.

http://www.whiskas.ca/new/food_detail.aspx?id=6

Compare to Instinct and Organics canned:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct_cat_can

http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/prod...nedcat.php#ttl

There are other members who are so much more knowledgeable than I, who may be able to give you some better advice.

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by theredangel

Yes, we're in Belleville.

I do have syringes for feeding. Tatters and I just got through another feeding with my roommates help, and she seemed to go through it ok. Now she's grooming because feeding is really, really messy. But at least she has something in her stomach now!!

I've been using the medical recovery food that the vet gave me.. she's not used to eating wet food tho, so I'm not sure if this is part of the problem. Obviously she's not going to touch her dry food..

I'm going to go out and get some tuna.. and I'll look for the food you mentioned. Maybe some Whiskas wet too, because she's used to eating the Whiskas dry.

I have been watering down the food and feeding it to her, as well as just getting water alone into her. She wasn't eating before I started her on the Baytril so I don't know if that's the problem or not. Either way.. the vet doesn't really seem to want to be more helpful unless I have fistfuls of cash..

If she had a sore throat and was not feeling well, she may not have wanted to eat.

Good luck and these cat foods can only be found at quality pet food stores such as Global Pet foods

[14+kitties]

L4H pretty much said it all. It is imperitive your little one eat and get fluids into her. Also a better quality food so she gets the nutrients she needs.
Whiskas anything, wet or dry, is pretty much not good. At the best of times dry food is not great for your cats. Doubly so when they are sick.

What vet are you talking to? The one that fixed her or the one you used to deal with? Maybe if you went to another one you can find one who will take payments??

Good Luck Let us know how she is doing.

[sugarcatmom]

I realize money is tight, but she needs to eat and I'm concerned about your vet's lack of concern. She should be on an appetite stimulant by now, and if that doesn't work within a day or two, she may need a feeding tube. Maybe you can apply for financial aid or Care Credit. Here's a link to some aid organizations: http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navId=1...ate_and_Canada

Syringe feeding is useful for a few days, but in the long run it can actually create a food aversion because of the stress involved. Is she keeping the food you do give her down? There is an appetite stimulant called Remeron that is also anti-nausea. Only needs to be administered every 3 days. Ask your vet (or find a new one) about it.

[theredangel]

Hi everyone..


Thank you all very much for your time and advice..

I called the vet about an appetite stimulant. They quoted me a price that isn't too high, so I will get it, I believe.. but probably not from them.

I asked them about a payment plan.. they said they only do a form of credit and I would need to fill out an application. There is no reason for me to even try that route because my credit is bad. I would never be approved.

I'm not going to call them anymore. They don't care if Tatters lives or dies.. the vet wont even come on the phone to talk to me.. I just get information through the lady at the desk, who by now sounds annoyed that I've been calling. She just told me to keep force feeding and hope for the best.

[phoozles]

That's ridiculous - it's absolutely imperative that cats eat or they can go steadily downhill - I can't believe your vet doesn't care about that..

Kudos to you for still caring and questioning your vet's responses to your questions. I recommend the same as others - go to another vet, and get an appetite stimulant into Tatters as soon as you can .. My guy Jake had an outbreak of the herpes virus, and he stopped eating too - partially because he was stuffed up and couldn't smell, so didn't desire to eat.. I gave him a stimulant, and he was back to his old eating-everything-in-sight self after just a couple of days..

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[growler~GateKeeper]

You can try a little melted butter, bits of cheese, plain chicken or catnip on the wet food to tempt Tatters to eat

You can also roll the pill in a little butter to coat it for the way down the throat.

Tatters

[rainbow]

Since she is refusing to eat and you have to force feed her I would buy a better quality canned food like Wellness to get some good nutrition into her.

Also, if there is another vet where you live I would be switching pronto.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[theredangel]

Since I'm not gonna get any more help from the vet.. I'm going to continue to try and nurse Tatters back to health on my own and on advice and my own gut instincts.

Tatters really hates the forced feedings.. it's stressful on her, which is bad because she stresses out SO easily. Her throat still seems to hurt and her breathing is still raspy. She's got more pills to go tho.. and she really is starting to look better. It's just eating that's the problem.

I got her some kitten milk. She doesn't seem to hate it as much, and it's much, much easier to get this into her. She takes more of it, too. So.. what I'm going to do is give her kitten milk by force.. and keep a fresh bowl of watered down wet food for her at all times. I'm also gonna try seeing if she'll try some tuna juice tonight.. just to tempt her tastebuds.

She's been staying in my office with a closed door for over a week.. I don't like this. She's not feverish, and she doesn't run when I go to get her to feed her.. so I've let her out to be with the other cats. I think I'm going to put her in the office to sleep tho, and that's when I'll have the wet food and tuna juice down for her.

I'm hoping being out with Tizzy and Kasha will give her the feeling that things will go back to normal.. and maybe seeing them eat will make her want to eat too. I'll give them their treats in front of her.. maybe it'll make her want to join in just because the other two are doing it.


Let me tell you about Tizzy and Kasha.. Tizzy is around 11 or 12 years old now.. Kasha is 9 or 10. I've had them their entire lives and I love them to bits. They are my life.. my companions.. my babies. They're like children, really.. and very, very jealous because Tatters has been getting so much attention lately. Tizzy, who follows me from room to room, has taken to sleeping on my roommates bed, (something she's never done) to spite me for all the attention that goes to Tatters. Poor Tizzy.. heh.

Kasha is my big, fat squishy hug-toy kitty who will eat plastic if I leave any around for her to get at. Don't ask me why. She also loves to sit on the side of the tub when I'm having a bath. She dips her tail in, and loves it when I drip water on her. I guess it tickles.

And Tatters.. the baby. My baby. I've had her for the first year of her life.. and she is the little sister that the other two fight with. Tizzy doesn't get along with Tatters.. Kasha tolerates her sometimes. Tatters doesn't like other people.. and I don't know why. She's never been abused.. no one has ever treated her badly. I lived by myself for most of her life tho, and rarely had other people over.. so maybe that's why. I've lived with my cousin now for over 4 months.. but Tatters still wont let her near. Moving from Ottawa to Belleville was a big, BIG stress on her. And I knew.. I had a really bad feeling when Tatters went to get spayed. Something bad was going to happen.. and it did.

But.. hopefully we'll come through this. My cats mean everything to me and.. I've cried alot during the past week. I want Tatters to get better and be the silly, goofy, happy kitty she's always been.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by theredangel

Since I'm not gonna get any more help from the vet..

Will the vet at least provide you with some cyproheptadine (appetite stimulant)?

Is she still taking Baytril? If so, STOP IT NOW!!!!!! Is she on any other meds?

Have you tried plain meat baby food (no onions)? That would at least be easier to syringe, although it's not meant for long-term feeding (not balanced). Many cats find it irresistible, but at this point I think your cat really needs more serious intervention.

Here are some links for dealing with inappetant cats:
http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm
http://www.felinecrf.com/managd.htm (scroll down the page)

And a link on feeding tubes: http://www.catinfo.org/feedingtubes.htm

[theredangel]

I'm afraid to stop the Baytril.. I don't want her to start coughing again. She's still unable to meow and she's still raspy when I pick her up. She's breathing ok but her throat obviously hurts. She has trouble swallowing..

I force fed her more wet food and kitten milk tonight. She's well hydrated.. I'm not sure if that's because of the feedings or if she's drinking water on her own. I have to work all day.. I'm in my office with her as soon as I'm home.

She went and hid on me so I've put her back here in the office again. I have a horrible fear of her disappearing and starving to death because I can't find her..

I'm reading up on Baytril.. there are alot of websites that have negative things to say about it.. why would the vet prescribe this if it's not good? Will Tatters respiratory infection get worse if she's not taking any medicine?

I'll have enough money to take her to another vet on October 10th. That's such a long way away tho..

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by theredangel

I'm afraid to stop the Baytril..

The thing is, getting her to eat is your number one priority right now. Baytril is a "big-gun" antibiotic that the vet probably prescribed in an attempt to cover all the bases, not knowing what was really wrong. I personally doubt she has a URI (does she have a runny nose? watery eyes?), and even if she did, antibiotics only treat the secondary infection, they don't address the original virus that caused it. IF Baytril has any role to play in her inappetance (as it does for many cats), then it must be stopped.

Couple more thoughts. I know this is hard for you, but cats pick up on our stress, so if you can try with all your might to be positive around her and think only happy thoughts, that would be to her (and your) benefit. Talk calmly and soothingly and picture her eating lots of yummy food.

Does she like to be brushed? Gentle, loving brushing can sometimes stimulate cats to eat. Also playing. She may not be in the mood for a full-on play-fest, but maybe try flicking a feather around in front of her or dragging a string around the house.

Hang in there! I know what it's like to have a cat not eat. I've had to resort to feeding tubes on 3 occasions with my boys. Syringe feeding is tough on everyone, but since it's your only option right now, try to view it with as much positivity (no dread!) as you can muster.

[theredangel]

Ok.. I'll stop the Baytril..


She's having trouble swallowing.. it seems like every gulp is a big gulp for her, instead of regular swallowing. She moves her head back and forward drastically to swallow. Meanwhile.. she breaths normally. Her eyes and nose are not runny. Her fever is down.. tho it was very very high the first night I brought her home after her third vet visit. Her breathing is very raspy.. but only when I pick her up.

Something happened. She never had trouble eating before she was spayed. I never saw her have trouble swallowing. She was always at the food dish, munching away.


It is.. getting so hard. I feel like I'm going in circles. I'm trying to keep my spirits up for her sake but I feel like crying most of the time. Family and friends keep telling me 'she'll eat when she's ready'.. but it's been over a week now! Force feeding her is a battle.. and the worst is her fur.. it's all sticky and wet. I try to wash her off with a wet towel afterwards and comb out her fur.. but it just keeps getting sticky and wet with each feeding. I think when I'm gone all she does is hide in the box part of her cat tree. She doesn't even sit in her bed anymore and sleep.. she just sits in the box, hunched over, looking scared and messy.


I emailed Fixed For Life. Even if they can't help me they should know that the vet they use refuses to care about Tatters. I just don't know what to do.. if I let her out of the office again she'll hide. If I leave her in here she'll keep feeling isolated and unhappy. She thinks I'm punishing her for something when I just.. want her to eat.

[Love4himies]

I am glad you stopped the baytril. I have had a horrible experience with it on my sweet, precious Snowball. When he was on it, he stopped eating too :sad:.

I would give her a few more days and if her throat isn't better, I would take her to a different vet to see if there was some damage done to her esophagus. If she is in pain when she swallows, then an appetite suppressant may not be the way to go but an anti inflammatory, maybe even prednisone.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by theredangel

Family and friends keep telling me 'she'll eat when she's ready'.. but it's been over a week now!

They know nothing about feline physiology and shouldn't be giving "advice" like that. Cats are unique in that their metabolism never down-regulates like a dog's or human's would. They are at high risk of developing something called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) when they don't get enough food. As well, not eating can make a cat feel nauseous, which then makes it feel like not eating. A vicious circle.

Originally Posted by theredangel

Force feeding her is a battle.. and the worst is her fur.. it's all sticky and wet.

Can you wrap her in a towel for the feedings, kinda like a burrito? It might help with some of the mess and any struggling. There's a fantastic Yahoo group that I really think you should join called Feline Assisted Feeding. They will have tons more advice on how to deal with these issues.

Originally Posted by theredangel

She thinks I'm punishing her for something when I just.. want her to eat.

Awww, it's tough, I know. You're doing great. Stay positive and keep telling her how much you love her. Try to spend as much non-confrontational time with her as you can.

[theredangel]

Fixed For Life called the vet for me.. then she called me. They're going to cover all the bills and I'll be able to pay them back when I can. Tatters is going to go back to the hospital for a few days to get better.

I'm crying again.. this has been so hard on Tatters.. but maybe she's going to get better now. Or at least put some weight back on..

I'll update as I get more news..

[chico2]

Theredangel,aww that must be a relief for you,Tatters won't be happy,but hopefully get well
I have never had to force-feed a cat,but I read all the post,I can sooo understand your desperation ,hopefully she's in good hands now
Don't forget to keep us posted.

[rainbow]

Glad to hear that Fixed for Life is helping. It's best for Tatters to go back to the vet until she is well again. Good luck and keep us posted.

[aslan]

i've been following this thread and i was wondering if it's possible to take tatters to a different vet since the first guy had no interest to solve the problem. I wouldn't trust this person with one of my animals life.

[growler~GateKeeper]

I'm glad they will cover the costs initially for you, will they only deal with this vet or will they allow you to choose your own?

A throat xray would be the place to start to be sure there is no damage.

Tatters let us know how she's doing

[Love4himies]

Glad to hear they are going to cover the costs up front .

[theredangel]

I didn't have a choice of what vet to take Tatters to.. Fixed for Life will cover the costs and they trust this vet.. so all I can do is pray and hope I guess..


I called the vet this morning to find out what's going on. She's had bloodwork done and was checked for leukemia.. thankfully she's negative for that. She does have the herpes virus tho. Where she picked that up, I do not know.

They said she's on IV for fluids now, and that we'll have to wait to see if she gets comfortable enough to eat in the next couple days. She may come home with a feeding tube.

Will she ever eat normally again? Will she ever BE normal again.. she was such a happy, silly cat before all this.. all I want to do is have her home so I can play with her and snuggle with her again..

We used to play this silly game.. 'kitty in a bag'. I have cloth bags with which to take to the grocery store with me. I left one on my bedroom floor once and Tatters decided to crawl right in. I scooped her up and swung her a bit, laughing and shouting 'kitty in a bag!' Heh. When I let her down she ran off.. but then she came back a few minutes later and got right back into the bag. I leave the bag down for her now just so we can play this game.. she loves it.

I miss her..

This is her..
http://theredangel.havensstudios.com/tattersnow.JPG

http://theredangel.havensstudios.com/tattersnow2.JPG

http://theredangel.havensstudios.com/sillytatters.JPG

[sugarcatmom]

Awww, what a beautiful tortie girl! She's a darling. My fingers are crossed that the vets can get her on the road to recovery.

As for the herpes virus, lots of cats contract it, often as kittens. It really isn't a big deal if they have healthy immune systems and aren't subjected to too much stress. If it does cause URI symptoms or eye problems, there are supplements that can be given to help (like L-lysine).

Will she eat again? I'm betting yes. She just might need a little help in the meantime until she gets her strength back. Cats have an amazing ability to recover from some pretty drastic conditions. My diabetic kitty was on death's door twice and needed a feeding tube for 3 months when he had a pretty serious bout of anorexia. That was over 5 years ago, and today he's doing awesome. Don't give up, and don't worry about the future, just take each day as it comes.

[chico2]

She is a sweet little tortie,hope all goes well and she'll be back home soon

[14+kitties]

Sending lots of for Tatters. Get better baby girl!!