Help!!! My 4year old kitty has fatty liver disease!!

[Love4himies]

Awww, that is great news. Any idea how long she has to have the feeding tube in?

Sending some Janie's way.

[beckiandthetrio]

We are not sure how long she will have it in for. Today is a week and she has to have it in for atleast another week if not more. sometimes it can take months from what I hear.

I forgot to mention this to, she eat for me last night too!!! It wasnt much, just alittle canned food but it was more than she has eaten on her own in a week Gotta celebrate the small victories right

Becki

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by beckiandthetrio

I forgot to mention this to, she eat for me last night too!!! It wasnt much, just alittle canned food but it was more than she has eaten on her own in a week

Excellent! That's a really good sign. Egypt wouldn't even look at food for a couple of months, he'd just turn his head away in disgust like I was trying to poison him.

[growler~GateKeeper]

becki that's wonderful news for more interest in food to come soon & no more vomiting

[rainbow]

I just read this thread now ....glad that Janie is doing well and hope her progress continues.

[lilycat]

Hi!

I am going through the same problem with my cat! you can see my thread in this forum but its called "help kitty eating food not for him" ....(if you read the thread and posts you'll understand)

i guess the best advice i can give you is to FIND A GOOD VET! if you already have i congratulate you, bcz my first vet was pure hell, he didn't even care, i think the vet is one part bcz its the one who is going to guide you in the right direction, and the other part is of course yourself, keeping up with the medicine the feeding, i mean there is only so much you can do, you'll have to leave the rest to your cat and pray that he or she gets better i know i have done everything in my hands to help my cat and it is paying off bcz she is getting better...but the last few weeks have been really scary, it is sooo scary to have a sick pet, bcz they are your family! so please hang in there!

so cheer up keep trying ! i hope you and your kitty the best and hopefully she'll recover completely!!

p.s. feel free to send me a msg if you wanna share stories or compare medication...or just for support!

[beckiandthetrio]

Thanks for the advice Lilly. I love my vet and Im so grateful for her!! I agree that it is very important to have one that is on top of things and cares.

Does your kitty have a feeding tube also?? I havent read your thread yet but I will.

As for Janie she is pretty status quo right now. She is tolerating about 6oz of food a day which makes me happy. She hasnt attempted to eat again that I know of but Im not to worried, I set it out but she just turns her nose up and away kinda like what sugarcatmom's cat did Her jaundice has almost completely gone away!! I try not to be to obsessed with checking HEHE. She doesn't like it too much when i fold her ears down and check her gums alot.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, they are working!!

Becki

[lilycat]

No, my vet told me that she preferred the force feed bcz of the general anesthesia of the feeding tube and didn't want to put the liver at any risk also bcz she said if the cat is eating and not vomiting from the force feed we need to try that first, if it doesn't work then we put on the feeding tube, but actually the force feeding works for me and my cat, bcz she just takes it in, and it is not that stressful for her (i think) just the first couple of times but then she got used to it, also she is eating quite a lot now for her self, so i have to force feed her now even lesser, i am being very careful with the force feeding, i want to give her enough to help her get some food in, but not too much so she can feel a little hungry and eat on her own, and it's actually working

and don't worry if janie isn't eating right now, the important thing is that you are getting some food into her and that she is not throwing up! that's a great sign! hopefully in a few weeks your janie will start eating on her own, just like my mena did!.... it took her about 2-3 weeks to even show interest in her wet food, now she is actually eating, so just give it some time!...

lots of luck!! my best wishes for you and janie!!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by lilycat

No, my vet told me that she preferred the force feed bcz of the general anesthesia of the feeding tube and didn't want to put the liver at any risk

The liver would be more at risk if not enough nutrition was being consumed than from the anesthesia. It's great that the force-feeding is working for you, but it can be extremely stressful for many cats (and their caregivers), sometimes leading to food aversions. It's also much more difficult to ensure enough calories are consumed with force-feeding than with tube-feeding, and the time wasted while trying to force-feed a sick cat may result in further decline of that cat's health.

The decision to tube or not to tube should be made on a case by case basis, factoring in how sick the cat is, how stressed they are, the degree of inappetance, etc. I'm glad you've found a good balance with your kitty and my fingers are crossed that she makes a full recovery.

[beckiandthetrio]

hello all--

Your well wishes and prayers worked!!! My Janie is now completely recoverd. Last weekend she started eating some more canned food so last Tuesday I did a trial to see if she would eat if I wasnt feeding her in the tube and it worked!!! She has not had a feeding since and is her normal active playful loving self.

Words can not describe how happy I am that she is alright. She will go back to the vet this week to have the tube removed.

To all the other cat owners with problems, Im hoping your story has a happy ending too!!!

Becki and Janie

[sugarcatmom]

That's great news! Way to go Janie, and way to go YOU, for helping her through this.

[hazelrunpack]

Way to go, Janie!! Good job, Becki! What a wonderful update!

[Love4himies]

Wahoo , that is so wonderful. Way to go, Janie, you have made your momma happy.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Becki that's great news WTG Janie