What to feed recovering cat

My year and a half old long-haired gold tabby cat, Burdell,
had a great homecoming today after three nights at the vet
hospital. I took him there Monday afternoon when he hadn't
eaten all day, and had not looked his usaul bright self
when he came to get me up that morning.

He was found to have a high temperature, so the vet kept him
to give him IV antibiotics. Apparently he took IV fluids also.
I was given antibiotic drops to give the cat twice a day
with food (clindamycin hydrochloride). The vet took some blood
for tests that have been negative so far, and he thinks the
problem probably was upper respiratory.

The cat has always been a big eater, and today he has been
anxious to be given food, but then he has only nibbled at
what I have given him. I've tried several things. My cats
have water and two kinds of dry food available at all times
(Meow Mix seafood flavors and Purina kitten chow), and three
times a day I give them various Fancy Feast dishes from cans.

But the recovering cat doesn't eat much of anything, though he
is lively and very interested in getting me to put food in front
of him. So i don't understand why nothing appeals to him once
he sniffs at it.

I tried putting the antibiotic drops in one dish, and I wasn't
surprised that the cat rejected that one, but his rejection of
the others is a mystery. I'll try putting the drops directly
in his mouth, but they are supposed to be given when he eats,
whether mixed in with the food or not.

Another cat accepted the same kind of antibiotics in his food
a year ago, but I understand that cats are different about this.
At any rate, I don't know what to try to get the cat to eat at
this point. If the problem persists, of course I will inform
the vet, but I would like to solve the problem at home tonight.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Calvin Rice

"Calvin Rice" wrote in message
ups.com...
My year and a half old long-haired gold tabby cat, Burdell,
had a great homecoming today after three nights at the vet
hospital. I took him there Monday afternoon when he hadn't
eaten all day, and had not looked his usaul bright self
when he came to get me up that morning.

He was found to have a high temperature, so the vet kept him
to give him IV antibiotics. Apparently he took IV fluids also.
I was given antibiotic drops to give the cat twice a day
with food (clindamycin hydrochloride). The vet took some blood
for tests that have been negative so far, and he thinks the
problem probably was upper respiratory.

The cat has always been a big eater, and today he has been
anxious to be given food, but then he has only nibbled at
what I have given him. I've tried several things. My cats
have water and two kinds of dry food available at all times
(Meow Mix seafood flavors and Purina kitten chow), and three
times a day I give them various Fancy Feast dishes from cans.

But the recovering cat doesn't eat much of anything, though he
is lively and very interested in getting me to put food in front
of him. So i don't understand why nothing appeals to him once
he sniffs at it.

I tried putting the antibiotic drops in one dish, and I wasn't
surprised that the cat rejected that one, but his rejection of
the others is a mystery. I'll try putting the drops directly
in his mouth, but they are supposed to be given when he eats,
whether mixed in with the food or not.

Another cat accepted the same kind of antibiotics in his food
a year ago, but I understand that cats are different about this.
At any rate, I don't know what to try to get the cat to eat at
this point. If the problem persists, of course I will inform
the vet, but I would like to solve the problem at home tonight.

Thanks for any suggestions.

You can try Hill's Prescription Diet a/d - it's a food specifically made for
animals who are recuperating: most cats think it's extra-tasty & it has a
high caloric content.

It's also good for cats who are ill & have a depressed appetite; it's a wet
food of a very fine consistency & can be syringe-fed.

Because it's one of the Hill's prescription diet foods, you have to buy a/d
at the vet's.

Baby food - (without onion added) is another idea.

When an appetite still won't get jump-started, there are appetite
stimulants, such as Periactin/cyproheptadine (an antihistamine for humans,
but works as an appetite stimulant for cats).

Cathy


Calvin Rice

Cathy Friedmann made several suggestions:

... Because it's one of the Hill's prescription diet foods,
you have to buy a/d at the vet's.
Baby food - (without onion added) is another idea.
When an appetite still won't get jump-started, there are
appetite stimulants, such as Periactin/cyproheptadine
(an antihistamine for humans, but works as an appetite
stimulant for cats).

Thanks. The first thing I will try is the baby food. I used it very
successfully to stimulate the cat's appetite when he was a
tiny kitten, but as he has gotten older he hasn't cared so much
for the baby food. But another cat likes it for a treat, so I
have three kinds of Gerbers on hand: ham, chicken, and
turkey.

Calvin Rice

"Calvin Rice" wrote in message
oups.com...
Cathy Friedmann made several suggestions:

... Because it's one of the Hill's prescription diet foods,
you have to buy a/d at the vet's.
Baby food - (without onion added) is another idea.
When an appetite still won't get jump-started, there are
appetite stimulants, such as Periactin/cyproheptadine
(an antihistamine for humans, but works as an appetite
stimulant for cats).

Thanks. The first thing I will try is the baby food. I used it very
successfully to stimulate the cat's appetite when he was a
tiny kitten, but as he has gotten older he hasn't cared so much
for the baby food. But another cat likes it for a treat, so I
have three kinds of Gerbers on hand: ham, chicken, and
turkey.

Calvin Rice

You're welcome; I hope he soon gets eating again.

Cathy

in article , Calvin Rice
at wrote on 4/7/05 7:18 PM:

My year and a half old long-haired gold tabby cat, Burdell,
had a great homecoming today after three nights at the vet
hospital. I took him there Monday afternoon when he hadn't
eaten all day, and had not looked his usaul bright self
when he came to get me up that morning.

He was found to have a high temperature, so the vet kept him
to give him IV antibiotics. Apparently he took IV fluids also.
I was given antibiotic drops to give the cat twice a day
with food (clindamycin hydrochloride). The vet took some blood
for tests that have been negative so far, and he thinks the
problem probably was upper respiratory.

The cat has always been a big eater, and today he has been
anxious to be given food, but then he has only nibbled at
what I have given him. I've tried several things. My cats
have water and two kinds of dry food available at all times
(Meow Mix seafood flavors and Purina kitten chow), and three
times a day I give them various Fancy Feast dishes from cans.

But the recovering cat doesn't eat much of anything, though he
is lively and very interested in getting me to put food in front
of him. So i don't understand why nothing appeals to him once
he sniffs at it.

I tried putting the antibiotic drops in one dish, and I wasn't
surprised that the cat rejected that one, but his rejection of
the others is a mystery. I'll try putting the drops directly
in his mouth, but they are supposed to be given when he eats,
whether mixed in with the food or not.

Another cat accepted the same kind of antibiotics in his food
a year ago, but I understand that cats are different about this.
At any rate, I don't know what to try to get the cat to eat at
this point. If the problem persists, of course I will inform
the vet, but I would like to solve the problem at home tonight.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Calvin Rice

Try heating it just a liiiitle bit to make it stinkier. If he has a URI, he
might be stuffy and can't smell the food.

human baby food (strained meats sans onions) is good, . also when my
cat tummy is not right I feed her boiled rice and then mix in a few
spoons of cottage cheese.

My Vet reccomends Medi-Cal developmental/recuprative formula.
If it's upper resp, Sense of smell may be comprimised & Karen is right, warm
the food a little, it may make it more attractive to your recovering kitten.
--
Mathew
Butler to 2 kittens: Chablis & Muscat
En Vino Veritas

"Calvin Rice" wrote in message
ups.com...
My year and a half old long-haired gold tabby cat, Burdell,
had a great homecoming today after three nights at the vet
hospital. I took him there Monday afternoon when he hadn't
eaten all day, and had not looked his usaul bright self
when he came to get me up that morning.

He was found to have a high temperature, so the vet kept him
to give him IV antibiotics. Apparently he took IV fluids also.
I was given antibiotic drops to give the cat twice a day
with food (clindamycin hydrochloride). The vet took some blood
for tests that have been negative so far, and he thinks the
problem probably was upper respiratory.

The cat has always been a big eater, and today he has been
anxious to be given food, but then he has only nibbled at
what I have given him. I've tried several things. My cats
have water and two kinds of dry food available at all times
(Meow Mix seafood flavors and Purina kitten chow), and three
times a day I give them various Fancy Feast dishes from cans.

But the recovering cat doesn't eat much of anything, though he
is lively and very interested in getting me to put food in front
of him. So i don't understand why nothing appeals to him once
he sniffs at it.

I tried putting the antibiotic drops in one dish, and I wasn't
surprised that the cat rejected that one, but his rejection of
the others is a mystery. I'll try putting the drops directly
in his mouth, but they are supposed to be given when he eats,
whether mixed in with the food or not.

Another cat accepted the same kind of antibiotics in his food
a year ago, but I understand that cats are different about this.
At any rate, I don't know what to try to get the cat to eat at
this point. If the problem persists, of course I will inform
the vet, but I would like to solve the problem at home tonight.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Calvin Rice

Canned kitten food - more protein than a/d. Not many adult cats can resist
kitten food. You can also try Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken Feast in Gravy -
59.4% protein with low phosphorus (0.84% DMB), Fancy Feast Grilled Turkey in
Gravy (59.4% protein, 0.89% phos DMB), or Fancy Feast Minced Beef or Sliced
Beef - 54.9% protein, 59% protein - both are very low in phosphorus -- 0.75%
DMB. Many cats practically inhale Fancy Feast - These diets will get the
maximum amount of protein into him with the least amount of food - which is
the goal when treating an anorexic cat.

You can make the food even more aromatic and palatable by heating it up to
body temperature - If you have to add medication to the food, add it *after*
you heat the food - not before.

If you must add medication to his food, use a 'sacrificial' food and not his
regular food because the medication causes some cats to develop a permenant
aversion to the food.

You can also mask the smell and taste of the medication by putting a drop on
the tip of his nose - that will satiate his olfactory system and licking if
off will satiate is gustatory system so he won't detect the medication in
the food. This trick doesn't work with every cat - but it works with more
cats than it doesn't.

Best of luck.

Phil

Thanks for the suggestions from all. There was a little success with
the baby food last night, and this morning the cat nibbled on a few
things; but the breakthrough came when I offered him Ocean
Whitefish and Tuna (Fancy Feast). His appetite seemed to come
back for that, so hopefully we're over the hump. I'm keeping all of
the suggestions for future reference.

I still haven't given him the antibiotics though, but I'll do so at
lunchtime today, one way or another.

Calvin Rice

Phil P. said:
Many cats practically inhale Fancy Feast

My cats usually get Fancy Feast, but they are so picky that I
never know for sure what they will eat at any particular time.
With one exception, the Grilled Turkey in Gravy. I've had
more success with that than anything else. It has become
a staple. Usually I put something else on each plate first,
and then put the GTiG over it, and chop up the big hunks.
Not every single meal is like that, but most.

I wonder if the fact that the cats have round-the-clock dry
food available is the reason they are so choosy at meal
times.

-cr