Kami May be Dying

"Margarita Salt" wrote in message
...
Please spare me the usual flames. At least try to feel something for
the cat if not the cat-mom.

A week ago, cat came down with am imfection that cannot be identified
at bladder, tract, or kidney because no one can get urine from her.
She was put on Baytril after a shot of Benzapen. Since Friday, she
refused to eat. She would go toward the food, but opt for a drink of
water instead. A lot of water, in fact.

Come Monday, I called the vet and told her that I have not given up on
Kami, but but may be giving up herself. Dr. Tina said to give Kami
WHATEVER she wanted to eat. It was more important that she right now
than WHAT she ate.

So last night, I offered tuna, which she gobbled a good tablespoon of,
but then she wouldn't touch it again. After that, I gave her the
favorite baby food, which she ate. Still refusing tuna, and out of
baby food, I bought her the favorite hamburger. She ate a few bits,
still refused tuna, and THEN refused the baby food. I pretend that any
one of the choices was MY food, which usually gets her interested, but
she kept refusing. She also keeps going toward the food, choosing
water instead.

Is she trying for kitty suicide? I have given her fluids twice in the
week, but that hasn't helped. The doc took her off Baytril yesterday
She last had one the morning before) and I thought she'd come around,
but no. She looks at me with sad eyes that are either saying "fix
this, " or "help me go." I can't tell which.

She's still alert, bright, cuddly, and everything, but she's not eating
and not interested. Ideas? Or is she saying it's time?

--
Margarita Salt

"...practically no one in the world is entirely bad or
entirely good... motives are often more important than
actions." -- Eleanore Roosevelt

Brandy, I'd ask your vet about an appetite stimulant. Also, Hill's A/D
canned usually gets a cat to eat (and is packed with calories to help delay
the onset of hepatic lipidosis when cats refuse to eat). You might even
have to syringe feed her until she will take food voluntarily again.

How old is Kami again? 16 or 18? Even so, some cats live into their 20s,
so I wouldn't give up hope on her yet.

--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Brandy, I'd ask your vet about an appetite stimulant. Also, Hill's A/D
canned usually gets a cat to eat (and is packed with calories to help
delay
the onset of hepatic lipidosis when cats refuse to eat). You might even
have to syringe feed her until she will take food voluntarily again.

I'd like to suggest a force feeding method that works well and is more
friendly to human and cat than the syringe. Get a 4 tablespoon size nursing
bottle such as used for orphan kittens and rabbits(Pet supply store - vet
office). Snip the very end of the nipple off so that a hole about the size
of a ball point pen tip is present. The Hill's Science Diet A/D can be
mixed with water, milk, or whatever liquid - gravy etc, your cat is most
likely to be interested in.
The Hill's brands are a very fine consistency and mix well with liquids.
You can feed while she is in an upright position by lifting her face and
inserting the tip of the nipple into the corner of her mouth. A gentle
squeeze on the bottle delivers a much more controlled flow than any syringe
I've ever tried. First attempts can be a bit messy but the cats sure seem to
take to it better than having a hard plastic syringe tip shoved in their
mouth. Keep a few moist paper towels handy.

I had to force feed my boy Spot this way for almost 2 weeks when recovering
from calicci virus. Due to the ulcers in his mouth, any food or liquid
intake was painful. A quick shot of liquid baby Orajel before we started
feeding helped get things underway. Today Spot is a robust 19 month old 21
pounder who like to run up behind and leap with all 4 feet plated between
the shoulder blades just to say hello.