Getting Jitzu to eat

[librarychick]

I need some help guys. Jitzu still sick, she spent the last 2 days at the vet on an IV. She's home now and seeming better, except she won't eat or drink anything.

Her test results came back negative for all the big bad things, but the vet says her liver levels are too high which means she's heading towards hipatic lipidosis. I need to get her eating.

I have tried:
-raw bison (usually a favorite)
-salmon, sorta cooked to bring out yummy smells
-bread (yeah...not really kitty food but she's always loved it...)
-cheese (again, not realy food, bbut she usually loves the stuff)
-canned food
-halo chicken formula
-EVO venison
-blue buffalo duck
-I have a bunch more that I bought to try...no interest at all so far though
-chicken broth

I'm going out today and I'll buy some meat baby foods, see if they can't spike her appetite, as well as some parmesean cheese to sprinkle on things. The issue is that she has a really bad URI, so she can't smell. Which means nothing good for her appetite.

I do have another option that I'm not so sure about...my mum's cat got sick a while ago and one of the things the vet prescribed was an appetite stimulant. Patch is a big boy, about the same size as Muffin (so 15 lbs ish)...I would really like to not continue spending huge amounts of money so what are your thoughts about usuing some of those appetite stimulants on Jitzu?

Any other ideas on what might spark her appetite? At this point I do need her to eat, and I don't really care what it is as long as it gets the ball rolling...I may even buy fancy feast (yuck).

[Dave_ph]

Oh Boy. I know how worried you are. Mia spent 3 weeks at the vets last week after throwing up everything and bloody diarrhea. I was "syringe" feeding her thru Tuesday. . If Jitzu won't eat you may have to do that. She can't go without food.

Eventually Mia started eating and drinking on her own again. Probably to get the taste of that canned food out of her mouth.

Have you tried calling your vet for directions?

[brittanymuldowney]

Hey! I was in the same boat with you a while ago when my cat stopped eating. The reason your cat stopped could be stress or a number of things. Its important you figure out why she stopped eating so you can eliminate that stressor in the future.
As far as eating, force feed. Its extremely stressful but if your cat isnt eating she will die. I had to force feed my cat for about 4-5 days and she started eating on her own (however some people have had to force feed for weeks before they eat on their own) You can mix can food with water and seringe it that way. Or chop up bite sized pieces of raw food for your cat and open her mouth (helps if you have a friend to help) and put it in her mouth (You dont have to shove it down her throat, just putting it in her mouth will entice her to chew) I find the raw pieces works best bc it takes less time than seringing, has more nutrients, and gives kitty a good meal. Feed her meal portions sprend out between 3 meals so she doesnt have to be force fed for too long. It will be very stressful. BUT your cat will survive which is important! Try whatever raw food but i recommend something like chicken bc the pieces dont slip out of their mouths and it isnt too mushy or other foods like it. I hope everything improves. Keep us posted!
(Also appetite enhancers only work if your kitty is still eating but not eating enough. Once your kitty stops eating they wont work, especially if your cat cant smell)

[brittanymuldowney]

Btw your kitty looks so cute! I really hope she gets better!

[Dave_ph]

"It will be very stressful"

Oh yeah.

[Owned_By_Two]

Obviously not eating is serious, but worse is not drinking/consuming any liquids.

I suggest trying "Tuna Water". I'd be surprised if she didn't drink this, and once she gets a taste for the tuna hopefully it will spark her appetite to eat some canned food.

Check this thread on how to make it:
http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.ph...lit=Tuna+Water

And about the "smell" thing: try heating some canned food slightly in the microwave. It makes the food more stinky than usual, and this may help.

[brittanymuldowney]

Actually cats don't usually drink a lot of water. Like most species they rely on getting water through their food sources. Cats will drink more only is active or eating meals like kibble that don't have any moisture. With high quality canned food and raw diets cats don't drink as often. Ofcourse your cat should be drinking more bc she isn't getting water from her food source bc she is not eating. I would focus more on feeding bc cats cannot process their fat stored which causes fatty liver disease and kills them. If you force feed raw meat you won't have to worry about your cats water intake bc she will be getting water from her food.

[librarychick]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I know I may have to syringe feed her...but she's a very special kitty. I don't know if you guys remember me posting much about her but here's an abbreviated version of "The History of Jitzu" which may give you an idea of why this is tough for me and her.

I moved in with her 'owners' about 5 years ago. 5 people (read teenagers), working minimum wage jobs, and barely scraping by in a townhouse. Jitzu got fed by her nominal 'main owner' whenever the girl felt like buying more food. She would put the bag of w/e (whiskas, friskies, crappy food) and cut it open and she could eat whenever. The litter box got cleaned when the smell of walking past it became painful. When I moved in I took over her, slowly but I couldn't put up with her level of care. On top of the lack of enthusiasm for caring for her one of the people was treating her like she was a large dog to play with. He'd throw her accorss the room, run at her, ect. He thought he was 'playing' she thought he was trying to kill her...

So most of them moved out, I adopted Jitzu and started working with her. It took a year for her to trust me enough to pet her without getting attacked, and two years until I could even touch her paws and belly...if she was in a good mood. Three years before she stopped actiely attacking our guests, and four before I even tried trimming her nails, or other basic grooming.

She's much better than she was originally, but I still try to not push her too much, the fact that she let me wash her face and paws without too much fuss was both gratifying and worrying. She only tried to bite the vet twice the first time they IVd her...not good. She was more difficult for them yesterday, which I'll take as a good sign.

If I don't have to force feed her I'd rather not, I'm worried our relationship will suffer...and since I've put lots of effort into gaining her trust I'd rather not even risk that. But she needs to eat, bottom line.

The raw meat idea is a good one and I'll try it for sure. Looks like I'll be getting some of her favorites and trying it out. As for asking my vet...he was considerably less helpful that you guys have been so far. He's nice, but not great.

I guess I'll hold off on the appetite enhancers if you don't think they'll work, but I'll take them home just in case.

I have throught about trying tuna, but it's made her pretty ill in the past and I'd rather not get her hooked back on it if she'll eat it, but throw up later. Also, I have been heating the food...I guess I'll just keep trying.

Thanks again, and keep the ideas coming! We need all the help we can get!

[Dave_ph]

"I'm worried our relationship will suffer"

Yeah I've lost a lot of trust and have to chase and trap Mia now but I bet she'll forgive me a few day's after I stop doing it.

[brittanymuldowney]

Oh gosh thankfully you took her in anx gave her proper care. Please don't worry about your relationship. My cat would hide from me whenever I called her to force feed her but as long as you give her plenty of attention after it'll be fine. The same day my cat started eating on her own she acted like nothing happened and slept with me all night long. Trust me. She will know later that what you are doing is good for her. She's going to be distant until she eats on her own but after she recovers she will love you just as much! Shell just be crabby bc she's sick from the lack of food and from the annoyance of you .aking her eat. But she will be fine I guarantee it.