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Feral not eating

595 views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  crjackson  
#1 ·
Fuzz, an ear tipped feral/stray showed up 3 and a half years ago. She was shy but not fearful to the point of running away. She has been living in a shelter in the yard with a heater for the winters. Over the past several months she has become very friendly, accepting pets, entering the house to rest. 4 weeks ago she stopped eating much. She was brought in, saw a vet and found to have no unusual labs but is FIV+. Subsequently she was given SQ fluids, a med for stomach upset (dont know the name) and an appetite stimulant. There has been no change. Tomorrow she will see a vet that only treats cats as the rescue I work with has little confidence in the vet who saw her.

Is this the end stage for FIV? Is there anything I can try to get her to eat, she has refused everything on the shelf in petsmart, treats and a vet prescribed food.

She is comfortable inside in her own room, food and water is available on demand, she appears to be drinking a little.
 
#2 ·
I’ve had a similar experience with an FIV+ cat, and it can be really frustrating when they stop eating. I’d suggest trying some different food textures or strong-smelling options like tuna or chicken broth to see if that gets her interested. I found that some cats just prefer certain types of food, so it might be a matter of finding the right one. It’s also worth checking with the vet if there might be underlying issues, like pain or dental problems, that could be making her reluctant to eat, even if bloodwork looks fine.
 
#6 ·
I've let a few days pass to process this and want to share my experience with the vet who initially saw fuzz. A young doc right out of vet school seemed scared because I explained fuzz was an outside cat not used to being handled. She found nothing of interest upon examination although I was not present but wanted to prescribe an antibiotic. She said fuzz was a bit spicy. After working on the human side of health care for over 40 years I rejected that idea since we had no diagnosis. A sedated exam was scheduled in which nothing was shared with me regarding the exam but I was told by a vet tech if I felt it necessary I should see an emergency vet. Fuzz subsequently was brought back for SQ fluids which helped for a bit. One of the women who volunteers with the same rescue I do suggested I see her private vet who only treats felines. This vet found a mass the "size of a baseball" and through her tears apologized for not being able to make Fuzz well.
Some of the folks from the rescue think I should document my experience with the first vet. I have learned through others she has a less than stellar record so far.
This isn't my first bad experience with a young vet. Last year my 17 year old tabby was receiving insulin. The insulin was leaking out of the injection site. When I called for guidance her response was "there are lots of youtube videos". She diagnosed lexi as hyperglycemic, another vet found her to be hypo glycemic. Lexi also was lost as her condition deteriorated.
If there are any young vets on this site some advice, youtube isn't the catch all end all, talk to your clients, my health care experience isn't with animals but it started before your parents planned your birth. Communicate with your clients, listen to what you are being told, information helps achieve a diagnosis. I'm looking forward to having my cats seen with the new feline only vet, she was kind, communicated and not caught up in the world of corporate medicine.

This concludes my rant.
 
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