2/09 Morris AMPS 187; PMPS 437; +2 418

yesterday: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5616

Yesterday morning, Morris was quite grumpy, so I went back to feeding him 1/4 can Friskies for all his meals & snacks yesterday. Last evening, he was still acting kind of grumpy, so I continued with feeding him more last night. This morning, he was EXTREMELY grumpy! Then I realized that not only did he not finnish eating his dinner (in a dish that he has access to all night), but he didn't touch any of his snacks in his timed feeder (set to feed at +2, +5, and +8, then to turn again to an empty container at +10 so he won't eat for the 2 hours before BG & insulin time). I threw out all the left over food, rinsed out his dishes, and started fresh again this morning! Once again, I dished out 1/4 can for breakfast & put 1/4 can in his timed feeder for each of his snacks today.

Is there anything that could be causing him to be so grumpy & not wanting to eat his food? What else could I try?!?! All input is appreciated!!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - food questions

are u rotating the flavours?
hows the litterbox?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - food questions

Yes, flavors get rotated.....I buy 2 flavors of Friskies, 2 or 3 flavors of EVO, and 1 flavor of Fancy Feast that we mix around.

LB seems to be full every time I clean it. I was actually surprised yesterday with the large poops I scooped out! Usually, his poops are smaller than that.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - food questions

How much has he eaten? If he's not eating, that's a concern. He may be eating less if his numbers are improving but to not eat any of his snacks sounds like something's up. Has he had a dental any time recently? If it bothers him to eat, he may be avoiding eating unless he's really hungry. I'd also test for ketones just to be safe. Not eating and high numbers and if there's any kind of infection brewing could be a set up for ketones. If it's just that Morris is having an off day, no worries but if this persists, I'd get him in to see the vet.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - food questions

From 7:30pm last evening until 7:30am today, he only ate a couple bites at most. Up until last evening at 7:30pm, he had been eating fine. He has never had a dental - the vet has not made any mention to me about him needing one. Perhaps I will phone the vets office & see if I can either speak with my vet or the tech that is absolutely wonderful!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - food questions

Oh Gwen I am sorry to hear that Morris is so grumpy. With my Chloe (who has had teeth issues in the past) I sometimes massage the outside of your mouth to see if she reacts like there is pain.

Maybe you could rub around his little cheeks and see if this bothers him? Just a thought to see if his teeth are bothering him

I hope he starts to eat better.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

So I forgot today was the day I had to play super mom to ds!!! Therefore, I have only returned home a few moments ago to discover that Morris has not had anything to eat all day today! I did watch him have a couple of bites at breakfast when I gave him his insulin, but he has not had anything since! I broke up a few pieces of liver treats & put them in his bowl with his uneaten food & he did appear interested.....hopefully he will eat some! I have not checked his BG level as yet.

What do I do now???? Should I phone the on-call vet? It is now 2 hours before I need to give insulin, so technically I should not be trying to feed him right now. Suggestions???

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I would call the vet asap. Not eating is so concerning.

Is it correct to say 24 hours without much food?

Have you tried fresh chicken or turkey?

Would others agree that it's best to get him to eat, no matter the carb content of the food? I don't know the answer to that...but I thought others could answer.

((((Morris)))) and start feeling better.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Can you test him right now? Post what his number is, k?
If his BGs are very low...And try to tempt him with some food at least....

And the trip to the vet would be next IMO if he won't eat now and hasn't eaten much since
yesterday....not sure if anyone else has other ideas.....

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

He needs to go to the vet. Inappetance is very serious in diabetics. I'm sorry, I know it's emergency vet hours, but he's gotta go.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I would try baby food. If he has a teeth issue, there's nothing to chew. It's not good for a sustained diet though. I do agree with Amy -- not eating for roughly 24 hrs is a concern.

If Morris has never had a dental in his 11+ years, it's very possible that he needs one. Even if there's nothing immediately evident on his front teeth, it's hard to see what's going on with the back teeth when a cat is awake.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

BG level is 160

I don't have any baby food on hand.....I do have MC & HC Fancy Feast flavors though. I will phone the on-call vet & see what they have to say.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Mr. Morris! Keep us posted when you get a moment. I hope your vet knows what to do!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

If there's a flavor he really likes, put it in the blender so it's a puree. Add some water when blending. See if he'll eat that. If not, it may be a trip to the vet.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I did try this with Morris & it did not appear to bother him.

Should I open some MC & see if I can get him to eat???

I have a call in to the vet......waiting for them to call me back!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Are you talking fave flavor of cat food??

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

cat food or regular food. Is there anything that he always goes for? With Lucy it's anything chicken.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I think i'm reading from others to just get him to eat even if it's MC.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

This is the first time I have ever seen Morris not be interested in food!!!! I will take the phone with me & go down to see if I can entice him with anything. I will start with MC & go from there!!!

IF I can get him to eat something......should I try to encourage him to eat as much as possible since it has been about 24 hours now with out anything??? IF I can get him to eat.....this will throw out my insulin routine.....should I be worried about that???

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Once he starts taking to the food, I would let him eat a good amount.... not tons, but not a little.

I think it's more important for him to be eating right now then be in the high numbers for a little bit.

Keep in mind, I'm a newbie. But that's what I'd do.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Gwen, I'm concerned with WHY he's not eating. Cats don't just stop eating. 24 hours no food is near emergency for a diabetic cat. It's likely he's got a simple problem, perhaps pancreatitis which is common in diabetic cats, but it's also a possibility something else is going on.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

He ate!!!!!

I managed to get him to eat an entire can of MC Fancy Feast!!! I just sat beside him & watched him....it did not take too much convincing from me to get him to eat!

I still am waiting for the on call vet to call me back!

What should I do next???

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Great news. 3 oz can, right?

Have you noticed anything else off about Morris?

Any news from the vet yet? How's his water intake?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

See if he wants more! Just go slow. You don't want a scarf-n-barf.

You can certainly shoot if you haven't done so. Now that he's eaten, even though his numbers will be off from the MC, he's OK for insulin. I'd talk to the ER vet and probably get him in to see your regular vet. I'm betting that it's time for Morris to have a dental but it's certainly worth making sure there's nothing else going on like Carolyn suggested.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Yes, 3oz can. Morris has been grumpier than normal the past couple of days. He has not been drinking any water.....I do add a bit of water with his food in the timed feeder, but he hasn't been getting that water since he hasn't been eating. Still waiting for phone call.

What is pancreatitis? Any signs/symptoms? How is it diagnosed?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

He stopped eating when there was a bite or two left & went away. I take it he had enough for the time being. It is now 6:15pm here & I usually give insulin at 7:30pm. I will test his BG again in about an hour & not freak if it is a bit high! LOL! I will then give insulin & open another can of MC for him. If he eats that, I will attempt putting in some of his reg LC food & some MC food into his timed feeder for tonight & see what happens.

Still waiting for the vet to call.....he/she may have different suggestions! If not, I will go with my plan!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I know someone will be around to help with that soon.

Do you have a syringe that you would see if Morris would take some water from? You have to be careful when syringing water, but if you go nice and slow and not too much at one time, that might be helpful too. Also, I would try to feed again soon and mix lots of water in.

Is this vet your vet or an ER vet?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Oh Gwen, having just gone through a MONTH of this with my Morris, I feel for you! When they won't eat, you give them whatever it takes, the hell with the carbs, etc. My Morris would generally eat (or actually drink) the water from canned tuna along with a few crushed up pieces of actual tuna. Sometimes he would eat the tuna pureed with water also. That was about it...I even gave him some of his old SciDieLite I was that desperate...and he ate some for awhile but then didn't even eat that. One thing he would ALWAYS eat was Temptations...course they aren't nutritious (who knows what's in them that make them so attractive to a deathly sick cat??) and they drive the BGs way up.

Sending you some get better vines for Morris...hope this is a short-acting thing.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Tuna water!!! I will get some of that out & take down to him!

I am waiting to hear from the on-call vet......my vet's office & a couple of the other offices in town share the on-call duties. It may be my vet that calls, or another vet from my vets office, or a vet from a different office. If they don't call me soon (it's been 30 mins now!), I think I will have to get brave & call my vet at home (she lives around the corner from me....her kids go to school with my kids!).

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I've totally called my vet at home and she's been ok with it. Heck, we talked Thanksgiving day this year - Six was newly DX.

It's not like you do it everyday, ya know? And if it would help make a decision, I think I would go for it. But you have to do what makes you comfortable.

Success with Tuna?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Here is Jojo's famous Chronic Pancreatitis post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-876722

Does any of this sound like what might be going on with Morris?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

YUP! He drank it all up (I drained 1 can tuna into his bowl, no tuna). Once he was done with that, he moved over to his other bowl & took another nibble of his leftover MC Fancy Feast!

Not really. There was that time a few weeks ago when he wasn't finishing all his food, then I reduced his calorie intake & he has eaten everything offered to him from then until last night. He has been a bit grumpy the past couple of days (fighting his BG tests a bit & swiping his paw with claws out at people as they walked near him).

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

I am so glad Morris is being a good boy and eating and taking in liquids. That has to help you take a deep breath for now.

Any call back yet from vet?

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

In addition, to what's in Jojo's post, cats with pancreatitis can present with lethargy, decreased appetite, weight loss, and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Usually there's abdominal pain but cat's hide it well.

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187 - still not eating! HELP Please!

Lethargy......no more than usual for a cat! LOL!
He has had an INCREASE in appetite up until last night
No noticable weight loss....have not had him weighed since Dec, but he still looks/feels about the same weight as then
No vomiting or diarrhea
No indication of pain

Yes, I am breathing a bit better now! Still no word from vet.....it has been over an hour now!!! I think its time to look up my vets home # & call her there....just to complain about no call back & make sure the plan *we* have come up with agrees with her!!!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187; PMPS 437 - eating a bit of MC

Really didn't like seeing this number! Then I reminded myself to take a deep breath, it was the MC that was causing this! I guess this is 1 of those instances where the diabetes portion of life has to take a back seat while we attempt to figure out what is going on inside his little body!!! I opened up another can of MC & dished it out to him.....he ate about 1/2 of it before he decided to take a break. Still undecided about what food I should put into his timed feeder tonight! Or, should I not even bother with the timed feeder & leave some food out for him in his regular dishes so he can eat what he wants when he wants???

It has now been 2 hours since I called the on-call vet & still haven't had a phone call! I did call my regular vet at home around 7pm, but there was no answer. I left her a message saying that I was only calling since the on-call wasn't calling me! I also let her know that my internet friends were helping me with the problem, but that I would also like to discuss this whole matter with a vet! I asked her to call me when she gets home this evening or worst case scenerio I will be calling the office 1st thing in the morning to speak with someone!

 

Re: 2/09 Morris AMPS 187; PMPS 437 - eating a bit of MC

I would leave out food and not worry too much about the time feeder. There's always tomorrow to go back to the time feeder and since he didn't eat for 24 hours I would give him every opportunity to eat tonight. What you leave out...I would mix in some water with it too.

You did great tonight! Such a good mama bean.

Maybe you will still get a call back tonight?

Pets to Morris!!!!!

 

2 hours after his last feeding & insulin, he still has not finnished all of his food. Since I would rather see him eating something at any time tonight, I have decided not to worry about using his timed feeder. I mixed 1 can Fancy Feast LC with 1 can Fancy Feast MC into his regular food bowl. He can munch on that as he pleases all night tonight.

Still did not hear back from either the on-call vet or my own vet. I will be phoning the office at 8am tomorrow morning when they open, but I am not sure what time the vets actually arrive at the clinic. I have to work 9am-4pm tomorrow as well. It might be difficult to get Morris in to see a vet tomorrow, but I should be able to at least speak with someone & get some more advice.

 

reposting here what i posted to you on health (saw that first):

i don't think you've ruled out pancreatitis flare unless you get the test. my cat is a confirmed CP cat and his most major symptom is grouchiness when he flares and going off his food.

but your cat needs an exam by vet checking everything from teeth to anal glands (one end to the other), blood work, u/a, a quick x-ray, all the usual things that a work up consists of, just for diabetic cats we add in an fPLI test when cat is 'off' for unknown reason.
do try to get him in tomorrow, 24 hours is a long time for a diabetic cat to go without eating hardly anything, k?