? 3/9 - Gen, AMBG 96 - still working on the "food" thing

Allie & Gen

Allie & Gen

Member Since 2025
Saturday/Yesterday

Good morning, friends. I hope you're all having a calm Monday, and that your kitties are surfing safely.

I'm working from home today, currently from bed with Gen curled up on my feet. He definitely seems a bit brighter/in less discomfort this morning, which is good to see.

I decided to skip his shot this morning. I know the depot is a mess at this point, but last night I gave him a 2/3 dose (1u) and he dove from the mid-300s down to the low 50s; I got up in the middle of the night to syringe feed him a bit more beef puree baby food mixed with water to prevent hypo. Right now I'm mostly focused on getting him eating again, though I'll continue to monitor his BG. We'll see where we are by PM shot time.

He's still not really eating this morning. I gave him a small plate of the shredded, boiled chicken, mixed with a little warm water and a dash of FortiFlora. He sniffed with apparent interest (unlike the way he was with food last night - he'd just sit there stone-faced or try to move his head away when I presented him with something), but ultimately had a few nibbles and that was it.

I'm not sure how best to proceed. I know we should go slowly, but I'm not sure about the best pace or methods. Should I plan to syringe feed more? Maybe with some actual cat food? I have a couple more jars of the baby food left, not sure if I should get more ... I'm going to email my vet an update about everything that happened this weekend, though given her usually packed surgical schedule (Mondays are extra busy for whatever reason) I don't know how long it will take to get back to me. The hospital ER and IM vets didn't give me an email option and I don't particularly feel like calling them, especially as I really do have to do some work today.

If anyone has advice, I am wiiiide open, with gratitude. ❤️‍🩹 (One thing I probably won't do, alas, is "the liver shake." I just don't trust that I can source liver that is safe to feed raw.)

Also, my deepest, shyest thanks to the people who donated to Gen's GoFundMe (posted in the Fundraising channel). You guys are too generous and I don't really know what to say, so "thank you" will have to do. 🥹

Sorry I haven't had a chance to check in on any of your sweet cats in a few days! I hope I can find time later; honestly, I miss all of them.
 
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Look, this pâté seems to have good ingredients. Can you get it there?
Allie & Gen said:
I have a couple of cans of that, yeah (that and the Royal Canin Recovery, which is similar). He wouldn't touch either yesterday. I could try again today, or try syringe feeding it ...
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If I were in your situation, I would try syringe feeding. I already did it with my cat. The problem is that if she doesn't eat, she'll die of starvation. You have to try everything and not let time pass. The cat needs to eat and drink. I know it's frustrating; I went through it and wanted to go crazy, but I always thought I did everything I could.
 
xelo y sinver said:
Look, this pâté seems to have good ingredients. Can you get it there?

If I were in your situation, I would try syringe feeding. I already did it with my cat. The problem is that if she doesn't eat, she'll die of starvation. You have to try everything and not let time pass. The cat needs to eat and drink. I know it's frustrating; I went through it and wanted to go crazy, but I always thought I did everything I could.
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Yeah, I just don't want to overdo it and make him vomit again. I think his tummy is pretty tender.
 
Yay! Hoping his improvement continues ❤️ I've never syringe fed, but maybe could be a good idea to give him a bit slowly throughout the day. I know its a difficult balance of getting enough in him, yet not upsetting his stomach with too much.
 
Related to the sniffing food but not eating, when Jude does that, he's nauseated. If it were me, I would save the syringe feeding for when I absolutely need it--at shot time. I'm so glad he's eaten a little on his own. Come on, little fella! 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 We're all pulling for you to get better.
 
He finished off most of the chicken, so I've set out more for him. He had a couple nibbles of that, wandered around a bit, and has settled down again. For now I'm leaving him to his own devices. My biggest concern is that I don't have the opportunity to be home keeping an eye on him every day; I may call out tomorrow if necessary, but there's only so much of that I can do.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Related to the sniffing food but not eating, when Jude does that, he's nauseated. If it were me, I would save the syringe feeding for when I absolutely need it--at shot time. I'm so glad he's eaten a little on his own. Come on, little fella! 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 We're all pulling for you to get better.
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Mary, how do you work out how much to syringe feed him? I don't have a good sense of how to figure that out. I gave him almost two jars of the beef baby food last night all told (with a lot of water mixed in), but that involved me having to get up in the middle of the night to give more. (I wasn't going to force him to take more than he wanted in a sitting.)
 
Allie & Gen said:
Mary, how do you work out how much to syringe feed him? I don't have a good sense of how to figure that out. I gave him almost two jars of the beef baby food last night all told (with a lot of water mixed in), but that involved me having to get up in the middle of the night to give more. (I wasn't going to force him to take more than he wanted in a sitting.)
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I have typically only syringe fed Jude his regular FF pate food, so I try to get at least half of a 3 oz can (watered down) into him before I give his shot. I don't syringe feed between shots because it's not usually necessary. He does not like to be syringe fed, so it's always a struggle, but, as you well know, if I can't get food into him, I don't feel comfortable giving his insulin.
 
HI Allie, I am glad to see Gen is eating some on his own. That's great! 💖
I gave Ivy the A/D when she had p-titis for one or maybe 2 meals last year.
She really liked it and I found it was very easy to syringe feed. It mixed with a little water easily in a bigger syringe.

(You can always cut the tip with a knife very carefully (on an angle) to give you a little wider expelling tip and go very, very slowly, to the side of his mouth. Give him time to calmly swallow)

Yes, messy, but whatever.

I'm not sure what amount is needed, I'd say whatever he is willing to allow you to feed him. Just try to get that nutrient dense nice, soft and smelly food into him to keep him eating.
They also say parmesan cheese is a good topper if he will be enticed by that.

You could see if he will lick some off of a spoon. Try anything.

Sending many vines and good wishes, we are all pulling for you both!🍃🍃🍃🍀🍀🍀💖💖💖
 
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