Urgent help needed!

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

ThomasCat

Member Since 2012
image.jpeg
hello, my name is Tom and I posted here about 4 years ago for one of my Cats who had diabetes. That kitty, whose name is Curt, is now 14 years old and still in remission! But his brother, whose name is Baron, is not doing so well and we need some advice. Baron is a 12 year old tuxedo cat, very healthy his whole life until recently. He was normally a large cat - not obese - very lean but almost 15-18 pounds when he was healthy. In February I noticed he began losing weight and started eating a lot less - my first thought was another cat with diabetes. Took him to the vet and all his blood work was normal, as well as his glucose. Liver, kidneys, everything very normal and healthy. The next few months he just continued to lose weight and eat less and less. Noticed around the first of May he was a walking skeleton with fur... Didn't have the money to keep taking him to vets who ran bloodwork to show everything was normal. Well, last Friday he just dropped very quickly. He had a severe bout of diarrhea, followed by severe vomiting in which he nearly aspirated to death. He jumped on the couch and just layed there pretty much unresponsive. Several times I thought he was passed on. Being that it was 1 am Saturday morning I panicked and searched for a 24 hour animal hospital in the area and luckily there was one 20 minute away. He was so far gone I still didn't think he'd even survive the car ride there, but he did!! He was hospitalized and very quickly diagnosed with anemia and jaundice caused by haemobartonellosis. It's a condition caused by a parasite transmitted from fleas that causes red blood cell destruction which in turn causes the anemia. It was a miracle he survived - his body temp was 94, glucose only 24, severely dehydrated and heartbeat very faint upon
arrival. They immediately gave him an IV for fluids and a feeding tube and 4 days late he was released to me nearly good as new, except he still won't eat much! I'm scared to death he will deteriorate quickly again if he doesn't eat enough. They gave me
Antibiotics to administer to help fight the parasite that caused this disease, as well as prednisone to protect his red blood cells from damage. So my question is, what can I do to get kitty to eat? Wasted a ton of money trying different foods- wet and dry- and he just isn't interested. Is there anything you guys have tried that has gotten a sick kitty to eat? Please help us!
 
Last edited:
Parmesan cheese, tuna water, oregano and catnip are all things you can try sprinking on food....also, if it's warm, it "smells" more and cats are better about eating things that smell

One of the best things I use on China is FortiFlora (you can get it at most vets offices too but it'll cost more)....it contains the same stuff they spray on kibble to make it smell good to get cats to eat it. A box contains 30 packets and I can make a packet last several days.

If you can't get him to eat, in the long run it'll be better for him to have a feeding tube. It can be managed at home too
 
Can he take an appetite stimulant? I am unfamiliar with the condition he has so don't know what's okay for him, in terms of meds. My cat is on Cyproheptadine, which is a good, safe appy stimulant. Check with your vet and see if this is an option for Baron.
 
Can you get flortiflira from a pet store or just the vet? Another weird thing... The ONLY thing he will eat is Whiskas Temptations beef flavored treats. It says on the bag they are safe to use as a substitute to kibble... But it just doesn't seem like a viable solution. Just very odd he will eat those at will but refuse everything else.
 
Squalliesmom said:
Can he take an appetite stimulant? I am unfamiliar with the condition he has so don't know what's okay for him, in terms of meds. My cat is on Cyproheptadine, which is a good, safe appy stimulant. Check with your vet and see if this is an option for Baron.
Click to expand...
Yes, he is actually perfectly healthy besides the destruction to the red blood cells this parasite has caused. You can read more about it here: http://pets.thenest.com/hemobartonella-cats-8778.html By perfectly healthy I mean he is cancer and leukemia free, his liver and kidneys and pancreas are all normal, as well as his pancreas.
 
ThomasCat said:
Can you get flortiflira from a pet store or just the vet?
Click to expand...

No, I've never seen it at places like Petco, PetsMart or the specialty petfood place I buy China's food at. I'm pretty sure it's Amazon or the vets office

They say the treats are nutritionally complete, but I wouldn't depend on nothing but treats as a primary food
 
My cat Callie went through the same thing a couple years ago. You may need to syringe feed for several days until your cat starts to feel better. I fed her Hills prescription A/D. It is high in calories and easy to thin with water to use with a syringe. Also get an appetite stimulant from your vet. It probably will take at least a week or more before your cat may start eating on his own. It is important that your cat eats even if you have to syringe feed.

If you do not have any A/D, you can also use any pate cat food. I use a small food processor to grind it up with water to make it soupy.
 
Last edited:
I buy Fortiflora online. You can get it at Amazon and some of the pet sites that carry meds. You can also find it on eBay! Most of the pet store chains do not carry it. Some vets do, but that can be hit or miss.
 
He still won't eat. Nothing besides a few handfuls of the Whiskas Temptations... And he drinks a lot of water. Tried the force feed tonight with the syringe and it didn't go so well. He actually tried to spit the pate out after I put it in his mouth.
 
Maybe something smelly like a fish flavor cat food warmed? My cat liked the wellness turkey and salmon (pretty high calorie) and weruva tutu tango (not very high calorie). Fish isn't good for the long haul but he has to eat. You could also try all meat baby food. The baby food isn't nutritionally complete for a cat, but for a couple days it might help fill the gap. Kitten food is usually high calorie.
 
How long is it since Baron had a poo?

Is he showing any signs of nausea (per the list above - making yawning faces or licking lips a lot, for example)?

Can he smell other things OK?

Did the vet examine his mouth?


Mogs
.
 
If he just started the steroids, they should help perk up his appetite in a day or two, too.

Just a warning, the prednisolone can cause transient diabetes, so you'll want to keep an eye on his blood sugar. Typically, as long as they're eating a low carb diet, they'll go into remission once they're off the steroid, but may need a little help with insulin.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top