Very worried, I feel like I’ve failed my cat

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

Quick question, would it make sense to give Tomo electrolyte water instead of filtered water to help him out?

I've never heard of doing that, so I can't really help one way or another with your question. The ringers solution you are using for the sub-cutaneous fluids has electrolytes, so that's something. If it were me I don't know that I'd go beyond that without a vet's input, but maybe someone else here has had some experience with this.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

If you haven't done it already, please apply to DCIN's Compassionate Assistance Program.

We help low income caregivers with the cost of treatment so they don't have to consider euthanasia.

Hope your "extra sweet" kitty continues to feel better!

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would just use ordinary water. He is getting fluids from the vet and you don’t want to upset the balance.
You could ask the vet about it but I think a lot of those drinks have sugar in them. Or artificial sugar.
So glad he is eating some food on his own. Progress!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I absolutely agree with Bron. You do not want to throw off Tomo's electrolyte balance. It's one thing for a human, who's much bigger, to have an electrolyte supplement, especially if you're sweating, etc. I would be very hesitant to give a supplement to a cat. While electrolytes like sodium or potassium may seem trivial, they are not. Also, as Bron noted, if there is artificial sweetener in the drink, it could be toxic to cats.

 

[Dakotayocom]

I absolutely agree with Bron. You do not want to throw off Tomo's electrolyte balance. It's one thing for a human, who's much bigger, to have an electrolyte supplement, especially if you're sweating, etc. I would be very hesitant to give a supplement to a cat. While electrolytes like sodium or potassium may seem trivial, they are not. Also, as Bron noted, if there is artificial sweetener in the drink, it could be toxic to cats.

So I actually just mean a regular old bottled water that has added electrolytes. Something like smart water, or life water has electrolytes in it rather than water from tap.

 

[Dakotayocom]

Well, Tomo is turning his nose up at food again this morning. Seemed like he was doing better yesterday and maybe worse today.

 

[Deb & Wink]

You have already said your budget is very tight so fresh bottled water every day could get very expensive. Old water you have out for your cat needs to be dumped every day and the water dish should be cleaned, to cut down on bacteria contamination.

Plain water from the tap is fine and won't cost you more money. Some of those bottled waters have sugar added to them, like Vitamin Water. Why take the risk, when your cat already is having problems? I also say NO on the bottled waters with electrolytes. Call your vet if you want and ask.

For the appetite, go to your local petstore (Petsmart, Petco for example) and get some Fortiflora. Sprinkle a tiny bit (not the full recommended dose) on top of the food. Many cats like the taste and will eat more food with just a little of that Fortiflora probiotic on top of the food.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Just use plain water. Don’t use any bottles of water with additives, be they electrolytes or sweeteners. Just plain tap water is what is needed.

 

[Teresa & KitKat]

I hope you do what Chris said about applying to DCIN and then you can get additional help for your kitty from the vet. This would be a big help for your cat to stop needless suffering. Please send a message to Chris via a Conversation(PM) at the top of the page, they would help you with insulin and testing supplies. HURRY, you don't have time to waste.

 

[Chloe007]

It’s Prozinc insulin. They didn’t give him any anti nausea, although I’m sure it would be helpful. I just syringe fed him a little food and I’m seeing if he’ll keep it down before giving more.

I'm not sure how this would work, or if it would be advisable, so maybe someone can help me out here. But I have a 2 month old bottle of ProZinc with a little less than half the bottle missing. I became paranoid a few weeks ago that the insulin wasn't working anymore because of my cats numbers, so I bought another vial. Turns out the insulin is fine still (confirmed by my vet as well when I brought it in for her to look at) and my kitty just doesn't want to regulate lol.

With all that being said, I have a 2 month old, half filled vial of ProZinc I could send you if money is tight. You would want to use it up quickly, and before your new vial since they only last about 3 months (some say they stretch it longer though). Of even if you just want it for a backup which can be good to have. I just have no idea how I'd go about mailing something so sensitive, but I'm sure someone here could help me figure it out if you're interested.