Force feeding my cat - Dante's Last Days. Rest In Peace sweet kitty.

[Overmind One]

Okay, two days ago, I noticed that Dante (my big fat cat) stopped eating. He normally eats so much he hunts down the other cats' food and eats that, and also eats the dry kibble all day. Two days ago, he stopped eating at all, and won't even eat treats (his favorite) normally he comes running for them. When I went to examine him, he was lethargic, and had trouble using his hind legs. He would wobble and have obvious trouble walking. I am not sure, but I think he might or might not be drinking water.



Very worried. He is obviously very sick with either a bowel obstruction or a UTI (urinary tract infection). I can't afford to take him to the vet and get a major diagnosis like feline diabetes or something requiring surgery. Just too much money at this particular time. So, using Google and a dozen or so vet sites and forums, I decided to force feed him:

Food syringe 10ml
2oz canned food (is puree type) mixed with 1oz Pedialyte, and 3ml of pet vitamin liquid.

I am feeding him 10ml (10cc) doses, three at a time for 30ml of food/electrolytes per feeding. *sigh*. He is not in pain, but he may be dying from something like diabetes or kidney failure or other major illness. I have a cat laxative from Nutri-vet that I have been giving him in case he does have a blockage. He has not pooped in three days that I know of.

I hate this. I love this cat so much and I do not want him to die. He is about 12 years old now and overweight (my fault there). I have to prepare for the worse, but I will care for him best I can and hope for the best. From what I have read, a vet charges something like $1800 for treatment and I just can't spend that right now.

I have been giving him extra love and keeping an eye on him closely. Since I work during the day, I worry about him. I am supposed to keep him hydrated, and the food mixture I am feeding him has the Pedialyte in it to replace electrolytes. He seems to be more alert than yesterday, and he can waddle from room to room and he does that (and is not hiding under the bed or in the closet). He does not have a fever.

Had to post this just to get it out of my head.

 

[Joelist]

$1800? My dog had surgery and was nothing like that number - the operation and everything came up to about $400.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Okay, two days ago, I noticed that Dante (my big fat cat) stopped eating. He normally eats so much he hunts down the other cats' food and eats that, and also eats the dry kibble all day. Two days ago, he stopped eating at all, and won't even eat treats (his favorite) normally he comes running for them. When I went to examine him, he was lethargic, and had trouble using his hind legs. He would wobble and have obvious trouble walking. I am not sure, but I think he might or might not be drinking water.

View attachment 33069

Very worried. He is obviously very sick with either a bowel obstruction or a UTI (urinary tract infection). I can't afford to take him to the vet and get a major diagnosis like feline diabetes or something requiring surgery. Just too much money at this particular time. So, using Google and a dozen or so vet sites and forums, I decided to force feed him:

Food syringe 10ml
2oz canned food (is puree type) mixed with 1oz Pedialyte, and 3ml of pet vitamin liquid.

I am feeding him 10ml (10cc) doses, three at a time for 30ml of food/electrolytes per feeding. *sigh*. He is not in pain, but he may be dying from something like diabetes or kidney failure or other major illness. I have a cat laxative from Nutri-vet that I have been giving him in case he does have a blockage. He has not pooped in three days that I know of.

I hate this. I love this cat so much and I do not want him to die. He is about 12 years old now and overweight (my fault there). I have to prepare for the worse, but I will care for him best I can and hope for the best. From what I have read, a vet charges something like $1800 for treatment and I just can't spend that right now.

I have been giving him extra love and keeping an eye on him closely. Since I work during the day, I worry about him. I am supposed to keep him hydrated, and the food mixture I am feeding him has the Pedialyte in it to replace electrolytes. He seems to be more alert than yesterday, and he can waddle from room to room and he does that (and is not hiding under the bed or in the closet). He does not have a fever.

Had to post this just to get it out of my head.

Take him to the vet. Not eating often indicates a serious problem. My cat had stopped eating on more than one occasion. The first time it was pancreatitis and the last time it was a cancerous tumor in his mouth. At least he made it to 22 years healthy as a kitten right up to his last days.

My cat had a UTI but it didn't cost $1800 to fix it. His pancreatitis cost me quite a bit, around $2500 for the operation. His vet kept him healthy and active in spite of the heart murmur he was diagnosed with at the age of 3. They had given him not more than a few years but he surprised everyone. The doc was so in love with him (all white short hair with blue eyes) he asked to put his picture up at the clinic and called him the miracle cat.

 

[Bluce Ree]

If he has UTI, you'll notice wet spots where he lies, which is his urine leaking. If it's a bowel obstruction, he will either not go to the litter box at all or you'll see him just digging around in the litter box for a while then leave. Either one of these can be fatal if left untreated.

 

[Overmind One]

If he has UTI, you'll notice wet spots where he lies, which is his urine leaking. If it's a bowel obstruction, he will either not go to the litter box at all or you'll see him just digging around in the litter box for a while then leave. Either one of these can be fatal if left untreated.

It's a UTI then. He is not eating at all, not even his favorite treats. I have an appointment to take him to the vet Friday. He does take sips of water, and like I said I am force feeding him and keeping him hydrated. I cant take him in before Friday at 6pm

 

[Bluce Ree]

It's a UTI then. He is not eating at all, not even his favorite treats. I have an appointment to take him to the vet Friday. He does take sips of water, and like I said I am force feeding him and keeping him hydrated. I cant take him in before Friday at 6pm

Try not to delay. This can lead to kidney failure.

 

[Overmind One]

Try not to delay. This can lead to kidney failure.

I have amoxicillin and steroid pills and liquid vitamins for the cats. I have been giving him amoxicillin (antibiotic), and his eyes are open and he breathes normally. With this UIT can he last till Friday early evening? Around 6pm is his appt. This is only Wednesday, and he is not eating. If I was not force feeding him he would starve and dehydrate.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I have amoxicillin and steroid pills and liquid vitamins for the cats. I have been giving him amoxicillin (antibiotic), and his eyes are open and he breathes normally. With this UIT can he last till Friday early evening? Around 6pm is his appt. This is only Wednesday, and he is not eating. If I was not force feeding him he would starve and dehydrate.

Consider his bladder and kidneys but you should ask the vet, let them know he's not peeing, just dribbling pee.

 

[Overmind One]

Consider his bladder and kidneys but you should ask the vet, let them know he's not peeing, just dribbling pee.

I have carried him to the living room and he is next to me. His eyes are bright, he is alert as he can be in his weakened state (eyes open, responding to surroundings and me). He does not feel hot, and his skin returns to normal when pinched. But he is EXTREMELY weak. He feels like a ragdoll when I pick him up. I have monitored his breathing and heartbeat, both normal. He smells normal too. Coat not excessively shedding So, as I am reading on the internet, the thing is to keep him hydrated until I can get him to the vet Friday at 6:00pm. The water will help him to produce more PH balanced urineI am tempted to purchase a UTI medicine at Petsmart and attempt treatment myself. Also, I have antibiotic, but from what I understand, the acronym UTI stands for Urinary Tract Inflammation, not infection. His real legs still wobbly and weak.

Im gonna take him to the vet...not try this at home. Not this time. But I do not think it is poop blockage anymore, even though he has not pooped. He has not eaten, so no poop. Not normal, but I just want him to LIVE until he can see the vet!

 

[Overmind One]

I just checked the 4 litterboxes, and it looks to me like he passed his poop. I have him laxatives last night, and when I came home he was chilling on the bathroom floor (there is a litterbox in there). There is one very hard mass, and then normal looking poop after that in the litterbox. There is poop in all three litterboxes, as well as urine clumps. However, since I did not see this, it could have been one of the other cats. His belly is noticeably less solid than last night less than 12 hours ago. I am hoping his poop in in there. He is laying down across my couch and I am next to him. he does not appear to be in any pain, just marked weakness.

I force feed three 10ml doses of wet cat food for 30ml meals. I will do this at 8pm then again at 11pm. I am randomly feeding him doses of water mixed with pedialyte, to keep him hydrated. Normally, he gets 2.3oz of wet food per day, plus the free feeding kibble (high quality Blue Buffalo grain free). Online says kibble is bad for UTI because it requires the cat to make more saliva to moisten it. Also, free feeding is discouraged. I want to avoid this with my other two cats.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I have carried him to the living room and he is next to me. His eyes are bright, he is alert as he can be in his weakened state (eyes open, responding to surroundings and me). He does not feel hot, and his skin returns to normal when pinched. But he is EXTREMELY weak. He feels like a ragdoll when I pick him up. I have monitored his breathing and heartbeat, both normal. He smells normal too. Coat not excessively shedding So, as I am reading on the internet, the thing is to keep him hydrated until I can get him to the vet Friday at 6:00pm. The water will help him to produce more PH balanced urineI am tempted to purchase a UTI medicine at Petsmart and attempt treatment myself. Also, I have antibiotic, but from what I understand, the acronym UTI stands for Urinary Tract Inflammation, not infection. His real legs still wobbly and weak.

Im gonna take him to the vet...not try this at home. Not this time. But I do not think it is poop blockage anymore, even though he has not pooped. He has not eaten, so no poop. Not normal, but I just want him to LIVE until he can see the vet!

They may use a catheter on him if he has blockage. When my cat had blockage, he ignored me for 2 days after bringing him to the vet, sometimes looking at me from across the room peeking around the corner, as if he were saying, "How could you." and "I'll get you for this"

 

[Bluce Ree]

I just checked the 4 litterboxes, and it looks to me like he passed his poop. I have him laxatives last night, and when I came home he was chilling on the bathroom floor (there is a litterbox in there). There is one very hard mass, and then normal looking poop after that. There is poop in all three litterboxes, as well as urine clumps. However, since I did not see this, it could have been one of the other cats. His belly is noticeably less solid than last night less than 12 hours ago. I am hoping his poop in in there. He is laying down across my couch and I am next to him. he does not appear to be in any pain, just marked weakness.

Check if the spot he was lying on is wet when he gets up. If there's no dribble, chances are he's not blocked.

 

[Overmind One]

Check if the spot he was lying on is wet when he gets up. If there's no dribble, chances are he's not blocked.

No dribble. I checked all his chill spots, and no wet areas. I just shook the treat box, and of course the other two cats came running but even when holding a few treats underneath his nose and he wont eat. And occasionally he makes a weird meow. Sounds like he is in pain or feeling discomfort.

 

[shavedape]

Did you talk to the vet office and explain the symptoms? Did they give you any advice for what to do until you can get in for the appointment?

 

[Overmind One]

Did you talk to the vet office and explain the symptoms? Did they give you any advice for what to do until you can get in for the appointment?

I told them what I wanted, and that money was an issue. I requested a cat enema and told them I had antibiotics and metacam (I know, only tiny amounts). Now, I think it is much more than that. Probably a UTI. He will not eat on his own and he can hardly walk. just a few feet and then he flops down and rests. But his head is up and his eyes are open and pupils look normal. He is very very weak. He does not run from Fisher.

The walking part terrifies me. It's like he is drunk walking. But it is still better than the first night I noticed this where he was barely conscious. I force fed him water and food and he seemed to have improved. Since I came home, I have been forcing water and I am giving him his dinner doses of food a few CCs at a time. He waddled over to the water fountain, put his head near the bowl, and at one point dipped his entire chin in the water and only took a couple of sips.

 

[Bluce Ree]

No dribble. I checked all his chill spots, and no wet areas. I just shook the treat box, and of course the other two cats came running but even when holding a few treats underneath his nose and he wont eat. And occasionally he makes a weird meow. Sounds like he is in pain or feeling discomfort.

Cats don't show pain so it's the very subtle signs you have to look for, like possibly the meow you noticed. He should be ok till Friday.

 

[shavedape]

Does he pee normally?

 

[Overmind One]

Does he pee normally?

I don't really know. He generally always stays in my bedroom and there is a litterbox close by, and he always uses those. There are urine spots in there and I clean them every day. But no poop. Before Ieft for work, he had gone into the bathroom where Fisher's food and water and another litterbox is. I saw poop in there that is likely his but I am not sure. He has not peed or drank or eaten since I came home at 6pm. I have force fed him about 40ccs of water+Pedialyte, and about 5ccs of food puree with the syringe. Before the night is over, he will have 30ccs-40ccs of food in him and at least 60ccs of water. Then, I will carry him to his favorite spot in my bedroom and let him sleep. If he needs to pee, he will get up and go to the box himself. I saw him go in the litterbox last night, but he just went in and sat for a few seconds, then came out. I did not see a pee spot, and he is too weak to scratch the litter. I am not sure what is going on when I am not home.

I do have webcams I can set up, and I also have a vpn to my home. I also have Vsee which I can use to monitor the cams from my phone or computer. I could also record him. I'll tell you, with him this unresponsive to food, it seems like he is on his last legs. He cannot walk the full distance from by bedroom to the livingroom without flopping down halfway. He lays there with eyes open and head raised (not like passing out). Normally, when Fisher comes near, he moves away. But Fisher can come right up to him and sniff him and he does nothing.

It could be feline diabetes...I am not sure what it is. But for the past three days, when I leave work I feel anxiety that I will come home and find him dead. He has tonight, all of tomorrow and all of Friday till 6pm until he sees the vet.

 

[Overmind One]

I have been stressing on this too long. I have to decide how to proceed here. With Siete and his bleeding from the mouth, that actually improved his health tremendously, since the blood was from a burst abscess he had had for at least two years! The solid matter that was mixed in with the blood was the core of the abscess (old pus and material). When I was living with Sherry and he was not mine yet, he would drool all the time, especially when padding on my pillow. But I noticed he was always kinda of a drooler. All that time what seemed like a cute distinguishing behavior in Siete was actually a continuously infected mouth abscess. Now that it's gone, he is active and and playful and never drools. He does not get those bothersome sores under his chin, and he is even more affectionate than when I first got him.

Then most recently was his injury where he could not move his tail and was in physical pain. Unlike with Dante, I saw immediate improvement progress over about three weeks, until he had fully recovered. Dante seems to be only hanging on because I am force feeding him food and water

But back to the matter at hand. Dante was always a shy and somewhat skittish cat. But his normal behavior was to come to me on the couch and lay next to me while I watched TV. Then he would sleep there and when he woke he would come into the bedroom and snuggle under my arm like a baby. He has been doing this since I had him. Now, he is listless and can hardly move and will not eat or drink...at least when I am home and can observe him, like tonight.

I take him Friday at 6pm to get a scheduled cat enema which now I don't think I need. Whatever is wrong is systemic, and it is rapidly progressing. I am thinking diabetes, because all of the symptoms are there. Obesity, age, behavior, and now these more acute symptoms like the hindquarters weakness and wobbly legs. He seems miserable. A diagnosis od feline diabetes means insulin injections and significant extra expense, and even with treatment, what is the quality of life he will have? I am asking whomever is brave enough to answer this:

Should I put him down?

I am going to have to consider everything here. I love Dante, and rather than to see him suffer a sad and miserable existence (and die anyway). The vet is going to do tests and I will pay for them even though right now things are tight. However a diagnosis of a serious disease requiring surgery or intense maintenance and multiple daily treatments at home for an extended period is not fair to Dante, or to me or to the other two cats.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I have been stressing on this too long. I have to decide how to proceed here. With Siete and his bleeding from the mouth, that actually improved his health tremendously, since the blood was from a burst abscess he had had for at least two years! The solid matter that was mixed in with the blood was the core of the abscess (old pus and material). When I was living with Sherry and he was not mine yet, he would drool all the time, especially when padding on my pillow. But I noticed he was always kinda of a drooler. All that time what seemed like a cute distinguishing behavior in Siete was actually a continuously infected mouth abscess. Now that it's gone, he is active and and playful and never drools. He does not get those bothersome sores under his chin, and he is even more affectionate than when I first got him.

Then most recently was his injury where he could not move his tail and was in physical pain. Unlike with Dante, I saw immediate improvement progress over about three weeks, until he had fully recovered. Dante seems to be only hanging on because I am force feeding him food and water

But back to the matter at hand. Dante was always a shy and somewhat skittish cat. But his normal behavior was to come to me on the couch and lay next to me while I watched TV. Then he would sleep there and when he woke he would come into the bedroom and snuggle under my arm like a baby. He has been doing this since I had him. Now, he is listless and can hardly move and will not eat or drink...at least when I am home and can observe him, like tonight.

I take him Friday at 6pm to get a scheduled cat enema which now I don't think I need. Whatever is wrong is systemic, and it is rapidly progressing. I am thinking diabetes, because all of the symptoms are there. Obesity, age, behavior, and now these more acute symptoms like the hindquarters weakness and wobbly legs. He seems miserable. A diagnosis od feline diabetes means insulin injections and significant extra expense, and even with treatment, what is the quality of life he will have? I am asking whomever is brave enough to answer this:

Should I put him down?

I am going to have to consider everything here. I love Dante, and rather than to see him suffer a sad and miserable existence (and die anyway). The vet is going to do tests and I will pay for them even though right now things are tight. However a diagnosis of a serious disease requiring surgery or intense maintenance and multiple daily treatments at home for an extended period is not fair to Dante, or to me or to the other two cats.

That's a personal choice. My cat had surgery for his pancreatitis and was put on two daily meds for the rest of his life due to his cardiomyopathy that he had to take every morning. His quality of life didn't suffer one bit. He was happy and active as a kitten, full of life and playful, and lived 22 years. He was still going strong until a cancerous tumor got him. The only reason why we didn't detect it in time is because, when it hit him, it was fast and hard. In a span of 2-3 days he went from feisty and energetic to barely moving.

Taking pills and even possibly being poked with a needle every morning doesn't burden the cat. It will fully depend on you, if YOU can handle the burden. At some point it becomes routine and you won't even give it a second thought.

However, you're jumping the gun. Don't worry until you have to worry because, in the mean time, there is absolutely nothing known and nothing you can do until you get to the vet.