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Jambo - I want to apologize for hijacking your thread. I hate to start new ones on the same subject and I thought the moderators frowned on people doing so.
I received Timmy's results yesterday. They are not good. He has mid stage kidney disease which the doctor feels can be kept under control and his liver enzymes were elevated. She said that could be due to him not eating. She advised I take him back yesterday for more subcutaneous fluids, a pill for the nausea (she's assuming he's not eating because he's nauseous) and they gave him a shot for pain. I told her he didn't seem to be in any pain but I guess it was a way to add another $60 to the bill.
She also wanted to do another test for pancreatitis but I declined that for now. He is still not eating and doesn't seem any better, in fact, he seems a little worse. I don't know if it is from the pain shot but now he keeps making this funny sound like he's trying to blow a raspberry.
My sister suggested giving him a hard boiled egg which I did but he didn't eat that either. When I called the shelter to cancel his dental the woman there seemed mostly interested that I get his dental done. Told me to fax the paperwork to them if I did it at my vet's instead of them like that was the most important thing in the world to them. I am so mad at them. How do you adopt out a 14 year old cat without doing blood work first? They have put both Timmy and myself through unnecessary anguish.
The other woman from there that I have been talking to throughout this whole thing actually asked me if I wanted to return him? What the hell lady, he's not a blouse I changed my mind about. Why would I do that to him after everything he has gone through?
After we got home from the vet yesterday at 4 p.m. he went back into the closet and I didn't see him again until a little while ago (6:30 a.m.). When I woke up this morning I thought for sure I would find him dead in there. The vet said if he didn't start eating euthanasia might be the only option.
The irony of this whole thing doesn't escape me. It will be three weeks tomorrow that I had to put my 16 year old Chihuahua down. At that time I swore I would never put myself through the heartache of having another pet but I missed having another living soul to come home to so I decided to rescue an older cat. Meanwhile he may die soon AND I'm out almost $600 which is almost funny considering the shelter gave him to me for free because of his age.
He's such a great cat, very affectionate. Even right now he is sitting in the chair next to me trying to put his paw very gently on my face. I really hope he pulls through so we can have some more time together. Wish I could figure out how to post a picture. He's a rather large orange and white cat with perfect symmetrical markings on his face.
chiluvr1228, so sorry about your experiences. Timmy really loves you. I hope he gets better but if he doesn't at least he has spent his days with you being loved so well. If he likes the closet, let him take the lead and be comfortable in there and maybe bring a pillow in there for you too.
How sweet that he touches your face.
As for food, have you tried putting food in a blender so it's liquid? And the cans of Fancy Feast grilled food usually has liquid that a cat can lick up while leaving the food pieces.
He's beautiful chiluvr1228. I echo Cully, that whatever the outcome may be, Timmy is with someone who really cares.
At this point it is all about getting calories into him. Choosing from the "perfect" sources may not be a priority. I've used kitten replacement milk, cat milk (Whiskas brand), and Gerber baby food (meat only - turkey, chicken, ham, beef). Clam juice and tuna juice were also go-to's. I also turned FF classics into slurry for slurping.
Although the vet gave me meds to promote appetite and relieve nausea, I didn't give them to my cat. It didn't feel right to chemically induce/reduce secondary symptoms that were not the primary cause for the problem.
OP, giving regular sub-Q fluids is highly recommended for a kitty with kidney disease. You can do this at home inexpensively. Ask your vet how much a bag of fluids and needles would be--if too expensive, check online like at Dr. Foster & Smith. You may need a prescription but they can contact your vet for you.
There are videos tutorials if you've never done it before. It's not hard and will improve his quality of life.
Chicken or turkey baby food is my go-to for cats who won't eat. Like mawipafl said above, anything he will eat is ok for now.
He sure is an adorable guy, and I hope he pulls through. Kidney disease isn't a great diagnosis but it's not a death sentence either. It can be managed, for years even.
Yes, we did regular sub q and now that you have the diagnosis this is good.
At one point our cat wasn't eating. We thought it was the end. Our vet had the idea to try something that I can't recall the name of. Came in a tube. I think brownish...not laxaire...but a vitamin. I put just a little bit on my finger tip and let her lick it and she liked it. She started eating again and went on for several months. I will say some in the crf (chronic renal failure/kidney disease) world are very against this thing even one little bit while others are okay with trying a little of whatever it takes and it worked for me and my little girl.
I was on a very helpful CRF online board at that time. I'll see if I can locate it.
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