OK, here’s the story. Koshka is a female cat, about 9-10 years of age. I had to take her to the vet *again* today because she has a sore in her mouth… the sore hurts her enough that she not only has trouble eating, she *refuses* to eat. The sore seems to be caused by some proteins or other in her bloodstream… which are a result of her “kidney insufficiency” (the step before “kidney failure”). In order to clear up the sore and allow her to eat and put on some weight, the kidney insufficiency needs to be cleaned up; and the best approach to that is to get her to eat a special low-protein cat food. But… the sore prevents her from eating much of *anything,* and thus she’s stuck in a vicious cycle of FAIL.
The vets are at a bit of a loss. She got a steroid shot today; a previous steroid shot *seemed* to bump up her appetite.
<> So, anybody got a clue for me here? I need to fix at least one of two problems:
1) Clear up that sore so’s she can eat
2) Jack up her appetite enough that she’ll eat regardless of the pain
Preferably, clear up the sore *AND* somehow give her the munchies. It’s getting about to the point where I’m entertaining the notion of building a bong large enough to put a cat in, and get her trashed on pot… if I understand the effects adequately, it’d both reduce pain and increase appetite. But being a teetotaler in rural Utah, I’ve not the slightest damned clue how to go about buying about a bale of pot. I don’t think they sell it at Wal Mart or the ranch supply stores. And I understand that there are some minor legal issues.
So I’m kinda back to THIS…
9 Responses to “Looking for cat health advice”
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Poor kitteh.
Will she take liquids?
Can you feed her with a bottle?
Maybe ask the Vet if there is something like “Ensure” that will get some calories into her without loading her with protein?
I am sorry, my friend.
🙁
Ah!
Damn!
Ask the Vet about something like OraJel, or Ambusol.
(You put it on a baby’s gums when they are teething. Kills the pain and numbs the area) Find out whether or not that might help, and whether the kitty can tolerate that.
Trying to help.
🙁
> Will she take liquids?
Drinking *milk* causes her pain.
> Can you feed her with a bottle?
Never tried. However, one thing I am going to take a stab at is force-feeding her. She doesn’t like the special kidney food… but I’m at the point where I’m going to mash it up, add water till it’s a soggy mess, stuff it into a syringe and jam it into the back of her mouth. This was a vets recommendation. Whatever it friggen takes, I guess.
> Ask the Vet about something like OraJel, or Ambusol.
Hmm. I’d thought about something like chloraseptic, but that hurts like hell when first applied. But maybe this other stuff doesn’t. But if it works, even if for only 15 minutes, that might be enough to let her eat.
Good Luck, and listen to the Vets.
I’ll sleep on it, and ask Marduk in the morning. He knows some stuff, but he’s asleep now.
If I need to, I still have a few 4-H contacts.
Turkey-baster for force-feeding.
🙁
Ask about a feeding tube. This tube is inserted through the stomach wall. To feed you merely pour liquid food down the tube. This goes directly to the tummy allowing feeding. You have to keep it clean but it will work as a temporary method of feeding her while her mouth heals.
http://www.catinfo.org/feedingtubes.htm
I was going to suggest Orajel too. It didn’t burn, but I was using it for root-canal pain after Dr. Mengele refused me pain meds when I used up his “sample pak”.
I imagine this will be rough, considering the texture of a kitty-cats tongue (no pun itended).
I have a friend who’s done a lot of animal rehab:
“Tell him to ask the vet about a paste called Nutri cal. Its given to puppies kittens and other animals who are weak and need extra calories and it helps to stimulate appetite . You can get the stuff at Petsmart and Petco. It can be mixed with warm water to thin it down too.
I’d be worried about giving her pain killers like aspirin because it may affect the kidneys. I’ll look into it a little more and see if using canker sore meds are ok.
Wendy”
> “Tell him to ask the vet about a paste called Nutri cal.
Will do. Thanks.