Hi all, I'm asking the fount of knowlege that is DS for some help!

My mums old cat is 13 (so not OLD) and has a de-elasticated colon Basically she can't poo and gets bunged up and has to go for an enema.

The usual signs are poo 'spots' around the house (nice) and her stopping eating. This time it was less than a month between enemas (usually 6-8 months) and she stopped eating for a week (only drinking cat milk). Usually when she's been cleared out she eats ravenously, but this time its been 3 days since and she's just not interested. I got her to eat some cheese out of my hand, and she'll drink the milk but just won't even try anything. She is skin and bone, the sort of cat you'd look at and think was neglected (she was small to start off with!)

We've spoken to the vet who said they have some food to syringe into her, which is being picked up today, but I don't feel right about forcing her to eat, ok if its just for a few days, but what if she is just giving up? So I really want to try and get her to eat something today, before we have to try with the syringe. Any idea on what she might be tempted with (I'll try anything!)

She doesn't eat cat food (long story!) only chicken, white fish, salmon, tuna and occasionally ham.

We have tried all of the above in various combinations too.

Plus: cheese (and on top of the food too), various sliced meats, fresh hot chicken from tesco, lamb, sausages and even chicken gravy.

I should add she has barely any teeth! so we have tried mushing it up. Still nothing.

I don't want to lose her but its looking like its heading that way She's just spending her days curled up under a blanket, not really moving. I think the last enema was just too much.

Warm whatever you give her to release the smell better. Try fresh prawns.

Cats cannot go longer than a day without some form of nutrition. They start to damage their liver and it becomes a downward spiral. You need to keep her hydrated too.

I hope you can get her to eat something but sadly it sounds like you will need to make a painful decision in the not too distant future.

Best of luck with your old girl.

yes, we've been warming stuff up to make it smell nice! prawns are a good idea, I have some in the freezer so will try them.

The vet said the milk will be keeping her going, but its essentially empty calories and not good enough nutritionally, obviously. I do fear the worst, but she's such a happy, friendly little thing I don't want to give up with out a fight, even now she's sitting on the sofa purring (under her blanket!) and will still make an effort to talk to you.

I have seen a few of your other posts so I am sure you will do whatever you can for her in her best interests. She might take Nurish Um from your finger and it might stimulate her appetite a bit as well as providing some nutrients.

I hope you have success in seeing her get better again. It's very stressful when pets get sick.

aww thanks. I'd forgotten about nourish-um will go out and get some.

I just feel awful for her, she was hit by a car at 6 months old, had a pin in her pelvis, that then shifted as she got old and apparently hurt her when she went to the loo, so she stored it up, and caused all these issues. We had 5 different vets look at her before we could work out what was wrong

I don't think we can put her through another enema, so hoping that the medicine the vets given us might keep her going a bit longer (pain free) but it does look like we will be losing her soon

So sorry for your situation. I just wanted to say that, in my opinion, I left both my cats too long before making that difficult decision and both of them purred right until the end. Indeed it was one of the things which made me defer the decision.

I hope you find a solution, poor little sausage!

At least she knows you are doing the best for her.

we did discuss euthanasia with the vet, but she said to try the food first, its not 'too late' as yet, but its not great either.

Maybe poach her a little white fish since she likes it. You just have to try anything and everything. I have to say I wouldn't be giving a constipated cat cheese though. Probably because that is the effect fatty foods have on me.

no she's not consitpated any more, they cleared her out completely! and its not a usual treat, just a case of trying to get anything into her!

Anything in to her is definitely the way to go. They are such a bloody worry. I hope for better news from you later.

I also had problems getting my cat to eat - she had kidney problems amongst other issues and as such was supposed to be on a special diet, but it got to the point where she didn't want to eat that so it was a case of whatever I can get her to take would satisfy me as she was wasting away and so little and skinny. No idea if it will work for your cat but Dolly's fav's which she would eat included - pan fried chicken (both breast and thigh but thigh seemed to go down slightly better), cream cheese, the meat from inside a sausage from the chippy, (i thought fatty foods would be good as she was "wasting away") Quorn chicken style slices ! (not the chunks or any other flavour), creamy yoghurts . Every 3 or so days I would whizz up cat milk and tuna and syringe feed her - just 20mls so she had something of nutritional value in her.

Its a horrible time for you, sending lots of love to your kitty and as long as she is not in pain and getting some enjoyment out of life keep doing what you are doing. You will know when she is ready to give up. Best of luck to you both xx

Royal Canin do a food called Convalesence Support. It mixes into a kind of porridge like consistency and obviously is designed with convalesence in mind. Might be worth a shot. Likely you have to get it from the vet although I did get some online a while ago.

What about something with a nice strong smell, a small tin of pilchards in Tomato Sauce, not many cats can resist those.

thanks guys, got the vet food now its like pink mush that I have to liquify even more and syringe into her. Will start this afternoon if she won't eat anything else.

am also armed with prawns, hot dogs cream chesse and another hot chicken!

thanks for all the suggestions and I'll keep you posted! blooming animals worry you sick! (shes not even my cat and I'm fussing over her!)

How is she?

I've recently been having similar problems with my cat. A few tips which you might find helpful...

Whatever food you're trying to get the cat to eat, blast it in the microwave for 10 seconds. It brings the smell out and makes the cat more likely to eat it.

If you can't get anything else into her, try baby food. Cow and Gate do a range of pureed meats with no additives, put a little warm water through it and see if the cat will take it.

I've had problems at times with both of my cats not eating, one had a chronic infection of his gums which made his mouth sore when eating (eventually solved by having all his teeth taken out - vet's solution), and the other had a broken jaw wired up and had to be fed by hand while he recovered.

Gourmet, those little tins, do a variety called Ocean Fish paté, which usefully seems to be a type available most places, not just the bigger supermarkets, but also in the more local ones like the Coop. I had tried them with all available brands and flavours, and unlike the rest, Ocean Fish Paté (it must be the paté, not the chunky casserole version of ocean fish) has a consistency approaching that of a mousse dessert. Smooth and sticky.

Because it doesn't have to involve jaw movement (which your cat may have put a psychological block on), a cat can 'lizard' it up with their tongue, almost as if drinking milk, the food sticking to their tongue, and it's wet enough to be easy to swallow. I suppose if necessary some of it could be smeared in a cat's mouth too so that they lick it off. Being fishy it will have an appetising odour. Might be worth a try.

http://www.wilko.com/content/ebiz/wi.../0255906_l.jpg

Thank you, yes she's missing her teeth due to gum problems, she has grand total of 4 now!

She won't touch gourmet when she's eating nicely! She wasn't weaned right, we were 'given' a kitten by a girl down the road, as she was getting rid of her as she was peeing everywhere and wouldn't eat. Said she was 10 weeks old, when we got her she was tiny, took her to the vets and they said she was 6 weeks at the most, and as the girl had had her for a few weeks at least she was unlikely to have been weaned fully, or at all so we introduced food slowly and she's only ever eaten fish and chicken, not the flavoured food either, the proper stuff

I will try the baby food suggestion above though, thank you! Sea not happy about being syringe fed and socks all back up but she's a bit Perrkier so some must be going in!

just an update! she's still here she's not eating alot but having handfuls of some things, white fish in particular, we remembered she LOVED tinned macaroni cheese (heinz only) as a youngster, she'd try to steal it out of the kids bowls! So we tried her on that and it started her off, goodness knows what is in there (it looks like plastic) but she purred the whole time.

Thanks for the baby food advice too - it didn't work for her, but my other cat has decided its the best thing ever. He's fallen in love with egg custard and has been banned from it!

After reading Jerrica's last post I really needed to read this. I think I need to avoid this section of the forums. It is too upsetting.

I know its horrid sometimes, but then there are the cats like izzy who return after months, and good news like this^^^

sadly I do think we are in the last few months of her life, but at least she is eating and seems ok for now. She even played with me today, enthusiastically too.

with no onion (think its onion cats are not allowed to have ) just to be sure

I read your post on Jessica's thread.. it's all really heartbreaking, to the point I am welling up... :sleep:
Gladd that izzy came back though.. bless all the little furballs :sleep:

Sorry to drag the thread up, but some sad news willow to better after this, finally go her eating macaroni cheese (the tinned stuff) and that got her going again! She unfortunately got bunged up again on Tuesday, went in and needed another enema, this was the last time, we agreed to clear her out and let her have a happy few months. But she didn't come round very well, she had to stay over night, got her home yesterday and she shot out the box and hid. My mum is away so I went to check on her this am and found her hunched up, shaking. When I tried to touch her her screamed, and I mean screamed, it was awful. She tried to run off and her back legs wouldn't work she was hit by a car as a kitten and her pelvis was smashed, this run was in a similar fashion, her back legs looking like there weren't plugged in. I was in tears on the phone to mum, obviously had to get her ok to do what probably needed to be done.

Took her in and the vet agreed that it doesn't look good. They have given her a strong pain killer and put her on a drip as she's very dehydrated. She has till about three to start perking up, otherwise we hav decided not to continue and to euthanise. So it's last chance saloon even if she makes it through this she will only have months.

So no advice needed, just needed to vent. It's awful, especially having to do it for my mum, who is devastated and feels terrible for not being there.