If you’re thinking the title of this week’s blog has to do with drugs, you’re not entirely wrong. It has to do with food and drugs and doctor visits and Hail Mary attempts at getting certain cats to eat enough.
And you’re not eating enough, either.
I know, Lily, but at least I’m trying, to the tune of three regular meals and several snacks a day. Adjusting to a lower carb diet works well for people who need to lose weight, but if you’re a person who needs to gain weight- –
Does Hoosegow need to gain weight? I thought the vet said he should lose a couple of pounds.
That was the case a few months ago, 9, but right now our poor kitty appears to be experiencing stress-induced pancreatitis again.
In need of fixes: Hoosegow in better times, between pancreatitis episodes. . .
Like he did in January?
Exactly like that.
Since then, we’ve been vigilant about keeping “Bob,” a neighborhood bob-tailed Manx, out of the house, but I think he must be coming into the back yard again, leaving his scent and marking things. I haven’t seen it, but Hoosegow is definitely acting like it’s happening- -afraid to go outside, sniffing everything when he does, and worst of all, barely eating.
Cats who stop eating can go downhill very quickly. If their fast goes longer than 24 hours it’s urgent to get veterinary attention before they progress to fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). This can turn fatal in only a few days.
Oh no! What did you do?
I ran him down to the urgent care vet just across the border in Oregon. The vet took a radiograph (no tumors or other issues) and ran a blood panel. The only item that was outside of the normal range was pancreas, just like it had been in January. Hoosegow wasn’t even dehydrated. The vet gave him an injection for nausea, which was supposed to help get him eating again, but a few kibbles and no wet food for 24 hours didn’t cut it.
There has to be a solution.
Toward the end of the next day, with a cat mom’s panic in my heart, I did a little online research which reminded me of a type of cat food that is made for this type of situation. It’s very fragrant- –
I’d call it smelly.
Possible fixes: Science Diet a/d. . .
Kitties can find the aroma quite enticing. I called our regular vet about that, and to determine if this would be a problem given Hoosegow’s years-long diet of food specially formulated for urinary tract issues.
How very scatological.
All I can say, Lily, is as all of us creatures age we need to commit to the best nutritional options for our various maladies. Anyway, a lovely woman named Crystal had three cans of the magical stuff waiting for me when I arrived at Mill Creek Veterinary minutes before closing. I was skeptical when I opened a can and dished some up for Hoosegow, but he dove right in.
Did he eat the whole can?
Not yet. Considering how empty his system is right now I think it’s better to serve him a little at a time. Once his appetite is restored, my hope is he’ll get back to his regular food, because of his special dietary needs but also because the magical stuff costs nearly five dollars a can.
That’s ten weeks of allowance!
Fortunately for Hoosegow and me both, I’ve received a raise since 1969.
At this point our fingers and toes are crossed for continued improvement. I hope he’ll eat voluntarily so I don’t have to resort to watering the stuff down and feeding it to him with a syringe.
Like a shot?
Like force feeding.
Ew!
Fixes: As cat moms the world over say “Don’t make me use the syringe!”
Food, drugs, doctor visits and Hail Mary attempts. If you live long enough, you’re sure to witness and experience a lot of these. But hang in there! Because much of the time, there is a fix.
