My future sister-in-law's cat came in the other night in pretty bad shape--blood all over him, and his jaw obviously messed up. The tech at the emergency clinic they took him to said that it looked like he'd been in a fight and then been hit by a car. His jaw is broken, but not shattered.
My future sister-in-law, Laura, took him to the regular vet the next morning, and they got him patched up. He's back home now, but is refusing to eat or drink. Laura has taken him in once because of it, and they rehydrated and fed him via IV, and sent her home with a can of Friskie's brand Mixed Grill, which while not the most nutritious thing in the world is generally the favorite of picky cats that are seen at that office. Laura gave him the cat food, and he licked at it eagerly and then began yowling as though he were in pain. When she puts down more of the stuff he sits there smelling it and drooling, but doesn't make a move to eat it. He's been sniffing at his dry food, but of course his jaw isn't in any shape to handle that yet. Any thoughts on how to cajole him into eating *something*? They got him some of that lactose free milk that is packaged for sale to pet owners, but I haven't heard whether he'd eaten it or not.
I've suggested that they try low sodium cottage cheese (on the assumption that the salt in the mixed grill came into contact with open wounds and burned), but they'd certainly be open to other suggestions.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ah, great ideas!
[ January 13, 2005, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Too much fat can lead to explosive diarrhea, so I'd avoid tuna packed in oil and too much half-and-half. I suspect that once he takes something in without pain, that might be enough to stimulate him to taking more of the cat-balanced stuff.
I'm sorry to hear about his accident. Poor kitty! Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Poor kitty.
I'd be careful about any dairy products, since many cats can get diahrrea from it (and that's probably the last thing he needs at them moment).
My kitties love tuna juice (from tuna packed in water), but it can be too salty.
The baby food idea is an excellent one - it's what I'd try first if it were me.
[ January 13, 2005, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Me too.
My use of dairy and tuna has usually been when I'm desperate to catch a flight from O'Hare, and an otherwise healthy and well-behaved feline has taken off on a wild jaunt outside the apartment.
Little vixens. They can sense when I get antsy, and they run off down the hallway in protest. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I've relayed everything here to Laura, with the babyfood listed as the first thing to try.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Talk about a bad night for the poor guy. I guess that today is the first day he's been his normal self since the accident Sunday night. Up until yesterday he'd just been doing the miserable, sick cat crouch on the doormat, and accepting pets with a certain strained patience. Last night he started jumping up and down from the bed, and today he's being actively affectionate, and asking to go outside. This, of course, isn't about to happen. I'm going to see what Laura thinks of making him an indoor only cat.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
If you do the meat baby food, make sure there are no onions in it. Onions are good for humans' immune systems, but bad for cats'. Our cats like yogurt, and unlike most other dairy products it doesn't give them diarrhea because of the bacteria cultures. They seem to like the plain old unflavored stuff just fine.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
My dad has a cat with pretty bad tooth and jaw problems. Half the time the cat would go up to his plate and start eating only to yowl, hiss and run away as if the food bit him. What we started doing was mixing the wet cat food with water and heating it up a bit until it was somewhat soupy. That way the cat could just slurp it up and we didn't have to worry about his teeth or jaw.
And my dad's cat is a very finicky eater - he only likes walmart's salmon cat food (he'll also accept pizza and fried chicken, but we don't give that to him voluntarily).
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Thanks for the onions heads-up, Stray. Our guys like plain yogurt as well.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, good to know about the onions. Laura got some nearly liquid wet food from the vet, cut it with lactose free milk, and is feeding him a drop at a time with a syringe. She says that she'll try the baby food too.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Ohhh... Poor baby. Well, it's good to hear that your sister is taking care of him. She must really care for him. Poor guy.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
They have to let him back outside! He was left for dead, and has to seek justice Walking Tall style!
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
"We have to get even. It's a moral imperative" <evil cackling>
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
Poor kitty. I'm glad he has someone to look after him.
As a side note - I think I've decided "explosive diarrhea" is the funniest two word combination in the English language.
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