Cat help needed - not eating post surgery

[Aussie Willy]

So glad Lucy is doing better! The second you said you had a black cat called Lucy I thought of this animated short:
My Cat Lucy

OMG that is so good. Thank you for sharing that.

She is still not eating much but behaving a bit like she is starving (which she probably is). I will contact my vet tomorrow about an appetite stimulant. I did syringe her with more broth and water.

On another tangent I ended up at the hospital in the early hours of this morning with horrible abdominal pain after I move around in bed. They did lots of tests but found nothing. Doctor suggested I could have strained a muscle. Hurts trying to sit up after laying down. So the cat became second priority.

Frankly leading into the new year and already 2023 is pretty crap.

 

[jadingirl]

Sorry to hear about your kitty troubles. I am not a vet but have had alot of cats so lots of vet visits over the years - I wonder what the grand total would be lol! Probably enough to buy a really nice car.

Anyways maybe your cat's stomach is upset by the medications - I know when we humans are sick nothing is worse than eating on an upset stomach but we have the intelligence to realize we have to eat and drink if we are to get better. A cat wouldn't think that way. Just thinking of times with my cats. It can be stressful but I would personally stop trying to do any force feeding and just give her chicken or wet food on a spoon if she'lll take it. I would just keep doing this as often as possible - maybe a few pieces an hour if she is willing.

 

[binbinwinwin]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, syringe feeding can be very stressful for cats. You can try diluting wet food with warm water and then periodically dabbing/rubbing it on her nose and paws. This will trigger a cats cleaning instinct and she can get a little nutrition and hydration and you can get a break.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Thanks again for the wishes. Another update.

She did have a little bit of tinned wet food (tuna) for breakfast this morning (behaving like she was hungry). And a short time ago I just gave her regular tuna with springwater which she spent longer eating it. So that is good. My regular vet is going to give me some more appetite stimulants.

But otherwise she is fine. Her and the other two cats were curled up on the back of the couch all together as normal before.

 

[Aussie Willy]

This should be the final update

Lucy is doing fine. Not eating much but she is at least eating. Probably back to her fussy self. She has lost weight but I will keep an eye on that. She is at least behaving like her normal self and wanting attention and sleeping next to me in bed and doing her bitey thing (nibbling on my hands or trying to bite my phone). Wound is healing nicely. She now needs to grow her fur back (she has three legs with bald patches, a large bald belly and under her chin).

All in all the final bill was around $5K. Very expensive piece of cotton.

 

[ballettmaus]

This should be the final update

Lucy is doing fine. Not eating much but she is at least eating. Probably back to her fussy self. She has lost weight but I will keep an eye on that. She is at least behaving like her normal self and wanting attention and sleeping next to me in bed and doing her bitey thing (nibbling on my hands or trying to bite my phone).

As cats are "self-healers" more often than not they withdraw when they're not feeling well, so this looks like a very good sign to me

Hope she continues to improve and feel better!

 

[Aussie Willy]

Well I thought Lucy's problems would be over, but today I had to put her down.

She never fully regained her appetite and was not eating much. She developed Hepatic Lipidosis which is a liver disease. Took her to the vet last week but she was jaundiced and had lost a lot of weight. The vets inserted a feeding tube which over the weekend to get high protein food into her. I was trying to feed her but she really couldn't handle it and was not being able to get enough into her. She ended up throwing a lot of it back up.

So yesterday I made the decision and took her to the vet this morning. She was not happy, obviously experiencing discomfort, plus emotionally and financially I was not coping myself which doesn't help. At least she slept with me last night and I got to give her lots of pats while she was being put to sleep.

I have had to put down two of my previous cats but they were older and had long term health problems. This one is much harder to deal with.

 

[skateboy]

I'm so sorry. Losing a beloved pet is just so difficult.

 

[ballettmaus]

I'm so sorry.

 

[made_in_canada]

I’m so sorry, @Aussie Willy. It’s never easy

 

[overedge]

Oh @Aussie Willy I'm so sorry. You did the best you could for her - I hope that is some comfort to you.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Thanks for the thoughts.

A friend of mine who knows my cats very well was quite devastated when I messaged her. She came over today and brought me some ice cream.

 

[BittyBug]

I’m sorry for your loss @Aussie Willy.

 

[Firedancer]

I’m so sorry @Aussie Willy

 

[Tesla]

I am so so sorry for your loss. Losing a fur baby is never easy.

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear it.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

So sorry about Lucy. It's so hard to lose a fur baby

 

[Rob]

I am so sorry. You did the right thing, we can't let our fur babies suffer.

 

[Kasey]

So very sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose our furry friends.

 

[chantilly]

So so sorry for your loss Aussie Willy

 

[alexikeguchi]

Well I thought Lucy's problems would be over, but today I had to put her down.

... At least she slept with me last night and I got to give her lots of pats while she was being put to sleep.

I have had to put down two of my previous cats but they were older and had long term health problems. This one is much harder to deal with.

My mother lost a ~14 year old kitty just prior to the pandemic and then his successor from FIP at less than one year of age. It was extremely depressing, but she was able to hold the first cat's paw while he passed, and the second went to sleep in her bed and just didn't wake up. I think it's all we can do to be with our loved ones, whether human or pet, as they transition, and I'm sure Lucy was comforted by your presence in her last moments. Hugs to you.

 

[Lanie]

I'm so sorry @Aussie Willy

 

[MacMadame]

{{ @Aussie Willy }}

It's really hard when our pets stop eating. I know when this happened to me, I was sure that if I could just get my dog to eat that he'd recover and I'd get a few more years with him. My vet told me when we went in to put him to sleep that even if I could get him to eat, he wasn't digesting his food anyway. It didn't make me feel better at the time but over time, it made me more accepting of what happened. I hope this story helps you, too.

 

[Cachoo]

I’m glad Lucy had you. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Winnipeg]

I am so sorry for your loss. I know how upset I have been after losing a beloved pet.

You can try and take solace in knowing you did everything you could for her and that includes all those happy years and times you spent together as friends and family.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Thank you again for all your support.

And please share your stories. It is moments like this that help us get some clarity for our decisions. And I would say that most if not all posters have had to deal with these decisions.

I was on Tiktok yesterday and two other people had posted videos about having to put their cats down in the last couple of days. Very heartbreaking.

The vet asked me all the options such as taking her home, cremation, paw prints. I decided not to for those. What I do have is a ceramic figurine of Lucy. We have a local artist here who makes cat figurines. A while ago I got her to make one of each of my cats. So I have a Lucy in my cat cabinet. Here is a photo of Lucy with her figurine and another with her two sisters.

 

[sk8pics]

I’m so sorry for your loss @Aussie Willy and I’m glad you were with her. I’m sure she took comfort in your presence. I’ve been with all my cats when they died, and they clung to me before I put them on the table in the exam room; of course, they were still lying in my arms even though they were on the table. I cried like a baby every time. I am still not over Leo’s death in December of 2019.

 

[once_upon]

I'm so sorry. A difficult but loving choice.

 

[Vash01]

Well I thought Lucy's problems would be over, but today I had to put her down.

She never fully regained her appetite and was not eating much. She developed Hepatic Lipidosis which is a liver disease. Took her to the vet last week but she was jaundiced and had lost a lot of weight. The vets inserted a feeding tube which over the weekend to get high protein food into her. I was trying to feed her but she really couldn't handle it and was not being able to get enough into her. She ended up throwing a lot of it back up.

So yesterday I made the decision and took her to the vet this morning. She was not happy, obviously experiencing discomfort, plus emotionally and financially I was not coping myself which doesn't help. At least she slept with me last night and I got to give her lots of pats while she was being put to sleep.

I have had to put down two of my previous cats but they were older and had long term health problems. This one is much harder to deal with.

I am so sorry. I just saw this. I was hoping your cat would get well. My friend who recently lost her beloved cat went through a tough time emotionally. So I can imagine it must be hard for you. My condolences.

 

[CDANN1013]

@Aussie Willy I am so sorry for the loss of Lucy.