I used to give my cat glucose using a syringe to get it into the mouth which
was recommended to prevent dehydration.
Is there an animal charity that can help you, here in the UK we have the
PDSA for people on low or no income, all treatement is completely free
including medication, very useful that.

That is really strange. How often has it happened? Was there *any*thing off
on the tests when you have taken the cat in?  I would ask the vet for Hills
A/D canned food (for convelecing (sp??) cats) and a sma syringe. I can't
imagine being able to feed her with a turkey baster.

There's Nutrical - a gel-like supplement which comes in a tube & is
available at pet supply stores.

There's also Hill's (Science Diet) Prescription Diet a/d, which is available
at the vets'.  It's a canned food with a very fine consistency.  It's
specifically for feeding sick or convalescent pets, & the consistency makes
it perfect for force-feeding as you're doing w/ the baby food mixture.
Although IME sometimes the cat will eat a/d without having to go the syringe
route.

Have any of the vets suggested an appetite stimulant when she hits these
appetite roadblocks? Periactin (generic: cyproheptadine) often works well.

I'm wondering if the nasal cyst causes her sense of smell to fade &
therefore her appetite becomes depressed?

Cathy

happened in the past and we are able to help her through it.  Vets can't
attribute this to any virus and point to a possible infection.  (She has a
cyst in her sinus which causes problems at times.)  When this happens I keep
her in a quiet, dark place to recuperate and hand feed her.  This time
around I am feeding her baby food, mixed with a tiny bit of low fat milk and

Poor baby. I wonder if the cyst or some side effects of it have made it
uncomfortable for her to eat? If so, it is hard to think of anything that
will make her want to eat on her own until that problem is allieviated. Have
you tried the stinkiest cat food available, or even a bit of people tuna,
just to get her interested again? The cyst may also be interfering with her
sense of smell, and that can cause a cat to go off her feed, too.

circa Thu, 01 Jul 2004 06:57:08 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Cameron Perry (auctionmonkey@att.net) said,

Nutrical.

Laura

There is a high-calorie supplement called Nutrical - it is a goo-like
paste - available from your vet.   Some cats love it, others hate it.
Purina Diabetic Maint. diet - canned - is what really turned my Peewee
around when he was so sick recently - it is high in protein.  A/D by
Hill's is good but fatty -  both can be purchased at your vet.

As for the cyst - have they ruled out Cryptosporidium in the sinus?  I
have seen it make cats waste away, and it can be almost impossible to
get rid of sometimes.

If and when you can afford another trip to a vet, you might want to
seek the advice of a feline specialist, if you haven't done so - they
see so many more cases that regular vets.

Best of luck,
-L.

Nutrical. Put a half inch squeeze on your finger and let her lick it off. If
she won't, put it in her mouth. You may want to know how to subq fluids if
she's not drinking.

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav", "Cameron
Perry" <auctionmonkey@att.net> artfully composed this message
within
<news:8BOEc.169850$Gx4.10587@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>
on 01 Jul 2004:

Cameron, no matter what you get into her, there is still an
underlying problem that no amount of Nutrical is likely to cure. It
sounds like something that's been going on for a while. It is
stressful, isn't it, to feel so helpless and the vets don't seem to
be able to help? :( I've been there with a cat, my RB cat Marley.
With the comment they are feeding you, the vets you've seen sound
like they want you to just "keep her comfortable" without trying
harder to find an answer. They are saying to keep her fed and
hydrated because she could get hepatic lipidosis from lack of food
in her diet for any length of time. The liver of a cat isn't able
to process body fat for the calories that are needed for energy.

I know that didn't answer your question, but if your goal is to get
calories and fluids into her until you can get her to another vet,
I'd also try the Hills a/d that was suggested, maybe mix in some
KMR which I did with my cat who *did* get hepatic lipidosis from
not eating. KMR may cause diarrhea so if you try it, just try a
little at first, the last thing you need to add to the problem is
diarrhea. It's meant for nursing kittens, but has use for
convalescing cats.