Rock on, bluesman. FatAss is lucky to have you. :) I'm definitely not
the resident expert, but I'd ask your vet about the appetite stimulant
that the folks here have mentioned a few times over the last week or so.
I think it is called cyprophretadine or something to that effect (aka
periactin). This pill seemed to work wonders on appetites! *BEST* of
luck!!! Fatass is such a cutie! Plus, I just love the name! ;)

Pam

Can't you do a syringe with food made specifically for it? It's force
feeding, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do . . .

Many cats with CRF (I have one too) don't eat because their stomachs
are full of bile and they're nauseus.  Of course, this creates a bad
situation because no food in tummy makes more acid and more acid makes
them not want to eat even more.  Many folks with CRF cats give them
Pepcid to help calm their tummies down.  You should speak with your vet
about something like this.

The other thing that has helped my CRF cat is to give him Nutrical for
Cats every day.  This is vitamins and fatty acids in goop like hairball
remedy.  I noticed that by giving Sasha Nutrical every day he's been
eating more.  This could be because there's *something* in his stomach,
thus he's not feeling so sick and has an appetite, and it could also be
that with the extra nutrition, he's feeling less sick and has an
appetite.  For whatever reason, what matters is that he's eating more.
I hope one (or both) of these possibilities helps your cat too.  All my
best to you both!

dragon

Years ago, I had a cat with both CRF and IBD.  She originally was given
only a few weeks to live "at most," but I was actually able to keep her
for another 3+ years.  One of the problems I worked with that is
similar to your description is that she periodically would completely
lose her appetite and would not eat anything at all (first every 6
weeks, then closer together).  My vet gave me some very large syringes
(*without needles,* of course), and I used them for force feeding.  I
think that you would find that much more practical than trying to
"shovel" food into your cat.  Even so, you will need to be very careful
not to cause your cat to gag.  One of the most useful things during
that long period came as a result of a suggestion from my mother.  I
would cook some chicken pieces (*with bones and skin*) for a very
*long* time.  Cover the chicken with water and simmer uncovered until
the water has been reduced by *at least* one-half.  Your goal is the
fluid that will be left, not the chicken itself -- although of course
you can also use that.  Pour the fluid into a clean container and
refrigerate it, then skim off the fat.  If you cooked it long enough
(and/or included enough chicken -- I used quite a lot for the amount of
water), you should now have a congealed substance instead of fluid.
This gel will contain lots of nutrients from the long cooking process.
Microwave a small amount (start with a couple of tablespoons) just long
enough to melt it and make it luke-warm -- *not hot.*  Use your syringe
to force feed.  Aim for the side of the back area of the throat -- not
the middle, because you could cause a gag-reflex action.  This worked
wonders for Amber, and helped to stimulate her appetite.  It is better
to use small amounts at frequent intervals instead of trying to force
feed a large amount at one time.  During that period, I would also pour
a small amount over her food to encourage her to eat.  Also:  your cat
may need fluids, administered either by your vet or by you.  Please
call your vet ASAP and ask about Ringer's lactate.  Your cat can become
dehydrated very quickly, and fluids are essential.  I often would find
a remarkable improvement in Amber's appetite after fluid therapy.  This
can also be done at home, but make sure that your vet or a technician
shows you how to do it.  You should also try to have someone available
to help you the first few times you do it.

Fortunately for me, it has been a long time since I needed to do any of
this; so I hope someone with more recent experience will add to this.
It's easy to forget some of the details as the years go by.

Good luck!  You are going through a painful learning process, but it is
well worth it.  As I said earlier, I was able to get an additional 3
years of time for Amber -- and most of it was "good years."

MaryL

I have posted this before, but I went through the exact same thing with
my
cat, for a week and the vet was threatening to force feed him.  If you
can
tell that he wants to eat, eg. wiping baby food around his mouth and he
licks it a bit, try the scrounge technique, something he really likes
to
scrounge off your plate, put him in the room, eat in front of him, put
the plate on the floor and walk out of the room.  Watch through the
window and see what happens.  Sometimes it can get to be psycological
with them.  My cat started eating like this, after a week of me trying
everything in the shop.

Chris

I sympathize with you. Whenever Rusty was on antibiotic, he stopped eating.
I tried force feeding him and ended up with a
mess. One time he was on antibiotics for a month for a bladder
infection. I couldn't see him stopped eating for a month. Keep
calling the vet, who eventually changed his dosage to  1/2 pill
twice a day instead of 1 pill at a sitting. That certainly helped.
The first summer I got Rusty he was prescribed valium to jump
start his appetite. I was not good at pilling, since am. Rusty ended
up foaming in the mouth and gave me a scare.
The heat probably got to him. That was exactly 10 years ago. I just hope he
will not need to go on antibiotics again.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Winnie

...snipped...

Hi,

*Please* take MaryL's suggestion of syringe-feeding seriously.

It is absolutely essential that Fatass eat sufficiently so as to not also
compromise her liver.What and how you are feeding her now won't sustain her.
You can't get sufficient essential nutrients into her this way. I know you
are doing your very best and are dedicated and worried. The method you are
using, unfortunately, just isn't efficient enough to sustain Fatass.
Syringe-feeding is really not that onerous or traumatic for either of you. I
did this with a very sick starving stray I rescued early last year who had
hepatic lipidosis due to starvation. When I found her, the vet estimated
that she would possibly have lived another couple of days. Appetite
stimulants had no effect. After 7 weeks of syringe-feeding her several times
per day, she started eating on her own and her liver values returned to
normal.  She has completely recovered and is a happy, healthy cat. I would
syringe-feed again in a heartbeat if needed. Don't be afraid if you've never
done this - after a couple of times, you'll get the hang of it and Fatass
should too without much trauma or mess. Initially, I used a bib and a towel
in which I wrapped Emma gently burrito-like. In a short time, it all became
such a routine, no stuggling and I just used the bib.

It is very important to take it very slowly and not feed Fatass too much at
a time, distributed as best you can through the day depending on your
schedule. I blended the amount of canned food Emma needed per day to liquify
it (you do not need a food processor, a simple hand-held portable blender
will do the job very well). I did not mix and it was not necessary to mix
the canned food with water. This way I could get the maximum amount of
food/calories into her with fewer feedings/syringes. I used 5 ml. syringes
(just the plastic syringe without the needle) *with tip* and drilled the
syringe hole *a bit* larger so that I could more easily pull up the food -
make sure you remove all of the plastic shavings from the drilling (if you
don't have a small drill, you can also use the pointy end of one the blades
on a pair of scisssors and use it to enlarge the hole somewhat). The tips on
these syringes make it quite easy to place the syringe in the space behind
the canines without having to open Fatass's mouth - her lip will just be
lifted. It is of absolute importance that the syringe is *not* directed at
the back of the throat when you *slowly* depress the plunger when feeding to
prevent Fatass from aspirating the food and choking. With Emma I was
initially able to give her about 4 full 5ml syringes per meal, giving her
about 2 ml at a time with breaks in between to allow her to swallow and
relax. The amounts she could be given increased over time, decreasing the
number of meals. Feeding her this way, she never vomited.

Here are two web sites with info on syringe-feeding which should help you
with tips:

http://www.assistfeed.com/FeedingTechniques.htm and
http://www.gorbzilla.com/syringe_feeding_faq.htm

As to the amount to feed her - you need to ask your vet how many calories
she needs daily, then find out the calorie amount of the food/can you are
feeding and calculate how much she needs to get per day.

Sending you good luck and strength. I hope some of the above is helpful to
you both.

...snipped...

M.