Re: Injured Leeloo not eating

[MamaKitty1]

Steve You've gotten wonderful advice already, and I'll vote for what you've heard so far and add a PS.   This just doesn't all add up sound like a fracture. I've had kitties in casts and traction splints that still gobbled up their food. I could understand the first day or two after the injury, but after that their appetite should not be compromised. And the heavy breathing doesn't add up either. Again, the first day after the injury you could possibly chalk it up to pain, but not at this point.   Dehydration, as you know, can be completely debilitating. I've been dehydrated myself a few times and can tell you first hand that it make you feel like you're going to die ... muscle aches, terrible cramps, even your hair hurts! You can get lactated ringers from your vet and ask them to teach you how to give them. If possible, they should show you and then have you give the first session in the vets office under guidance. Be sure to clarify how much and how often to give the fluids, and ask for a small gauge needle. The big needles (usually 18 gauge) go faster, but when you're first starting the smaller will hurt both of you less.   And, of course Leeloo has to eat to survive this crisis..whatever it is. Cats can fall into "fatty liver" syndrome very quickly when they stop eating, and it can be deadly. Baby food is OK to get you thru the night, but its not nutritionally balanced for felines. Ask the vet for AD. In a pinch, you can use a good quality kitten food which has more fat and calories than regular (adult) cat food. I've used 2 methods successfully: syringe feeding and hand feeding. The vet should have feeding syringes (I use a 30 cc) or you can find one in a PetSupermarket-type store. Look in the baby bird section as they're marketed for hand feeding baby birds. With hand feeding, you just break off a bit of food and slide it into the side of the mouth. (Its messy, so have a roll of paper towels and a wet washcloth by your side.) There is also a good group on yahoo for assisted feeding (felines) and they can give you lots of hints.     One last thing, for reference. Cats need about "27.5 calories per pound" to maintain weight. I'm sending a link which will show the calorie content of most common cat foods so you can get an idea of the calories per can. http://www.felinediabetes.com/cat_food_nutrition_canned.htm   Hope some of this helps. Please keep us posted. Jo ____________________________ In a message dated 1/18/2005 3:58:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Leeloo appears to have injured her leg.  I took her to the vet and he indicated a probable fracture at left stifle.  She slowed way down and ate very little, which the doc says is normal with an injury.  Now, she is very skinny and will hardly eat anything, is very week and hardly moves.  We try to feed her baby food and she eats a little, but not enough.  I do not see any signs of sores in the mouth or anywhere else.  Just today, she peed for the first time away from the litter box as it's too much effort to hop back there in her weakened state.  Last night she sometimes breathed a bit hard, but is fine today just staying in one place. I think I'm going to force feed her starting today.  Any advice?  A syringe with baby food is what I thought. Quantity?  If I feel she needs more water (pinch of nap of neck not returning quickly), do I syringe also? Loki, the former runt, remains very strong and health with the exception of lingering URI. Thanks, Steve