Syringe feeding Lilycat

[Tiggy's Mum]

Poor Lilycat, she's in the best place though    The boys send her an extra large healing head kiss each 

[Desley (booktigger)]

Fingers crossed the feeding tube works, and it sounds like your vets are on the ball - it is easy for cats to go off their food, as their body sends fat to the liver, but it can't process it, so they think they are full when really they haven't eaten a lot, and it can be very hard to reverse.

[Maddiesmum]

Bless her.  Hope she is much better today and eats something

[lilycat]

Thanks Gill, I'll be sure and give her an extra cuddle   

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Poor Lilycat, lots of cuddles from me and she will do much better with your visits 

Sending lots of good thoughts for her speedy recovery 

[lilycat]

Lily had to go to the vet today to have a feeding tube fitted via her neck, I went to see her this evening and when she heard my usual greeting of "Hello pretty" she got up and came over from the corner of her pen and had a big fuss and a purring session 

She's wearing a tubigrip vest to stop her getting at the feeding tube and she's had quite a bit of furr shaved off her neck bless her. Apparently they're planning on keeping her in for several days, I'll go and see her every evening and I know she's in the best place she could be under the circumstances but I still miss her. The vet said they were concerned about anorexia because although she'd eat a little bit if I hand fed her, when I offered her more she'd sniff it and sort of gag before moving away. I didn't know cats could get anorexia 

I hope she doesn't develop an eating disorder on top of everything else - I need her back to her fighting weight so she can keep Basil in line 

[madkittyrescue]

good luck.... fingers crossed she doesn't have to stay in!  xx

[Desley (booktigger)]

Fingers crossed she doesn't have to stay in today.

[Maddiesmum]

Good luck today Lilycat

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Good luck tomorrow 

[lilycat]

I managed to give Dave a room of his very own  , I've fitted a cat-flap to my spare bedroom door - it's one of those magnetic ones and he has the only collar. I put in some food and water and his fave bed [the bath mat] and he was in there for about 4 hours this evening and seemed perfectly happy, he's out now but I'll be giving him some cat-flap instruction tomorrow...he's not used to the magnetic aspect of it and seems a bit unsure  .

Lily has her appointment at the vet tomorrow but today she's been off her food, I tried to get her to eat but she just kept clamping her mouth shut so the food ran out of the side  . I tried liquidised Hi-Life Tuna but she sniffed it and walked off, I'll see what the vet says tomorrow, hopefully she won't have to be admitted but if that's what's best for her then I'll have to go along with it and make do with a daily visit until she's well enough to come home.     

[madkittyrescue]

well done you for persevering with the syringe feeding.  They can be so fickle can't they??  but at least you found the secret at last.

Fabulous news that she is eating the correct amount and hope that this see's a turnaround for your wee one.

Sending you lots of love and positive vibes for a quick recovery and a much more peacefull household! 

Good luck with everything adn keep us posted.

Sxx

[Felix (Caroline)]

Sending lots of  to you both xxxx

[Desley (booktigger)]

Fingers crossed for Dave, sounds like it was beneficial

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

This behaviorist visit sounds really helpful, I hope that what has been suggested works well cos it sounds sensible 

[lilycat]

Hi Helen, the behaviourist's visit was really useful, apparently the little dude's anxious because my lot aren't actually one colony which explains why Dave is spraying in the living room up against the wall which runs from the kitchen to the hall - for him, it's like running across enemy territory/open ground. There isn't any furniture along that wall for him to shelter behind while crossing the room so he sprays the wall to make himself feel less threatened. Makes sense I suppose 

I've moved a shelf unit [with open sides] there now and have basically used cardboard to enclose the shelf all except for an entrance and exit cut out at each end - I've done similar with the shelf above it but with different placed entrance and exit...it should give him a sheltered stopping off place if he feels he needs it. If it works I'll take down the sellotaped cardboard and replace it with something a bit more aesthetically pleasing 

Oh and I have to provide more 'high up' space for him in the house which I will as soon as I possibly can, and a bit more cover in the garden wouldn't go amiss as well apparently. The behaviourist said that the cat-flap isn't great as Dave is spraying around downstairs windows in the house...Dave'd feel more secure and so stop spraying, if he felt more secure inside the house and he'd feel more secure if he couldn't see out into the garden through my clear cat-flap - I'll keep the cat-flap but will put plant cover around the kitchen door - a rustic arch or something - so as soon as he goes out, there's cover for him.

As I say, the suggestions/insights were useful and I'll do as much as I can to make the little chap feel happier, oh and he said Humphrey's scratching so much [which he always has] because he's anxious too - scent marking in a different way 

I'll still be continuing with the scullcap and valerian and the feliway for a while but the accidents are getting much less frequent and hopefully the changes I'm making will help Dave to stop altogether [eventually].

[Tiggy's Mum]

Glad you've got her eating enough now, hope she goes from strength to strength    How did the behaviouralists' visit go? (apart from being an hour early which I agree is just as bad as an hour late!).

[Millys Mum]

I really hope this sorts her mouth out for good

[Desley (booktigger)]

Aww, bless her. I hope next week is better for you.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Well done Lilycat cos youare eating and well done you for being such a caring slave 

[Maddiesmum]

Poor Lilycat and well done to you for nursing her so well. 

[emma_vn]

Well done and keep it up!

[blackcat]

ah the joys of pet ownership - good for you and come on Lilycat - get that weight on!!

[lilycat]

What a few days Lily and I have had -

Monday...Lily has her operation 

Tuesday...she's allowed home 

Wednesday...follow-up appointment and vet's concerned she isn't eating enough to aid her recovery. I keep a close eye on her and try to encourage her  to eat the required 150g [she'd been struggling to manage 70g].
 
Thursday...still not eating enough  so I ring vet who says to bring her up asap. Scrape together enough money to get a taxi to the vet and Lily has a NG Tube fitted; I was happy with tube feeding her myself as I've done the process with people and it's pretty much the same principle... Gets another taxi home, get her indoors, she sneezes twice and the tube is out  . I ring the vet who says to take her back and they'll refit the NG Tube and keep her for a few days    I rather sheepishly  tell them that I now have no way of getting there until OH gets home with the car and that in any case, I will be keeping her at home and syringe feeding her [I have the syringe and convalescent food etc]. Earlier in the day the nurse told me that Lily had found being admitted quite stressfull and didn't like them handling her so I didn't want her to have to go in unless it was absolutely neccessary. When OH got home from work he was to take her up so they could remove the staples 'securing' the NG tube from her head/face...he gets her there and then rings me to say that they have her down as for admittance so I then have to explain that there must have been a misunderstanding of some sort and that she would be coming home.

While OH took her to have her staples out, Dave's behaviourist [re: spraying] was here which didn't really do anything for my frazzled nerves. And he turned up an hour early which as far as I'm concerned is as bad a s being an hour late 

Friday...Lily doesn't like being fed from a 40ml syringe or a 10ml syringe...she likes the teeny-tiny half ml syringe which comes with her Metacam 

Still, she's having 200ml of her convalescent food daily  in about 10 million miniscule meals 

Bless her  ...she's got another appointment on Monday  She's feeling a bit better though - she's not as clingy as she was...she gets very clingy with me when she's feeling poorly you see.