Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

DCat2 is ill. How can I help him regain weight?

17 replies

SagelyNodding · 16/05/2017 14:51

I'm worried about my 13ish yr old rescue cat-he's had bad diarrhea which is hopefully now sorted (saw vet, full blood tests with nothing alarming going on) He's had an injection to stop the flow as it were but he's down to 3 kilos! He used to weigh over 4! He's always super hungry and only eats wet food as his teeth aren't great and will need sorting as soon as he is better...
I stupidly didn't think to ask the vet how to help him regain his weight... Any ideas? DH suggested kitten food-would that be more calorific or is it a bad idea? Any advice would be appreciated-it's horrible seeing him looking so thin and sad Sad

OP posts:
MsMims · 16/05/2017 16:07

Kitten food is more calorific but you'd be just as well to stick with a food you know agrees with his stomach and feed him 4-5 meals through the day. Snacks like Lik-E-Lix are full of calories but don't give too frequently.

Keep an eye on his weight to make sure it creeps back up - that's a big loss. Hope he's better and heavier soon!

Shriek · 16/05/2017 18:04

try offering the smellier things as their sense of smell isn't great so something strong smelling should stimulate eating over and above the feeling of being poorly.

things warmed up will increase the smell, easy to digest things like little bits of chicken, better still if you can offer fresh cooked chicken stock (of boiled chicken and bone only - no onions etc). white rice is good for protective tummy lining whilst its still a little inflamed or irritated. cook it very squishy and mix well with tinned tuna for instance to cool down the rice and warm the tuna to increase the smell.

hope he gains soon xx

Original poster
SagelyNodding · 16/05/2017 20:26

Thanks for replying - we are sticking with his usual pouches for the moment and supplementing with treats... I'll be watching his weight very very carefully now! He's snuggled up with me DH and dcat1 on the sofa and having a lovely tummy rub and has eaten well. Hopefully he's on the mend... He's the sweetest natured boy and I'll be lost when his time comes.

OP posts:
catonlap · 16/05/2017 20:56

I have a 13 year old cat who was super hungry, lost 1.5kg and got diarrhoea. It was an over active thyroid. Was that on your cat's blood tests?

Anyway once she was recovering on medication I used:
www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/purina-pro-plan-vet-diet-canine-and-feline-cn-convalescence-mousse-24x195g

Was high in calories and easy to digest plus she loved it.

Monkeypuzzle32 · 16/05/2017 20:59

Definitely sounds like hyperthyroidism, my 20 yr old furbaby died recently had this and all the symptoms-I'd be wary of a vet who didn't suggest this!

Original poster
SagelyNodding · 16/05/2017 22:14

The vet gave me the full blood test results T4 (thyroid) is well within normal limits. But I'm aware it could still be that... He was fine until about 20 minutes ago when he started making an odd noise, then he stopped and has gone for a little wander outside (I'm watching for poo action...) It's awful not knowing what's wrong or how to fix it...

And thank you for the food link-im not in the UK but will have a look online

OP posts:
Original poster
SagelyNodding · 23/05/2017 17:33

Bumping this as we've been back to the vet's. Cat had a dental and 2 dodgy teeth removed, but the vet also gave him an ultrasound scan and it turns out he has a major thickening of the intestinal walls over 15cm of length and it looks like it's a lymphoma... I'm gutted. He's had some injection (I'm doing all this in a foreign language and I forgot the name) and is going back in 3 weeks for a weigh in and to discuss further treatments ... I feel so bad for my lovely cat Sad

OP posts:
MsMims · 23/05/2017 18:06

So sorry to hear that Sagely

Is the vet suggesting the weight loss may have been possible lymphoma all along?

There are treatment options with lymphoma which can buy some more time as long as your lovely cat is still enjoying quality of life. I would probably want to explore a definite diagnosis and treatment a lot sooner than 3 weeks though.

Monkeypuzzle32 · 23/05/2017 19:18

Oh poor baby, there is a limit to what they can do, especially for an older cat but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! 😿

Original poster
SagelyNodding · 23/05/2017 22:00

I think the diagnosis is sure and that it's the cause of the diarrhoea. I think (if I've understood correctly) that the vet has given a corticosteroid injection, and that that is the treatment plan... I am worried I haven't understood so I'll call him back tomorrow. I'm off to do more Google searches-poor cat is snuggled up on the sofa feeling v sorry for himself. Thank you for replying, I'm clueless about all this.

OP posts:
MsMims · 24/05/2017 13:39

It's a scary and horrible situation to find yourself in. Obviously the treatment path may be different if you aren't in the UK but when one of our cats had suspected lymphoma our vet ordered the drugs in the same day, with the intention to start treatment the following day after exploratory works to confirm diagnosis. I'm sure one of the drugs was prednisolone. Thickening of the walls can also be caused by IBD but this is also usually treated with prednisolone.

We also lost a dog to lymphoma only a couple of days after diagnosis despite getting him straight to a specialist veterinary centre for expert treatment. Not saying this to panic you - just advising that it's best to start treatment asap if that's the path you'd like to go down.

Original poster
SagelyNodding · 24/05/2017 14:31

Thank you Flowers Vet is closed until Monday as it's a long weekend here... I think I need to have a quality of life conversation as dcat is still very subdued and is hiding away. Going backwards and forwards to the vet's is awful with him-he panics as soon as he sees the cage Sad I really don't want him to suffer. Vet didn't seem keen to do more than what he is doing now-a-days might try for a different vet's opinion.

OP posts:
Stilllivinginazoo · 24/05/2017 14:36

No advice, just hand holding.poor puss.hope you get the answers you need.x

Shriek · 24/05/2017 23:24

Flowers so sad to hear your update Sad Really feeling for you, what horrible news poor poor puss and family.

if dcat is getting so distressed i probably wouldn't put him through any more, like you say. very best wishes to you all xxx

Monkeypuzzle32 · 25/05/2017 07:29

They thought my elderly cat (recently departed) may have had this, the vet mentioned operating but we both agreed that it was dangerous because of my cats age (19) unlikely to be successful etc-it turned out to be hyperthyroidism and old age as I mentioned earlier-what I'm trying to say is the biggest act of love for your cat is to make sure they are pain free and to make that decision at the right time-it's an honour really to do the best for them x

Original poster
SagelyNodding · 25/05/2017 14:17

Thank you all. I'm trying to keep it together for the kids' sake, but it's so hard. He's a little perkier, has been scratching at his unofficial scratching post, has eaten well and pooed solid for the first time in a while...we're going to have a peaceful long weekend with him and reassess...

OP posts:
Shriek · 25/05/2017 22:35

Flowers for precious weekend together hoping he maintains todays stability for the weekend xx

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread