Need advice please.

[rg_girlca]

"For those who do rescue work or anyone else, I need advice on Popeye's eating."

I am not satisfied with how very little Popeye is eating.

Would it be safe to force feed him and how much should I give him? Even though he is not up too par, should I just leave him be since he is at least still eating?

I'm so concerned because of the weight he has lost since last week. He went from 1.2 lbs down to 1 lb.

Since he gobbled down what the vet had given him last night, he has hardly touched the food at all since.:(

Gosh this little one is giving me heart failure.:eek:

[catnapper]

Gosh, I have no advice, but he'd be giving me heartfailure too! I can't keep my klittle girl fosters away from food - in less than one week I've already gone through a whole box of Kitten Chow!

Where are all the knowledgable foster and rescue moms around here?

[sirrahbed]

Lorraine - have you tried regular baby food?? I have read them talk about that quite a bit - especially veal but I don't know why veal - any type wpuld probably be good. I also saw baby food being used as an extra special treat at the cat show I went to - one of the owners told me they LOVE it!

[rg_girlca]

Okay Debbie, thanks. I am on my way to the store right now.

[aly]

Do you have any KMR you could mix in with the canned food? Try not to worry too much yet. He just ate at the vet last night, so at least he's got a full belly. When you do get food in him, it'd be good if it was as full of nutrients as possible so mixing in the Nutri-cal would be a good idea too.

I wouldn't try to force feed him yet. If he's still not eating tonight or tomorrow, you might wanna stop him by the vet for some fluids.

I was right about the name of those tablets I told you about - Lysine (formula L). Next time you talk to your vet, ask if you can give Popeye some of those. I think I was giving my cats half a tablet twice a day, but the dosage might be less for Popeye. You can buy them over the counter at some drug stores and health food stores.

[rg_girlca]

Okay, huff, huff, i'm back.

Haven't given him the baby food yet as I wanted to see more responses first.

Aly, the vet said to put a little bit of Nutri-Cal on my finger and place it on his palate. He said to do this a few times a day.

Should I start putting it in his food also and if that is the case, how much should I give?

Also, i'm sorry, but I don't know what KMR is and thanks for the name of the pill. If Popeye does not improve in the next few days then I will call the vet and talk to him about this.

[Randy_K]

Baby food is an excellent option when other types of food aren't working. There may be many reasons why your kitten isn't eating including teeth problems. If it hurts to eat they won't.

I had a six-year old rescue who, at first, wouldn't eat dry food or chunky wet food - only pâté types of food. In about a month he was eating chunky wet food and refusing the pâté and then somewhat later he added dry food to his diet. I suspected his teeth or gums hurt even though the vet gave him a clean bill of health and after some good nutrition and sound sleep for a while things got back to normal.

[rg_girlca]

Randy K, thank you so very much for your response.

Popeye is a little stray that I picked up out of the laneway just over a week ago. He has seen a vet twice since then and he was only 7 weeks old. He has a virus infection that he is trying to fight off, so that is why his appetite has diminished, plus he is anemic from all the fleas that he had. The flea situation was taken care of right away and are all gone.
This is why I am concerned about his eating very little.
He so desperately needs to build up some strength.

[aly]

If he's eating the Nutri-Cal off your finger okay, then you probably don't need to mix it with his food. I was just wondering if that would make it stinkier so he'd be more likely to eat it.

I know all the worry you're going through right now, and I promise you this will soon be a distant memory!

[catcrazylady]

Lorraine I'm having the same problem here with little Abigail. She doesn't want to eat much but when I take baby food and mix the kitten chow in it she eats pretty well. I've also been giving her some chicken. She loves that! At this point I'm doing what I can to get keep her eating and this is working very well.
Are you feeding Popeye the same food that the vet gave him? If not he may not like the type you have. I have noticed that the kitties that have been on thier own are pretty picky since they are used to "fresh meat":eek:
I would keep trying different things until you find what appeals to him the most and stick with that. I know we all try to give them the best foods but just like people food that stuff doesn't taste good sometimes!;) :p

[rg_girlca]

Aly, I swear, I don't know how you people that do rescue work, make it.

You, Kim, Jan, Jen, K & L and many others that have had babies come in A LOT sicker than what this little one I have is, really have my greatest respect.
I'm a nervous wreck with just this one, I just can't see myself if I landed up with 4 or 5 of them. I guess with years of experience, you just go with the flow.
I was suppose to go with my hubby fishing out in the country today, but I just couldn't leave Popeye for that long of a time.
Thank goodness my hubby is understanding of this. He still isn't too thrilled about me bringing in a sick kitty, but at least he is understanding.

Thank you all for your advice and encouragement.
Lord knows I need it.

[rg_girlca]

Lisa, sorry I didn't see your post right away, as we were posting at the same time.

He seems to have eaten a little bit more of the food that the vet gave me, so I will wait a little bit before I try the baby food. The main thing is that I have it here if I need it.

He is soooo good when I put the Nutri-Cal in his mouth and the ointment in his eye. He doesn't squirm at all. I think this little one really knows that I am here to help him.:)

[catcrazylady]

It's sad to see them like this isn't it? I've got Rosco running around like a little nut and acts like he's been here all of his life. Then little tiny Abigail struggles with everything. She is better but I can tell she misses her momma so bad. She goes to the other cats and cries. I try to snuggle her as much as I can but I know I'm not as good as her real momma. I know she will be ok as soon as she gets some strength and so will Popeye.
It's such a shock for some of them to brought inside, fed wierd stuff, hauled to the vets, and locked up. It takes some longer than others to get over things. Popeye will be fine once he kicks some of this virus. It will run it's course and he will be an energetic, happy baby soon. I swear it's harder on us than them!!!
You are doing everything right Lorraine. It will be ok, I promise. Just relax and love the little guy. Nothing heals the sick faster than lots of love!!:D :D :D
Well, PT prayers work great too and you've already got those!

[rg_girlca]

Thanks Lisa and believe me, he is getting lots of lovings.

Yes it is so sad to see them like this. They are so helpless and innocent at this age.

I hope and pray that little Abigail perks up well real soon. The both of them are so adorable.

Make my day Lisa and give Magoo a big kiss for me.:D

[jenluckenbach]

Sorry,, I don't know Popeyes story (I really need to catch up). BUT.........

baby food, any meat will do.
KRM (kitten replacement milk) found at the pet store.
goats' milk. (will not upset tummies like cow's milk)
Nurti-cal. a very good suppliment for ANY cat not eating a proper amount. You can actually take small "drops" of this and place it on the roof of the mouth, if they don't lick it off your finger.

good luck.

[QueenScoopalot]

The lil' guy's probably weak due to the anemia from all the fleas. Bouncing back from that takes quite a while, but just make sure he gets plenty of water, and as much wet food as he'll take. The Nutrical is vitamin packed, and should hopefully build him up soon. Any type of kitten formula is good if you can't find KMR. There are other brands available, they just may be different in Canada. Maybe Just Born is carried up there? Don't worry, he'll start feeling better soon once his red blood cells start coming back well. Fleas can do quite a number on these babies. (((HUGS)))

[K & L]

When our little Mason was going through this I would put baby food on my finger and put some on his mouth to lick off. I would do this periodically until his appetite built up. Then I started adding soft kitten food and let him lick it off my finger. It worked really well. Good luck and let us know how he's doing.

[rg_girlca]

Thank you all so much for your replies. You have helped me so much and calmed my nerves down a bit with your encouraging words. I can't thank you enough for that. You guys are the best.

I will keep you updated for sure on his condition.:)

[catmandu]

You cant force a Kitten,to eat,try a Veternarian Diet,as that is what they did,when they started,to wean Rb Karinas Kittens!