Cats NEED to eat! Liver Failure is the result!

[CML2014]

Hi Everyone,

As Opus has mentioned a cat cannot go more than 2 days without food or they get  Idiopathic Hepatic Lipidoses.....Liver Failure that is irreversible once it happens.

I have noticed a lot of concern in posts about cats not being hungry and not eating. This is an emergency and any Vet worth their salt will also see it as such. We are coming into Christmas and Vet apts will not be available except emergency , not eating for more than two days is just such an emergency especially accompanied by vomiting.
Vomiting , diarrhea will cause dehydration and no food causes Liver shut down.

I am not an expert and sure don't know as much as Opus and many others here but having been in Animal rescue , have seen things I wish I hadn't. We all love our Fursters, that is obvious, so I am ONLY suggesting vigilance when it comes to cats vomiting and not eating. Just a note--if you notice the vomit of your cat smelling like feces there is a major obstruction in the bowel and this is life threatening.

If you must--you must Force Feed your cat (only if your vet has cleared you cat of any other underlying problems) When my cat was not eating I gave it Gerbers Lamb baby food first--if that does not get them eating try makeral or some other very pungent smelling fish. Try this first and if this does not work, as with my kit, you resort to force feeding. I know it sounds cruel and you do feel like you are torturing your darling, but you may be saving their lives.

All of this should of course be cleared with you' re vet ahead of time. I found the best way to force feed is to back your cat  in between you legs while kneeling, get a 25cc syringe or larger and suck up softened food, and little by little place it in your cats mouth, LOL? Oh if it were only that easy. I found mushing up soft food with a little water so the consistency is like soup.

Forgive me if I seem a little OCD about this, I only hope to help. I have seen far too many cats go into liver failure because no one understands how urgent it is for a cat to feed consistently.  Any vet that does not treat this as an emergency does not deserve to take care of YOUR kit. Find another, and keep looking until you find the one who understands the love and concern you have for your pet and is your partner in their care.

Ok, I am done now.....so Eat, drink, and be Merry and a Wonderful Holiday to you , your human family, and your Fursters!

Sincerely,
CM

[opus88]

great post CML :))

[FurballsMom]

I will bump this up, too, in hopes of helping to bring more attention to this.  Not enough people in general understand just how serious it is if a cat doesn't eat.

[evewisewoman]

This post is so well written. Some care givers of fur babies don't realize
that a cat who doesn't eat for 2 days is an emergency because of liver
failure. This is not just a possibility, unfortunately it's irreversible liver
failure. Thank you for posting these very important comments.
We care givers of our precious fur babies have to help each other.
A really great post. Merry Christmas to you and to all the other fur
baby caretakers on this wonderful forum. Eve ( mother of Sammy the cat)

[MYoungAtHeart]

You have written a very good post, as furmom to cats and dogs, rabbits and other wonderful little creatures, I too thought that all pets will eat when they want to and not to worry about it.  Then I found out about kitties who will not or cannot eat because of pain or illness, and a whole new chapter in the care of animals was opened to me.

This is a great reminder that over the holidays with vets and offices also on holiday, that the Pet Emergency Centers are not shut down, that there is always someone you can reach on the phone or in person if you do show up on the doorstep of the Emergency Center.  The cost of emergency care versus my regular vet care was only a few dollars more and one of the nice things about Emergency Care is that they are working to uncover a specific ailment or symptom and have the facilities to keep your furbaby overnight if that is warranted.

We never know whats going to happen with parties and people in our houses.  Someone dropping an aspirin or bringing in food that animals cannot have, someone stepping or falling on your pet, and sometimes even the stress of many people in the house will stress our kitties.

Great post CML....Merry Merry Christmas to you