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Pebbles

I have a 12 year old cat not a pedigree. For the last 3 days not eating and drinking little water. Has lost some weight. I have given her baby food thru a syringe. She doesn't spit it back up. No runny eyes or nose. She has always been an inside cat. Today I offered her some canned salmon, dry cat food(one of her favorites) and a different kind of canned food and she could careless. Not interested. She has never had any major health issues. Can't afford to take her in til next week. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Lisa

•   Ashley Harris says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 03:32 PM

  This one is a little tricky I must say. As cats get older so does their body along with changes. There could be something going on ,on the inside that we might not know about regardless of how great she has felt in the past. Unfortunately age is something we cannot get around.Not eating can cause liver damage in the long run. First we need to find out why she's not eating and drinking only a little.  A trip to the vet would definitely be helpful because they can run some blood tests and possibly x-rays and note any changes that have occured in her body. This usually helps aid a diagnosis. Since you can't take her in right away I would suggest to keep feeding her through the syringe if she's taking it until you can take her in to see the vet.Canned food has more water content than dry food but not to be given in place of water as well so you may want to syringe feed her some water after eating to.Only other thing I can think of is her mouth. Older cats tend to have gum and teeth issues as well and that can also have them not want to eat because it hurts. I just don't want to have her become dehydrated on the account she isn't drinnking a whole lot. Just try your best and when you can take her in. Our goal is to ultimately have her eat and drink on her own ! Good luck and keep me posted.

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• Lisa says:

  January 27th, 2009 at 03:49 PM

  Thank You for your quick response. We appreciate that.

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• Lisa says:

  January 28th, 2009 at 10:17 AM

  Update on Pebbles as of today 01/28/2009-She still isn't eating so I decided to make her a power smoothie. One egg, some baby food, small bit of boiled chicken and some tuna. Down the hatch via syringe. This cat does get up and walks just fine. I am convinced it is something with her mouth. I give her water too even though I have seen her drink water. So hopefully by feeding this to her a bit at a time many times a day she will turn a corner. She did come out to the kitchen this morning to sit on top of the dishwasher her favorite spot. I think she wants to eat but can't so we will do it this way. Lisa

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•   Ashley Harris says:

  January 29th, 2009 at 04:45 PM

  Great, thanks for keeping me updated on her progress. Even if you take her in and just have a initial exam done then the vet can at least let you know if it is a mouth issue and how to address it which will be your choice. In the long run though mouth issues or gum disease can turn into secondary issues if left untreated so just try your best.

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  Sea Island Animal Hospital

  We are a small animal hospital specializing in emergency and anesthesia care.We take on a broad variety of cases with the utmost confidence and care. Our staff is highly qualified with Doctors also spending extra time on Reproduction and Penn Hip cases.

  

• Lisa says:

  January 29th, 2009 at 05:13 PM

  We've turned a corner here. Pebbles actually ate some kitten food today. Not a whole lot. She just eats a little at a time.. I feel horrible with her not eating properly. I don't want her to starve. Offered her yogurt this morning-wasn't going for that. So I went to the pet store and bought a higher grade of wet kitten food. The gal there said kitten food has more protein in it. Also bought a tube of this gel stuff that is called Nutri-Stat. Its a food supplement with Omega Acids for improved nutrition. I just put a dab on her mouth every so often and she licks it off. She does drink water normally. I see her a few times a day if not more drinking water so that's a plus.I'm hoping that tomorrow or Saturday I can get her into the vet. Thank you for your help and your concern. I will keep you posted.

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•   Ashley Harris says:

  January 31st, 2009 at 11:41 PM

  Oh that is wonderful. I'm glad she is at least trying to eat so she definitely has an appetite, Just getting it down is the biggie.Yes canned kitten food is a good one to go with for right now. Not only the protein but more calories and water content.I'm glad you found the nutri-stat. I didn't think to mention it because of it possibly being a mouth issue but it doesn't hurt at all. Thanks a lot for keeping me updated. I wish only the best when you take her in. Take care.

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  Sea Island Animal Hospital

  We are a small animal hospital specializing in emergency and anesthesia care.We take on a broad variety of cases with the utmost confidence and care. Our staff is highly qualified with Doctors also spending extra time on Reproduction and Penn Hip cases.

  

• Lisa says:

  January 31st, 2009 at 11:54 PM

  Even better news. Pebbles is back to eating her regular food. She goes poop and pee normal too. Still keeping an eye on her though. Thanks to all of you and your time. This site is a huge help and I am letting everyone know about it and how great it is. Can't thank you enough. Lisa

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•   Ashley Harris says:

  February 02nd, 2009 at 01:40 AM

  Awesome!. I'm so glad to hear that. Thanks YOU for keeping me informed on how she has been doing. I'm pleased that you have taken the time to help her out in her time of need and that you are taking such good care of her. I wish everyone who owned a pet took the time of day to make sure they are doing well. Hope she continues getting better and stronger and comes around to the fullest. I just wanted to let you know that you can rate me and the website on how we are doing because that helps us out as well as anyone who comes along and needs a question answered.That way others who view the website can see how we interact as Televets.There are a number of us on here so anytime you need us we are here for you.

  Ashley ,LVT

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  Sea Island Animal Hospital

  We are a small animal hospital specializing in emergency and anesthesia care.We take on a broad variety of cases with the utmost confidence and care. Our staff is highly qualified with Doctors also spending extra time on Reproduction and Penn Hip cases.

  

• Lisa says:

  February 02nd, 2009 at 09:01 AM

  I do think things are back to normal with Pebbles. I can't thank you enough for your help. Pebbles is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing like she should. She's back to jumping, has her energy back. I don't know what it was but I'm just happy she's okay. Thanks to all the vets that helped out. You are great. Lisa

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