Is this a weird thing to feed a sick cat with cancer?

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about your cat being so sick. You are doing everything possible to help your cat, and that is admirable. Glad you have that pet insurance.. it is really a life saver.

I would call my vet if this were my cat, and ask for something to help overcome any possible nausea that your cat may have due to chemo. Your vet can give you an appetite stimulant which should help him to start eating again.

It is really hard when they stop eating, because the less they eat, the more possible that the liver can become inflamed, with makes matters worse.

I would check with your vet about Kitten Milk Replacement, KMR, and also vets carry a product called nutracal which is a "tasty" product in a tube that contains essential nutrients.

I had a cat that stopped eating, so I mixed up a "goop" that was easy to feed with a syringe or my finger.

Baby turkey or chicken with broth,( beechnut brand only as it has no spices in it) a raw egg yolk ( no white- you have to separate it out) nutrical,and a little baby rice cereal mixed in to give it body, and some KMR. Mix it thoroughly and feed with syringe or finger. You can put some on the roof of his mouth. My cat really grew to enjoy this mixture and shortly I began to mix in her "real" catfood - wellness turkey- in with the mix.

But do talk to your vet about an appetite stimulant.

Do not force anything down your cat's throat. It could get into his lungs. Feed with the syringe in the corner of the mouth only.

Good luck and I do hope your cat begins to eat soon.

There is a yahoo group that is about assisted feeding for felines, that may be also of help to you.

http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assi...

and a Yahoo support group for cats with cancer as well.

http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-canc...

Hope this information helps,

Troublesniffer

Owned by cats for over 40 years

Member: Cat Writer's Association

If he were mine I'd get a really high quality canned food (preferably a senior formula) & a tube of NutriCal (at the pet store). Run the food through the blender so you can syringe it in. Add a little water or broth if you need to thin it. Mix in the NutriCal according to the dosing instructions.

If your vet has recommended a med such as Pepcid it can be added to this mixture, too.

When you syringe it in DON'T squirt it toward the back of his mouth as it's very easy to force it into their lungs.

Put the tip of the syringe right behind the canine tooth & squirt small amounts at a time across the mouth towards the opposite cheek.

Don't give him stuff formulated for kittens. It has way too much protein for an older cat to proprely digest.

Best wishes to you both.

You can try KMR, but if your local pet shop has it I suggest CatSure. It's a liquid meal replacement thing for adult and senior cats, has all the nutrients they need and it works pretty well for helping put weight on a cat, you can also mix some Nutrical with it, or any other similar high calorie supplement, I used both of those on our 17 year old cat when he had some sort of digestive issue going on and anytime he ate he was vomiting. They helped him put on some weight and held him over until his stomach was working correctly.

Catsure Meal Replacement

I wouldn't suggest almond milk...but you've got the right idea. There are so many things that are poisonous to cats. I would get a can of KMR brand kitten milk replacer powder. The powder is so much easier and palatable for them than the premixed cans. I only use KMR because I discovered when fostering kittens that it has much more nutritional value than other brands and it is designed for nursing queens, convalescing adults, and kittens. We used it for my mom's 16 year old cat when she started failing physically because of thyroid disease.

And good for you for sticking by your cat! I hope he gets better soon! My prayers are with you!

My cats drink rice milk; our vet said that was fine. Rice is a common ingredient in cat food, but I don't think nuts are? Lots of foods we can eat are poisonous for cats/dogs, so I'd check those out first.

I am really sorry about your cat.

Maybe you would try rice milk instead.

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Ask your vet for some nutrition paste. I can't remember the name of it. It looks like peanut butter. It comes in a syringe. You can also try baby food. such as chicken, peas, Nothing wrong with Almond milk, if he can tolerate it.

No lectures.Just a big thank you and God Bless You for your care and

compassion in taking care of your friend.Yes I would go and get the

substitute mother's milk.I pray for the health of your cat.