joj@nvuxb.UUCP (J J Fowler) (03/06/86)
I just got two kittens from a woman who takes in strays.
They both caught colds the week we were to take them home, we took them
anyway. One seems to be recovering nicely (the only thing the vet told
us to do was to give them children's nosedrops). The other seems to be
very sick. The main problem is we have never seen him eat. (The vet says
he doesn't want to eat because he can't smell the food because his nose
is clogged). We tried to give him "queen's milk" from the pet store
thinking maybe his illness is keeping him from eating solid foods, he
won't drink any. We got them Saturday. He has been getting less and
less playful, this is now Thursday. Does anyone know of anyway to encourage
him to eat? Does anyone know how long he can go without eating? Thanks
for any help (we are also taking him back to the vet today). Its amazing
how fast you can get attached.
Joanne
{allegra,ulysses}!nvuxb!jojkerry@ctvax (03/12/86)
Cats when not already emaciated from a disease can live a long time without food, the same way we humans can live for long periods on just water. However, this is not good for the animal of course, especially one that is fighting an illness. Watch the cat closely and if it refuses to eat after a couple of more days, I suggest that you resort to hand feeding the animal. I don't know how old the cat is, but if it is a small kitten, a turkey baster (or similar) filled with "queens" milk will do the trick. Just be careful and don't choke the cat. If it is an older cat, some really tasty cat food or fish can be inserted into the cat's mouth. Then hold the cat's mouth shut and massage its throat. Be careful; if the cat cannot breathe through its nose, (due to nasal congestion) it might get choked on the food if its mouth is held shut too long. Kitty will usually give in and swallow the food or milk when this method is used. I don't know how much experience you have with our feline friends, but I will warn you anyway: cats do not like to be forced to do ANYTHING. You may want to wrap kitty in a nice big fluffy towel if you decide to try the above hand-feed- ing method. This will help control kitty, keep the mess to a minimum and maybe help you to keep from being scratched. Good Luck!
delanie@trsvax (03/13/86)
When my puppy had this problem, I did like I would do with a kid: Feed them what they like, that is, tempt them. Try yummy can foods, tuna fish, baby food, etc. Try putting some on your finger and sticking it in his mouth. Try getting him to drink some water the same way. Keep trying.
marauder@fluke.UUCP (Bill Landsborough) (03/18/86)
In article <58100027@trsvax> delanie@trsvax.UUCP writes: >When my puppy had this problem, I did like I would do with a kid: >Feed them what they like, that is, tempt them. >Try yummy can foods, tuna fish, baby food, etc. >Try putting some on your finger and sticking it in his mouth. I would caution anyone who would try this with a cat. When you put food on your finger and stick it into a cat's mouth it will think, "Food = CHEW !! " And it will drive those razor sharp fangs deep into your finger thinking all the time about this delicious raw meat my loving master has fed me. I know. My wife did it and it took weeks to heal. And it was not the cat's fault. Bill Landsborough ---- "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude... Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
lizv@tektools.UUCP (Liz Vaughan) (03/19/86)
All the "conning kitty to eat" ideas are good, but be sure that there isn't something else wrong. A "cold" in kittens may turn out to be neumenitis (kitty pneumonia) or distemper. Just because the other kitten got better doesn't mean this one doesn't have something serious. Take her to a vet you trust PRONTO If it IS just a cold, food should help - kittens don't have a lot of body reserves to live off of. Especially try to force water (even sugar water if she won't take food) - a turkey baster makes this pretty easy. When a stray kitten we'd picked up had distemper, we finally got her to eat cottage cheese and egg yolks (and she made it!) One final word on selecting a healthy kitten (or puppy): young animals are pretty active unless they're asleep. If kitty just lies there doing nothing, chances are something's wrong (probably just worms though). Good luck