19 y/o refusing food - can't give insulin

My cat, Tas, is refusing to eat. I have tried varying the height of the bowls, hand feeding, warm food, mixing with warm and cold water, tuna, turkey, different brands, but he only nibbles a little and then lays back down.

History
2007 Diabetes diagnosis, on insulin and Purina DM
2008 Honeymoon!
2009 Amputation front leg for bone cancer, walked the next day, no problems
2012 August Hyperthyroidism diagnosis, pill 2x day fixed it
2012 October Diabetes diagnosis again, Lantus 1 unit 2x day
2012 Thanksgiving weekend Lantus increased 2 units 2x day

Three days after Lantus increase, BG crashed to 30, rushed to vet, given dextrose, BG back up to 300s. Gave 1 unit the next day, BG back to 30 again. Back to the dextrose. ER vet also gave enema. He thought Tas might have been sick b/c of constipation found on X-Ray. Brought him home Sunday night after long weekend in emergency clinic and was told to take him to my regular vet first thing in the morning. His BG at 9am Monday morning was 326. The vet kept him for the day and gave him 1/2 unit. BG dropped to 136 at lowest. Was told to give him 1/2 unit 2x/day but only if he ate. But he has refused to eat much since coming home Monday night. Considered euthanizing Wednesday night but he ate 1/2 can Wednesday night and seemed to be improving but then stopped eating again. He has lost a LOT of weight. Is down to 5lb from 7lb two weeks ago. He has had diarrhea all week and no longer acts like himself. he doesn't greet me when I come home, respond to catnip, or fight me when I bathe him. A couple times, he has defecated on himself rather than go to the litter box, thus the baths. The vet is hoping this is a bump he can get over as he has overcome a lot of health problems in the past but I feel he is miserable. All his blood panels come back negative for everything except for the diabetes. No liver or kidney problems. Going to take him to the vet tomorrow and see if it is time to let go. But really hoping someone might have any ideas on what's wrong. I'm very frustrated that nothing on his blood tests or x-rays is showing anything wrong yet he keeps having diarrhea, refuses to eat and is very lethargic. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I'm so sorry I dont have any advice. I can only send prayers for Tas. I hope someone else has ideas.
jeanne

 

Thanks for the reply and prayers. They are appreciated. I keep switching between feeling guilty for not having already put him down but then I go and pet him and feel guilty about not trying harder to save him.

 

I am so sorry and hope your baby is feeling better soon. It does sound like something serious....you say xrays show nothing and blood work shows nothing....
I'd be suspicious as he's had bone cancer that something has begun again.
At 19 and only 5 lbs he must be very frail. Did they give you any pain killers? Whatever's the issue he's probably feeling awful. There's a morphine compound the vet can give you that you just rub on the inside of their cheek to ease pain.
For starting up appetite after they're off of their feed, I've had success with syringe feeding small amounts at a time of crushed hard boiled egg mixed with water.
Also apparently the Gerber baby food meats (chicken) usually get them eating again too.
Sending good thoughts and healing wishes for your kitty. At 19 and with all of the health issues you've nursed, he really picked a good bean for a parent.

 

Boy..? I know how THAT feels. Give the others a chance to chime in ok? It's rather a slow day here.
j.

 

I just sent an email to Karrie and Maverick. Karrie helps guide people with cats who refuse to eat, and will probably have you join the Feline Assisted Feeding Group Cats can not go without eating for long, so I would try to syringe some watery food into your kitty if possible.
IAMS Max Cal is a good high calorie low carb cat food to use for this. If you're going to try baby food, you want to get the ones that are meat and broth only, and have no garlic or onions in them. I use the Beech Nut brand.

I wish you the Best Of Luck and will be saying prayers for you and your kitty.

 

Thanks for all the kind thoughts, prayers and advice, especially on a Saturday.

He is VERY frail looking which is what makes me feel so bad for him. You can feel all his bones, even the ones on top of his skull which I had never felt before this week. He's not on any pain medication. I don't know if he is in pain though I know cats are said to be stoic. I have been giving him watered down fancy feast every 3 hours. Sometimes he takes it, sometimes not. I'm going to try some baby food tonight though. Maybe he'll like that better.

Thanks again guys - really appreciate everything!!

 

Also must admit I feel a lil apprehensive about assisted feeding such a frail, elderly cat. I did this with his brother a few years back and he did not take to it and died despite my efforts. I've looked online and all the cats undergoing assisted feeding are younger than mine. Does anyone think his age would factor into it not working well? If it's just the matter of effort, I am happy to put up with it. I am just afraid of making his last days with me miserable.

 

I agree, I went through almost the same thing. My prayers are with you.
j.

 

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in this j. If you don't mind me asking, what was your cat's situation?

 

Oh God... Well... Waldio was not diabetic but he was with me for 14 years. He had so many other health issues, Heart, asthma, gosh I cant remember what all... but he was on a regiment of pills and he HATED taking meds. I was SO worried about saving him I forgot about what HE might have wanted. Usually a good eater one day he just stopped. No matter what I tried...he fought. Sniff...ANYWAY...Lets just say I came to realize I couldnt save him, that trying was making him miserable.

PLEASE I'm not saying that is what you are doing. NOT in ANY way. You know YOUR kitty best. Let others respond I'm sure there are more points of view...
jeanne

 

I think if your vet thinks there's a chance, then go with it. But, you have to try to listen to your heart. I have heard that your cat will tell you when it's time.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your story with me. I'm sure Waldo was a great kitty and you a great mommy. It helps to hear what others have gone through. I do worry I'm keeping him around for me so I don't have to sign a paper saying it's ok to put him down. But every few days he starts eating a little bit and literally runs, three legged, through the house. After posting a few minutes ago, I found him curled up in front of the sliding glass doors watching my son and husband play in the backyard. Which just makes me doubt euthanizing him but then he goes back to laying down and doing nothing but pooping on himself. His brother had stomach cancer, followed by a stroke and a heart attack before put him down but not before I tried feeding him through a tube in his neck. I know it saves lives but it just felt wrong to me. He was so miserable the last month of his life. sigh. Sorry keep venting on here, been home with my 3 year old and cat for the past two days. Haven't had many to bounce these thoughts off of.

And totally off topic, but I love your quote.

 

Well see? there ya go. All Waldo wanted to do was lay in the tall grass and sleep in the sun. If I hadnt forced the meds on him he probably would have passed in peace. Tas sounds like he still has some kick in him. And hey...he's 19, I think your allowed accidents when you get that old, no? I think, I agree with Dyana. Your Vet may have something to say about this.
Good luck and many blessings,
j.

 

You know your cat best. If he is truly suffering I think you know in your heart. At 19 you know time is limited - but to what I don't know. Maverick was 12 when he almost died due to liver failure. A feeding tube saved his life. Many people think when a cat stops eating they are ready to die. Cats aren't like dogs. They stop eating when they are in pain, when they are stressed from renovations, changes in food, heck even changes in litter.

You have some things to try - especially pain medication like buprenorphine. It could be pain. Being as skinny as he is - was this diabetes, cancer in his body (which causes wasting even with calories), or not eating enough?

Sick cats often need more calories to maintain a body weight than they did when they were healthy.

Assist feeding if your cat is okay with this is a tool to keep a quality of life. Any cat of mine will not die with an empty belly or from starvation. I won't assist feed to selfishly keep a cat with me, but will again for quality of life reasons. To give time to get through a crisis, or try pain meds for example. Think of it as assist feeding, never forced feeding. The link Dyana gave you has an amazing video on the home page of someone syringe feeding their cat. When you join the FAF group you are sent five auto files. One of them is how to safely and effectively assist feed. It gives tips on how you can adjust or things to try to do this the easiest for your particular cat. Finger feeding may be best, no constraint is needed for most cats, some cats need a confined space like a bathroom - every cat is different.

For Maverick - IAMS MAXCAL was worth its weight in gold. It has 330 calories and is only 3-6% carbs - I can't recall. It is almost double the calories of most food. So per ml its amazing. You want to aim for a 5.5oz can of food a day. You may be able to get away with less with the maxcal considering he's 5lbs.

The FAF group is a very active group. So please post there about your feeding questions. You can post here also but the FAF group is all about supporting members through the emotional assist feeding aspect. They are not diabetes experts. So make sure to post here daily for diabetes advice and keep everyone here posted.

Sending you big hugs.

 

Since you're a lantus user, it might be helpful to post again in the insulin lantus tight regulation group. Their board is very active, they're usually there day and night and might have a few useful suggestions for keeping your kitty comfortable, and possibly getting him to eat. In case you don't know how to navigate there....click on board index above and then there will be a list of all the user groups....go to the insulin one and click on the tight regulation group.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys. I watched the video link and it does look much different from what I did with Tas' brother, Screamer. Just so worried it's too late with how much weight he has lost already. Going to the vet in the morning so will ask about the assisted feeding then. He started eating better this afternoon with the heated up and watered down fancy feast but then he wouldn't even lick any food before bedtime tonight. And I hope it didn't come across as me thinking that those who assist feed are putting their needs ahead of their cats; I was just afraid it would be what I'd be doing. One minute it seems like Tas is at death's door and I don't want to prolong or make it worse than it already is and then other times he'll eat and even run around. I'm so confused. He still has diarrhea everyday which has no explanation yet. I might get a syringe tomorrow at the vet and see how Tas tolerates it. I''ll also ask about pain meds - think they were worried any additional meds would upset his digestion further as this all started with him throwing up a lot and then refusing to eat. He's had two vet stays during this crisis and both times he started eating on his own while at the vet but would stop when he got home. But however it turns out, I'm really touched by everyone taking time to give me free advice and comfort. Thank you so much and I'll report back tomorrow after our vet visit.

 

If his tummy may be upset, 1/4 of a Pepcid A C regular tablet may be placed in an oral syringe, water suctioned up, the syringe shaken until the tablet dissoves, a bit of mushy food added to cover the taste, shaken again, and then given.

Sometimes this can help your cat eat on his own.

Your local pharmacy probably carries oral syringes for children which work for cats, too.

 

The diarrhea may be inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma in the GI tract. Ask the vet about trying prednisone which may be used for both conditions (its palliative care for cancer). It may perk up the appetite.

Yes, it may raise the insulin requirement because it is a steroid - you treat the inappetance first and manage the diabetes.

 

Perhaps this might help...

THE '~LIVER SHAKE~' FOR SICK CATS
This liquid food is appropriate for cats suffering from conditions where they are eating very little or not at all such as anemias, leukemias, deficiency states with symptoms of lethargy, listlessness, and weakness.

1 cup RAW LIVER (BEEF, or CHICKEN)
1 cup FRESH CARROT JUICE or V-8, or Tomatoe Juice
1/4 cup *FRESH FILTERED WATER
1 RAW EGG YOLK
1 tsp.KELP POWDER OR SPIRULINA


COMBINE AND MIX IN A BLENDER UNTIL LIQUEFIED. (Note: it will be frothy)

Dosage:Administer 10cc daily 3-6 times a day. (6Occ per day max)

Some cats will need to be force-fed with a syringe, while others will drink it out of a bowl.

This food has a sweet and salty taste, and the energetic properties of tonifying (energy boosting), warming and stimulating and supports the kidneys, spleen, liver and stomach.

This drink is a complete dinner for a sick cat until they feel good enough to eat by themselves again.

*Substitute rice water if the cat has diarrhea. Rice water
is made by boiling white rice (2 Tbsp) with water (1cup) for 30 minutes.
This liquid aids digestion and assimilation and inhibits the symptoms of diarrhea.

Deborah C. Mallu,DVM
Holistic Veterinary Care
215 Disney lane
Sedona, AZ 86336
Tel 520-282-5651
Fax 520-282-3586
Email canyonct@sedona.net

 

Wanted to thank everyone again for all their time and help. Unfortunately Tas passed away yesterday. I did find consolation in the fact that he lived a long life and passed away at home while being petted by his mom.

 

{{Hugs}I

May your good memories help lighten grief.