Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a 9 yr old male cat, was at the vet Sat&Sun this Labor day wknd. It turn ed out he was constipated, got a enema, blood work was done along with set of 5 xrays, and no crystals in his bladder, tho his glucose was high,300,and had some glucose be dumped into his urine(not alot according to the vet) was put on insulin and lactolose to soften his stools. I had to bring him back Sun for the 2nd enema and which the vet put I V 's in him to help rehydrate him too. He has been home a lil over 24 hours and hasnt eaten or drank at all, I have force fed a lil bit today.Now I didn't give him the insulin til today(vet forgot to give me the prescrption and called it in today) around 530pm and it is .2units/cc 1 time a day.
Now around the 4th of July he had serious problems also, blocked urinary tract, needed a catherator,bloodwook and ened up getting insulin(vetsulin it was called) and after 2 weeks vet told me it was ok to stop giving him the insulin, but he is on Hill W/D dry mixed with Purina Urinary tract food, 50/50 mix which he was eating fine til today. he has only been home 24 hours and is peeing ok from the IV's and is taking clavamox 2 times a day, on the Lactolose 1 time a day now, and the insulin 2 units/cc 1 time a day. Should I be worried? Maybe he is still upset from the trauma at the vet? He better than he was in the last 2 days, sleeping a lot, but this cat won't eat nothing unless I force it, no treat, food, but like I said it has only been 1 day.

Hi There,

Yes, you should definitely be worried. It's never a good thing when a diabetic cat isn't eating, and BTW you shouldn't be giving insulin to an anorexic cat. Unless you are force feeding the equivalent of a regular meal.

Most cats that need enemas bounce back quickly once they are cleaned out. Initially they may have nausea from the procedure but this should pass withon a few hours. By the next day the cat should have his or her normal appetite back. Usually a second procedure a couple of days later isn't needed.

You should be feeding canned food only to a cat that tends to get constipated. The dry stuff can contribute to the problem and even cause it to recur. Lactulose is good, as long as the cat tolerates it well, but I don't think it's the best thing to give a cat that isn't eating. It is a type of sugar and can cause GI upset of goven on an empty stomach.

I highly recommend that you take your cat back ASAP for an exam and possibly hospitalization. He is not going to get better if he isn't eating or drinking and he becomes dehydrated. Also, a cat that isn't eating can develop a very serious liver problem that can be fatal without treatment. Your boy has already been through so much.

Good luck and please post an update when you can.

Regards,
PHKitkat

My cat is not anorexic, they vet checked his liver, they did a full work up on him, said everything checked out ok. He has been getting a depo shot for a skin rash he gets frequently, which they said could have caused the the diabetes, and I state he had IV's to rehydrate him, and this is not an ongoing thing. Also I am feeding him wet food,I am not that stupid to force dry food into him! Are you a vet by the way, cause you don't sound like one, and i don't need to be anymore upset thanI already am, so stop it! The vet did full bloodwork, xrays, among other tests pertaining to the situation. I also stated he is doing fine except he has not eaten, or drank much. Now considering he was given several IV's over a 5 hour period, and has pee'ed since being, can't poop(cause nothing to poop) I am giving him his insulin,and other meds as prescribed and plan to bring him in after work Tues, or earlier. If you have nothing positive to say, leave me alone unless you're a VETENARIAN!

Hi,

My intention was not to upset you. I know how hard it is to have a very sick cat and I was just trying to help. I am not a vet but work very closely with a cat-only vet and I often ask her opinion on medical matters.

The word anorexia just means lack of appetite, nothing more. It is serious whenever any cat stops eating for more than a day and dehydration can happen from one day to the next. Labwork also changes constantly from day to day. I know you said that your cat had fluids on Sunday, but if he isn't eating or drinking he can be dehydrated at this point. You also said that he normally eats dry WD mixed with another food and this is why I said what I did about dry food not being good for him. So that was just a misunderstanding on my part.

I really am sorry for what you and your cat are going through. You asked for advice, I gave my opinion. What you do with it is totally your choice.

PHKitkat