# Force Feeding



## ETrescued (Oct 22, 2009)

Hi all, I just took in my first foster cat. She was going to be PTS because she had URI and was not eating. They recommended syringe feeding.

I first tried feeding her some wellness, heated up, but while she gave it a lick she wasn't interested. I had some Iams dry lying around, and I think she crunched on one or two of those before giving up. I went to the store and picked up some baby food (chicken), a can of meow mix (ewww) and fancy feast, just to see if something would spark her appetite. So far, nothing has worked. She is on doxycycline 0.25mL once a day. 

Edited to add that she is also recently post-partum, and lactating. Her kittens were not found with her and are believed to have been kept by the people who called her in to animal control. I imagine her body is expending a lot of calories into making milk, as she is total skin and bones.

I force-fed her about 25ccs of the baby food. She is a very good patient, and tolerates it reasonably well. My hope is that as she starts to get some strength and her cold clears she will show more interest in food. 

Does anyone have suggestions on force feeding? Anything high-calorie you'd recommend? I did try some wet food in the syringe, but it was too thick even with some warm water added.

Thank you 

-BP


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

If she was an outdoor cat, have you considered trying some real meat? Raw or cooked. 

As for force feeding. When we had to do it, we mixed fancy feast and a special canned from the vet (high calorie) (yuck!), but it worked. Mixed them with water and force fed a few cc's ever few hours we were home. While leaving GOOD canned out 24/7. We had to force feed like that for atleast a week before he started to really eat on his own. Don't give up on her!


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## ETrescued (Oct 22, 2009)

Thank you, Muzby! I will be sure to give this girl the best chance she has.

I bought fancy feast, and will try mixing it with a little baby food. 

I also will try raw. ET eats raw, so when I feed him dinner I will give her a bit and see if that stimulates her.

Keep the suggestions coming :-D

-BP


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Cinder was very sick and I had to force feed her for about 4 days until she found the inspiration to eat again. I also had trouble getting the wet food into a consistency that would not clog the syringe. I ended up having to buy science diet because their wet food is already an oatmeal-like consistency and when mixed with water, it was easier to get into the syringe. She also accepted a few syringes full of chicken broth more gracefully than the watered down wet food. Just make sure to get the low sodium kind if you try that. Another thing I did, after being frustrated with my canned food smoothie always clogging the syringe, was boil some chicken. I cut it into tiny cubes and then would feed her pieces in much the same manner as you would pill a cat. She REALLY fought this, just as any cat would fight a pill. But I would put it in, hold her mouth closed, and stroke her throat. About 1 in 5 of these attempts would successfully get her to swallow a piece which I think is probably a better accuracy percentage than pilling attempts, so I was satisfied. :wink


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

I always use this type of syringe when having to force feed:










they work so much better with canned! They have a much wider opening so it makes it easier to get canned food through. 

I always have a few new ones around just in case...I never use the same one on two differant cats or for more than a few days.

Most feed stores have syringes which are typically below $2.

Its worked for me to actually use Wellness and feed them that through the syringe with a bit of extra water added. If you mix it enough it is a thick gruel...and I much prefer Wellness over Science Diet


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

The following links will provide many helpful tips and tricks for assist feeding:

http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm
http://www.assistfeed.com/
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Feline ... ed-Feeding

If your girl is congested with her URI, it may be very helpful to put her into a steamy bathroom for 20-30 mins right before feeding her. Cats won't eat what they can't smell, and the steam will help drain and open her sinuses so that she can smell the food.

You can make most canned cat foods syringeable by pureeing them in your kitchen blender with a little hot water. Don't make the mixture too soupy, or she may aspirate it into her lungs when you feed her. Keep the gruel as thick as possible that will still go through your syringe. Depending on the type of syringe you are using, you may be able to snip the end of the syringe off to make a larger hole for the gruel to flow through.

As another poster mentioned, there are prescription diets available that are formulated specifically for syringe feeding. They have very smooth textures and are high calorie for debilitated animals. Hill's A/D is one of these diets. I believe Eukanuba makes a similar food, as well. Ask your vet.

Doxycycline commonly has all sorts of negative side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance, stomach pain, fever, hair loss, and depression. It's not surprising that the cat is refusing to eat on her own while taking doxy. If you are not able to get adequate nutrition into her with assist feeding, call the vet and ask to switch her to a different antibiotic. It's critical that she gets enough food into her system.

Thank you for taking her under your care. Poor girl needs the extra support to pull her through this illness and treatment.

Laurie


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## ETrescued (Oct 22, 2009)

Well, she made it through the night! 

I actually did steam up the shower for her last night to try to clear her sinuses. Afterwards, I heated up some stinky Meow Mix to see if that would get her interested. Well, she sniffed it for a few moments and then proceeded to start chowing down on her dry food!!! She probably ate 1/4 c while I was in there. I made sure she had plenty, and went in to check on her again this morning. I think she ate a bit more overnight, and I gave her another steam treatment and she had a few more bites.

If she is only eating ~1/2c day, should I still force feed her additional nutrients? As I mentioned above, she is lactating (although has been without kittens for about 3 weeks) so I worry that her calories are going to making milk. 

Another big victory, however, was that she had a bowel movement! The shelter staff said that she had not had one for a few days, and that was the big reason they were going to euth her. One was very hard, the other quite soft. I imagine her poor digestive tract is going through so much.

Laurie, thank you so much for that information on doxy. I intended to look it up, but hadn't gotten a chance to yet. What a tough drug to give a cat in the shelter environment. If her appetite stays poor, I certainly will take her back to the vet and see if they can prescribe something with less devastating side effects.

I'm pretty thrilled to be able to make a difference in this little girls life. Will keep you posted 

-BP


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## saved by an angel (Dec 4, 2009)

Glad things are going better. If you do have to go back to force feeding - I added about a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to the canned food from the vet and added a little warm water to make it easier to feed - it was a very creamy consistency and made it harder for my kitty to spit out - plus it helped her poop!


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## ETrescued (Oct 22, 2009)

She has been munching on dry (Iams) throughout the day. I'm going to give her some EVO 95% dry to get some more protein into her. Her appetite seems good, especially after a steam treatment or when I'm in there hanging out with her.

Still no real interest in wet food (or raw) that is hot/cold/room temperature, and I've tried several different varieties. 

Should I syringe feed her tonight? She is doing well with drinking, but I'm concerned about her calorie intake. She also has not had a bowel movement since last night. I can dig out my blender and give her some EVO 95 wet if that would be a better idea!

-BP


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

At this point, if she's eating enough - I don't think I'd force feed. Just keep offering wet/raw & make it interesting.. tuna juice & parmasean cheese. hear those things can make new foods more interesting. 

However, if she's only grazing a little it won't hurt to syringe her some extra calories. Especially if she's easy to handle.


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## Chachanine (Jan 16, 2010)

Hey!

I've found force feeding cats is about as successful as force feeding children!
You go to the doctor and they tell you to do it and you get home and nothing!!!

As silly as it sounds I go with the same philosophy as with my children, which is nothing...
I leave food and water available, easy to access... And give lotsa love... I've pretty much taken the force part away...

It usually takes about 3 to 4 days before they do eat, but it works... And eventually we're on the same page...

I think give them what they need, but let them take it... 
Luv,
Nina


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## ETrescued (Oct 22, 2009)

Well, I think we've officially graduated from force feeding! 

I left her for a few hours and when I came back she had finished off her Fancy Feast!! I brought her more, which she anxiously gobbled. She also had no problem eating the EVO 95 dry. I will see if she's up for eating some higher quality wet food (and maybe some raw!) tomorrow. 

She's doing a great job with drinking. At first she seemed to only be interested in drinking from the faucet, but now I've seen her drink from her bowl several times which is great.

Thanks for all the excellent tips. Hopefully this thread will help others too 

-BP


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Chachanine said:


> As silly as it sounds I go with the same philosophy as with my children, which is nothing...
> I leave food and water available, easy to access... And give lotsa love... I've pretty much taken the force part away...
> It usually takes about 3 to 4 days before they do eat, but it works... And eventually we're on the same page...


Hi Nina, I just wanted to comment that it is dangerous to allow a cat to not eat for several days. I understand your reasoning, and I do agree that it can work for many animals. The problem with cats though, is they can very quickly develop an often-times fatal condition called Hepatic Lipidosis, or fatty liver, which is basically 'cat jaundice' from not eating in as little time as 36hrs. Their body tries to use its' own resources and clogs the liver with fat, making the cat feel sick and not wanting to eat, compounding the problem. 
_I have experienced an acute case of jaundice myself and I can guarantee you, I've never felt so awful in my life. I'm sure it is similar for other mammals, too._
The only way to save the HL/FL/jaundiced cat IS to force feed them. They must be force-fed enough food to sustain them *and* halt their body from cannibalizing their reserves *and* replace what the body had already cannibalized. This is why it is so critical for them to not go without food for any extended period. Two days, maxiumum, and then I'd be force-feeding. I joined this forum because my cat Malibu developed HL/FL and I needed information, assistance and encouragement. I was able to save her, but it was a near thing. Most HL cats treated at home, die. We at this forum have also tried to be supportive of other people who were trying to save their HL cats, and not everyone was successful. Hepatic Lipidosis is very serious and one that I have had personal experience, both firsthand myself and with one of my kitties.
heidi =^..^=


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## Chachanine (Jan 16, 2010)

Agreed... 

And neither would I let a child starve !

Being neither a veterinarian nor pediatrician, I assume all our suggestions and anecdotes are taken as they should be...
From loving people, but that's it! To not be followed after a few days... 

NIna


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Chachanine said:


> Being neither a veterinarian nor pediatrician, I assume all our suggestions and anecdotes are taken as they should be...
> From loving people, but that's it! To not be followed after a few days...


Well, no not exactly. Of course, everyone should do their own research and not take information on a forum as gospel. However, we have a lot of very cat knowledgeable people here and if we see someone making recommendations that are potentially hazardous and especially life threatening, we are going to highlight it and correct it. No one benefits from misinformation...


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Chachanine said:


> Agreed...
> And neither would I let a child starve !
> Being neither a veterinarian nor pediatrician, I assume all our suggestions and anecdotes are taken as they should be...from loving people, but that's it!


I understand, and like Doodlebug said, everyone *should* question things they hear online with their vet, but sometimes things discovered online can help a person to formulate a good plan with their vet to treat their pets. 
Now, Doctors and children .... I don't have kids and am only familiar with my own medical issues. But if someone is experiencing anything similar to something I've gone through, sometimes sharing information can be beneficial. That is how I see information at forums; someone has had *this* experience and *this* is what they did, how it worked and/or how it didn't work. That then opens the door for the person to learn more and be able to ask their vet knowledgeable questions to help in the pet's treatment.
We can learn things everywhere...and it is good to be able to learn things!
=^..^=


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## saved by an angel (Dec 4, 2009)

I have to second what Heidi said - she helped me through the process of getting my sweet kitty to survive Hepatic Lipidosis - thanks again!!! Tia is amazing and hilarious and soooo lovable and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to see those things in her. Had I given up and not force fed her, she would NOT be alive today.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Hey! I'm so glad to hear Tia is doing so well, you need to post an update thread. Got piccies of her?


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