Sick cat in group home

[Pierre]

Hello, we have 3 cats in our household, all rescues, and the oldest one has been very ill. He has congestive heart failure and we opted to treat him in spite of the poor odds for survival. He has had his ups and downs and requires a lot of care and attention. He gets 2
injections a day, 3 pills and a laxative with his meal. We also have to spend a lot of time with him at mealtime to coax him to eat. He also
Sleeps with us at night because the younger cats beat up on him (the bed is favored, contested territory). He has survived for 5 months now, but it has been a disruption in the harmony of our cat household. There has been aggression by the younger cats towards the sick guy and spraying and out of box defecating by all cats. We've tried to be as equitable with attention as we can be, but the sick guy requires a lot of special care. We have 2 Feliway diffusers in the house and we just restarted Rescue Remedy for the younger cats. I have 2 questions. Any suggestion for the spraying and marking? Any good suggestions for increasing the appetite of the sick guy? Thanks so much. We love all of them and we're so happy we can help our sick guy have a little more to his life. In spite of the illness and his weight loss, he's in pretty good spirits.

[Kay]

it sounds as if you are managing things very well, given the difficult circumstances

it sounds as if being banished from your bed is the source of most of the problems with your other two cats - is that because they want the bed, or to be close to you? if it is just the bed (and my girl can't wait for me to get up so she can get on mine!) then could you set up a similar spot for them, using the bedding already smelling of you? would it be possible to separate them from the sick guy more or less permanently, and give them their own litter boxes

do they all have access to outdoor space?

I think you might be in the States, as you have spelled 'favoured' the US way, so difficult to suggest foods which might tempt your poorly boy - although I have never had a cat with heart problems , I would think small regular meals are less of a strain on the heart than big ones - there are cat soups increasingly on the market in the UK which have the benefit of encouraging more liquid intake as well as adding calories - have you tried these, if they are available? Also vets supply very high calorie liquid foods which are designed for cats with poor appetites, and which only have to be ingested in small quantities to do good

some people swear by egg yolks too

[Antonio]

there are cat soups increasingly on the market in the UK which have the benefit of encouraging more liquid intake as well as adding calories - have you tried these, if they are available? Also vets supply very high calorie liquid foods which are designed for cats with poor appetites, and which only have to be ingested in small quantities to do good

I had been using those high calorie liquid food and have to say that they work great. I think that a young kitten might need a small amount to be fine for the day.
The one I used is Nutribound by Virbac. Don't know if I'm allowed to write the name of the product, mods please delete it if necessary.

[Pierre]

Thank you all for the kind responses. The reason we keep them separated at night is the younger boys attacked the old guy in the middle of the night on the bed. The sick guy had a fainting spell because of it, we think. So we decided it was best to separate. There are 3 litter boxes in the house. They do have limited access to the outdoors as well.

Regarding the "soup", we have similar foods here. He wasn't thrilled with them. I'll try some other flavors. Just yesterday, I tried giving him a tiny bit of B complex vitamins, which I read may help stimulate appetite, and it may be working. Bottom line is we know he's going to pass soon. We are just trying to enjoy our time with whatever he has left and keep him comfortable.

[Antonio]

The liquid food I talked about has one only flavour which isn't great, but can replace a complete meal with just one or two teaspoons. In addition to this it should restore the normal appetite in about two days.

[TheCatsMum]

You sound like you've had a lot of work on your hands and well done for trying to give you boy a chance.

Are you cleaning the soiled areas with something like surgical spirit or a biological formula, as scent will attract them back to the same spot? It might be worth giving an extra litter tray a try.

During the last couple of weeks of my boy's life, he really enjoyed cooked chicken and it was lighter on his stomach, so that might be worth ago - just be warned the others might want some as well. My vet also recommended white fish or scambled egg to keep him eating. Not sure if you have them where you are, but Webbox yogurt treats with chicken went down really well.

[greenkitty]

Do you have multiple litter trays? Introducing some more trays may help.

Warming up food can also help with eating, either adding some warm water or a few seconds in the microwave (obviously testing to make sure it's not too hot).

I know how time consuming it is caring for a very sick cat, you're doing a great job despite the issues you're facing.

[Pierre]

Thank you again for all of the suggestions. I've tried eggs, chicken and fish to no avail. Regarding the soup, I haven't heard of this. Do you happen to know the name of it? I've heard of putting a feeding tube in cats, but I think he's been through enough already. I don't want to put him through that. We tried mirtazipine to stimulate appetite, but he didn't respond well to it.

We have 3 litter boxes for the 3 cats. I've cleaned the soiled areas with a special cleaner meant for cat urine and feces.

[Antonio]

The feeding tube is an option to consider in extreme situations. I have been through this and probably I wouldn't go through it again!
If you're asking me for the soup, the name is Nutribound by Virbac. A few teaspoon day administered with a needleless syringe in the mouth of your cat.

[Pierre]

Thank you. I will look for it.

[Janey]

So sorry about your cat. Have you tried Gourmet Pates? My cats have always eaten a bit of those, even when their appetite is poor. They are soft to eat and very tasty I presume. In fact all the Gourmet range are well liked with my lot, but especially the pates. All the best.

[Kay]

my Trigger adored dressed crab - not an option as food, but smelly and soft and a possible appetite stimulent

[Pierre]

His appetite is just poor in general. Almost nothing interests him. I just spent the past 30 minutes looking for the Virbac "soup". It is marketed in the US as Rebound Recuperation. None of the supply stores or vets carry it. I will order it online. Hopefully that might spur some appetite. Thank you again!

[Antonio]

Can't you have a pharmacy order it for you?
It's a weekend and I think you're not going to have it very soon...
Have you tried an appetite stimulant medicine like the mirtazapine?
I'm so sorry for your young cat

[Pierre]

None of the shops or vet pharmacies I called had heard of it. And he's an old guy, 14 years old. He's had a good, long life. Just trying to make his exit as comfortable as possible. We tried the mirtazipine, but it didn't work well. He seemed to have a bad reaction to it and ended up back in the hospital with racing heart and labored breathing when we tried to use it. I actually just returned from the pet supply store and bought him some bonito flakes as a treat. It's the first time I've seen him excited about food in about 4 months.

[Janey]

OH I hope he’s enjoyed his flakes, that’s good news

[Lilith]

Hi there, I'm very sorry to hear about your boy.

Mirtazepine was originally prescribed as a human antidepressant; the stimulated appetite and subsequent weight gain is a side-effect. Many humans react badly to antidepressants, with psychotic symptoms, and also breathlessness and racing heart, just as your lad did.

Sometimes a poorly cat is enticed by tuna, or one of the fishy top end foods like 'Encore' or its US equivalent, but I expect you've tried those.

With very best wishes to the old chap.

[Pierre]

Thank you all for your concern and suggestions. It's nice having the support of folks who get it. I've had this guy since he was the size of the palm of my hand. He's been a great friend for all these years. My friends who don't have pets and even a lot of my dog owning friends don't understand. So thank you...