I brought Ruby back from the vet today--please say a purr-ayer for her

[meow2u3]

She is now spayed--that's the good news. She meowed and meowed the entire trip home, and that's because I discovered she peed in the carrier all over herself. Now for the bad news is that she lost so much weight that now she's very skinny, only ate a little bit of canned food, and is groggy. The poor cat looks like death warmed over and I'm worried I might lose her :cry: Her kitten Max is 11 weeks old and he's been crying lately.

Is it normal for a mother cat whose kittens were recently weaned to lose so much weight so quickly she looks like a skeleton with fur covering it? Will she recover? Please purray for her to get her weight back up and recover.

[yellerpup]

1. Strongest good wishes for Ruby's good health

and peace of mind for you. :hug:

[Tammie]

2. Me and my furry clan are all wishing Ruby a speedy recovery.

:hug:

[IndyOp]

3. STP - Call the vet who did the surgery and tell them your concerns.

If they aren't responsive or if you don't have confidence in them, then take Ruby & Max to a different vet. Max and Ruby might both benefit from some kitten milk supplement and Ruby might need some vitamin & calorie supplement to get her back on track with her diet. Once cats stop eating their systems can be thrown off and it is hard to get them eating again. I've seen good suggestions around DU for babyfood that cats love - you might post and ask for some specific information about that.

:hug:

[meow2u3]

6. Ruby has been eating

The problem I see is that she had been losing weight since her 3-in-1 vaccinations. Before she got her shots, she weighed about 9 pounds; three weeks later, before her booster 3-in-1, she weighed 7 1/2 pounds; yesterday, she weighed just under 7. Now she is so skinny I can see her bones.

But she is eating, albeit only canned food. The vet recommended she avoid dry food, since it can constipate her and mess up her incision. She is cleaning herself, but is pushing Max away (Max is eating like a champ on his own) because he's been playing rough and tumble and snuggling up against her right in the incision, hurting her. I think there is a combination of her being in pain, groggy from the anethesia, and having a reaction to the vaccine, which I think they might have given her too much.

I took her to the SPCA, where the spay is low cost.

[IndyOp]

7. She's been through giving birth, nursing, getting vaccinations, and a surgery?

I would allow absolutely no more medical procedures until she gets her weight way back up again -- just the stress of all of those events is tremendous.

If Ruby is pushing Max away, I'd suggest giving her her own room and keeping Max out entirely except for short visits until Ruby starts to recover. Before you let Max visit wear him out with play and then make sure he eats so that he is ready to rest when he is with Ruby.

I'd try the Nutri-cal vitamin and calorie supplement -- it is available at your local pet store and not very expensive. I'd also try the babyfood meat suggested below in this thread -- anything to get Ruby to eat more than normal. The Nutri-cal and meat babyfood should also help keep her from getting constipated -- they are both high in water/oil content.

:hug:

[alstephenson]

8. Yay! That's great news!

Poor little thing - she's been through a lot. I agree with the other poster about keeping her isolated until she's feeling better. Good luck!

[meow2u3]

9. Ruby and Max are snuggling again

She's feeling a bit better today, eating well and resting. She's a lot quieter than her usual "mrow-mrow" self, but I attribute that to the pain from her surgery. Only time will tell when she'll become vocal again.

She slept with me last night and woke up on a comfy blanket on the floor this morning. I fed her and Max and they both ate their fill. I think Ruby will gain back the weight she lost from nursing and the spay.

She's being a good kitty and not messing with her stitches.

[alstephenson]

11. Awwww! What good kitties.

Sounds like Ruby is on her way back to good health.

[Eurobabe]

12. How is your Ruby today, is she eating?

Sending purr-rayers for her. :hi:

[meow2u3]

14. Ruby is starting to play with her kitten again

Last night, the cats woke me up--both Max and Ruby--by jumping on my face, using me for a launching pad, and wrestling on top of me as I was trying to sleep. When I got up to close the window, I saw the both of them running around the room, vaulting onto the furniture, and chasing each other around. Ruby's even putting on the weight she lost! :bounce:

I have to take her back to the vet Friday to get her stitches removed.

[japple]

4. Meat baby food might help. When I had a very sick cat,

the vet started her on chicken, turkey, or veal baby food. It's the kind in the smallest baby food jars. It is really thick, so I took off the top and heated it for just a few seconds in the microwave, stirred it up (test with your finger to make sure there are no hot spots), and my kitty ate it like she was starved. You can give her something like that until her appetite comes back, then wean her off by giving a little less each day. Good luck with your little dear sweetheart. Hope Ruby bounces back quickly.

Keep us posted.

[alstephenson]

5. Uh oh. Not good.

Cats are prone to "fatty liver" when they don't eat - even a couple of days. You need to get her to eat - try anything/everything. Poor Ruby - I'm hoping for the best for her. If you can get some food in her and she can get some rest she will probably come around. Hang in there!

[blondie58]

10. poor little Ruby

something that will put a lot of weight on her also is goats milk. My kids loved it. Hang in there, Ruby! Get better soon.

[KSinTX]

13. Purraying for Ruby

My guy Sam was at about 6 lbs and after several vets we'd decided to let him die peacefully. Turns out we'd had a series of bad vets and the one a friend recommended put him back on his feet. He was on antibiotics, vitamins and Science Diet (exclusively) for quite a while as he was diagnosed with hepatitis of the liver. Now he goes on the Amoxycillin only when he starts losing weight and vitamins as needed. Vet doesn't want him to develop immunity to the meds so we keep it to a minimum.

I say all that to say a good vet can likely put her back up to par without another surgery and that there is hope when we think there's no answer. Our very best wishes to all of you.