Mack is definitely more active than he's been in weeks!
He's jumping up into the cat nest, and out again. Scratching at the tape around his neck, sniffing my shoe, popping up next to me, then back into the nest, then sitting as still as if he's stalking a mouse. Then, off again. Feisty!
It's good to see! But I've become so accustomed to tuning into every nuance of his behavior to interpret how he's feeling, that I'm making myself crazy trying to figure out if it means anything.
I think it means he's better.
The cat doctor took some blood, and will be calling with the results tomorrow. Mack isn't as jaundiced as he was 2 weeks ago when she first saw him, but he's still a bit yellow. The blood test will tell us whether his liver function is improving. If not, she will recommend an ultrasound and biopsy (sound familiar?) to find out whether it's hepatitis or WHAT? If the liver function IS improving, it's probably just fatty liver syndrome, and we're well on our way to recovery.
He's off the antibiotic, having finished the entire prescription, and got a new supply of appetite stimulant (for all the good it's doing us!). The lysine seems to have done its job curing the runny nose and sneezing, but won't hurt if we continue 500mg/day (cutting dosage in half) now. Supplements for his gall bladder and liver support continue. Add another $200 to the running total on this episode of Mack's life. Lost track? Me, too. I figure it's better that way, until we get to smooth sailing. Especially when I hear "ultrasound and biopsy" being bandied about again. Argh.
I was a bit worried about his scratching at the tape that holds the tube in place, but the doc says there's no infection, no problems, and the tube is still quite securely in place. It will be fine to leave in place for weeks, if it takes that long for him to decide to eat on his own.
He's not getting enough food. Period. He needs at least a full can of this high-protein, high fat diet each day, to sustain himself. He's getting only about 1/2 to 2/3 can. (Which, don't get me wrong, is a great improvement over not eating at all!)
The doc suggested giving him less at each feeding, and feeding more often. Hmmm. I don't know how that can happen. We DO need to work, if only to support our Mack habit!
He's been averaging 97, 112, 108 cc per day. Today, he's already at 102 (at 10:30 p.m.). If he lets me feed him again, that means he could get as much as 130 or so.
So ... if I get up at 5, I can give him 20 cc by 5:30, then give him 30-35cc by 7:30 when I leave for work. I can usually leave work by 11:30 to get him 30-35cc by 12:30 and get back to work by about 1:00. I really ought to work 8 hours, so leaving at 5:30, I could get him 20cc by 6:30. If we go by the 10cc/hour guideline set by the vet, I could give him more at 8:30. Decision time. Do I give him 20cc and hope I last until 10:30 to give him 30-35cc more? Okay, so say I DID last until 10:30, and gave him 35cc before bed. Drum roll: that would mean he'd get between 150-165cc in a day.
That's still not a full can of food in a day.
I don't know what else to do.
The cat doctor says some day, when he's hungry, he'll just decide to eat. I hope that day comes soon.
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