Hallelujah!

You've got to be tired of good news by now, right?

Well, I'll bore you with one more delightful fact: Mack has been spotted eating REGULAR CAT FOOD, *twice* yesterday, alone -- for the first time since he's been sick.

I've hesitated to announce "Mission Accomplished!" before now, for fear it would prove to be premature and overly optimistic -- but I feel pretty safe, now that he's overtly eating with the other guys.

That means we can gradually wean him off the Kitten Chow and Wellness canned foods.

The whole crew may get a treat now and then, but our goal is to get everyone on the same food again.
Every time I have given Reggie & Lucky little bits of the special foods, it has crossed my mind that I'm taking a chance that Lucky will get another urinary blockage (he's had 4-5 already in his lifetime ... most recently about 2 years ago). That's why everyone has been eating Purina ONE Special Care - Urinary Tract Health Formula for years and years. We had tried moving them to the older-cat formula because they are all really pretty much couch potatoes ... but even as an older cat, Lucky's body accumulates crystals that create blockages and threaten his life ... so -- Special Care it is!

We've been monitoring Mack's caloric intake since the tube was removed 1 1/2 weeks ago, just to be sure he's within a healthy range. The values have varied wildly, from a high of 442 (oink!) to a low of 129 (not nearly enough).

Based on what I've read at the website of the Hill's Prescription Diet a/d food that brought him back to life, a cat his size that is recovering from hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) should get about 231 calories ... the vet estimated 273 ... so we're trying to be sure he's somewhere in that range.

My question is: what about a WELL cat? We don't want his weight to go so high that he's at risk of hepatic lipidosis again ... so I have to research what his range should be, now that he doesn't need to GAIN anymore weight. (At his last vet appointment, Mack was 9.25 pounds. This morning, on my unscientific scale, I'm guessing he's nearer to 10 pounds. Enough!)

Oh! One more detail: Mack's neck has healed beautifully! The area that was sore around the feeding tube, as well as where the tube entered, is all closed and healed with no complications at all. He's still a little bare, of course --- I'm surprised how long it's taking to grow back that fur on his neck and legs --- and I've discovered the true purpose of cat fur is to insulate unsuspecting humans from scalding themselves on the true body temperature of a healthy cat. Zowie! They're warm!

Our next challenge is getting a good night's sleep ... Mack has still been in our bedroom with us, and (affectionate as it is) I'm not getting much sleep when Mack decides to park on my chest and poke his nose into my face!

This is a small price, though, for having this cuddler back in true form. I find myself petting him and saying things like, "You're such a good boy ... and so ALIVE! What a wonderful kitty!"

Thank you for wishing Mack to wellness!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Mack video

Mack playing with daddy - April 13, 2007 - 2 weeks with feeding tube and feeling better!





Mack - April 13, 2007 - Now that I have it ... what do I do with it?




Mack - done playing - huddled near the heater - April 13, 2007




Mack - healthy and relaxed - May 11, 2007





Mack - eager to enter the "dining room" - May 11, 2007





Mack - May 11, 2007 - "This is where you offer me the delicious expensive canned food in a bowl ...."

Calories per can of Wellness brand cat foods

Just received these calorie counts for the Wellness brand cat food Mack will eat.

Since we're supposed to be getting him 273 calories every day, this is important information ... but it wasn't listed on the cans or on the company's website.

Their customer service department is very responsive, though -- I got these values this morning, after sending an email request yesterday in the evening!

I'm posting them here for future reference, and in case it will help anyone else in a similar situation in the future!

Calories in Wellness Canned Cat Foods- by Can Size

Chicken
3oz 120
5.5oz 220
12.5oz 500

Chicken & Herring
3oz 103
5.5oz 189
12.5oz 429

Beef & Chicken
3oz 105
5.5oz 193
12.5oz 439

Turkey
3oz 119
5.5oz 218
12.5oz 495

Turkey & Salmon
3oz 99
5.5oz 181
12.5oz 412

Sardine, Shrimp & Crab
3oz 89
5.5oz 163
12.5oz 370

Salmon & Trout
3oz 113
5.5oz 208
12.5oz 472

Chicken & Lobster
3oz 107
5.5oz 195
12.5oz 444

Kitten
3oz 121

Nicole Bibeau
Specialist
Consumer Affairs

(request #000026373B)

Appetite stimulant and new toys

My friend Mary wrote:

Just read your Sunday post and had a thought - check the cans for additives/preservatives. Mack didn't "eat" for such a long time that maybe these "extras" have a smell of their own that he only now notices? Just a very wild guess. It's just good to hear that he is eating on his own (and with your cross-town trek, apparently eating very well-traveled cat food : - ).


That's entirely possible, Mary. I do know, after further research, that the Wellness brand uses human-grade food products in its line of pet foods -- which makes it less icky for me to be stirring it up with my *fingers*! Some of that canned pet food is absolutely disgusting, from a purely human mostly-vegetarian point of view!

Last night before bed, since Mack hadn't eaten enough food all day, I popped a half-tablet of appetite stimulant down his throat. He wasn't happy with me, but it was pretty quick with the new pill plunger I picked up at the Cat Doctor on Friday, for just this purpose. It places the pill well past the cat's tongue, so it's less likely to end up getting spit out!

Anyway, between 10 p.m. and 6:30 this morning, Mack ate a whopping 5 2/3 tablespoons of Kitten Chow (compared with 4 1/3 all day yesterday). He *really* wanted his canned food, too -- and gobbled down 2 1/4 oz. before I left for work! That's as much as he ate yesterday, all day!

He was really bouncy and energetic yesterday, though. I bought some new cat toys, and Mack (along with Reggie and Lucky) played with every one of them. The first one, a 2 1/2" glow-in-the-dark white pom pom with metallic blue threads, Mack tossed up in the air (I swear!) about 4', and followed with a leap of his own, about 4" behind it -- but he did a flip instead of catching it, and landed smack on his back on the hardwood floor. Didn't hurt him -- he took off like a demon, and hid under the papasan for a while. Didn't play with THAT toy again.

I coaxed him out, and he wasn't hurt, just shocked and embarrassed, I think. I had to laugh out loud, though!

He's been darting around, in and out of doors as if we can't see him streak by ... just like before he was sick. He's DEFINITELY feeling better.

This morning, though, after gorging on the canned food (which was less than we'd been stuffing into his tummy when we were tube-feeding, so I wasn't worried that he was overeating), he was all relaxed and curled up for a nap at the foot of the bed. Made me smile.

Mack is back.

When did we get a finicky cat?

So, I'm driving down the street, with the express mission of buying a reasonable supply of the one brand of canned cat food that Mack will eat. I've already called our local natural foods coop - the Outpost - and they say they don't carry any canned Wellness brand products, just dry. So the only store I know that carries the stuff is Beans & Barley, where I happen to have had dinner with a friend on Friday night. Before we had dinner, I picked up samples of canned cat food, to see whether they would appeal to Mack's appetite.

The good news is that I picked TWO WINNERS.

The weird question is: what if I hadn't scheduled dinner at Beans & Barley on Friday night? What would Mack be eating????

The bad news is that I only bought two cans. I did get a can of some other brand, as well, but Mack won't touch it, after a few initial licks.

So, I'm on my way to B&B to buy more Wellness canned food. And I realize I'm passing Pet Supplies Plus. I wonder if THEY carry the Wellness brand canned food -- that would save me several miles and several more minutes on my errands. So I pull into the parking lot of Pet Supplies Plus. They do not carry the Wellness brand, but they have a fabulous selection of Purina Fancy Feast products -- none of which were on the recent recall list of foods contaminated with melamine. (Remember melamine plates, from the 50s and 60s? they were just plastic? why didn't they just call them plastic?)

Aware that this is a risky business, I decide to buy about a dozen different flavors of Fancy Feast, hoping one or two will appeal to Mack, and that I can save 60 cents per can over the Wellness brand, which is also several miles farther away.

Quite pleased with myself, I bring my selection of Fancy Feast home, and crack open a can of Salmon Feast -- Sue's recommendation when we were trying to get Mack to eat prior to intubation. I mix it up and call Mack to the dining room -- he follows eagerly because he's hungry ... he hasn't had anything but Kitten Chow since 7 a.m. when he finished off the first can of Wellness brand.

Mack jumps up on the bed, eager, excited. He sniffs the food in the can I'm holding. He bumps my other hand so I'll pet him.

I stir the Salmon feast with my finger (eeew), and offer it to Mack. He bumps my hand so I'll pet him.

I try again. He bumps my hand for petting.

Salmon Feast is rejected.

I try a can of Purina Friskies Kitten Formula, which I picked up on a whim because Mack liked the Wellness Kitten formula. This, too, is painfully rejected. (Well, not painful -- just smelly and messy.)

Sigh. I will not open the other ten cans to see if any of them appeal to Mack. It's just too wasteful and frustrating!

John and I get in the car and drive down to Beans and Barley, have a nice early dinner, buy 14 cans of Wellness brand canned food in the two flavors Mack has not yet rejected -- aware that, at any moment, his taste may change and this investment, too, may be wasted.

When we get home, the first thing I do is pop the top of a can of the Kitten formula, call the cat to the dining room, and offer it to our recuperating cat (I have to remind myself of why I'm going through this trouble ... he is still recuperating ... he is still recuperating ... he is still recuperating!).

Same procedure, very different result: Mack dives into the can, nose first, and gobbles about a half ounce of the canned food. I'm relieved. He will get his nutrition today. But I'm puzzled, too. How does he know this is the right one!?!?

More importantly, what the heck would he be eating if I hadn't found the "right" one?

Wow. I just don't know the answer to that.

Macks-a-million Kitty update

Two weeks ago, the vet cleaned up Mack's tube-insertion site, gave him a clean tape collar to hold things in place, and sent us home with instructions to put antibiotic ointment on the area if it looked inflamed.

After about a week, Mack started scratching at his tape collar more and more often. Soon, we noticed that it was looking dirtier -- and getting kind of smelly, too. I thought, maybe, the petroleum base of the ointment was turning rancid?

By last Monday, I was on the phone with the vet's office, asking about getting it cleaned up again. They suggested that, with warm water, we might be able to take care of the problem ourselves. We tried, for a couple of days. Things only seemed to get worse. So, on Friday, we took him in to the vet again.

Apparently, Friday afternoon was a busy time at this vet's office. By the end of the day, when we arrived, they were not only short one doctor (on vacation for 2 weeks), but also short on patience. The vet examined Mack, and pulled at the tube-entry site in ways I would never have thought -- much less have the confidence -- to do. Under the tape, where I hadn't ever looked, was greenish goo -- the source of the smell I was detecting. I felt like a bad parent.

The vet took Mack to the back room to clean him up and put new tape on the tube -- but came back empty-handed. His sutures were out, and the tube was in danger of popping out anytime if she didn't suture it back in place right away. To do that, she'd have to sedate him. Did we want her to take the tube out, or suture it back in?

Fortunately, we'd brought the three sheets of graph paper on which we'd documented every speck of food Mack had eaten or been fed for the last six weeks, since the intubation. His oral intake, primarily Kitten Chow, had been all over the map. Some days, it was as low as 2 1/2 tablespoons, some as high as 10 1/2. There seemed to be no relationship between the oral intake and tube feedings, the oral intake and appetite stimulant, or any other discernible pattern.

The vet said, "If he's eating pretty well on his own," it was safe to take the tube out. We appealed to her to tell US, based on her expertise and our records, whether he was actually eating enough. After an extended consultation, (which left her pretty impressed with the extent and detail of our record-keeping!) we all decided it would be best to take the tube out -- his neck needed to heal, and if worse came to worse, we could always syringe-feed him orally to supplement his voluntary intake. But it was a scary step to take! "What if ... what if ... what if ...?"

Since Mack hasn't shown much interest in eating anything besides Kitten Chow -- with the exception of 2 1/2 T of that Trader Joe's Ocean Fish & Salmon over the course of 2 days, and a single tablespoon of the Purina Urinary Health formula over a period of one full week! -- we were a bit worried about him getting enough nutrition and calories without the tube.

The great news: since we brought him home, Mack has gobbled down about 2 oz. of a Kitten Formula canned food by Wellness, as well as about 1 oz. of the Wellness Turkey & Salmon! All this in addition to between 4-6 T of Kitten Chow. This may not sound like much, but I can't tell you how relieved we are!

I don't even mind (much -- yet) that he seems only to want to eat the canned food when I'm physically holding the can or bowl it's in. That will get old quickly, but right now, it seems a small concession.

Also, his neck is showing excellent progress in healing, already. This is the Amazing Healing Cat, I gotta tell ya!

As Sue would say, "Go, Mack, go!"

Extubated!

I've watched enough doctor shows on TV to know the term for putting a tube into someone: intubation.

Funny how they never talk about the inevitable event on the other end of the recuperation ... is it DEtubation? OUTtubation? Is the patient detubified? (Note: Thank you, Lindsey, for the proper term: extubation!)

Well, whatever they call it ... we called it "taking it out."

YES! The exciting news is that our beloved Mack cat is without his orange halo, as of about 5:30 last night, when the vet took it out!

Poor baby has really sore spots around the opening itself, which is closed and quickly healing with plenty of "triple antibiotic" ointment. Looks icky, though.

Details - as in how this decision was reached, what precipitated it, and what we need to watch for now -- will be forthcoming.



Meanwhile, we are apparently scheduled 3 times daily (at least) to give this kitty a 30-minute belly rub. He's gotten VERY accustomed to the undivided attention he's been getting during tube feedings. I guess we don't mind ..... puurrrrrr.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Erratic Appetite Frustration

No, not mine. My appetite is quite healthy ... goldarn it.

I'm talking about Mack's appetite.

The euphoria over him eating the Trader Joe's Ocean Fish & Salmon canned cat food lasted just about 24 hours. The next day, he ignored it completely.

Lucky and Reggie, on the other hand, gobble as much as they can get. That's ending, too, since a moderate portion last night ended up as slush on my floor afterward. Yuck. Smelly, too.

ANYWAY ... I'm trying to remind myself that patience is what is called for here. I'm also trying to find out how long it's going to take for Mack to eat enough on his own that we can get that tube out of his neck. It's crusty and, while not inflamed or infected, obviously bothers him enough that he is scratching at it quite frequently.

For some reason, I didn't realize we were supposed to be cleaning it on an ongoing basis. I don't know what I was thinking. Now we're applying triple-antibiotic ointment regularly, and cleaning it beforehand with warm water and swabs. This process has made me more aware of the vulnerability Mack is being exposed to, regarding infection. (It's an open wound. Duh.)

So I'm wondering HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? When will his appetite be robust enough to send him to the food bowl on a regular basis. I don't even care, at this point WHAT it is he wants to eat. I'll keep buying Kitten Chow, if that's what it will take. But the sooner that tube is out, the sooner he can stop itching, and the sooner that wound can heal.

I found online resources that say it can take six to eight weeks of tube feeding before appetite returns to normal. Tomorrow, we mark the end of 6 weeks.

We're in the home stretch, then.

Good.

Trader Joe's Ocean Fish & Salmon canned cat food!!!

Hooray! Mack actually ate something besides Kitten Chow!

Reggie and Lucky have been VERY patient, eating (almost) exclusively their healthy Purina cat food every day, while Mack gets the gourmet liver pate ... and DOESN'T EVEN LIKE IT!

What I mean is ... Reg & Lucky go NUTS when I open a can of Mack's prescription canned food. The aroma brings them to the kitchen from the farthest reaches of the house. Yet Mack has no interest in EATING it. He barely tolerates its smell under his nose if we happen to have a "spill" while we're tube-feeding. The closest he's come to eating it is when he cleans his fur after we've made a mess.

Reg & Lucky, on the other hand, crave the flavor so wildly that they hover while I prepare it for Mack. Once in a while, I'll let them lick the squeegee'd spoon, just for flavor -- but this stuff is so high-calorie and high-fat that it's just not good to let them have much. So I've held them at bay with tiny portions of the Purina Fancy Feast Liver Feast that Mack also rejected. It's lasted quite a long time in the fridge.

Yesterday, at Trader Joe's, I picked up a couple of cans of their Ocean Fish & Salmon flavored canned cat food -- for Reggie & Lucky. I figured it was good for their coat, and a treat they might enjoy by the teaspoonful. I first offered it to them this morning, and just for laughs, I put about half a tablespoonful into a bowl and took it to Mack in his special dining room (aka our bedroom).

Since I had been offering Mack other tidbits in this same way for weeks, I had no expectation that he'd actually EAT it, especially right after I'd finished putting 33cc of prescription food into him about 20 minutes earlier.

Lo and behold -- as soon as I put the food on the floor, Mack started sniffing the air actively ... then got up and stuck his nose right into the bowl ... and ate, or rather DEVOURED most of the treat!

Now -- was it the fish, or was it the 1/2 tablet of appetite stimulant?

In our 6th week of tube feeding, and no end in sight

I have to admit that it feels like we've been pushing food through a tube into Mack's stomach for EVER. I counted the weeks -- on Thursday, we'll have completed 6 weeks, and he's still not consistently eating enough food on his own to sustain himself.

What is more disturbing is that he doesn't seem to care much.

He doesn't eat MORE food if we push LESS through the tube. He doesn't eat LESS food if we push MORE through the tube. He doesn't eat more if we push more; he doesn't eat less if we push less.

There seems to be absolutely no correlation between the two at all.

He doesn't even eat more if I give him the appetite stimulant than when I leave it out of his diet.

And he isn't interested in ANYthing but Kitten Chow. Not liver pate (Hill's Prescription Diet a/d). Not Fancy Feast Liver Feast (which his brothers would KILL for). Certainly not the everyday Purina urinary health food the other boys are eating.

I don't want to rush him, but ... I'm not sure he is moving ON, if you know what I mean.

I'm also getting a little worried about the condition of the site where the tube goes into his throat. He's been scratching at it more, and it seems a little exposed and crusty. I don't know how long it can be okay to have an open wound like that.

Tomorrow, I'll call the vet.

Blood Test Results Confirm: Mack is Back!

All Mack's blood values are normal now, except his bilirubin. He's at .6, and the top of the "normal" range is .4.

Hey! That's close enough for me!

It's close enough for the doc, too, it seems. She expects it will drop to within normal range in the next day or so.

Mack got new tape around his neck, and a little bit of neosporin on the place where the tube goes in. Otherwise, the doc says, it's healthy tissue ... so the tube can stay in as long as he needs it (or until he knocks it out).

Sue, Mack's first mom, is spending the weekend with us, so Mack will get extra doses of affection (as will Lucky & Reggie) -- there's nothing better for healing than love!

Life is good.

What will get Mack to eat again?

All I know, thus far, is what has NOT enticed him to eat:
- regular dry cat food (Purina Urinary Tract Health formula)
- Purina Kitty Chow
- Prescription Diet a/d formula
- Jenni-O oven roasted turkey
- plain yogurt (completely ignored by all the cats in the house)
- tuna water (immediately gobbled up by all the other cats in the house!)

What didn't work BEFORE he got the feeding tube:
- Gerber strained baby foods: veal, beef, turkey, ham
- Fancy Feast - Savory Salmon Feast
- plain vanilla ice cream
- plain vanilla ice cream infused with catnip juices

What enticed him to TRY eating, but didn't stay down, long before the tube:
- Trader Joe's kitty tuna
- strawberry yogurt


He DID lick my fingers when I crushed fresh catnip leaves, even when he was most sick. And he does continue to seek out the catnip toy.

Maybe if I rub the edge of the dish with catnip, and put a little dab of yogurt or ice cream in the middle ....

This boy has GOT to EAT. Or at least drink water. I'd settle for him drinking water ....

Water, water, everywhere ...

By now, Mack should be getting about a can of the prescription canned food per day, and we're still just hovering around 1/2 to 3/4 can. I haven't been terribly concerned because he's making good, steady progress.

Yesterday, though -- due to the episode described in the previous posting -- Mack got only about 1/2 the nutrition he had been getting for several previous days, because we cut his last two feedings with plenty of water, which he seems to need right now. I hope it helps.

I can tell he's already feeling better. Last night, he greeted me at the door when I came home, and even took a tumble with the catnip toy.

He greeted me this morning, presenting himself to be petted while I brushed my teeth. Awkward, but how could I resist?

I decided we're not around enough to feed him more frequently, to make up for cutting the food significantly with water -- so I gave him 38cc of the standard slushy liver pate ... because he NEEDS the nutrition, too! But I also gave him 10cc of water afterward, which I was nervous about, but he didn't seem disturbed or uncomfortable with the extra volume in his tummy, at all.

In fact, he curled up on the papasan and was quite relaxed after the feeding. He also purred through the administration of another 15cc of water before I left for work.

We're determined to hydrate this kitty, one way or another!

HOW IS MACK?

The title of this post comes directly from an email I received yesterday from Mack's original mom, Sue. When she asks this question, she really does want all the details. Not everyone out there does ... so I have to caution you ... you're going to find some dirty words in today's post about Mack's status yesterday.

Read on, if you dare.

Quoting my response to Sue, from yesterday:

----------------------------------------------------
Mack is ... good, I think.

For his last two meals yesterday, he was edgy while John was feeding him. I wasn't sure why. Yes, we had gotten new feeding syringes ... 35cc capacity rather than 60cc, but we're only supposed to be giving him about 30cc at a crack, anyway. But the tube is 1/2 the size, lighter, and works more smoothly than the ones we had been using.

I wondered (out loud ... poor John) whether, due to the lighter load in the syringe, and the easier flow, perhaps John was holding it at a different angle ... perhaps an angle that made the tube in Mack's esophagus uncomfortable for him. John had been careful to present Mack with the opportunity to empty his bladder prior to starting to feed him, after my Friday noon experience. I just didn't know what to think about why he would suddenly not want to sit still during a feeding, and not particularly want to be cuddled or touched, before and after.

I cut off his morning feeding at 19cc, with no water "chaser," because he just wasn't "right."

At lunch, I prepared everything to feed him after cuddling and holding him a while. Everything seemed okay, but before I can get my stuff together to feed him, he jumps down and walks purposefully toward the kitchen. He does not want to be caught, so I think, "okay, I'll wait while you go potty."

Instead, he sits by the kitchen sink and meows that meow that says something is wrong. I go get paper toweling, and lay a square in front of him to catch the few drops he heaves out of his stomach. (Aren't you glad you asked how Mack is?)

Then he goes downstairs. I follow, and when he doesn't go to the litter boxes, I pick him up and put him in one. Indignant, he climbs right back out again.

I decide to wait as he walks toward the back of the basement (NOT back upstairs).

I figure I may was well clean them while I'm here, thinking the sound of me digging in the sand might be kind of like running the water in the bathroom sink to get a 2-year-old to go potty.

After I clean out one of the two litter boxes, Mack climbs into the SECOND litter box ("so THERE!"). He digs. This is a good sign, I think. He digs more. He strains. He strains. He covers something up VERY fastidiously and walks away.

I'm right there, scoop in hand, so I decide to clean it up right away. All I can find is a pea-sized something. I keep digging ... but there's nothing else.

While I'm finishing up MY rooting around in the sand, Mack comes back and digs in the other litter box. He strains, covers something, and gets out. I go digging and find a little tiny turd. (I'm sorry. You ASKED how's Mack.)

I'm ecstatic. He's pooped! It's the first time I'm aware he's done this in I-don't-know-how-long! Yea!

But it's not very big, and I press on it to see its consistency. VERY hard, very much like a tootsie roll, really.

While I'm doing my scientific inquiry, I see Mack is scooting across the floor on his butt. The entire width of the house, on his butt. Hmmmm... then he goes up the stairs. I follow.

I can't find him anywhere, but I find the center of a Tootsie Pop (no candy coating, no mess) in the hallway by the bedroom doors. I'm very glad the bedroom doors are all closed.

I go back out and check all the hiding places. Still can't find him. So I go back downstairs, thinking he might have sneaked past me when I was making my salad for lunch.

Sure enough, he's in the litter box (the one apparently marked clearly, "poop here!" The other one's for pee?), straining. Straining. Straining. Covering something up. Walking away a little stiff-legged.

There's more poop, a pretty good amount, the same consistency of the others. Mack is huddled on the floor, way at the back of the basement. I go to scoop him up, and he eludes me. I follow. He does not want to be caught, again. Finally, I scoop him up and fold his tail under him, and carry him upstairs. He purrs. I sit on the papasan, and he scrambles away. I lift his tail and wipe it with the paper towel I had handy to catch drips when I fed him. It's messy. Poor baby. He jumps down. I leave him alone and wash my hands and eat a salad.

Before I left, I gave him just about 3-4cc of plain water. That's all he would tolerate. Poor baby is constipated (BUT the good news is that everything is working!!) and uncomfortable. I'm going to cut his food with a LOT more water from now on!

Sorry for the graphic detail ... I just don't know how to say all this without using words like POOP ... and after all ... you asked!

How's Mack Doing?

Mack is actually doing very well, although he had a couple more episodes of NOT keeping down a couple of "meals." I think the real problem with both those episodes was "operator error."

Friday afternoon, I was in a hurry to feed him and rush off to an appointment, so I probably rushed the process. After I fed him, he promptly jumped down from where he was and emptied his stomach again. The next meal was no problem, so I'm sure it was ME, not him.

The second incident was Saturday night, when John decided he'd just empty the feeding syringe instead of stopping at 30cc (which is as much as the vet recommended at any one feeding). Admittedly, we had pushed it up to 36cc prior to this a couple of times ... but we have both now agreed that 30 is as far as we're going to go at one sitting -- because, really, I'm guessing that's all a kitty's stomach comfortably holds, ANYway. When my cats wolf down their dry food, and then spill their cookies shortly thereafter (when it has swelled from drinking water or whatever), I think it's just because they've overindulged. I think Mack is having the same kind of response, and in this situation it's OUR responsibility to stop at a reasonable point.

Mack showed NO interest in the plain yogurt. Neither did his brothers. Surprised me. (I don't like plain yogurt, either. Does ANYone?)

Before each feeding, I offer Mack a tiny bit of some kind of food, to see if he will at least lick it. No positive response thus far to liver pate (the prescription diet), familiar dry cat food, kitty chow (leftover from Amy's cat living here), or plain yogurt. I think I'll try a morsel of oven-roasted Jenni-O turkey tonight.

I'm not worried about the fact that he's not eating yet. The vet says it can take weeks. He seems to be gaining weight, he's DEFINITELY healthier, and his activity level has increased. He's hopping up on favorite places that he hasn't been for several weeks, like the top of the snake cage (warming light is the big attraction), and he even visited me as I was getting ready for work this morning, like he used to do before he got sick. He laid himself out in a sun spot over the weekend, and has revisited the catnip toy on at least a few occasions.

I do look forward to him eating again. My kitchen ceiling, floor, window, curtain, cabinets, and the African violet on the window sill have all been splattered liberal amounts with liver pate in the last week or so, and the scent of savory seasonings mingled with bleach-based kitchen cleaner greet us as we enter the house. But so does he, so it's all worth it.

Warmest spot in the house

I couldn't find Mack when I came home for lunch to feed him. I wasted a good 10 minutes checking the basement hiding places, as well as behind all the closed doors (remembering when I locked him in the linen closet last week!). Finally, I looked in the living room again ... and there he was -- in the warmest spot in the house: on top of the snake cage, right over the warming light. I didn't even see him there when I walked in the door. It's been so long since he felt well enough to jump up there.

This is another great sign!







Speaking of the snake, for anyone who hasn't seen her in a long time (or ever), here's another picture of her. She's over 6' long, and the circumference of a soda can, at her widest. She seemed very interested in the mammal on top of her enclosure ... but she wouldn't be able to eat him, even if she could get out. She's built to consume other snakes, as well as SMALL animals ... and even anorexic, Mack would be too big for her to swallow.


And, finally, here is a picture of John feeding Mack. I know it sounds kind of icky to have a cat with a feeding tube, but it's really not as awful as it sounds. And it does seem to be doing him some good, so we are very grateful that it's even a possibility!

And besides, we won't need to feed him through a tube forever. After all, there are plenty of indications that he is getting better and better: Mack came to the door (with Lucky and Reggie) to greet John when he came home tonight, and later Mack was wrestling with the catnip toy again! Best yet -- when John filled the food dishes with dry food for the other cats, Mack walked over and sniffed it.

I know, I know ... sniffing food might not sound like a big deal ... but he hasn't showed ANY interest in food of any sort in a LONG time, so this is significant progress. Sooner or later, he's going to want to eat regular food, on his own ... and then I can stop spilling, dribbling, and shooting watered down liver pate all over my kitchen!

We just have to be patient.

Catnip

It's so good to see Mack is feeling well enough to actually curl up and sleep, instead of holding himself upright in a tight little ball for hours on end.

How many optimistic postings can you handle? When things get good, do people lose interest? I don't know ... but I have more good news.

Not only has Mack taken in larger amounts of food today (including a final feeding of 30cc!), he is apparently feeling better than ever!

Evidence? First, he actually got off the couch and wandered around a bit, instead of making trips directly to and from the litter box. Second, in his wanderings, he stopped to sniff, then lick, then take a tumble with (!) a new catnip toy John brought home from the vet's office last weekend.

MACK WAS PLAYING!

Hooray!

Math Challenge

10cc = just over 2 teaspoons
25cc = just over 5 teaspoons, or about 1.7 tablespoons

We are excited! Mack took 25cc of food last night (yea, John!) and 26cc of food this morning. And he kept it down!

As I was contemplating just how much progress we've made -- it was a week ago today that the feeding tube was put in place -- I was struck by how little food our dear Mack has actually been living on this week. It's difficult to get into perspective, when it's compressed in the syringe ... but the truth is ... it's not much!

Of course, he's not very big, either.

I just did some math. (Don't roll your eyes ... it happens!)

10 teaspoons of food for Mack is like 4.11 cups of food for me. That's not bad. Very sustainable.

Mack got 90 cc of food yesterday ... about 18 teaspoons. That would be almost 33 cups of food for someone my size.

Also, remember that Mack's food is about 1/3 water. Even so ... that's a lot of food! Yea!

The Good News

Although it is considered tacky to discuss bodily functions in polite company, sometimes that's what life is all about.

This evening, Mack surprised us by actually jumping into my lap after going down to the basement to visit the litter box. It's the first time in weeks that he has initiated this kind of contact, and I can only take it as a FABULOUS sign that he's feeling better ... despite the fact that his underside was ... um ... wet ... because he still hasn't come around to being the fastidiously clean cat he used to be before he fell ill.

BUT -- more good news -- today is the first day we have seen him make ANY effort whatsoever to clean himself in the last several weeks. The fact that he got one leg in the air, bent his head down, and then froze ... well ... we still see this as progress. Thank goodness we bought (and used) those little pet-cleaning wipes we noticed at Pet Supplies Plus.

AND -- still more good news! Mack has not (knock on wood, cross your fingers) rejected any of the food we've given him in the last two days!!! This, despite the fact that John and I seem to be having a good-natured "cc" war: John fed him 20cc yesterday after I gave him 16. Today, I gave him 22cc, and John upped the ante to 25. It's crazy here ... but the one who is benefitting is our beloved Mack!!

Next week, he'll go in for blood tests. But I don't need blood tests to know he's feeling better. I have the purr test, and the jump-in-my-lap test, and the ohmygosh-I-have-to-clean-myself test.

Life is good.