How To Assist Feed / Force Feed Cat By Syringe

[IROLSNIGGIH]

Thank you so much for showing us how easy this can be. I was certainly much calmer and so was my kitty Java. Assist feeding went much more quickly. We both appreciate it!

[queenb4900]

Thank you so much for posting this video. My cat had "fatty liver" and was very much underweight and jaundiced. The vet wanted me to put in a feeding tube, and I would have, had I not seen this video. I told my vet that I had watched a video online and that the syringe feedings were going better, so she let me continue trying for another week. It only got better from there and eventually my cat Smokey gained back the weight he lost. He is back to his old self now, chasing our other cat!

[penpusher79]

All the way from Africa, my thanks to Cathy for the video! 11 year old Tabasco has pancreatitis, spent a week in hospital having tests and scans, and hasn't been eating well (understandably). I did not know how important it is for cats to eat daily - finding this out has saved her life. Your video was practical and helpful, so now I stay calm during the feeding. Hugs and thanks to you and Toady. - Gail. p.s. Do cats start eating independently again, or is this forever?

[trekensteve]

 Tabasco might start out just eating small amounts, kept offering bits of food. At this point you should then work with them to cut back on the syringe feeding and up there eating on there own. Take your time with this and I am sure you and Tabasco will do just fine.

[trekensteve]

@penpusher79 Gail so glad that Toady and I could help Tabasco and you. Most cats do start eating (even ones with pancreatitis) after they get feeling better. Keep up the good work of syringe feeding, working your way up to about a 5.5 oz can a day (15 10ml syringes over the coarse of one day). I am sure in no time they will will start eating, although some cats do take longer than others (could be weeks to months)

[uxtalzon]

It's watching this video and irecoverdata's video on feeding a cat with a syringe that my 4 year old orange tabby is still alive.

[Crowbow71]

This is brilliant thank you, we are feeding our 17 year old who is battling pancreatitis so does not want to feed on his own but desperately needs to!

Thanks again.

[yoggu]

Thank you so so so much for this video!!! I could give you the biggest hug!! I almost lost my baby and turns out shes a diabetic but she still wont eat by herself so i tried mixing water with the food with a fork, she wouldn't have none of it. I then found this video and she was so good to feed! Complete 360 and she enjoys the food blended much more. Thank you so much once again & I'm sure my Gracey thanks you also [:

[shtfuk668]

hawkseye dot com for syringes. for something completely different on there website, but they sell 10cc syringes

[kthxwillia]

Thank you sooooo much! I'm about to try again--I wish I had seen this video three hours ago. Both Lily and I were somewhat traumatized by my clumsy efforts, but it looks as though, done properly, it doesn't have to be such a big awful deal. I really appreciate the guidance--can't thank you enough for making this video and posting it.

[firexgodx980]

Like if you accidentally your WHOLE cat by following the the instructions of this video.

[jpattat]

I have been syringe feeding for a week. My Max has been very unhappy with me - stressed by the whole process. I tried your method of being on the floor and not upright in my lap. He already is less upset and that means I am less upset too, Thank you so much!!!!

[rockcandy822]

Can you tell me where you get your syringes? I am having no luck with finding a "no ring syringe"

[trekensteve]

@rockcandy822 I did start buying them from Walmart in the pharmacy area but they were a little expensive buying single. , Many drug stores do carry them but cost again can add up, they are for giving kids liquid medication. .I also believe many of the chain pet store sell them, again costly. All good if your in a pinch. I now order from PIPPIN'S ROOST online at a much better cost .You can never have to many so ordering in bulk is the way to go.

[rockcandy822]

@trekensteve Thank you so much for the info!

[deniceinspain]

@KubuntuYou did Doodie Pìe get better? Im so upset that my cat Chui is sick due to fatty liver from starvation.

[KubuntuYou]

@deniceinspain Yes, he is doing much better. He is still yellow from the jaundice but his appetite has returned full force and he no longer hides. From what I've read, fatty liver can be reversed with "aggressive" feeding so long as permanent damage hasn't been done. Just keep feeding and do as your vet instructs. I hope Chui gets better soon.

[deniceinspain]

@KubuntuYou thank you so much. vet sayes he's making good progress and the analysis shows that his fatty liver is in the begining stage... looks like he'll live through this one, god willing :) thank you so much

[trekensteve]

@deniceinspain Seeing as Chui hasn't eaten in a while make sure to start out very slowly with food. One syringe every few hours for the first few days then slowly work your way up. With cats that haven't eaten in a long time giving to much food at once can make them even sicker. All the best to you and Chui.

[deniceinspain]

my guy Chui has just run into a fatty liver problem becasue of his refusal to eat. Today we have force fed him for the first time, but because he's been fasting for so long (I was in total ignorance of the seriousness of his situation) Im worried that he may spit it back up. Im feeding him a syringe each hour untill the portion is gone, and then I'll start again in a few hours... does that sound good to you? Ps... I love your hair :)

[Ninety9Soulz]

@deniceinspain How is your cat now?

[deniceinspain]

@Ninety9Soulz agaist all ods, he's alive and kiking and leading a normal domestic pussycat life again :)

[Ninety9Soulz]

@deniceinspain AWESOME. My cat hasn't ate in nearly two days, pretty much the same boat as many others. Any tips?

[deniceinspain]

@Ninety9Soulz take the cat to the vet immediatly. cats can die of this very easily. I had to syringe feed my cat a special liver recovery food for 2 weeks, and he needed daily injections for some time. Even then, my vet thought he wouldn't survive.

btw, I had to wrap my cat tightly in the tower and feed him in my arms like a baby bottle because he wouldn't be still. careful not to choke the cat when feeding.

[deniceinspain]

@deniceinspain not tower, towel!

[Ninety9Soulz]

@deniceinspain He's been to the vet and will be seeing another. This whole dilemma seems to take many cats lives without much explanation. Thank you for the tips, syrine feeding time lol..

[pae1954]

Wow!!! I'm a nurse with no money for vets and a young cat with respiratory virus. I was using too small a syringe to do any good (and 3ml has too much force when it slips) I may have made him aspirate with the front feeding and I was choking him to where he wasn't getting enough. Desperately watched your video. The MILKSHAKE CONSISTENCY and side application is GENIUS. We're about to try the pumpkin and it looks like Mr. Moze is going to make it. Thank You is just not enough. Patty

[trekensteve]

@pae1954 So glad that Toady and I could help out. Couple of suggestions... Don't give alot of pumkin about 1 teaspoon a day is usually good. Bowel movement might get a bit soft give less or more depending on this I find the best syringes are the no- ring. They last forever and don't slip. I am sure Mr. Moze will be feeling and eating better on his own in no time. Hugs...

[blahx]

thanks for the video, it's super helpful. i wish my cat stayed as still as yours. she's definitely a struggler so it's hard to take your advice with the less restraint, the better. is there anything i can do to make her relax & not try to escape? she stopped eating because of a cold & her nose is stuffy.

[trekensteve]

@blahx It is understandable that your kitty is struggling. This is all new to her and she doesn't yet understand, plus the fact that she can’t smell what is coming at her. Believe me my Toady wasn't as cooperative as you see in the video at first, it did take us awhile. Keep at what you are doing she will come around and hopefully get eating when her cold is gone. If all else fails look up kitty burrito on you tube for a little more restrain if need be. Food is life right now.

[jimbob6044]

I had no idea how to do this. I tried straight down the throat. I was wearing more food than he ever swallowed. My vet did not tell me how to do this. In desperation I came to you tube and found you. Thank you so much for this video. My cat actually now knows I'm not trying to kill him. He is eating this way now and we are both getting good at it. Thanks again jimbob6044

[trekensteve]

@jimbob6044 Not only the fact that you get more food everywhere but into the cat but cats don't like to be forced what so ever. When trying to feed straight down the throat the majority of cats feel threatened, better to let them deal with it themselves from the side not forced. Number one concern is a much greater chance of choking or aspirate which can easily happen if not syringe feed properly from the side. All the luck to you and your kitty.

[KubuntuYou]

@KubuntuYou Oh yeah. That went much smoother...he only growled two or three times. He's still only taking in 10ml at a time but I'll work on getting more into him.

[trekensteve]

@KubuntuYou Keep up the good work. Food is life and without it you have no life. You want to try and work your way up to a 5.5 oz can of cat food a day. That works out to about 16 10 ml syringes. I know this sounds like alot but it can be done and will really help Doodle Pie feel better and hopfully start eating on their own. Start off small giving the 10 ml ever few hours and try and work your way up to more syringes at once less often. Good luck.

[chipper42298]

Thank you So So Much! Today My cat was Takin to the Hospital because we were going to have to put him down. I was so upset. When My mom came home with him alive I was overjoyed. We do have to assist feed him a Food that he doesnt like in order for his blood cells to function correctly, Thank you So Much For this Video. You may have just Saved My Cats Life...Thank you Love, Tia and Mickey (Cat)

[dip122651]

Thank you so much for this video. My precious Pepper was just diagnosed with lymphoma and has quit eating. I am a nurse in my career and I do not feel this is cruel at all. You are so wonderful to share this information.

[NickiKawaii]

thank you so much for this!

[tkicak]

Thanx so much for posting this. I've been having a hard time trying to feed my cat, & wasn't clear on any of it, even the amounts. This was very helpful.

[jpeyton7]

This video has been very helpful to me as my cat stopped eating and I used your method to give her the crf prescription food and after two days she marched into the kitchen and started eating the dry and only recently after five months she is slacking off again so I'll do the forced feeding again. Maybe it's a mistake but I have also given her some appetizers and some tuna with oil whch she loves and then she only wants those.

[PvpJulian]

Oh my gosh thank you so much my cat coco had kittens and they pretty much sucked the life out of here. she became very small and stop eating. My family force fed her for a bit then I was left home alone not knowing what to do. I started crying because she couldn't move. thank you

[Catyanna]

Thank you so much for this video. I've recently started assist feeding my cat... he has crf and hasn't wanted to eat lately. I'm freaking out because I didn't know how to do it and it looks like i did it wrong. I'm also freaking out because sometimes the syringe slipped and a bunch squirted in his mouth. I read that bad things can happen from that sometimes. Hopefully, when he gets home from the vet tonight, he will eat on his own, but if not... I will follow the tips that you provided.

[trekensteve]

@Catyanna make sure to try and find the o-ring or no ring type of syringes as showen in my video. These tend not to slip. They can be found at most drug stores ( Walmart), or online and are for givng children liquid medication. The monojet syringes that the vets usually supply are crap for assist feeding and tend to slip.

[sparrowcrazy]

How many times a day do you feed her? And how large are the syringes?

[trekensteve]

@sparrowcrazy @sparrowcrazy The syringes I use are 10 - 12 ml. If your cat is not eating at all you want to try and work your way up so that they are getting at least a 5.5 oz can of cat food pre day. This works out to about 15 syringes. Break that into four feedings a day of four syringes works good. Keep in mind you may have to work your way up to this amount, start off smaller with 2 syringes at a time and if they are comfortable with this add more.

[Cherubaby]

You can also get Prescription Diet "Critical Care" from Hills, or Science Diet "Wellness Nutrition."

[RuthH55]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! The vet isn't sure what's triggered anemia in my cat - all the other blood panel readings are normal. But he stopped eating and got down to barely 5 lbs. I felt so helpless until I found this video. IT WORKS!! AND after two days, it is getting easier and Val is more accepting of the food. I just use cat food with gravy and add some Whiskas Cat Milk to thin it.

[trekensteve]

@RVontheMoon It is understandable the your kitty is not quite as accepting. It did also take us a bit of time to get to the point you see in the video. I am sure you no time you will be there also. Keep in mind this video is a guildline and my need a bit of experimenting and tweeting on your part to see what works and is most comfortable for your cat. Good Luck.

[auntydiluvian]

Thank you for this! My cat is suffering from food poisoning and hasn't eaten in 3 days, we're waiting for the vet to get back to us with reports but in the meanwhile I wanted to get him fluids and food, now I can do that, thank you!

[trekensteve]

@auntydiluvian You may add extra water to whatever you are syringe feeding or take an eye dropper and give the same way as how your syringe feed. The eye droper for water is safer than the syringe for you cat. May I suggest you join this group.

Yahoo groups feline assisted feed.

[trekensteve]

@auntydiluvian Let me start off by saying I am not a Vet. I will tell you that hydration and nourishment are life without that you have none. Your little kitty needs food and water now ( in the form of Sub Q if they are not drinking at all).

[r5555t]

Eeven just a comment showing the proportions of ingredients in the food mix could do the trick.

[trekensteve]

@r5555t 

[trekensteve]

@r5555t Cats can stop eating for many reasons and if you don't have a renal failure cat you might want to try and find the highest calorie cat foods to syringe feed.  Any food can be prepared for syinge feeding althought some you might have to add liquid to get the desired thick milkshake consistency.

Hope this hels.

[trekensteve]

@r5555t Toady has Chronic Renal Failure so I like to syringe feed her the lowest phoshorus foods. I mix one large 5.5oz. can of Hill's K/D along with on small can 2.5oz. of Renal LP. The amount of pumpkin added is dosed to affect. Not to get complicated but the mixture I mix lasts Toady about 4 days so I add about 2 tablespoons pumkins which works out to about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons a day of pumkin. I find with this mixture I don't have to add any water.

[r5555t]

This was a very helpful video, but if you could post a little follow-up showing the exact food proportions to make this mixture it would really help. Anyway, thanks for the video.

[okaminess]

Mmm, peanut butter for cats! <3 eat up, kitties.

[jjh5162]

thank you so much!

[WhoTuber1]

why did this pop up when i typed in vegan? lol

[oddballcourt]

Very good video, thanks!

[my2b2011]

Thank you so much for your video.

[romanon5]

thank you

[babygirlx24]

lool the first few the cat is like "what is this shhyyttt? " and her cheeks are soo cute and puffy :D

[absurdo217]

Excellent! I'm really glad I found your video. My Sybil, a 12 year old cat, has mouth cancer and has been eating very little, which concerns me. I wasn't sure how to help her, but now thanks to your video I know what to do! Once again thank you! Oh, and your cat is very handsome :)

[merlin196]

Thank you so much. This really helped me a lot. My cat who has CRF was refusing to eat and I was getting really worried about him.

[sbuxsux2]

thanks so much for posting this video. you will help alot of cats (and their humans!)

[porolita22]

Thank you for sharing this. I am venturing into this and some days are better than others. The syringes I use are bigger than yours, but I will try to do it your way, filling them up and refrigerating them since it might be easier that way. My Tita is only 2 1/2 years old and CRF. She is already gaining some weight with the assist feedings so I have hope she will get better.

[arcadie07]

Very good video.Patience is definitely important when doing this. Thanks for posting.

[Desertdomaine]

Great demonstration, Kathy and Toady! Somehow seeing rather just reading about it, is very helpful. Thanks for your help. A listmate from CRF

[trekensteve]

So glad that this helped, such a young age for your baby to have CRF but with proper care they can have a great quality of life for years. Believe me I would of never imagined that I could assist feed Toady, as all her life she has never tolorated anything in her mouth. Goes to show if I can do it most can also learn to do this with ease.

[gprix22]

Kathy!!! Thank you so much for posting this video on assist feeding..! My cat who is 7 yrs old has CRF, i went through a tough time trying to get her to eat... I finally got her to lick off my finger.. Your video will definitely come in handy! Thanks again for showing that this can be an easy process with alot less stress on us and our kitties! I will try it your way the next time she crashes..