Re: emergency advice on starved cat needed

[Laurie B. Oliver]

Hello, Jenn,


        If the cat is dehydrated, she need fluids in a hurry. She may not be able to drink enough on her own and may need intravenous fluids.  She also needs good nutrition. I don't know if any of the supplements you mentioned is advisable for her.  I am not a vet and cannot give you medical advise.  I can only telly you what I have seen and heard on the Animal Planet shows about medical care of cats. Cats can develop both kidney and liver problems after not eating for several days.
        If you don't know how long she had been without food or water, you can't know the extent of any medical problems. I hope you have taken her to a vet for advice. . A vet is the only one who can tell you if she has any of these medical problems and determine the proper course of treatment. A  vet can also determine if she has a microchip that can help find her family.  
        Have you called your local humane society or other local shelters to see if they have had any calls for a missing cat matching her description? These resources can probably also give you more medical information than you can get from many of the people who post and read these messages.
        I absolutely would not give her any sports drinks. I don't trust most of them for humans and I don't even want to think about what they can do to cats.
        The last posting I have seen from you was from yesterday. What is the latest information on this cat?

        Laurie B. Oliver
At 08:43 PM 5/25/2005, you wrote:

Someone brought me a starved cat (young adult I think). She is eating my goo mixture of wet cat food, Nutri-cal, and water, but she is desperately thin. She's obviously dehydrated, but since I've gotten wet food mixture into her, she has already perked up. Can you guys please remind me of what happens to a cat that is starved? Is it renal failure they get from being starved? She seems very wobbly in her back legs now, and you can see every bone in her body. Her body temp was so low when she first got here that I thought she was dying. I put her on a heating pad, and now her body temp feels much more normal (I don't have a thermometer). She laid there like she was dead for the first hour, then she began to shiver, now she seems OK. I can't afford a emergency vet trip right now, so I need to do what I can for her tonight. I gave her a bit of Beyer's yogurt that I had (blueberry flavor), because it was the only thing I had in the house with potassium in it, and I remember someone saying that weak back legs can be helped with potassium, I think. She probably weighs 2 pounds max right now. She is a tiny Siamese mix (has the big Siamese voice and ice blue eyes), seal point, with white chest, muzzle and feet. She appears to have her adult teeth, but she is TINY for an adult. Any advice appreciated. She just found the couch and jumped up on it, I think she was a house cat at some point. I'd hate to let someone's beloved missing pet die tonight, please help me!

Jenn
 
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