My cat won't eat after stroke. Should I consider a feeding tube?

Question

cat had a stroke 2 weeks ago. she is not eating again or going to the bathroom. force feeding is traumatic and the pill for appetite stimulant isn't working. she needs 24/7 care that we can not provide for her to recover. we don't want to put her down either. should we insist that our vet take care of our cat until she well? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 16 years and 4 months old | 9 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

You can ask your vet about putting in an esophageal tube. This is a little operation where the vet cuts a tiny hole into the skin and esophagus and inserts a feeding tube the will be sewn to the skin. This will make feeding her so much easier and it can stay in for many weeks until she starts eating by herself. So you would just have to syringe her food into the tube and flush it clean afterwards with some water. This is far less stressful than trying to force feed her or giving her tablets she does not want. At the end of the day it will be much cheaper than having her hospitalized until she eats by herself and also far less stressful. If your vet cannot place a tube, then any larger specialty hospital can do it in no time. Many cats have had a tube after going through serious illness and eventually started eating again and live a happy life afterwards.

My cat won't eat after stroke. Should I consider a feeding tube?

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