Is there refeeding syndrome in cats?

[Callista17]

I should probably just Google, but I’d like life experience info as well.

I have a small barn with horses in an agricultural area. Lots of open fields. Every winter, for the past few years, I’d see some cat butt shimmy under a roll up door when it was cold, or prints in the snow. I don’t want a barn cat because there are coyotes, a road that people fly down, and the barn is open along the bottom and the door. I always said if a barn cat moved in- great. I am aware of the TNR program here, so that will come down the line if they stay.

Well, at least last year, and now this year, there has been a black cat. My parent’s were speaking with a neighbor’s mother last year and she said oh yeah, it hangs out in my son’s garage! So we teased her, and them it was his cat and done. The son has 3 unneutered 100 lb labs…They act tough to people, but seem ok, but they are often outside. I was surprised they would tolerate a cat. This year, it’s been in my barn, in between some hay bales. It’s been a high of 20 lately during the day, so sigh…I took it a can of food and some water- DEVOURED! I thought maybe the neighbor had been feeding it, but I was surprised they were (now I think they weren’t).

It’s very skittish, but it’s already coming around when it hears me in the barn to check for food. I see it flash around, go in the hay, squeeze under doors, etc One day, I gave it a can of dry and a cat of wet- gone immediately. For the past 2 days it’s had 2 wet cans- 1 AM & 1 PM and I held off on the dry because I have been afraid of giving it too much. I bought it a case of food and a bag of dry. What is too much to give it at a time? I go out in the barn enough- feeding, turnout, night checks, etc so I could refill dry etc.

[Simkie]

Short answer: I think it’s no. Feed her It sounds like you’re on the right track. How skinny is she?

Longer answer: Cats that are starved or lose a lot of weight quickly are at risk of liver failure–hepatic lipidosis. It’s not the feeding them again that can make them ill, but the starvation. It can be treated, but it’s costly. That she’s hungry is promising.

New food can cause GI upset (like all critters.) Any chance you know where kitty goes potty? Watching the stool is a good way to monitor that stuff. They can get really loose!

[Callista17]

Thanks! No, nothing found yet. I mean an upset tummy is bad, but I will keep feeding them. It’s medium- long haired black and slinks. I was trying to decide because it looks poofy, but I think it is skinny.

Any food I put out is gone in minutes.

[clint]

Thank you for feeding her. I think the answer to refeeding is “no”. I have taken in some pretty desperate cats, and not noticed a problem, except when they run out of food. I’ll bet it won’t be long before she isn’t slinking anymore.

[Rackonteur]

Kudos to you for feeding him. He’ll need some water too.

If you’re not seeing evidence that he’s throwing up, he probably isn’t overeating.

And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s using your arena as his litter box!

We need pics, BTW.

[Callista17]

Ok, thanks. No indoor, just a nearby garden when it’s warmer. Lol

Yes, there’s water. It freezes, but it’s near the food.

Ok, I’ll feed away!

[2DogsFarm]

Congratulations.
You probably have a barncat.
Even if it doesn’t setup permanent residence, as long as Food is part of the equation it should stick around.
Great varmint control :yes:

In my 14yrs here I have had 1 intentional barncat - lost her after 10yrs to some sort of accident/stroke - at least she was in the barn so I could find her & get her to the vet, but she died there.

While she was resident I had a couple passersby I thought might become permanent:

1 petite black shorthair I took to be a spayed female as my barncat tolerated her (she chased others out) no kittens & no evidence of spraying. Dubbed her Black Betty & while she was never overly friendly, she did once allow me to rescue her from atop a stall door she felt she could not jump down from.
Sadly also injured, visit to emergency vet confirmed saddle thrombosis & I had her euthed, with me staying by her side… then was told “she” was an intact male.

Then a gorgeous snowshoe, very obvious male.
Also tolerated by my barncat.
He became friendly enough to demand food & allow petting.
I was just getting set to get him neutered when he disappeared.
He was always well-fed, so hoping someone else took him in.

Currently I am putting out dry & canned food for 3 kittens born (guesstimate) in my stacked bales at the end of November.
I was moving bales when I found them, eyes open & mobile - so maybe a couple weeks old?
Mom is probably the B/W cat I’ve seen near my barn.
I left them in place, but may have spooked Mom by putting down an “alien” saddle blanket near the bales.
Kittens relocated to one of the loaded haywagons a neighbor stores in my indoor & went on an unplanned adventure when he moved that wagon.
Kittens returned - hissing the whole way - in his jacket & promptly disappeared into another of the wagons.
Food left out during the day disappears, so I am hoping they take up residence.
I’d like to livetrap & neuter, but that will be in the Future.

[wsmoak]

I don’t think it hurts them physiologically to gobble food if they’re starving, but I’ve noticed that the really skinny ones who show up here seem to have permanent issues with food. As in, even after they’re clearly no longer starving, they will eat and eat and eat until there is no more. Unlike a ‘normal’ cat who won’t over-eat, these seem permanently scarred by being hungry and can’t get over it. So they end up overweight, which isn’t good for them, but they’re stray/barn cats so it’s not like I can separate them to limit their food. They’re better off than they were before at least.