Pilgrim was diagnosed recently. Losing weight was his main symptom; he was as alert and interactive as always.
They offered me twice daily pills, the ear gel, or drugged treats. I picked the drugged treats in an effort to avoid the pills. The gel isn’t an option; I have the opposite problem myself and don’t want any incidental exposure to it, and I also have 8 cats indoors and worry about somebody else licking the spot before it dissolves.
The drugged treats have been a bit of an adventure. He started out eating them straight, then went off that. So the current plan is that I take Pilgrim alone into the guest room, smash up a treat in front of him, add a nice slice of Fancy Feast in front of him, and mash it all up while talking about how good it smells. He’s practically drooling by the time he actually gets the saucer.
This is only three months in, but the weight loss has stopped, he is gaining back, and he also is throwing up less. That’s something I hadn’t realized was a symptom, but in retrospect, he had moved from occasionally like cats do to several times a week. It’s clearly working.
He’s on Taste of the Wild, which is one of the few foods Pharaoh isn’t allergic to, so all indoors get it. He also is getting Fancy Feast just enough to hide the meds. One can lasts me four days roughly.
Of course, even though I try to pick times they are distracted, the other cats have figured out what goes on privately in the guest room, and there is always an annoyed audience when I reopen the door. Sorry, folks. I am not feeding eight cats Fancy Feast twice a day.
