This is a personal experience share. For any health concerns or questions about lab results, always consult your veterinarian!
After a week in the hospital, most of her values had slowly improved — except for the SAA (inflammation marker), which remained stubbornly high. The vet thought she’d recover better in the familiar environment of home and recommended I take her back and continue care there.
Coming home meant entering the hardest phase: NG tube feeding. She needed 180 cc of nutritional formula per day, but could only receive 20–30 cc per feeding. That meant feeding every 3 hours, day and night, without interruption. I happened to have just been laid off from my job at the time, so I was able to be a full-time caregiver.
Critical NG Tube Care Notes
- Cats may spit out or dislodge the tube
- If the tube comes out, you must immediately cut off the protruding portion with scissors to prevent the cat from biting through and swallowing it (swallowing it requires surgery — extremely dangerous)
- This happened to me once. I was shaking as I cut it and pulled out the remainder, then immediately rushed to the hospital for a checkup
Eventually she started eating a little on her own. The vet advised against re-inserting the tube — if she could eat at all, let her do it herself. For insufficient amounts, we used a syringe to gently push food in from the side of her mouth.
Those days were exhausting — monitoring her eating, drinking, bathroom habits, and vomiting all day, waking up at night to feed her. But watching the numbers slowly improve… that bittersweet feeling of heartache mixed with relief is something every cat parent has probably felt.
Micords Daily Tracking Reminder
During NG tube care, detailed records are recommended:
- Each feeding amount and time
- Any vomiting or tube displacement events
- Daily weight changes
- Bowel movement and urination status
- Energy level and activity