During the early stages of illness or treatment, cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) typically experience a loss of appetite and are reluctant to eat due to the virus’s effects. This can cause a lot of anxiety and distress for inexperienced cat owners who do not know what to do.
When a cat is attacked by the virus, its body is already weakened, and if it does not eat to replenish nutrients, it can easily develop fatty liver and dehydration, which can accelerate the deterioration of the condition. Therefore, cat owners must not ignore this behavior and take action to force-feed their cats.
If the cat is severely dehydrated, it may need to receive intravenous fluid therapy at a hospital (it should be noted that wet FIP cannot receive large amounts of fluid therapy in a short period). As for force-feeding, owners can prepare easily digestible liquid foods such as minced meat, canned food, and prescription food and use a syringe to feed small amounts multiple times a day. Avoid feeding too much at once to prevent adding extra digestive burden to the cat, and ensure that the daily intake of food and water meets the cat’s minimum requirements.
Furthermore, even when the cat’s condition improves after receiving GS-441 treatment and its appetite begins to recover, owners must still not let their guard down. If the cat still does not eat enough, owners should continue to assist with force-feeding to ensure that the cat receives sufficient nutrition.
During the FIP treatment period, owners should pay particular attention to supplementing nutrition because the virus can affect the digestive function of the intestines and stomach. Therefore, the diet should follow the principle of high protein and low fat.
At this stage, many cat owners choose to feed various meats such as chicken breast, beef, fish, and shrimp to supplement nutrition, improve their cats’ physical condition, and albumin. This is not wrong because cats are carnivores, and their absorption and utilization of meat are much higher than that of cat food. However, the prerequisite is that the diet should be nutritionally comprehensive, with a variety of meat types, reliable quality, moderate addition of necessary trace elements, and basic calcium content. If only a single food is provided, it may be challenging to meet the cat’s nutritional needs.
If cat owners are unable to feed their cats correctly, it is recommended to choose natural foods containing high protein and quality canned food for feeding. This can not only avoid nutritional imbalances but also effectively improve the cat’s physical condition.
In addition, some cats may experience severe vomiting after eating, and they may vomit up the food they have been fed. In this case, force-feeding is not suitable, and owners should go to the hospital for anti-vomiting medication and receive intravenous nutrition until the cat stops vomiting before attempting to feed small amounts.
In conclusion, treating FIP in cats is three parts treatment and seven parts nutrition. In addition to the GS-441 drug, diet during treatment is also a crucial part that can greatly increase the chances of recovery. Cat owners must pay more attention to it.