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Sylvester, a 5-year-old sleek house panther, survived the unthinkable. Unfortunately, his tragic story isn’t uncommon. But don’t worry, Sylvester’s story has the happiest ending, and learning what happened to him could help save countless pets.

Sylvester’s Life Suddenly Turned Upside Down

After his human passed away, Sylvester’s world was turned “upside down and inside out,” rescuers from Bradford Cat Watch shared. Unfortunately, it happens every day and became more common during the pandemic. 

Sometimes, people pass away unexpectedly and don’t have an emergency plan for their pets. If you don’t have one, it’s time to look into creating that plan now.

“Police officers forced entry into a property with welfare concerns for the man who lived there. It is with great sadness that Sylvester’s owner was found deceased and likely had been for some time before the alarm was raised,” they shared. 

Suddenly, Sylvester’s loving home became a trap, and he had no access to food or water. By the time the officers arrived, the kitty was severely dehydrated but clinging to life. 

How Experienced Rescuers Carefully Saved His Life

Thank goodness this pretty cat survived and found help from these experienced rescuers. They knew something critical that would save his life. Since he had been without food for so long, allowing him to eat too much food at a time could easily have been fatal.

First, the veterinarians treated his severe dehydration with intravenous fluids. Then, they offered him a small amount of food and gave his body plenty of time to digest it slowly. Rather than cruel, giving him only a tiny bit at a time was lifesaving.

How can feeding too much nutritious food be bad? 

When Feeding Too Much Can Be Fatal

As with severely malnourished people, cats can also experience “Refeeding Syndrome.” Put simply, the cat’s body was doing all it could to save his life, greatly slowing down his metabolism. As a result, eating too much food would be a life-threatening shock to the system.

“Whilst it’s tempting to want to feed Sylvester lots of treats, we are only able to give him a teaspoon of food every 2 hours for the next 48 hours,” they explained.

Bradford Cat Watch and Sanctuary, UK, Sylvester the cat survived because of rescuer's awareness of Refeeding Syndrome, 2

Human doctors are aware of Refeeding Syndrome. Sadly, starving people have died after suddenly gaining access to food. But, it’s taken a little while longer to be recognized in veterinary care, the rescuers shared.

If Sylvester had simply eaten a big plate of food, it could trigger a dangerous or even deadly chain of events:

  • Insulin surge
  • Electrolyte shifts
  • Low potassium (Hypokalaemia)
  • Low phosphate in the blood (Hypophosphataemia)

Fortunately, the rescuers avoided all this by gradually introducing food. Even so, the cat’s prognosis for recovery wasn’t good. They did all they could to keep him comfortable and hoped for the best.

Related: Warmth First: Rescuer’s Lifesaving Tip Caring for Newborn Kittens

Happy News for Sylvester!

After several uncertain days, Sylvester’s prognosis looked much improved. Thanks to their experience and knowledge, he overcame the worst of it, and they hoped he would fully recover.

After a couple of months of TLC, everyone was over the moon to hear that Sylvester would live his best life with a new family. He was a “cuddle bug” and wanted to live in a home without other pets, and that’s what he got. But first, another family adopted him, only to find out he wanted to be the only cuddle bug. So actually, two families decided to adopt him, which is ameowzing!

“We are delighted to tell you that sweet and silky Sylvester has now been adopted and gone to his forever family,” founder Katie Lloyd shared.

Bradford Cat Watch and Sanctuary, UK, Sylvester the cat survived because of rescuer's awareness of Refeeding Syndrome, 1

You can follow Bradford Cat Watch and Sanctuary on Facebook and Instagram.

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