Need help with older cat having trouble eating - has thyroid and kidney problems.?
My family's cat is around 18 years old and has a thyroid and kidney problem that has resulted in her losing a significant amount of weight. She drinks enough water to compensate for her kidney problem, but has serious problems eating. She has dry food all day and wet food twice a day. She only eats a little bit of the wet food (which she used to eat with great joy), and after a day of eating the same food, refuses to eat it again. Her thyroid medicine is mixed into her food, but even if it's left out, she still barely eats. She begs for people food but even then will only eat a little bit of it. I don't live with my parents and the cat, but I'm visiting and am concerned that my mother still gives the cat laxatives even though she is so thin. My mom claims that the cat has bowel troubles without it, but I doubt she's actually tested this out since the cat lost so much weight. I'm extremely nervous about my cat's condition. Our vet hasn't helped - the cat didn't eat vet food.
User Comments
- Have you tried the Veterinary RX diet for cats? Most cats enjoy the Hills K/D diet kibble, the Hills diet also has a can food also called K/D diet that is plain, it comes chicken flavored as well. Eukanuba also makes a kibble and can food diet for Renal Failure cats. You mentioned that your cats meds are mixed in with her food, pills or liquid? if it is pill form you may want to ask your vet for a liquid which can be compounded at most pharmacies, or there is a transdermal (applied to skin) form, it may be easier for your parents to give the cat and she will receive the entire dosage at once. I would discuss this with your parents and/or your cats vet. Good luck to you and your kitty.
- There is a transdermal form of the thyroid medication which you might consider getting from the vet. It is applied on the inside of the ear flap. Sometimes a cat will develop an irritation on their ear and I think it might be alternated with the medication in her food. That might help in getting the medication to her better to help with the overactive thyroid secretion.
Lower protein is one of the "myths" that vets continue to cling to in spite of the fact that there is no medical research to support doing that. If you were to ask your vet to cite a study showing that this had an effect on the length of the cat's life or the progression of the disease in cats he/she wouldn't be able to respond with any evidence that this is true.
The study on reducing protein in the diet if over fifty years old and was done on rats which are very far removed from cats in their evolutionary development.
When my old cat developed problems with her kidneys the vet wanted to do the low-protein diet and I never did with her. She continued to eat the high-protein diet of raw meat that she always had had. She died at 22 and 1/2 years of age.
I cite Don Hamilton's book and he states that it is the QUALITY of the protein and not the quantity that is important for cats. So of course my Cameo had the highest quality protein that I could provide for her - organic, human-grade meat. Dr. Hamilton's book is available in my county library system and it would be worth your getting it and reading what he has to say about the issue.
- To see and old ***** cat friend in trouble is not a pleasant thing to go through. I know the feeling. As the other person give the cat anything she will eat. Sardines, tuna, whiting,even haddock. Sorry to say the cat hasn't much longer on earth so make her as comfortable as possible, It is a terrible thing to see a friend so sick. It gets to a point were you can't do a damn thing and it is so frustrating. All the best to you and ***** cat. I had an ancient 18# cat, sometime ago, and he loved if I boiled Whiting and pulled it off the bone for him. It is a smelly job but for an old friend it is little effort.....Hope all ends well....
- Try canned or even fresh tuna. A friend of mine had a sickly cat and bought fresh tuna steaks. Give it a small amount at a time and the meds can be mixed in. It was the only thing the cat would eat in the end.
- Animal Trainer to domestic and exotic cats
Work with senior cats who have CRF & Hyperthyroidsim
Friend is a veterinarian
- Hi there...firstly, cats who have kidney and hyperthyroidism (common in senior cats) should NEVER be fed any fish as this increases the phosphate levels and will force the kidneys into failure. Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is complicated to explain here, but it requires a special veterinary formularly diet and unfortunately most cats detest the taste, but it is devoid of as much protein http://www.fabcats.org/crf.html... (see section Protein content under heading: Why is diet important in renal failure?), because this is what causes CRF cats to become nauseated and waste away so quickly, whereas healthy cats need diets rich in animal protein. Any vet can confirm all these facts. Anyhow, the kidneys can no longer filter out the toxins, which is why the cat's appetite is very poor because it is most likely it feels nauseated. Cats who have CRF need subcutaneous (SubQ) fluids and Epogen for anaemia (common to CRF), special veterinary prescribed diet, supplementation to lower the phosphorous levels. Adding Hyperthyroidism to the mix this complicates care even more so.
Anyhow, you parents needs to consider taking the cat back into evaluate the baseline of both the thyroid levels and remaining kidney function. I'd be concern about the laxatives the cat as this dehydrates the cat more quickly. A vet needs to reevaluate to see if this should be continued.
Your parents cat's health is critically of concern and needs to be seen urgently by a vet. I hope you will be able to at least present the following websites information to encourage them to get the cat into medical care quickly.
Here are more info specifically on CRF and Hyperthyroidism:
CRF: http://felinecrf.com/what0.htm
Feline Hyperthyroidsim: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/thyroid....
- 18 years is getting quite old for a cat. So problems like these are very common. Basically, she needs to see a vet again. Maybe try a different one. At this point it doesn't look like vet kidney food is going to help. The cat may have an additional ailment (such as diabetes or similar) The big thing is this : Veterinarian's can probably keep your cat alive for a while longer (it will cost you a lot of money) but if she's not happy, then I recommend you consider putting her down. The laxitive question is one, again you'll have to ask a vet about. If your current vet isn't being helpful, find another. Some vets are more concerned about their own money than the happiness of a cat, please keep this in mind. Good Luck, and Lots of Luff!
- Oh my goodness! I don't think she should be giving the cat laxatives with a thyroid problem or kidney problems. I had a cat that sadly passed away this summer at the age of 16 and he had diarhea from these conditions and laxatives would be a bad thing to give cause thyroid problems can cause diarhea and with kidney problems you don't want her to get dehydrated. When my kitty wouldn't eat I went to the store and got him some baby food.( Vet recommended) I would get only the meat kind like turkey and chicken. It has a very strong smell and sometimes when cats don't want to eat they will eat this. My vet eventually didn't want to help my Bobby I think cause he was old and he give up on him. Sometimes that happens. It's sad but true. Just try to give her some baby food and see if that helps. They also have vitamins that will increase appetite and help to gain weight. This also worked for me and my cat. Ask the vet for a vitamin paste or you might be able to find it in a pet store. I once saw it in a local pet store. I can't think of the name of the brand that I used but I am sure the vet can tell you. Also, they have a drink called Rebound that is like milk that you cat can drink that has lots of vitamins and helps the cat to eat. I also used this on my Bobby too. Hope I helped. Good luck. Also, asking another vet for an opinion might be a good idea. My first vet give up on Bobby and I took him for a second opinion and the second vet said that he thought Bobby could be saved but sadly he died. I think if I hadn't waited so long he could have been saved and might still be here today.