Cat with renal failure won't eat!?
My cat is 15 years old and is in stage 2 (almost 3) of renal failure. He also has thyroid problems. Every two weeks he is losing another pound. He is now 7lbs. He is on a special diet of both wet and dry renal failure cat food with low protein. He doesn't want to eat it. The vet told us not to feed him anything but the special cat food because the protein will hurt him worse. My cat will sniff that food just cry and cry for something different food. The vet said there are appetite stimulants but he keeps putting off giving them to us. How much more weight can he lose? Should I just give him some regular food? Are there low protein regular foods that he could eat? Could I give him tuna juice which is even more watered down?
User Comments
- Um, if it gets worse.......I think you really should consider putting the old man down.......poor thing, seems he wants to eat but he know he cannot.
He seems in pain too.........I would personally feel bad keeping him alive like this.
- Sardines have a very strong fishy smell, and are often recommended to encourage reluctant cats to eat. Check with your vet if pouring sardine oil on your cat's special food, or mixing it with sardines, is OK.
- Honey, I know it's hard, but he is 15 and he is obviously not a happy kitty. I think it's time to seriously consider putting your cat down. I know it's heart breaking, but it sounds like that would be what is best for your cat.
- You need to see another vet. a cat that won't eat, even for just 2 weeks, will die anyway. Even if it is perfectly healthy otherwise. I know cause my daughter's cat almost did. You have to get him to eat. My vet said very few cats can recover from a long spell (2 weeks) of not eating.
He may already be dehydrated. If you softly pinch his skin on his back, and it doesn't snap back flat fast, he needs hydration.
We have a cat that loves dog food for a treat. That's lower protien than cat food. And Tuna juice is fine for a cat.
- his appetite might not need stimulating. just that he needs something to satisfy his appetite.
let your cat have tuna juice, or chicken, beef broth.. watered or non watered down, at your discretion.
I'd also try giving tinnie tinnie, flea size portions of his regular food before he got sick. mushed into the meat juice.
also.. watered raw scrambled egg with sprinkle of garlic powder.
- are you sure its not from the pet food? you had to of heard of the pet food recall its everywhere. it has been causing what your cat has.
this is a website people can go to if their pet is ill or has passed away because of the pet food, they are trying to come together to make a class action lawsuit.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/men...
here is another website with LOTS of info
http://www.howl911.com/petfoodrecall.htm...
- "Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs". Don Hamilton, DVM. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, CA. 1999.
- Try the tuna juice (water not oil) on the special food. The kidney problems will make him not hungry too...if he is eating a little and still drinking (more important) then he'll keep going.
- I would immediatly call another vet and try to get a 2nd opinion. I'm not sure why they would not give you appetite stimulants but he shouldn't be losing that much weight. it is not healthy
- I get so incensed by the "low protein" thing. There is absolutely no research to support lowering protein in cats who are kidney compromised!!!!!!!!!!! It does not slow the progression of the disease nor the final outcome, which is death.
I rescued a cat who was dying of hyperthyroidism when she was 15. That was resolved with the radio-iodine treatment. At about 18 her kidneys began to show signs of insufficiency. She ate nothing but the raw meat diet I prepared at home (VERY high protein and lots of moisture). She just died after Thanksgiving (probably reaching stage 3) and she was 22 and 1/2 years old.
So for god's sake give your poor kitty something decent to eat. Eating, napping and snuggling are the few pleasures an older cat has. Get some cans of a/d from any vet office and let your guy have some of that. It's very appealing to cats who don't want to eat - high in protein and fat to nourish him and make him feel better.
Get Don Hamilton's book from your library and read his chapter titled "Urinary System.", especially pp. 213-221.