I was taught, too many years ago, that a seafood heavy diet it not good for male cats. Can cause kidney problems. I have four male cats and I take it very easy on the seafood. Asher is very picky, but when he gets hungry enough he will eat. We’ve had several stand-off’s over canned food. I give him 20 minutes to start eating a new food. Then I take it away and put it out again at the next feeding time. I leave dry food out all the time. Canned is once a day at 8 p.m. He constantly tries to convince me that he’s starving at 7 p.m. and the new food is no good. He’ll even knock the dish on the floor. So far he’s letting me win.
My elderly cat, age 17, recently took a downward spiral with her health. It started with her not eating, then the next day she started becoming more unbalanced, along with sleeping more, and still, eating very little (she also did seem to use the bathroom a tiny bit more than usual, but it wasn’t anything like when my male cat had a urinary tract block, she peed a little each time, but she could be dehydrated) , and today it’s only gotten worse, along with her barely using the litter box, she peed today but no sign of pooing. She ate all of maybe once today, with a few treats here and there. She also has been wandering aimlessly to stare into the bathroom (a place I used to give her water) and to stare at her litter box.
She seems really interested in drinking when she’s up, but doesn’t actually seem to be doing it much. (I’ve debated syringe feeding her some water, but I worry it might hurt her)
She is a cat with a history of feline kidney disease, diagnosed stage 2 by the vet that I’d seen a year ago. Although I have been managing it with daily feedings of wet food and water.
I took her to see the vet today, but all he really did was palpate her kidneys and then tell me he felt something there. I was unable to afford the suggested blood work and x-rays, but the vet was saying things like “everything is hospice care at this point, she’s so old, there not much worth putting the money into her at her age.” Wich was a bit callous sounding. But maybe it’s because she’s my baby.
So they suggested I consider euthanasia right then and there. I couldn’t go through with it right that moment and just took her home to decide.
She has eaten a little, and drank a little since. I’ve been putting her in her bed near me as she’s super tired.
Would putting her down be the right decision? Is there something else I can do???? She’s my only family, and pretty much my child. I can’t just give up on her. Please help.
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I try to feed my cats tuna/seafood flavored wet foods as sparingly as possible, but Sebastian is becoming picky to the point where he will only eat his dry food (Nutro high-protein) or tuna (Blue Buffalo gourmet) or a now discontinued shrimp/chicken/duck combo (Wellness). He will eat some chicken canned foods from those brands, but not always and not much of it. Is it unhealthy for him to have tuna about 4 times a week? He gets 1 3oz can a day, split into 2 servings and about 1/4c of dry food.
I’ve tried mixing a small amount of other food in with the tuna but then he refuses to eat any of it.
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debra yuhasz
She also is refusing to eat her food we got puppy replacer formula that and water is all she will take besides wanting her beggin treats is this ok
My beagle puppy, 8 weeks of age, is rather underweight and isn’t gaining weight as she should. She has already been to vet and been cleared but now refuses to eat. Have tried puppy milk formula, wet and dry puppy/dog food, etc. and nothing. The only thing she would eat after countless efforts was small pieces of prepared chicken. Any advice as to what to feed her that she may like and that will help her to gain weight?
The first 2 days started with a large amount of vomit early in the a.m. not normal fur ball vomit but a watered down milk consistency with fur in it. Day 3 brought on vomiting throughout the day and refusal to eat. Also stopped using the bathroom. Day 4 vomit is yellow in color now still with fur, still refusing to eat, still hasn’t used the bathroom. Just sleeps and vomits. What can I do?
Hi- I am so sorry that you are going through this difficult time. Only you can decide when is right for you….I like to think that our pets let us know when it is time. If I were you, I would see how the rest of this evening goes and see if she peeks up any tomorrow. Try getting her to eat better and drink some. Very best to you
Thank you for your quick reply. This is so hard to watch.
I’ll definitely be making the decision quickly, and with her in mind, I already feel terrible at her stage, but the sudden euthanasia option was just too much to handle at that time.
I’ll try getting more food and water into her now.
Hello,
I’m so sorrry to hear about your cat. I think it would be really helpful to run some blood work. I always worry about kidney disease and they round disease in these cats. At my clinic this costs about $175. I say this because thyroid disease is treatable. It is best treated early than late. Kidney disease in Advanced stage is not. But I do think that knowing what is going on with her will help make a hard decision a little clearer Also your cat deserves fluid therapy. That is $25 at my clinic for a Sq fluid kit to go home which lasts abo it a week. It can really help some cats feel better. Let me know what happens I hope this helps. Never stop advocating for your cat! Best wishes.
I so appreciate your help. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I’ll do my best to see if I can find a way to get a kit like that, he mildly suggested fluids at the clinic, but made it sound like it was pointless. I wish he had advocated a little bit more about giving us fluids to at least put her on. Because I would of happily agreed.
Would syringe feeding her some water help at all?
Hi Willow – the subcutaneous fluids really are a better option, as they do a better job than just ingested fluids.
If you aren’t feeding a veterinary diet including kidney specific wet food, I’d start. My cat is also in renal failure and simply switching diets and doing subq fluids (when he lets me) have likely bought me more time with him.