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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIt's almost 3 am and I am cutting cat food into smaller pieces, AMA
Go ahead, ask me anything
What the heck am I doing in the middle of the night cutting up slices of cat food into smaller pieces of cat food?
Our 17 yr cat lost a lot of weight recently and we are trying to get him to gain it back. He is hungry but has gotten a little more picky. He enjoys his special vet renal diet, but the wet style he likes only comes in 2 flavors and I don't want him to get sick of it. He can sometimes eat 2 of the 3 oz cans a day.
But he really, really likes to lick all the juice/liquid off. So we have been buying those little packets of Friskies (or whatever brand) of broth packets that come with some slices of cat food, as an afternoon and midnight snack. He loves the broth...yay! We tried regular broth...nope, hard to find some without onion powder or garlic. But he leaves the slices, because apparently they are too big. If I cut them up a little more, he will eat them. What the heck?
Last weekend I was having an anxiety attack...as I was shaking and struggling to breathe normally, he would just put his paw on me and purr. Just look right at me and I could feel his whole little body vibrate. So that is why I am up in the middle of the night doing whatever I can to help him feel better.
But for crying out loud...he used to eat mice...now I am serving him special diets, cutting up his food...I am drawing the line at baby bird feeding it to him.
applegrove
(118,880 posts)IcyPeas
(21,931 posts)17 is a pretty good age for a cat. It is lovely that you are both there for each other.
hmmm, baby bird feeding does sound a little freaky. Syringe or bottle maybe? I hope he feels better.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)We used to think we were "dog people"... until one stormy night in April we heard this pathetic noise outside. And there was this black cat about 6mos old who adopted us and our 2 dogs. Since then, we have adopted 2 more dogs (and the first 2 have passed on) so there were times he was a 10 pound kitty in a home with 4 80lb+ dogs and was still boss.
He doesn't know he is a cat...drinks out of the dog bowl, steals their food, sleeps in their beds, plays with their toys, and starts play fights with their tails.
He also comes when called..better than one of our dogs. He is so very cuddly and loving...he needs to be with the "pack" all the time. He is absolutely precious to me...he always knows when I am sad or sick or just need some extra love and he will attach himself to me more than usual. Right now I am in bed, lying on my stomach with him on my back...I can roll from side to side and he just rolls with me..like he put a quarter in and I'm some kind of carnival ride.
We are so lucky he chose us...
IcyPeas
(21,931 posts)character. it's funny how cats can think they are the boss. my cat would sleep in the bend of my knees but when I had to switch sides (which I almost hated to do because I didn't want to disturb him) but I would switch sides and he would just sleepily sit up until I was settled again and return to sleep in the bend of my knee. yes, they are precious to us. and they need us. it's nice to be needed.
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Avalon Sparks
(2,569 posts)They worked wonders on my elder cat, she ate like a champ on them. My vet prescribed them. She had kidney disease and she did not want to eat the Science Diet KD food. I think there was only one flavor at the time. She lost so much weight too, from not wanting to eat it. She would happily chow down on any Fancy Feast though, but the vet insisted it would be horrible to let her off the KD diet. She took the pills for about two years, lived to be almost 20. Near the end though, I wish we had let her eat whatever she wanted, even the pills didn't work at that point and she continued to eat so little she kept getting constipated and was miserable. She would only eat the Fancy Feast and the vet said I should not give it to her under any circumstances. I argued my point with the vet that anything was better than a hunger strike. I caved and listened to the vet and within a few weeks she was always straining to poo, took her back to the vet for that and they kept her overnight and while there she had a stroke and could barely walk, and we had to make that horrifying decision because she was suffering so much. I think switching her back to whatever food she liked would have given her at least a few more months without distress. We don't go to that vet anymore after that. Trust your instincts....
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)someone also suggested kitten milk - we will try that too. I am so sorry your cat when through those months of painful poo.
I know the fancy feast brands and stuff aren't the healthiest, but at 17 he deserves to be spoiled with what he will eat. Once he gets his little belly back then we can talk about restricting diet to just the renal diet.
much love to you
Avalon Sparks
(2,569 posts)Just to clarify though, the Stimson worked well for about two years, it was only that last month when they stopped working and I wanted to switch her back to Fancy because she would barely eat and got so constipated . Hope your kitty starts eating more!
blogslut
(38,021 posts)The meanest kitty in the world doesn't care for bits or shreds and cutting the stuff with a knife or even regular kitchen shears is hand-crampingly difficult. Herb shears turn bits and shreds into pate and they even come with a cool blade-cleaner sheath.
Pakhet
(520 posts)MH1
(17,611 posts)Luckily they have them at Amazon.
zanana1
(6,136 posts)She wouldn't eat much chicken, but she was crazy about the broth. I'd just put a chicken breast in a pot with a minimum of water and let it cook on medium until it was done. Sometimes, I'd mince the chicken and add broth to it.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)whenever I think of making broth I think of the mess of a whole chicken - yuck.
But of course it make sense to just do a breast or a couple of thighs - less mess for me is always a bonus.
He loves chicken too so he will get the best of both worlds - thanks!!
Mosby
(16,401 posts)Our vet turned us on to this trick with the broth, it still has way to much sodium but it's better than not eating.
When I had cats the surefire way to get them to eat when sick was the juice from a can of tuna. I read somewhere that cats lose their sense of smell as they get older so making their food "stinkier" can help with their appetite.
MrsMatt
(1,660 posts)no other ingredients.
Works like a charm for many old cats - helps if you heat it up a little so there is more aroma.
good luck - I've had two geriatric cats (19 & 18) in the past; now have one 13 year old, 2 four year olds, and one 2 year old.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,232 posts)from a spoon. But baby food is expensive, so I started pureeing regular cat food through a blender. BINGO! She loved it.
Number9Dream
(1,565 posts)He's been getting infusions for feline CRF for 4.5 years. Refused to eat renal cat food. He also likes his food smashed up or diced small. He likes an occasional jar of baby food - turkey, chicken, or beef. Sometimes, soupy people tuna. He gets a generic fiber laxative mixed in frequently. He has such a sweet disposition, we spoil him.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)but man he drinks the broth like crazy which I am happy about, since that helps prevent dehydration. I might have to try baby food as an occasional snack as well. Others have mentioned it so anything to give him some variety
His feeding schedule is pretty much every 4-6 hrs. I can't just leave food out for him - 1) wet stuff dries up and eewwww or 2) dogs eat it. Since I am home, I feed him whenever I get the meow and the paw.
In return I get warm cuddles and lots of purrs - seems like a good trade
Phentex
(16,334 posts)been there myself with my dogs and it's all because of love.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)trueblue2007
(17,243 posts)and fancy feast too. our 5 are picky and they hate big pieces of cat food. they don't like pate either so go figure.
all 5 of our cats are rescue cats. what do you think they ate before we saved their little bodies???
finicky cats all of them
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)he used to go hunting and eat mice and anything else he could get.
Once we moved back to Minnesota and into the city he became full time indoor cat (before we lived on a rental property near 300 acres of farmland). When we were uneducated pet owners, our pets got Alpo, Meow Mix etc. Then we graduated to Iams and Science Diet, then finally to Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wilderness. They also get higher quality treats, with fewer weird additives. We look at the labels for their food more than our own.
We spent an hour researching a new litter box - we wanted one that he could get into with ease now that he is getting older and he needs another box downstairs, but we didn't want an open one because the dogs treat the litter box like a buffet. But then I read sometimes cats feel trapped in a covered one or that it's too dark. He has always had a covered one...then I worried all this time he was having a bad potty experience. Then I realized I really overthink things...lol
We finally found an awesome dome shaped one that has a little a ramp...he loves it. Dogs still knock the lid off when we leave but that is another battle.
One thing about rescue pets - they are sweet angels and every day with them is a gift. Sometimes a stinky gift, a pain in butt gift, or a really expensive vet gift - but still a gift
trueblue2007
(17,243 posts)Rhiannon12866
(206,601 posts)Kudos to you for going the extra mile for him. He's fortunate to have you...
Generic Brad
(14,276 posts)Healthy Gourmet canned food (no sea food) and boiled and finely minced Costco chicken. If we didn't do that she would have miserable stomach cramps and pain.
We will do anything to keep her healthy and happy, but the past two years have been a physical challenge.
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)Cats with CKD have upset stomachs. It may help to raise his food bowl or buy a raised bowl. Also there are other low protein and low phosphorus foods you can give him instead or give him a phosphorus binder to prevent some of the phosphorus in the food from getting to his kidneys. There s a FB group for CKD kitties. -- lots of good info there. Good luck with your kitty.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)Do you know - is a phosphorus binder something I have to get from the vet? I have read about that on other forums too.
The upset stomach is what started the weight loss cycle...but I am so glad that he is waking me up again to eat.
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,483 posts)nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)because of the myth of the aloof kitty. When he adopted us, we had a black lab mix (velcro dog) and a collie mix (herd you into a cuddle dog) so we had no idea what to expect.
our cat is unaware of this stereotype. He is so amazing! He is just so loving, so cuddly and just such a great cat. And he loves us all - me, my husband, our dogs... but clearly he loves me the most (ha!)
I just want him to be happy and healthy and pain free. So far he still has his appetite (fussy, but there) and energy to play with toys and hop around on the furniture and swipe at the dogs' tails. These are positive signs...I just wish we could fatten him back up.
GoCubsGo
(32,099 posts)Rather, it is probably what is in the chunks. A lot of cats I know don't like the chunks or "shreds", and prefer to just lick of the gravy. My cat is one such individual. Sometimes, if I mash up the chunks with a fork, she'll eat some of it. I generally just buy the pate-style food, since she's not on a special diet.
I assume since your kitty is on renal food, he has kidney issues. My dearly-departedboy had chronic renal failure. The vet put him on Azodyl, which is an OTC pro-biotic supplement that helps support the kidneys. It helps remove wastes from the cat's system that the kidneys are unable remove, somewhat akin to dialysis. A lot of vets carry it, and you can buy it online, including on Amazon. It gave my handsome boy an extra year, and made him feel better.