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Old July 4th, 2013, 04:39 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
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What a lovely guy Samson is! Such big furry feet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
With respect to his crystal issue which hasn't resurfaced by the way, should I get him a canned version of metabolic?
That would be a better choice than the dry, but the ingredients still aren't ideal:
Water, Pork Liver, Pork By-Products, Corn Flour, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Starch, Chicken, Flaxseed, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Corn Gluten Meal,

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
I would love to be able to switch him from dry to canned but I feel like he might protest. He is kind of set in his ways.
For sure that can be a factor, but I firmly believe pretty much any cat can eventually be converted to a better diet with enough persistence and perseverance. It took me many months, maybe even a year, to get my then 10 yr old cat switched over to all wet food. He just turned 20 in May, and absolutely looooooooves his raw meals now. Here are some tips on how to transition:
http://feline-nutrition.org/nutritio...-to-a-raw-diet
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites...et-part-1.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites...et-part-2.aspx
http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
For instance, he feels he can wake me up at 4:30 am and meow his way to a snack. I would like to avoid this very late night/early morning demands so that I can sleep too!
A timed feeder might help with that, or perhaps a bedtime snack to tide him over for longer. Also if you never give in to his demands, the behaviour should eventually extinguish on it's own. But you have to be 100% consistent.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
His vet told me that he can consume 1-1 1/4 cups of dry metabolic daily.
The Metabolic Dry is 289 k/cal per cup, so you can use that as a reference point for adjusting the amount you feed him if you incorporate other foods. You might also find that he's more satiated with a higher protein food, and therefore doesn't bug you in the wee hours of the morning for snacks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
I won't know how much wet canned to give him to get him from 9.4kg down to 7-7.4kg safely. I realize that there is a safe way to get him to lose weight
Definitely don't want him losing weight too fast. Here is a reasonable guideline that should help: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineo...Much_Do_I_Feed


Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
The problem with the playing is that he seems to want to dictate what the terms are for playing and when.
Typical cat! Something to make a note of is when Samson is most naturally active on his own. For my cats, that tends to be first thing in the morning (before their breakfast) and in the evening before bed. In fact, if you can make a routine of playing with him before feeding him (make him "work" for his food - kind of like how he would have to hunt for prey in the wild), that might encourage a bit more activity out of him. But obviously nothing that would cause him more pain from the IVDD.

You could also try different types of toys, whether they be wand or fishing rod style, furry balls or mice for tossing, crumpled balls of paper or tinfoil, milk jug rings, etc. Even something like a tunnel he can run through, or a paper bag to pounce on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
Thanks for the Buprenex recommendation. Getting him off this Metacam junk causes me to lose sleep! Now, I live just east of Toronto Ont., and I need to know how to go about getting Buprenex and where and at what cost too.
Can only get the Buprenex (generic name is buprenorphine) at the vet, and it is pricey. Comes as a liquid that you administer orally (it's supposed to work best sublingually, so doesn't have to be swallowed, just squirted in the cheek pouch), or it can also be injected subcutaneously. My vet gets a long-lasting version that's good for about 72 hrs per shot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yorgo67 View Post
Also, thanks for the Restoralax recommendation too. Again, where should I go about getting this product for my feline.
You can get Restoralax at most drug stores, like Shopper's. Start with just 1/4 tsp mixed in some wet food (or plain chicken baby food) a couple times a day and adjust from there depending on the results. Takes about 24 hrs for it to take effect.
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