Help, Kidney failure and food. My cat hardly eats....

[Jill_From_Trnto]

I have 2 Ragdoll cats. Both turning 9 this month. Generally healthy up until fairly recently. One of my guys was just recently ultrasound and diagnosed with the beginning of Heart disease and kidney failure. I have always had them on an excellent vet food diet but the ill cat has not eaten much over the past several months and seems to be getting pickier and pickier. On the weekend he hardly ate anything all day, ...on Saturday only about 10 dry pellets of food and finally Sunday he ate more about 50 pellets of food. I am trying to find a wet food that I can add water too (he likes very soupy foods) that he can enjoy so he can take in extra calories and water for the kidneys. At this point I don't care what food it is. I am assuming it is better for him to eat something rather than hardly eating anything. Can anyone suggest a good food for very picky cats. I have even tried giving him a little tuna juice and he has no interest... Any help would be appreciated.

[Love4himies]

All cats should be on canned food or raw. Kibble to be used as a last resort (I have to keep my Jasper on 25% kibble, he is too hyper and was loosing too much weight too fast on canned only AND super picky)

I feed my cats the following: (DH has given up and won't foed them, says it is way too complicated)

Puddles: mainly Wellness grain free: Turkey, Chicken, Beef and Chicken and she is allowed Fromm's 4 starr canned for treats. She is not allowed any kibble.
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_w...can_index.html

http://www.frommfamily.com/products-...-duck-tuna.php


Jasper: mainly Nature's Variety Instinct canned Lamb is his fav, but will eat Venison, 25 % orijen kibble sprinkled on top of his canned. He is not allowed any new kibble until his canned has been eaten.

http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct_cat_can
http://www.championpetfoods.com/orij...ducts/cat.aspx

Sweet Pea: 50% Nature's Variety Instinct canned and 50 % Organics by Nature. She is not allowed any kibble, she is much too overweight.

http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/prod...nnedcat.php#cm

Foster kittens: Morning meal: 50 Kitten Wellness Canned, mixed with a variety of adult Wellness (Puddles' food) and Organics (Sweet Pea's food) depending on what is on the counter. Supper and Night time is Nature's Variety Raw medallions.

I am sure our cat gurus Sugarcatmom and Growler will be along to give their advice. I am confident these two know more about cat nutrition than most vets. I truly believe they have extended Puddles' life by years with their food advice

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Jill_From_Trnto

I have 2 Ragdoll cats. Both turning 9 this month. Generally healthy up until fairly recently. One of my guys was just recently ultrasound and diagnosed with the beginning of Heart disease and kidney failure.

Sorry to hear about the health problems. Has there been any recent blood work and urinalysis? Do you know what your cat's values for creatinine, BUN, USG, phosphorus, calcium and potassium are? These can be a big indicator of how bad the kidney disease is.

Originally Posted by Jill_From_Trnto

I have always had them on an excellent vet food diet but the ill cat has not eaten much over the past several months and seems to be getting pickier and pickier.

Unfortunately, vet foods aren't all they're cracked up to be. In fact they mostly have pretty lousy ingredients for which people pay way too much for. It's good that you want to find something else as it's extremely important that your kitty eat.

Originally Posted by Jill_From_Trnto

I am trying to find a wet food that I can add water too (he likes very soupy foods) that he can enjoy so he can take in extra calories and water for the kidneys.

And wet food is the best thing for cats with kidney issues. I'd stay away from all dry (unless it's absolutely the only thing he'll eat). A couple of good options that are lower in phosphorus are the grain-free (and fish-free) Wellness varieties. If you think a bit of fishiness will help stimulate your cat's appetite, then the Salmon & Trout one would be okay for the short term. Otherwise you generally want to stay away from fish flavours because they often have higher phosphorus levels, which is harder on the kidneys.

Originally Posted by Jill_From_Trnto

Can anyone suggest a good food for very picky cats. I have even tried giving him a little tuna juice and he has no interest... Any help would be appreciated.

Other low phosphorus canned foods that you could try are Precise (again, non-fishy ones); Innova Evo 95% beef, venison or chicken & turkey; Merrick Cowboy Cookout, Turducken, Thanksgiving Day Dinner, or Surf N Turf; and Felidae Chicken & Rice or Cat & Kitten.

Some stuff to try to tempt your guy into eating are things like plain meat baby food (no onions), low sodium salmon, sardines, dried bonito flakes sprinkled on top, parmesan cheese (or any cheese that your cat likes), freeze-dried meat treats like Halo Liv-a-Littles or Real Food Toppers, even catnip can help.

Have you seen these 2 excellent sites on CRF?:
http://www.felinecrf.com/index.htm
http://www.felinecrf.org/

[growler~GateKeeper]

Jill_From_Trnto sorry to hear of the health issues your furry friend is having

What are your cats' names? & which one is having the troubles? What has the vet mentioned about the heart disease? Has s/he prescribed any medications/treatments?

L4H & SCM have given you some great food choices, I can also add Eagle Pack Holistic Select to that list. Have you considered a raw or home cooked diet?

Will they eat if you add a bit of plain cooked chicken to it? Adding a teaspoon or 2 of warm water is always good to give some extra moisture with their meal.

Another treat to try topping the food with is FeelGood treats, they are lightly seared liver treats, my grrl Duffy especially likes the Lamb

Have you tried warming the canned in the dish by placing it in a sink of hot water for a few seconds? Do not put the food in the microwave.

Did you get a copy of the blood & urine test results? Can you post the values scm has mentioned here? Another value I'm interested in is Albumin.

My cat also has kidney failure her thread is here with alot of great links including the ones posted by SCM & helpful tips as well as some more food talk.

[lm9012]

sorry to hear about your kitty getting sick. It can be very traumatic, I'm sure. You've already received awesome advice. Growler here has been fighting back on CRF with her kitty since last year. I'm fighting it with my dog. you have a double whammy with the addition of heart disease.

Please take some time and do some research..there is tons of info on the internet. Your most powerful weapon is knowledge!! I can't stress that enough. Many of us with CRF animals have had some bad luck with vets not knowing the right rounds of treatments..so you can imagine how disheartening it can be to have the one person you think would help lead you in the wrong way. Now of course this isn't ALWAYS the case...many vets are wonderful...after four tries I found mine! Growler has a great holistic vet.. You will become an expert at reading blood results, the food scale will be your best friend..you will have a pharmacy of supplements in your cupboard! but it will be worth it!

You will learn what works for you and your kitty. What I can tell you is that CRF isn't necessarily a death sentence right off the bat. Depending on what stage it has been caught, and what treatments you follow..it can be managed. What is most important is the wellness of your kitty..so your first focus right now is to get food into her. CRF patients often lose weight, since they can be very naseous, many 'parents' give them antacids to help with the nausea. And yes, I mirror the statement about vet rx food sometimes not being the best option...it is extremely expensive and often has crap ingredients.
My dog was put on prescription food for kidney disease and he gained weight ( a bad thing in our case) and got yeast infections in his ears, not to mention he HATED it and the kidney values were worsening at an alarming rate.

So please do some research, and this board is extremely informative about diet. Stay away from kibble for now, and try to get as much calories and moisture in her as you can with wet canned food/plain cooked meat at home.
Depending on her numbers, you may end up having to give her IV fluids to hydrate and flush out the kidneys. Hopefully you aren't at that point yet! But if so...I promise it isn't as bad as it sounds!

And I don't think I need to stress that the addage about protein being the 'enemy' of kidney disease is very false! particularly for cats, limiting protein is the last thing you want to do...for dogs as well! Phosphorous is the culprit..which unfortunately is in almost every food in existence..but once you are informed...you will know what she can/cannot eat just by looking at it!

Good luck! please feel free to ask more questions, post the numbers, you will get very valuable advice here!!

I was told by two vets my dog was dying..that was a year ago..he is as happy and active as ever..and although we are aware the disease is there..we aren't going down without a fight..and by looking at him, you wouldn't even know it. I know many people that with just good, wholesome food and vitamins are bringing on amazing quality of life. Me included! For CRF dogs, homemade/raw food is best. Not too much 'commercial' food works for our cases. Don't be afraid to get second, third, fourth opinions! You know your baby the most, instinct will kick in and you will know what is best! Sending out

[lynn37canada]

Hello to the lady That is dealing with her Cat Having kidney failure.We have been going through the same thing. you need to get the special soft cat food from your vet.
As Whiskers,Friskies,9lives All the store Boughten Soft cat food Has way 2 much salt in it We just spent over 1,000.00 on our Cat (Patch) & with med's it can be controled. Its a long process But we'll worth it in the end! Animals (Cats or Dogs) Are not suppose to have salt It dehydrates Them & our Cat Poor Patch Had to spend 24 hours in the hospital Cause He was so dehydrated, He drank alot But it all came out as soon as he drank it.If you have to feed your animal with a dropper.. as long as it is getting what it needs your cat should purk up. When we took patch in we thought we were going to have to put him to sleep but They did some tests & blood work and told us with a special diet & medication it can be controlled,mine Patch can hardly walk but is getting better,& isn't in any pain.We have old blanket's down as he can't get to the litter box,but The way i see it is He isn't in pain i work with him all the time. Any questions Please don't hesitate To e-mail me babystorm442004@yahoo.com..Lynn

[growler~GateKeeper]

lynn37canada I'm sorry you are dealing with CRF in your cat & he is having trouble

Are you giving fluids? This will help with hydration & it also makes the cat feel better overall.

The vet food may be helpul for some with CRF but the ingredients really aren't the best for cats especially ones with weakened systems. Wellness has some flavours that are at the lower end of phosphous but with far superior ingredients and better proteins than the corn, wheat, rice that passes for nutrition in the vet food. Have a look in my thread which is linked in this one to read some more info & links on CRF and proper cat nutrition.