Any cat experts out there ?

C

concino

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 April 2007
Messages
74
Visit site
I hope no-one minds a 'feline interlude' - as so many people have a cat at the stables and this is a veterinary issue too, I thought it was more appropriate to post this here.

I have a cat, approx. 19 years old and like many elderly persons, she is not so keen to eat. Can any of you wise people out there recommend a good food to put some weight on her. I am after something very nutritious but not high in protein because I don't expect the kidneys are as good as they used to be!!

My cat is very well, she is not on any medication, has never been ill and her teeth, though not as good as they used to be, don't seem to cause her a problem; she still manages a few munchies, left as a snack, not her main food. This is just a case of dealing with something before it becomes a problem - giving an elderly animal a bit of extra care. She is a very special cat, so any supplements or,(literally) 'serving suggestions' would be very much appreciated.
 
If you think kidneys are going, and she is not keeping weight on, then this food is very good -

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_65_77&products_id=280

and you can also add this

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_143&products_id=2598

She may find the wet food easier to eat, but they also do dry food if she prefers this.

To tempt them you could try a little chicken or fish plainly cooked mixed with it. However, you have to avoid if possible feeding protein, so if they can eat without this, they will be better for it.

I found at the time vet uk were the best priced.

At the risk of sounding horrible, and I have now on several occasions spent 100s on my elderly cats, once they start to drop lots of weight, drink etc, it is only a matter of time and I found wasting 100s on blood tests etc only told me what I knew was happening - old age, kidney/liver giving up.

So save your money and spent in on the diet which may help.

Finally, she may appreciate a nice warm igloo bed to sleep in - my elderly cats really do. They can curl up warm and out of the way - even better if pushed against the radiator.

My record cat was Gobby - she made 27. I still have Lulu the Poo at 20 and going strong. The above diet gave Mogolicious another couple of months when her kidneys failed. At the end Mog was very fussy, so it was a case of sod the diet and she was fed little bits of tuna and cream cheese which were her fav food.
 
Tuna made our old cat the happiest thing in the world and would eat anything if there was tuna going with it!
If her kidneys are failing, there is hills science plan kidney recipe, or royal canine also do a food for it!
id try to steer clear of soft food if possible (unless she is loosing teeth) as it causes tooth rot much more quickly than hard food!
btu as I say hard food if she still has enough teeth to chew it!

check with vet!
 
Thank you - will look into the info supplied tomorrow when I have more time to study it.

My cat has not lost her teeth and is still remarkably good for her age - still playful too and the cats next door have a very healthy respect for her, she still sees them off !!! This is very much about 'extra care for the elderly' - so far there is no sign of any probs, she is just starting to look a bit elderly.

Thanks again.
 
I found this a very heartwarming post
smile.gif
 
Well maybe senior cat food then will do the job, if you are concerned about the kidney problem then definetly go for kidney sensitive food instead!
Do your vets supply a feed that they recommend? my old vet used to recommend Hills Science Plan, but when he sold out the new vet has changed to the scientific Royal Canin based feeds, both of these do kidney diets! and I would recommend either (depends which make you prefer!)
Just remember with supplementing cats that they are OBLIGATE carnivores so NO vegetable products please as this will lead to serious SERIOUS health issues! and you wouldn't want that!
But try the hard food if she still has all her teeth! bet it helps after a while! if her coat is looking shabby primrose or cod liver oil also helps, our cats get primrose for dandruf (dark cats, white skin NOT GOOD COMBO!) and its made quite a bit of difference! works for the puppy too!
smile.gif


Hope this helps, let us know what you decide and how it works!
 
Plain steamed white fish or chicken. But I have to say, I think she needs a comprehensive MOT at the vets. Falling weight can be a sign of many, many things in elderly cats - some easily fixed, some not so easily. Elderly cats very, very commonly have thyroid problems that can lead to the problems you describe. You need also to be very careful with dry food if you suspect kidney/bladder problems. An all-dry food diet can lead to crystals in the bladder which can in turn lead to blocked bladders and irreversible kidney damage, which is a very serious veterinary emergency. Many dry cat foods use magnesium salts as the drying agent and this can cause irritation in the entire urinary system. Simply putting a bowl of water next to the food bowl will NOT make the cat understand that it has to drink lots!

Sadly, as in people, tumours are also more common in older cats and can also cause weight loss.

Here's hoping it's just coz she's slowing down a little x
 
White fish always works well, and Hill's do an excellent feed that promotes appitite.

However, if you think her kidneys are failing, then I have to say my first port of call would be the vet for some kind of pallitive care.
 
Hills food every time as recommended by my parents 21 year old cat! All cats kidneys will fail eventually - I have to say, I'd be wary of taking the cat to the vets just because she's old. They are inclined to do a lot of unnecessary tests... This is a bit of a closet tip - my father is a vet and he's kept the old lady cat going (she is a fussy eater and went off her food a few years back) by giving her a little dose of anabolic steroids every few weeks. It does make her a bit louder and more agressive (!!) but she eats well and looks fantastic for her age! I don't know how many vets do that though..!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'd be wary of taking the cat to the vets just because she's old

[/ QUOTE ]
My suggestion was based on the fact that the cat is not eating much - as we all know an animal who looses it's appetite should have us all concerned.

And you don't have to have any tests done if you don't want to. However, as owners we must be responsible. And I see nothing wrong with having a blood test taken and a general check of it's phyiscal body to ensure that all is well.
 
My cats have always been fed Hills, which is excellent. However, I recently bought Royal Canin for them. My young cat wouldn't touch it, but my elderly (13) mog really loves it! She's an indoor cat and they have a special mature indoor cat mix. I know Hills do pouches, which might be easier for your cat to eat - don't know about Royal Canin.
 
I do agree in principle, however my vet charges nearly 120 pounds just to do a blood test and general examination and he was pushing to do an endoscope under general anaesthetic for one of my cats who was off his food having been in a fight... In the end, I just paid for my father's train fare up to Cambridge, that was cheaper than going to the vet..
 
Normally I would agree with you, I spend a fortune on vets each year - my animals always come first. I have just had one of my younger (13) cats given a good once over and some blood tests - bang went £200. I did this with him as I have not had him very long - found him half starved about 6 weeks before in the garden and he started having fits. He is now on medication and has had one mild fit in the past three weeks so hopefully he will be round for a long time to come.

However, with my last four elderly cats - 18/19/20 and 27 I had bloods and other tests done, etc when they started to drink more, had weight loss, and this was several 100 quid a time to be told it was old age, cancer/liver/kidney thyriod and even with drugs they didn't really recover or live that long once they started to go downhill - the first three were pts within a few months and the ancient Gobby went on for a year.

When I took Mog, she had suddenly started to drop weight, drink more and loss of appetite, vet told me to save my money on tests, she was 18 and he said her kidneys were failing.

Hence the diet and supplement and lots of love until it was obvious it was time to let her go when she started to fall over and sit staring at the floor.

I would with the cat in the first post as she seems just to be a bit off her grub, go to vet and see what they suggested, but if she were suffering weight loss, drinking lots as well, then I would accept that her time was coming to a close and give her as much love and tlc as I could for as long as she was comfortable.
 
Thank you all so much - I didn't expect so much interest. My cat is very special to me and your interest has been overwhelming.

To Kit279, my cat's sister did go to the vet for an MOT and as has been pointed out, it was a waste of time. Suffice to say I changed vets,not much improvement there either. Sadly we did have this cat put down and there definitely was a precconcieved attitude of ' old cat don't bother'. Nothing showed up on any tests they did manage to do but no-one questioned anything. The attitude seemed to be she's old, get used to it.

I am aware of the problems with dried food and have never fed this alone - only put out as a choice/snack and always a good quality brand with low salt/min content. I am glad that this point has been made in the hope that others are made aware of the problems.

I have always referred to this cat as my 'dog cat' because she is always with me - she is sat next to me now, on the desk, on her beany pillow and always is when I am at the computer. When I have a bath, she has the bathroom stool positioned by the bath and yes, she is on my pillow at night. When I am upstairs she is upstairs and when I am downstairs, she is downstairs. When I watch TV she is there- I think you get the picture - hence 'dog cat' - and we have many 'conversations'. I am sure many of you will understand when I say that she is one of those animals who, however special all the others are, is 'a cut above'.

I know she has to go some time, I have had many animals for over 50 years, business and pleasure; losing them never gets any easier. She is well at the moment but there is a change and I thank you all for helping with your suggestions to ease her through that change.

I will keep you posted.
 
She sounds a lucky moggie Concino to have you as such a caring owner. Just wanted to say though, as a general point (and we all know this already) but sometimes it's very hard when you're so close to an animal. We all need to be careful that we don't prolong the lives of our beloved pets because we can't bear to let them go. My sister did this with her adored Yorkie and his end was absolutely pitiful to see. He was ancient, blind, deaf, doubly incontinent, could hardly walk, used to howl inconsolably for no apparent reason, was a bag of bones covered in skin and had to spend 12 hours on his own Mon - Fri. I went to visit her and I could not believe that a loving owner would hold onto a dog in such a terrible state just because she "loved him so much".

The most cherished gift we can ever give is a peaceful and dignified death when life has become a burden.
 
awww she sounds like a very lovely - and very loved - little puss. I've found that cats find pilchards very hard to resist, especially if warmed up very slightly and maybe mushed up a bit
smile.gif
 
Box Of Frogs - I totally agree with you - I also know of many people who have kept pets alive for too long because of their selfishness. Love is giving to - not taking from or controlling. Don't worry, I know 'that' time is approaching but we are not there yet; I won't let her down.

I do appreciate the honesty - sometimes tact is not for the best. I will keep all of you posted on my cats progress - hope, with me, that she is not mentioned for a while !!!

PS. On average she is still eating between 1.5 - 3 sachets per day or a couple of individual portion tins - some days she will eat more, some a bit less but she is still eating. I am just trying to find good, nutritious foods to keep it that way. She will also pick at her munchies and this morning she has had half a tin of tuna (other half for lunch) and is now sunbathing on the bed !!! Today I will try to sort out some of the other suggestions you have made. I am very grateful to all of you.
 
Hope you have lots of good time left together - Lulu the Poo is 20, sometimes goes scrawney and then picks up again - I have a feeling she will try and go for Gobby's record of 27. She is a bit senile - but she was never that sharp even when young.

You will know when it is time. They mope around, sit staring at the ground and often will have a stroke/fit and be wobbly legged, stop eating completely - this is when I call it quits.

I am sitting at my PC with Fuzz Nuts half spread over the keyboard - he is a big fluffy pest - I wish he would go and sit in his personal chair on his fleece by the PC - as you can tell, I have very spoilt moggies.
 
Just to add to my previous post, Royal Canin do do pouches. I also wanted to add that my older cat has really perked up since she's been on it, her skin and fur have improved and she's put weight back on - I've been really pleased with it.

And by reading these posts it seems that she's not old at all!!! I think it's amazing that you lot have cats that have reached ripe old age - 27 is incredible!
grin.gif
 
Hi, have you thought about warming her wet food up slightly. Cats have very sensitive taste buds and like their food slightly warm.

Re urine crystals, if that is a concern with dry food Hills do a dry food designed to help disolve the cystals. My Cat Katie had it last year and it worked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top