Blackie not eating much

[Jan]

We've had a couple of episodes of Blackie being very picky about his food in recent weeks. He is sleeping a lot more these days. Even at night, when he used to stay out for hours, he's back by around 8.30 - 9pm.

He won't eat the Thrive chicken I put down - only thing I can tempt him with is boiled chicken but he's not eating a lot of that either. His urine test a few weeks back showed there was blood in his urine which the vet thought might be due to the stress of him not having his usual litter in the tray (he can get very upset/angry about that).

He's also drinking more because the food is left but the warmed water I put with it is lapped up. I've also seen him drinking from the clay bowl in the garden. I'm thinking that at 15, his kidney disease is progressing so will be taking him to the vets on Monday to see his usual vet. Only thing I saw him do normally today was half-run after his girlfriend, Poppy, who lives next door but one

[alanc]

That's very worrying. Have you tried steamed Haddock? Persuaded my old cat Sally to eat again when she was about Blackie's age.

[Lilith]

Aww poor old chap.

Have you tried grilling the chicken? My lot won't look at roasted or boiled, especially if cold, but let them smell grilled chicken breast, I suppose because the meat juices are browned ... And fish from the chip shop ... and rabbit if you can get it (farm shops are a good source.) My Emily's 17 in July (so I can understand about how you're feeling about Blackie) and she'd KILL for a bit of bunny.

Lol Poppy sounds to be cheering him up though

All paws and tails crossed here for him x

[Jan]

Haven't thought of grilling the chicken - will try that tomorrow if he's still picky. We had fish + chips this evening and gave him some small pieces of fish ... swallowed in a heartbeat!

A trick this evening was to crush 2 or 3 Hills urinary stress kibbles in with a small amount of his Felix - (he would live on those kibbles if I let him) Anyway, he happily ate the food after smelling it - the crushed kibbles did the trick. But he wasn't up for a second helping ... he went straight upstairs to sleep on a bed on the landing.

Thanks for the tips and best wishes .... Blackie will normally eat anything put in front of him (except renal food) - that is until he decides that he wants his Felix back in the bowl.

[Janey]

Gourmet pates! that usually does the trick with the oldies. Best of luck, give him a snuggle from me.

[bobbys girl]

Sorry to hear that Blackie is struggling. We had similar problems with Tommy. He was always one for 'real' meat and I would agree with Lilith about roast meat. Sometimes we would buy a roast chicken from the local supermarket. We would have chicken sandwiches for lunch and Tommy would have the majority of the remaining chicken. He'd be pacing up and down waiting for his share. It was lovely to see.

He also liked beef. We would buy it sliced, or if we went out for Sunday lunch one of us had to have the beef!

At the suggestion of a veterinary nurse, my sister Judy gave her boy cheap chicken roll when he would eat nothing else. It is not the most healthy of foods for a cat with kidney problems, but at least he was eating something. Then the meds kicked in and he got his appetite back.

Fusses to Blackie.

[Lilith]

You mean that one of you had to order the beef and take most of it home in a Tommy bag?

Hey I forgot to say that in the case of rabbit, I'd poach it in very little water, over lowest heat (those diffuser thingies are ideal, only cost a couple of quid) until tender, and remove any bones. The cat might enjoy the broth too. Wild killed rabbit is better than imported factory farmed, but the packaging does advise you to beware of any shot ... I frisk the bunny with a strong magnet lol.

And many many apologies to any readers who keep rabbits as companions

[bobbys girl]

You mean that one of you had to order the beef and take most of it home in a Tommy bag?

And many many apologies to any readers who keep rabbits as companions

They are always very generous with the portions over here - we just don't say 'whoa!' as they pile on the meat! (They also look aghast when you say that you don't want chips with your hundred- weight of mashed spuds AND roasties!!!)

As for eating rabbits, I really love the wild deer that wander around here (quite nearby!) But I am also very fond of venison. No problems there, in fact they have a better life than most farm animals, a quick despatch and some very healthy meat. I could eat rabbit - but I wouldn't like to raise them for the pot! (coward ) And we thought kitties were fussy.

[Lilith]

Wow, that sounds like the kind of place my ex, Adrian, would LOVE - BIG meat and potatoes man! He told me a horror story about a gastro-pub - ghastly pub? - where it was £60 a head for a couple of slices of turkey and three roasties each, preceded by a weedy fish cocktail which gave him the runs ... gastric pub?

Ah ... once I did raise rabbits for meat, but I knew what to do and so the rabbit's last memories would have been of being carried gently up the garden path and then - I'm relieved to say that I never bungled it once. But no. not enjoyable. It stood me in good stead, though, when finding a poor wretched creature suffering from myxomatosis way out in the countryside ... that is a foul sadistic disease, worse than rat poison

Hey, we have deer here too, even in the bleak wastes of Wakefield there are still pockets of countryside ('Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet!') and A and I used to go walking. Driving back along a very busy road, something about the size and appearance of a long-legged labrador jumped over the wall and nearly came to grief on the car bonnet. It ran away untouched and unharmed but, being totally unprincipled, if it had met with sudden death, I'd have had it in the car boot for future reference. Again sorry if this sounds bloodthirsty.

Sorry Jan I'm way off topic - how's the lad doing today, best wishes to him as always x

[Jan]

All this talk of meat is making me hungry! We will be having beef tomorrow and no doubt His Little Lordship will be taking his place sitting on the chair opposite me - I almost feel like putting a bib on him at times

The contrary little b***** decided this morning that he would eat some Felix DD Lamb + Chicken mixed with crushed urinary stress kibbles + warmed water. A further helping of Felix Beef + Poultry with crushed kibbles went down well and then he looked for a 2nd helping. I added his YuMove supplement to the 2nd but this wasn't met with much approval He's been having YuMove sprinkled over his food since last September with absolutely no problem so he may have decided he's not keen on it anymore, I've no idea.

He's eaten the equivalent of 2 pouches so far and generally seems brighter and a bit more sociable today - though sociable isn't a word I'd use to describe Blackie except when he wants food - I don't know what Poppy sees in him

The vet visit is planned for Monday morning when I will discuss in detail about the blood in his urine, lapses in his appetite, pain from his arthritis, and the fact that he is drinking more these days.

[Jan]

All this talk of meat is making me hungry! We will be having beef tomorrow and no doubt His Little Lordship will be taking his place sitting on the chair opposite me - I almost feel like putting a bib on him at times

The contrary little b***** decided this morning that he would eat some Felix DD Lamb + Chicken mixed with crushed urinary stress kibbles + warmed water. A further helping of Felix Beef + Poultry with crushed kibbles went down well and then he looked for a 2nd helping. I added his YuMove supplement to the 2nd but this wasn't met with much approval He's been having YuMove sprinkled over his food since last September with absolutely no problem so he may have decided he's not keen on it anymore, I've no idea.

He's eaten the equivalent of 2 pouches so far and generally seems brighter and a bit more sociable today - though sociable isn't a word I'd use to describe Blackie except when he wants food - I don't know what Poppy sees in him

The vet visit is planned for Monday morning when I will discuss in detail about the blood in his urine, lapses in his appetite, pain from his arthritis, and the fact that he is drinking more these days.

[Lilith]

The bad lad, scaring you - they do have their ups and downs at this age.

Hope he enjoys his beef tomorrow and good luck on Monday x

[Jan]

The bad lad, scaring you - they do have their ups and downs at this age.

Hope he enjoys his beef tomorrow and good luck on Monday x

This bad lad seems to have decided that the YuMove supplement isn't to his taste anymore He won't touch any food with even half a capsule sprinkled on it. Something else to discuss with his 'Auntie Sue' tomorrow.

[Jan]

Well ... that vet visit was a complete waste of time;

After describing Blackie's lack of appetite and drinking more, the vet decided a blood test was in order. However, best laid plans of mice + men (or cat). As soon as Blackie was lifted out of his carrier, he started fighting like the black panther he can be. Only thing the vet managed to do was shave a patch from his leg to take some blood which enraged him even more. The vet nurse can usually control him, but not this time.

In the end, Blackie was so out of control that it was decided to call a halt and the vet nurse popped him back in his basket - Blackie was already trying desperately to get in there. The vet said the best thing was to bring Blackie back on Wednesday to be sedated and then he can have a full + proper health check and blood will be taken then. At least there was no charge for the pantomime!

I

[Jan]

Blackie had a complete health check under sedation this morning - eyes, heart, lungs, ears and teeth and a good feel around his body. When she pressed his abdomen he didn't like it much. A urine sample was taken and unfortunately there is still some blood in it which was disappointing to learn. She still thinks this is not kidney related but due to stress.

Blood was taken from Blackie and sent off to the hospital and if further tests are needed it is up to us if we proceed because the final cost for all this will be £££££!! No surprise to learn that we will do whatever it takes to find out the reason why his appetite is so up + down and he seems not himself from time to time.

Not sure what we can do about stress .... we have no idea why Blackie might be stressed unless there is another cat bothering him in the surrounding area. Blackie might be all bluster - growling, spitting and hissing at other cats, but he's

can't put up a good fight - he'd rather run away and give up his territory.

At the moment he is sitting on the garden room floor - still I think recovering from his ordeal this morning. Poor little soul. If only he understood we are putting him through all this to make him feel better.

[alanc]

Sorry to hear Blackie has still got blood in his urine. I have my doubts about diagnoses of stress after my experience with Badger, so I think you should certainly try and find if anything else is wrong.

[Lilith]

Ohhh the bad lad - tell him from me he's naughty - and give him a nice fuss from me, and all the very very best, what a handsome villain he is

[booktigger]

Poor Blackie, depending on his bloods I'd be tempted to have an abdominal ultrasound to rule out bladder stones

[Jan]

I understand why the vet thinks its down to stress given Blackie's history. I will wait for all the blood results to come in and then mention the blood in urine issue again.

Blackie still seems disorientated from the sedation - he doesn't respond to his name and seems to be very reluctant to have any interaction with us. The vet thought given Blackie's age, it will take him longer to recover - plus she reminded me that Blackie can hold a grudge for quite a while and there's me thinking he'd be grateful to be safe back home!

He also had some very runny and stinky stools this morning - she thought this was also stress related and should clear up once he has settled down again. We had an episode of this problem when we left him in a cattery for nearly 4 weeks last year. He'd also scratched a bald patch on the back of his neck during the time he was in there even though he is familiar with the place and the owner who always makes a special fuss of him.

The only normal activity so far (apart from eating and using his litter tray) is that he saw Poppy (his "girlfriend" run across the garden and he was up and running into the garden room like a shot Advice was not to let him outdoors for the time being.

[Jan]

Ohhh the bad lad - tell him from me he's naughty - and give him a nice fuss from me, and all the very very best, what a handsome villain he is

I would give him a nice fuss from you Lilith - if he'd let me His girlfriend rushed across the lawn this morning looking like she wanted to avoid him .... don't blame her. The image of Blackie here was taken nearly 5 years ago - perhaps I should load the one that more reflects his character ... "Don't dare mess with me'

[Lilith]

There's life in the old tomcat yet!

Naughty boy!

[Jan]

The vet phoned me yesterday with the CBC results and they were pretty inconclusive as far as getting to the bottom of whatever it is that's wrong with Blackie's vomiting and lack of appetite.

The results were as near normal as can be expected of a cat 15 years of age with early CKD. The only one she commented on was that his urea was a bit high - as it was in his previous blood test. She did not think, at this stage, that an ultrasound would be beneficial, it would only stress Blackie more than whatever stress she believes he is suffering from at the moment. We are talking about a cat who will flinch at the slightest movement/sound.

I have seen a new 'gunslinger in town' who crosses the garden using the same path as Blackie - and I saw the 2 of them having a bit of 'space up' the other day ... no fighting - but staring at each other until the ginger cat saw me and sloped off through the iron gate. I've also seen Blackie spend ages at the door of the garden room making sure there are no other cats around - whereas he once used to head straight out. He never was much of a fighter - he'd rather run away unless absolutely cornered. He was/is brave only if OH or I are nearby. I don't know if being the weakest kitten in a litter of 3 has made him the way he is. He was going to be PTS if my late mother hadn't taken him on. Its ironic that he is the only one left alive now.

Anyway, vet asked me to put him back on 3ml Metacam to help alleviate any inflammation in his bladder, so I added this to his food this morning. About 2 hours later, back came the food and he's hardly eaten anything since. I spoke to the vet late this afternoon who told me to stop the Metacam for a week, then report back to her as to how his appetite is doing. So no further forward but £££ lighter