Food Advice
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:12 pm
Hi everyone!
I just wondered if someone might be able to give me a little advice about the best food for one of my cats, Rufus. He's a special man and I love him to bits, but I know I could talk about him for hours so sorry for his very long back story! (I highlighted the question when I realised just how much I had written! Feel free to jump down and just read that)
In September 2013 a work friend called me to his mothers house to look at cat they had found which they thought looked sickly. When I arrived I found an extremely matted and emaciated male (although I couldn't tell that at the time due to the matting) long haired tabby. He could barely walk due to the amount of faecal matter which caked to the hair on his back legs. I took him straight to the vets and we soon discovered that he had maggot infested open wounds on and around his bottom and that something was seriously wrong with his liver. Blood tests showed that his liver was shot, in fact the vet said she had no idea how he was still standing. Because he (Rufus) had such a lovely disposition and still wanted to eat we made the decision to proceed with treatment. He wasn't chipped and people where he was found said they had seen him for over six months trying to beg for food in the area but getting sicker an sicker, so we didn't think here were any owners (we were right).
Anyway, Rufus had the worst of his matting cut off, the poo washed off and was put on a drip for a week where his blood tests showed there was a little improvement initially and then nose dived. Te vets suggested that we bring him home and let him live out his last day or two warm and safe in a home. Our very kind vet said to prepare ourselves for the fact that it would probably be two days at the most but that he wouldn't be in pain as they'd dosed him up. Four days later he was happily eating poached white fish and napping on my bed.
We were called back in to the vets where the vet took more bloods from Rufus. That night we got a all from our vet, who was frankly amazed and shocked. His liver was showing improvement and he'd even put on weight.
He had a hickup a few days later and spent the weekend in the vets having three enemas to clear a bout of really bad constipation, the vets think this is a historic and reoccurring illness and his bowel his stretched far beyond where it should be. We always have a supply of Lactulose on hand now!
Anyway...told you I can go on about him forever!
The result was that after that his liver has made miraculous improvements, he is still in lover failure but rather than being near death his is nearly in the early stages...at least his latest blood tests match those of a cat in early stage. The wounds on the back of his legs and bottom have healed. I managed to slowly but surely trim all the matted hair from his coat and brush the rest of it. He's every so slightly under his idea weight (He's put on over a kilogram!).
He is however a very happy little man indeed. He gets on brilliantly with the dogs, loves the family (he's a little flighty around new people but who can blame him?), we're working on his integration with our other cat (imaginatively called Big Cat, she's a long haired tabby stray we found in a similar state staggering up our drive six years ago).
But...he will no longer eat the dry food our vet suggests for him (Royal Canin Senior Consult Stage 1). He wont touch it. He knocks the bowl over, looks up with kitten eyes and then only eats his poached fish or poultry. If I take the meat/fish away he sits next to his feeding mat and screams for an hour or so, then will go without food, rather than eat his biscuits. The latest battle of wills lasted nearly two days before I caved and brought him poached haddock.
Has anyone else had a cat with liver disease/failure who knows of a dry food which their cat actually likes? And that is good for them? When he was first home, and very underweight, he would happily eat the dry food the vet suggested. But now he's feeling better he isn't interested. We had to change out other Big Cat's dry food because Rufus would inhale it if he came near it. She doesn't really like wet food (she also eats poached meat/fish but she prefers dry food over even this! Crazy cat!) and detests the Royal Canin dry food which means she's not really eating at all in the day. At night Rufus sleeps in my room with me (door shut) while she shares the dogs bed, out of choice, so we put out the Applaws dry food which she loves out at night for her to have as and when she wants.
Sorry to ramble!!
I just wondered if someone might be able to give me a little advice about the best food for one of my cats, Rufus. He's a special man and I love him to bits, but I know I could talk about him for hours so sorry for his very long back story! (I highlighted the question when I realised just how much I had written! Feel free to jump down and just read that)
In September 2013 a work friend called me to his mothers house to look at cat they had found which they thought looked sickly. When I arrived I found an extremely matted and emaciated male (although I couldn't tell that at the time due to the matting) long haired tabby. He could barely walk due to the amount of faecal matter which caked to the hair on his back legs. I took him straight to the vets and we soon discovered that he had maggot infested open wounds on and around his bottom and that something was seriously wrong with his liver. Blood tests showed that his liver was shot, in fact the vet said she had no idea how he was still standing. Because he (Rufus) had such a lovely disposition and still wanted to eat we made the decision to proceed with treatment. He wasn't chipped and people where he was found said they had seen him for over six months trying to beg for food in the area but getting sicker an sicker, so we didn't think here were any owners (we were right).
Anyway, Rufus had the worst of his matting cut off, the poo washed off and was put on a drip for a week where his blood tests showed there was a little improvement initially and then nose dived. Te vets suggested that we bring him home and let him live out his last day or two warm and safe in a home. Our very kind vet said to prepare ourselves for the fact that it would probably be two days at the most but that he wouldn't be in pain as they'd dosed him up. Four days later he was happily eating poached white fish and napping on my bed.
We were called back in to the vets where the vet took more bloods from Rufus. That night we got a all from our vet, who was frankly amazed and shocked. His liver was showing improvement and he'd even put on weight.
He had a hickup a few days later and spent the weekend in the vets having three enemas to clear a bout of really bad constipation, the vets think this is a historic and reoccurring illness and his bowel his stretched far beyond where it should be. We always have a supply of Lactulose on hand now!
Anyway...told you I can go on about him forever!
The result was that after that his liver has made miraculous improvements, he is still in lover failure but rather than being near death his is nearly in the early stages...at least his latest blood tests match those of a cat in early stage. The wounds on the back of his legs and bottom have healed. I managed to slowly but surely trim all the matted hair from his coat and brush the rest of it. He's every so slightly under his idea weight (He's put on over a kilogram!).
He is however a very happy little man indeed. He gets on brilliantly with the dogs, loves the family (he's a little flighty around new people but who can blame him?), we're working on his integration with our other cat (imaginatively called Big Cat, she's a long haired tabby stray we found in a similar state staggering up our drive six years ago).
But...he will no longer eat the dry food our vet suggests for him (Royal Canin Senior Consult Stage 1). He wont touch it. He knocks the bowl over, looks up with kitten eyes and then only eats his poached fish or poultry. If I take the meat/fish away he sits next to his feeding mat and screams for an hour or so, then will go without food, rather than eat his biscuits. The latest battle of wills lasted nearly two days before I caved and brought him poached haddock.
Has anyone else had a cat with liver disease/failure who knows of a dry food which their cat actually likes? And that is good for them? When he was first home, and very underweight, he would happily eat the dry food the vet suggested. But now he's feeling better he isn't interested. We had to change out other Big Cat's dry food because Rufus would inhale it if he came near it. She doesn't really like wet food (she also eats poached meat/fish but she prefers dry food over even this! Crazy cat!) and detests the Royal Canin dry food which means she's not really eating at all in the day. At night Rufus sleeps in my room with me (door shut) while she shares the dogs bed, out of choice, so we put out the Applaws dry food which she loves out at night for her to have as and when she wants.
Sorry to ramble!!