Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gabbys_Mum
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:38 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Gabbys_Mum »

Hello folks!

Checking back in after a year or so!

Gabby's doing well, thank God. She's on Hills Prescription diet h/d and eats with no issues.

Went to the vets today for a check up as I noticed she was limping last night and has been a bit wobbly on her hind legs. Turns out she has arthritis, bless her. She's still active, will go up and down the stairs, likes to go out, and as she didn't react when the vet examined her hind legs, I was just told to make sure Gabby rests!

So, she's lost a bit of weight, the vet said it was normal for a cat of her age, but it made me do some googling (I knowwww!! I shouldn't have..have a major headache now). I picked up on ppl saying that protein is NOT the enemy of senior cats, just phosphorus...so my question is...can I give her the occasional treat?

The vet told me after her diagnosis to stop chicken, fish etc so I did and it was then she went on to eating exclusively Hills, but I'm wondering, would it be ok to add a tad tuna juice to her wet food, or a little mackerel mixed in her food? Ive read comments from senior cat owners where they say they are let their cats nibble on salmon, tuna!

It did confuse me as the vet told me to stop..and fair dues...Gabby has done amazingly well, but I do feel bad as come on...the diet stuff is yuck, I just want to add a little flavour, that's all.
User avatar
Janey
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:04 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Janey »

Hiya, well I’m sure that you’ll get other replies and they may differ to mine. However, I adopted oldies for many years (until my younger addition decided she was living with us!) and most had kidney disease at some point, and I have to say I’ve given them exactly what they want to eat. I did try them on prescription foods, but none of them have ever liked it, and my vet said it’s far better they eat something than nothing at all. It’s good that Gabby likes the prescription food if it’s helping, but I personally would let her have other treats too, I just think it must be miserable eating the same thing day in day out. I’m not a vet but wouldn’t have thought the odd treat would bother her much, and I’m surprised the vet said no tbh. Fusses to Gabby x
User avatar
Ruth B
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1998
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2016 11:31 am
No. of cats in household: 3
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Ruth B »

I've had a few golden oldies now and in my mind quality of life comes before quantity. Its the old question, if someone told you you could live to be 100 if you only ate lettuce and lentils every day, do you think you would want to live to be 100 just eating lettuce and lentils.

Good quality animal protein won't do her much harm if any, a bit of fish or chicken as a treat well probably improve her quality of life a lot, certainly keep her on the prescription diet as her main food source but don't worry about supplementing it a bit.

I've know several cats that have been put on special diets by their vets, only to find they refused to eat it after a few days (if they would eat it at all), in the end all the vets admitted that it was better that they ate something and the cats got fed on what they would eat, I don't know if it shortened any of their lives, but none of them suffered from it.
User avatar
fjm
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1675
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:11 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: North West England

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by fjm »

I would choose interesting foods low in phosphorus and use them as treats, rather than adding them to the boring food. If she quite likes the renal diet and is doing well on it I would not want to encourage her to want something nicer! But an occasional teaspoonful of highish fat meat (minced beef, chicken or lamb, or chicken thigh meat with skin) or cream cheese would up the protein and fat levels without adding much phosphorus. Ice cube trays are a good way of freezing small portions. I wouldn't give her tuna juice though - salty and canned fish is very high in phosphorus.

There is a helpful table here:http://dogaware.com/health/kidneytable.html, although as it was written for dogs it includes a lot of foods cats won't eat!
User avatar
Lilith
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3600
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:00 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Yorks

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Lilith »

Wouldn't tuna in spring water be ok though, or simply the water? Certainly brine would be bad.

Used to be able to get sardines in spring water too but for some reason they've disappeared ... fishy ... :twisted:
User avatar
Gabbys_Mum
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:38 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Gabbys_Mum »

Thanks so much for the replies.

I do agree that as she is settled on the Hills, I shouldn't add anything more to it.

I'm intrigued with the cream cheese though...like...Philidelphia cream cheese?
User avatar
bobbys girl
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3095
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:58 pm
No. of cats in household: 5
Location: Co. Fermanagh

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by bobbys girl »

I suppose the vets sells the 'special diet' food, mmmm? ;) My Tommy always loved chicken and even as his CKD progressed a little fresh cooked chicken was always welcome. He enjoyed it and I believe it did him good.

He also enjoyed a little fresh fish. If I made a fish pie, he always had a bit of cod. Anything to keep his weight up.
User avatar
Gabbys_Mum
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:38 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Is it okay to give a little tuna juice (in their food) to a senior cat with kidney disease?

Post by Gabbys_Mum »

Well, now her blood results are back (see my other post from yesterday), it seems the little "treats" my dad would give her haven't done her any major harm, soooooo...I think a little bit of chicken or fish here and there should be fine! :D
Post Reply