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Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 8:36 am
by Catfan5
My 11 year old cat Beaker has struvite crystals and very concentrated urine. He has been having trouble using the litter tray and prefers to vertical spray in the garden. The vet advised that he should drink plenty of water and eat wet food specially for dissolving the crystals, but Beaker rarely drinks so I’m syringing water 2-3 times a day, he refuses to eat the food too. Ive added water to the food, tried mixing in some tasty food like a little applaws or bone broth jelly, warming it a little. In the past when he was young he had a blocked bladder and am worried this will happen again. Any advice would be appreciated. Alternative foods to the Hills c/d or RC maybe that may help?

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 8:58 am
by fjm
Does he like chicken? Mine will usually drink dilute unsalted chicken broth. Some like dilute kitten milk, too.

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:37 am
by Catfan5
Hi, he loves the bone broth I make with chicken bones and he licks it out of the food and leaves the rest unfortunately. I’ll try diluting it and see if he’ll drink it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:45 am
by Ruth B
I don't know what it is with special diets, but more often than not it seems a cat won't eat them, or at most will have a pouch or two before refusing the rest.

I would suggest getting a ceramic bowl and leaving it outside to fill with rain water, the number of times i have seen cats chose the manky water in puddles over a nice bowl of fresh clean water in the house, my fish pond is a frequent water hole for many of the neighbourhood cats from time to time. You might have to bring it in to thaw it out in the coming months in the only problem. Even tap water left outside seems preferable to many cats.

If he will eat his normal food with added water then that is certainly worth doing if he refuses the special food. From experience most cats will have to be starving to eat something they don't feel like.

The cat soups seem a bit of a rip off with the pricing but it they encourage him to drink the liquid in them they might be worth a try.

Water fountains are a more expensive option and may not work, but some cats love them.

Finally have a word with your vet, there might be a powder or something you can add to his normal food to help break down the crystals rather than relying on the special food.

Hopefully you can keep it under control with out having to resort to more drastic treatment.

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:53 am
by Catfan5
Thanks Ruth, it’s true about the food and the manky water! There is a large dog bowl of water outside which I leave for a few days until it looks iffy ie had a large dead spider in it yesterday :x He ate a couple of pouches on the first day and that was it. He likes the dry version so I sprinkled a little on the wet and that worked for two meals. Ive started to give him his normal food with added water in between as I’m worried about him getting ill by not eating enough. I’ve got a catmate water fountain which they all ignore! The vet said there was nothing to add to food or any medication to give, just the wet diet and water. They’re going into a cattery for a couple of weeks over Christmas so I’m stressing about that too, would hate him to be ill while we’re away. The poor cat senses me hovering around waiting to see if he’s eating or drinking so I think i’ll have to back off for a bit. :|

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:18 am
by alanc
Although its expensive, Thrive wet is very wet, especially the fish varieties. Tilly likes to slurp he lot up.

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:27 pm
by bobbys girl
Our tap water smells like a swimming pool, so it's no wonder the cats won't drink it. We invested in a ceramic water filter and everyone is happy now. Although they all like pond water too!

The chicken broth sounds a good idea. I got a whole load of chicken thighs to make a curry tonight. I put two aside to roast for the cats. There was quite a bit of fat (and a little coconut oil) in the pan that I drained off and put to one side. Purdy has just come in licking her lips - she drank the whole lot! Not exactly water, but she does love her chicken and she doesn't drink much otherwise. :?

Re: Cat won’t eat special diet.

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:06 am
by Catfan5
Luckily Beaker likes chicken and the broth, even as cold jelly out of the fridge. Strangely the others won’t touch it. I tried him with some diluted in water and he drank quite a bit but today he wouldn’t touch it. I’ll have a look at Thrive too, can’t get it in the pet shops which is a pain, will have to get it online. He’s been a bit off today and was sick earlier so will be keeping an eye on him.