Need advice re: food...no appetite
 

So Boo is hanging in (kidney failure), but her appetite sucks and she continues to lose weight. She's down from 5.3 to 4.5 kg since August. We can get her to eat very small amounts during the day, usually only after offering 5-6 different things. We will not force feed her, and we will not engage in any "heroic" measures to prolong her life; her condition is terminal, it's only a matter of time.

We're giving her pain medication for her arthritis (an opiate...the only thing that seems to work without wrecking her kidneys more). She's getting cartrophen injections now too. We have done some IV fluids at home. She recently finished antibiotics and sucralfate for mouth ulcers. Today we tried an anti-nausea injection, but it was incredibly uncomfortable for her and we won't be doing again.

We usually feed raw/homemade diets, but as far as we're concerned Boo can eat whatever the heck she wants right now. I guess I'm wondering if any cat peeps (especially ones who have worked with sickies) have [B]suggestions for super-palatable food[/B]...I really don't care about the quality or nutritive value at this point, I'm really only concerned that she gets some calories in her.

Bendy I am so sorry about Boo! I didnt havve the opportunity to try much with Bomber as he just plain refused to eat my food but for some reason he found the vet kibble really tasty?? The other thing I was wondering is if tripe for dogs would be the same for cats? maybe she would find that interesting and want to eat.

I have also tried pure herring oil on Winstons kibble when he doesnt want to eat and he eats it right up?

Good luck with Boo my heart goes out to you..

Cindy

Your mileage may vary, but I've found plain chicken baby food to be the most appealing to most cats. If Boo likes it enough, perhaps you could gradually mix in a more balanced canned food.

Low-sodium canned salmon or sardines, or the juice from the can poured over top something else like kibble is another option.

Deli meats, although usually high in sodium can help stimulate appetite.

Various Fancy Feast flavours also tend to get cats interested in food. Depending on if Boo likes pate style or sliced/flaked etc, you could pick up a few different flavours and see if anything sparks her interest.

Hill's A/D can also help, and my cat will often go for Medi-Cal Development canned when other foods seem unappetizing to him.

You could also try sprinkling the top of the food with stuff like powdered freeze-dried chicken or liver, parmesan cheese, bonito flakes, catnip, or pulverized treats like Temptations.

Here are some links for dealing with inappetant cats:
[url]http://www.assistfeed.com/Enticing.htm[/url]
[url]http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm[/url]

I'm so sorry about Boo Bendy :(

[QUOTE=Winston;953471]The other thing I was wondering is if tripe for dogs would be the same for cats? [/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same. Mix a bit of green trip into her pate ?

Have you tried very lightly cooking beef liver? Brownie :rip: loved that! I knew if he wouldn't eat anything else he would that.
I am so sorry Boo is not doing well. :grouphug: to her, you and your wife.

It looks like SCM covered everything. :thumbs up I hope you can find something that works for Boo :fingerscr :goodvibes: ......kitties with no appetites are so frustrating. :grouphug:

SCM has pretty much mentioned everything I could think of. Another food that all my cats love is Almo. They have a tuna and shrimp that doesn't have any sodium if Boo goes for tuna. If you are ever in Kingston, they sell it at Global.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

Tripe - she's never ever shown interest in it, but we've offered it.
Beef liver - beef anything makes her vomit :yuck: but we could try cooking some chicken liver


We'll give some of the other great ideas a try this week. Today she accepted some tuna-flavoured canned food...Weruva? I think...it's a pretty new company. Hopefully she'll eat it again tonight (good thing we've got two other cats who will eat ANYTHING or else we'd have a lot of wasted food around here these days)

Some treatment options for mouth ulcers

[QUOTE][url]http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#mouth_ulcers[/url]

If you want to try holistic methods, Slippery Elm Bark, which as mentioned above can help with stomach acid, can also be made into a syrup and used to help heal mouth ulcers - this has been found to be a very effective treatment by many people on [url=http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-crf-info/]Tanya's CRF Support Group[/url]. See [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#SEB1]Holistic Treatments[/url] for more information about Slippery Elm Bark and how to make the syrup.

Another natural remedy for mouth ulcers is to mix white cheddar cheese with water to make a paste and spread it on the gums. The enzymes in the white cheddar cheese are supposed to eat the bacteria and help alleviate the infection, though I have not tried this myself and would not recommend it for dental problems other than mouth ulcers (see [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseases.htm#Dental1]Related Diseases[/url] for more information on dealing with dental problems generally). I did try Eel Serum homeopathic remedy for Tanya, and I would say it did help, though perhaps not as much as the SEB might have done.

For severe mouth ulcers, antibiotics may be necessary

For really obstinate ulcers, particularly in End Stage Renal Disease, you should consider using a treatment called sucralfate, which forms a protective coating over the ulcers and allows them to heal. Trade names for this drug include Antepsin in the UK, Carafate in the USA and Ulcogant in Germany. In the USA there is now a veterinary version of sucralfate called [url=http://www.gastrafate.com/]Gastrafate[/url], which is supposed to be more concentrated and therefore more effective.

Sucralfate sometimes comes in tablet form, but it dissolves easily in water. You can make it relatively thick if you are applying it to mouth ulcers, or into more of a slurry if it is for stomach ulcers. Most people draw the mixture into a syringe and give it that way.

If you are giving sucralfate at the same time as [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#famotidine]Pepcid AC[/url], [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#ranitidine]Zantac 75[/url] or [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#cimetidine]Tagamet[/url] you should separate the dosing by at least two hours, since the sucralfate may bind with the Pepcid and thereby reduce its effectiveness.

[url=http://www.marvistavet.com/html/sucralfate.html]Mar Vista Vet[/url] has information about sucralfate.

[url=http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/sucralfate-carafate/page1.aspx]Pet Place[/url] has some information about sucralfate, including dosage suggestions (no need to register to read the article, just click on Close at the bottom of the irritating pop-up).

It can be hard to get a cat with mouth ulcers to eat because they hurt so much. One possible short-term solution is [url=http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm#baby_food]baby food[/url] - this is runny so your cat may be able to lap it up with his/her tongue, avoiding the ulcers.[/QUOTE]

When Duffy was getting a bit picky with food, a tiny pinch of catnip or parmesan cheese, or a crushed Cheerio would get her back on track
:goodvibes: for Boo :grouphug: for you all

[B]bendyfoot[/B] how is Boo doing? :goodvibes:

bendyfoot,so sorry about boo,i like so many others know how frustrating and sad it is when,you cannot get your kitty to eat,watching them wither away..
no advice to give,just my sympathy:pray:
i assume you have already raised her dish..