Need suggestions on feeding special diet to one cat
Diane DiBerardino
We have 6 cats. We free-feed them. None are overweight and they all
eat Science Diet Light. My 13 year old came off chemo last June and
has been doing wonderful. We did a full blood workup on him this week
as part of his exam, and the vet now feels his kindeys are failing.
She wants to do a biopsy/ultrasound to take a look (he's still acting
fine) but is suggesting that I feed him a prescription diet that will
be easier for him to digest. However I don't think I can afford to put
all 6 of them on this diet. :( As it is, they go through 20lbs of SD
in exactly 3 weeks.
What we had tried 3 years ago when he first got sick was to put his
food in a large dog carrier with an auto pet door on it. He was the
only one wearing the collar to open the door. However at that time, he
*could* eat anything, he just didn't have much of an appetite, so we
put the canned food (that I never feed them) in there. He wanted
nothing to do with it, but again, he didn't want to eat at all.
Now I'm hoping he will use the cage since his appetite is fine, but
I'm also concerned that we have to stop free-feeding the other 5 else
he will also have the SD available to him. I could lock him up in a
room with his own food and litter, but I would really hate to do that
to him.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Diane
please remove NOSPAM from my address to reply
konengro
> Now I'm hoping he will use the cage since his appetite is fine, but
> I'm also concerned that we have to stop free-feeding the other 5 else
> he will also have the SD available to him. I could lock him up in a
> room with his own food and litter, but I would really hate to do that
> to him.
>
> Any suggestions?
Diane-
When our Mandatory went on a special diet for kidney failure (which is,
in my opinion, a rather dramatic declaration for what is actually
reduced functionality) the vet said that any amount of the special diet
would be a benefit, the more the better. She has access to the other
cats' standard stuff, and nibbles it, but she gets enough of the
geriatric diet that it clearly helps her.
Getting your critter to drink more water (even more waterbowls around
the house can help) is also a benefit for kidney failure.
Regards,
--
Paul F. Hoff Milton, WA konengro*at*worldnet.att.net
Uncle Walter's Small Engine Repair and Keys Made
http://home.att.net/~konengro/
Merlina
I decided that this was the only way to cause minimum stress to the
maximum number of cats!
I'd feed the cat that needed the special diet (called Scratch) away from
the other cats - entice him into a room, shut the door, leave him there
with food. He'd then fill up on that.
I'd then feed the other cats as usual & when Scratch went into the
kitchen he might eat a *little* of the other food - just cos the others
were, but not much - cos he was already full. The vet said this was OK -
as long as he got most of his food from the special diet.
Similarly the others would 'break-in' & eat Scratch's food ocassionally,
but not often enough to be a major cost problem.
--
Merlina
I have a firm grip of reality - now I can strangle it....
Ted
DiBerardino) wrote:
>Just when I thought I was through with all this......
> and the vet now feels his kindeys are failing.
>Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Diane
There is absolutely magnificent support for cats with kidney failure
(Feline Chronic Renal Failure or CRF)
The website is at http://www.best.com/~lynxpt/recep2.htm
and there is also a wonderfully caring support group
You will find more information there than you could possibly imagine.
Ted