finicky feline FRUSTRATION

[butcherbaby]

so, a few months ago, when my mom was still alive but quickly sinking, we had to take the mooshie cat to the vet. she had ear mites and had scratched her ear into a blood filled hematoma. she needed surgery, that all went well, after a huge chunk out of our pocketbook and two weeks wearing a satellite dish, she came out of it with nothing worse

Comments

[angeldye]

heyas... the people @ VCA ROSSMOOR-EL DORADO in Los Alamitos are really awesome - it's where we take our cat kids. I don't know if that's to much of a drive for you all..

http://www.vcarossmoor.com/

[butcherbaby]

VCA vets are just good in general- i worked for one some years ago and they have to adhere to some pretty high standards. i'll look for one in my area and see what happens from there.
sucks cuz were really poor too, i wish pets were covered under our family health care!

[bitchie_poo]

maybe make her cat food? it's the ash in cat food that makes it dangerous, but if you cooked chicken or something for her - and maybe mixed it in with the special stuff...?

[butcherbaby]

i already have to mix stuff into her wet food to make her eat it, and she still will only eat about half a tablespoon before she rejects it. i just don't know whats SAFE for her to eat. i just did some research and found out kidney problems can be really serious especially if they aren't eating their special diet, and that vet didn't act like it was any big deal or tell me any of that. i need to find a decent vet that can really give me advice. damn i wish i could just take her to kaiser with me!

[daiconharuko]

I would mix the two. I think that's what the vet had me do to get the cat to eat the special food. Or you could douse it in tuna juice!

My cat anubis had the same with his ear. Now it's plastered backwards to the side of his head. The surgery is not supposed to do either califlower ear nor his situation.

[butcherbaby]

i've been mixing the two for now, but i don't think that's a long term solution. and the only way i can get her to eat even a teaspoon of the wet food is to mix it with something else- tuna juice, cottage cheese, milk, chicken etc. i don't think thats the best solution either.
it's just a damn bad time for the most voracious cat i've ever seen to suddenly develop finicky tastes.

[dinnerinred]

My kitten is similar. My older cat can only eat a certain food, and the kitten wants the fatty wet food, and not just any wet food, a special kind.

Rolls eyes.

It is a constant battle.

I personally would rather make sure my cat eats than feed it the special food.

I don't know.

It's a catch 22, but seriously, I'd rather my kitties didn't just waste away.

Ugh, I don't know what you should do. Neither sounds like the right option.

[butcherbaby]

our young & healthy cat has no problem eating the dry urinary food (we have dry food feeders for both the cats and the dogs, so they can just nibble at their leisure) or even the wet, when i give him moosh's leftovers. and moosh has eaten everything from the cheapest crap kibble (when i was poor) to the most expensive without the slightest finickyness, and for her to leave even a crumb of wet food behind is unheard of. so i don't know why she is suddenly so frikking PICKY. that stuff must just taste really bad to her. though i can't see how it's be any worse than wal-mart or grocery store generic brands that she was fine with when she had to eat it.
i just did a some on-line research on kidney failure and it can be really serious, especially if they don't eat the right food. noe of which this stupid vet told me. so now i *really* need to find a decent vet for her AND figure out what i can feed her that won't make her sick.

[gloomygoods]

How old is your cat?
I've been through feline kidney disease 4 times.... If she's an older cat it's best to just give her a WET food that she likes. Dry food aggrivates the kidneys.

If she stops eating, then her liver will be affected also, so you want to make sure she keeps eating & stays hydrated.

Believe me, I've tried it all. At one point, I even had to do subcutaneous fluids on 2 of my cats all by myself - nothing seems to work.

My last cat has been given good old Friskies Special Diet and he's lasted longer than his Mom & sisters. He still doesn't feel fantastic but he's 16 and doing well.

Hope this helps a little.

[butcherbaby]

i got her almost 8 years ago, and she was an adult cat then. so, at least 10 i'd say

[gloomygoods]

Drinking lots of water is the #1 sign of kidney trouble. My cat Godzilla had a urinary blockage when he was 3 so we've always tried to give him low PH food (I think chicken & turkey are generally better for low PH too).

He has IBD now also.
I've tried all sorts of food, but the only thing he will eat now (that doesn't make him puke or flare up his kidneys) is Friskies "Turkey & Giblets". I buy it in "special Diet", "Senior", and regular. I rotate them so it seems like he's getting a little variety.

Dry food flares the kidneys and Godzilla reacts badly to fake, processed meats like "steak strips in gravy" type stuff.

Cats are so picky! Just giver her Iams if that's what she likes and maybe stick to chicken & turkey for a bit. It's probably better quality than Friskies anyway. Poor kitty, but she has a loving Mama to take care of her ♥