Debzcatz
Newbie
Posts: 4
Animals I love: I love cats. Have never met a cat I didn't like!
Pets I own: I am owned, body and soul, by Ainzley a 17 year old tuxedo cat who I adore.
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Post by Debzcatz on Aug 14, 2014 10:59:00 GMT
Hi folks!
Am new here and was wondering if you could help me to tempt my Ainzley to eat like a ravenous tiger again!
He has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy which is a thickening of the walls of the heart and there is no cure. He also has an enlarged liver which means he has to have hepatic or renal food only. He's lived with both of these conditions for the past 7 years (he's now 17 years old) but one chamber wall of his heart is 30.5mm which is quite bad so he's basically on borrowed time as his heart could stop at any time.
He is still as crazy as ever just a bit slower these days (aren't we all!!) He had two back teeth out a month ago which, in itself was quite risky as he needed general anaesthetic. With his heart condition there was no guarantee he would make it but he really needed those teeth out as it was affecting his eating. He sailed through the operation and seems fine now. However, I cannot get him to eat properly, by which I mean he starts to eat his usual biscuits but then walks away from them after 2 or 3 and then just won't eat any more. Have sat on the floor with him and hand fed them to him but to no avail. He was on wet food for 2 weeks after his having his teeth out. I did give him the Gourmet Senior Pate food which I really shouldn't have but it was the only thing he would eat. Now he's back on his Hills Science Plan pate food and his Royal Cannin 12+ biscuits he just hasn't finished a meal. He's still bright in himself and doesn't look poorly so I'm wondering if he's just bored of his food? Boyfriend reckons it could be that he associates his old food with being in pain with his teeth so won't eat it! Can anyone recommend a renal/hepatic food that their cats like? I will try anything.
Thanks a lot. Sorry for waffling on a bit!!
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Post by lotsofcats on Aug 14, 2014 11:32:44 GMT
Hi and welcome to the forum. Ainzley is certainly a little fighter; 17 is an amazing age considering his health problems. Seems to me that he is bored with his food at the moment. Is he allowed to eat tuna?- just a small amount to mix in his food to tempt him with the strong smell. Could you buy a different flavour of his Royal Canin 12+ biscuits?
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Debzcatz
Newbie
Posts: 4
Animals I love: I love cats. Have never met a cat I didn't like!
Pets I own: I am owned, body and soul, by Ainzley a 17 year old tuxedo cat who I adore.
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Post by Debzcatz on Aug 14, 2014 11:56:07 GMT
Hi lotsofcats and thanks for the welcome!
Oh he's a fighter all right . They know him well at the vets as he creates mayhem when he goes for his 3 month check ups! He has to be sedated each time as he won't let anyone near him otherwise!!
He can have small amounts of tuna but not too much as his liver readings are high at times so he has to be careful with proteins and so on. Might be a solution in the short term. Royal Cannin only do the one flavour in those biscuits I think. We give him those as the have glucosamine in and he has arthritis in his spine and vet recommended these as glucosamine would help his arthritis. He can't have painkillers because of his liver problems so these seemed ideal. Clearly Ainzley has other ideas!!
He's always loved his food so much (a bit of a greedy guts if I'm honest!) so it's quite strange to see him leaving food in his dish.
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Post by smilesbetter on Aug 14, 2014 12:37:37 GMT
Hey there, welcome to the forum!
Have you tried putting some hot water in with his food and leaving it to soak for a bit? It should bring out the flavours and make it smell much stronger, plus soften the food, as of course there is a chance that he's not eating it because that without the two teeth he may have trouble breaking down the food himself which may put him off eating it. That's what I've done with dogs who've been funny eaters before anyway and seems to work quite well, especially when served warm.
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Post by tonib on Aug 14, 2014 13:28:00 GMT
Welcome to the forum Debzcatz. Your Ainzley sounds a real character. I agree with lotsofcats it does sound like he is bored with his food, especially after being spoilt (justifiably) after his dental work. smilesbetter's suggestion of slightly warming his food is also a good idea. In terms of what other food is available both Hills & Royal Canin do renal & hepatic food. www.hillspet.co.uk/en-gb/cat-sick/index.htmlabout.royalcanin.co.uk/product-category/vet-cat/feline-veterinary-diet/We had our now 15 year old arthritic cat, Penny, on RC Ageing 12+ but she really didn't take to it. We'd also tried the Hills j/d but that one put the weight on her - she'd only recently lost 1Kg on Hills r/d due to being a gannet whilst we were at work eating our other 2's food which we didn't realise till a bit too late for her weight. That was also when we began to realise she was arthritic, the weight didn't help but which came first we don't know. Luckily Penny can have Metacam to ease it but she also has Nutraquin+ capsules. These are only available from vets & our 10 year who is now showing signs of arthritis has just started on them. Might be worth speaking to your vet about them. www.nutravet.co.uk/cats/nutraquin-plus-60-capsulesThey are a pain to administer as they are quite large. You have to do 6 weeks of 1 capsule a day & then its only half a capusle a day (or 1 ever other day). Penny has them in a little moist each day & is fine but we're still working on finding the best way of giving them to him. Think we've got it worked out now ( a small amount of the jelly from Felix Meaty Loaf on a saucer, making sure that its flavours he likes) but have tried (with success but not pleasant for him) dissolving (sort of) the contents in 6ml of water & syringing that into his mouth (we have a collection of dosing syringes from past vet treatments ) He's ever really eaten all his moist as he prefers kibble) I really hope you can find a solution to his not eating
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Debzcatz
Newbie
Posts: 4
Animals I love: I love cats. Have never met a cat I didn't like!
Pets I own: I am owned, body and soul, by Ainzley a 17 year old tuxedo cat who I adore.
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Post by Debzcatz on Aug 15, 2014 11:44:39 GMT
Hi there!
Thank you all for your suggestions and tips and for your warm welcome! Was a bit apprehensive about joining but I'm so glad I did.
Last night I mixed some warm water with Ainzley's wet food and it worked a treat! He didn't eat it all but he did eat most of it so that's just brilliant. Not much fun for me mixing it mind you as the smell was quite eye watering!! Worth it though as he seemed to enjoy it!
Am going to feed him just wet food for a while as I think his gums are still a bit sore where he's had his teeth out. One they look a bit better I shall be shopping for new biscuits to, hopefully, whet his appetite!
Thank you all so much for your help. Ainzley and I are so grateful. XX =^..^=
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Post by zahada on Aug 15, 2014 12:01:36 GMT
Friend of mine will pour the spring water from tinned tuna over the cat's food if her cat gets fussy. Apparently works well. Tuna then goes into my friend's sandwich.
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Post by tonib on Aug 15, 2014 12:15:16 GMT
Debzcatz, Glad to hear smilesbetter's tip worked for Ainzley & you found us friendly Don't hesitate to join in any of the threads, on cats, other pets or just general. We always like hearing about others pets so would love to hear more of Ainzley. Our eldest, Penny, is a tuxedo cat she was 15 last April. Oh & if you need any help with the forum I'm sure someone will help - we were all new once zahada, that's a good tip will bear it in mind - I like tuna sandwiches!
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Post by lotsofcats on Aug 17, 2014 21:22:02 GMT
Glad that Ainzley is eating more. Love his photo. The forum is great for sharing any problem you may have with your cat - it's surprising what tips you get off the other cat owners. I hope to hear more about Ainzley.
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Debzcatz
Newbie
Posts: 4
Animals I love: I love cats. Have never met a cat I didn't like!
Pets I own: I am owned, body and soul, by Ainzley a 17 year old tuxedo cat who I adore.
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Post by Debzcatz on Aug 28, 2014 10:49:18 GMT
Hi there everyone!
Just an update to let you know that Ainzley is eating us out of house and home now! He still likes warm water on his wet food but now eats his biscuits too.(have tried James Wellbeloved Senior with Turkey which is OK for his liver condition and he loves them!)
He has also started to come into the kitchen again looking for scraps or things we may have dropped! This is a hardship for me as he can't have this type of thing anymore and the pleading look he has perfected is almost heart breaking!! I think it's safe to say that he's back on form and then some!! His teeth must have been really hurting him for quite some time as he is now like a different cat!
Thanks once again for all your help.
Debz XX
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Post by scallywag on Aug 28, 2014 11:19:58 GMT
So pleased to see a happy ending Debzcatz, also... you could always drop what he is allowed to eat from his food ( keep a few bits vack ) just a thought
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Post by tonib on Aug 29, 2014 2:04:37 GMT
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