Cat Refuses To Eat Kidney Prescription Food

[Mercurial123]

It's been a stressful month. Cat is nearly 14 and never had any health problems until now.

Her UTI issue seemed to be resolved but I ordered some blood tests as I'm planning to move back to the UK and wanted to make sure she was fit to travel.

She's been diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease and spent 5 days on a drip getting kidneys flushed.

She refuses to eat her new diet. Even with the old dry food mixed into new she will just eat the old and leave the kidney food.

Have spent loads ordering food by DHL from the UK as I can't get it where I live. She will have a tiny bit of wet food and walk off in disgust.

Anyone had luck with a phosphorus binder? Vet advises to try that with the regular food. Not eating is worse than eating her "normal " diet.

TIA

@Pinksparkleypussycat any advice?

I've had the same. I tried:

Mixing it into other wet food (so it's harder to separate), starting out with just a spoonful of the kidney food and then increasing.
Putting this stuff on the food; Ted loved it and would sometimes eat a bit of the food underneath www.viovet.co.uk/VetIQ-Nutri-Vit-Plus-Formerly-Nurish-UM/c2421/?quick_find=118122&utm_source=sag&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces_UK&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsZKJBhC0ARIsAJ96n3WKM4sBZL9TuIsXZxeu3DSRh9MAOutKvwqmzgAXqPbgZ5Ph1zJwgX0aAk4aEALw_wcB

But in the end I'm afraid to say I went back to his normal food. Nothing worked and he wouldn't eat enough of the kidney stuff no matter how hungry he was. When he started losing weight I decided I'd rather he enjoyed his last few years than prolong it with him being miserable and emaciated.

Might be worth trying a bit of water from a can of tuna with spring water mixed in .

That's a good one Volterra, and reminded me of another - you can try heating the food gently to blood temperature.

My cat was always on dry food and will eat the dry renal food now-

however when she was at the vets with her second round of acute renal failure she refused all food-I said at home she loves a bit of the spring water from the tuna as well as a pinch of tuna and they let me pop some in and she gobbled it up and it seemed to trigger her appetite.

She gets a bit of the water from the tuna and then I top up the tin so it doesn't go dry and there is always "tuna juice" for her and she loves it so would a bit of that on her food encourage your cat?

Thanks everyone. Will definitely try the tuna juice, heating the food to room temperature and adding a bit of wet food. She refused to eat during her 5 days at the clinic.

I'm collecting some phosphorus binder to mix in her regular food. Just fed her preferred food but she's pissed off I had to give her a thyroid tablet.

One of my boys had a medicine called Mirtazapine, it's an appetite stimulant for cats. Has your vet mentioned it at all?

CatJumperTwat no it wasn't mentioned. I'll ask about it on our next visit. Thanks.

I think you could boil tuna in water to flavour it as well. Ours gets lumps of tuna in with it but I doubt that’s sensible.

Quick update

Phosphorus binder was not acceptable. Added to her favourite treat food "Fancy Feast" she nibbled the edges and walked off in disgust.

Tuna water she sniffed the dry food and walked off.

Gave her some value food which looked and smelled really bad she loved it. Obviously the vet wouldn't recommend that food.

Tonight it's egg white.

She also has diarrhoea again. Hopefully this is just change of diet but she's losing weight. Appt at vets arranged for a week on Friday.

Still battling to give her daily thyroid meds. She hides the pill under her tongue and pretends to swallow.

Can you get Pronefra where you are?

My blond boy was diagnosed with genetic renal issues when he was only 5 & while he was good as gold about eating bits-in-gravy type-foods & changing over his dry food, he’d (never having been fussy otherwise) not touch pâté-textured wet food. Getting things that aren’t that and aren’t the revolting sugar-filled Hills/Royal Canin has got much harder since Brexit, so as B was doing well at his check-up this summer the vet said he could try normal food + a binder; & he recommended Pronefra as it’s so well-tolerated.

I mix it into B’s food, but if your cat is Just Not Having Her Food Adulterated Drat You, you can administer it directly.

Sorry if it’s the one you’ve already tried, but as you didn’t mention the name of the binder I thought it was worth suggesting.

It’s so hard when they’re ill & you can’t explain & they must be feeling so SO grotty which won’t help with getting them to eat…

I hope that things improve soon for all of you; & having talked up the Pronefra apparently it is feline teatime - there is a quite animated conversation happening over my kneecaps, I can only assume about potential meal choices…

The Ballet Cats thank you. I used Ipakatine. Just checked Pronefra. I will ask a friend if they can bring it back for me when they go on holiday to the UK. I could use a mail forwarding company but they don't ship liquids. I gave her the choice of RC renal and her regular food with Ipakatineand she ate half of the regular so there's a bit of an improvement.

I've also ordered Wellness pouches which are low in phosphorus so hope she eats those.

Great your cat is doing so well.

That’s fantastic news about her at least being willing to eat half her usual food with the ipatakine mixed in. Hopefully you’ll be able to get some Pronefra soon - my vet said cats often won’t accept food with Ipatakine on, so if you can manage to get something she’ll (hopefully) take more easily AND she’s willing to give to the powder a go… well, all fingers & paws are crossed here for things going well.

Are you able to get Purina renal food where you are? Unlike Hills & Royal Canin’s renal pouches (other than RC’s early renal one) there’s no sugar in it; & while I understand Balanchine’s general willingness to eat renal food as long as it was stuff in gravy not pâté-style food isn’t actually helpful here in terms of making recommendations; it’s one that gets good reviews & sells well across lots of vendors.
Kattovit pouches were the big favourite here, but Brexit seems to have made them impossible to get - the main push for the switch to Pronefra here. To be honest, I’m sure Balanchine’s much happier with dry renal food for breakfast & then something in the grain-free proper-meat (&/or fish) wet food line for tea, so if you manage normal + binder you’ll probably have a very happy cat. (Speaking of which, it’s Happy Cat dry food Mr B is on if you’re after trying a renal dry food at all.)

Really hope your cat comes round on, well, everything, basically; & that her renal issues stabilise ASAP.

Thank you that's really useful.

It is a good sign she is eating regular food with the Ipakitine. We tried Purina Renal she wouldn't even attempt to eat it. One sniff and she walked off in disgust. Will try your other recommendations.

A package of Forza10 dry food arrived yesterday and she seemed to really enjoy it.

Waiting on delivery of RC 12+ dry and wet food. You never know that might work.

Wellness wet food is arriving today and I've also ordered Pronefra but I'm guessing the mail order forwarding service will confiscate as it's a liquid but at least I tried. It's exhausting trying to find something acceptable....

Thanks again for your help it's really useful. Wishing Balanchine good health.

Glad to see your cat is starting to accept food with the powder mixed in.

Our Dcat was diagnosed with kidney failure at 12 and hated all the ckd food especially the wet food. Our vet said it was more important she eat then not so she just ate normal food and now has powder mixed in as well with her normal food.

She's on pills as well but is now 20 and doing well.

Thecatisboss she didn't eat any this morning.

Which powder does she use?

20 is a fine age. Great she's doing well.

She was pretty relaxed this morning

You’re very welcome: fingers & paws crossed that they let the Pronefra through. Am glad I can be of even a wee bit of help, it’s so stressful when they’re ill & there’s no immediate fix.

That’s excellent about the Forza10. Integra Protect & Concept For Life were of great interest to Nijinsky when his brother would abandon meal after picking at them… there are definitely lots of options available, though, & hopefully your (very cute!) cat will condescend to find - at least - one acceptable…

Hopefully the food situation will be sorted soon & other Important Cat Business (which round here is mostly All The Snuggling tbh) can be focused on instead.

Ours is on the ipakitine too but only started on that last year before she was just on regular cat food for 7 years and ckd biscuits.

She's very stubborn and getting some food in her was important as she'd lost a load waiting for a diagnoses.

TheBalletCats gorgeous cats they look so happy and content. There's nothing like cat love 😻. So far the Forza10 is a winner. Now I need to find a healthy wet food.

Thecatisboss my cat is also super stubborn she's part Mau it's in their nature not to give in.

You are lucky your cat finds Ipakitine acceptable.

Can you change brand? My lab has kidney disease and won’t touch a certain brand. Which is unusual as he will literally eat all types of gross things not envy.

Oops sorry read the whole thread that’ll teach me. Hope your cat manages to enjoy the new food.

I’m not saying they’re spoilt, but they’ve plenty of reasons to be happy, especially having finally [pretty much] trained me to be an Indoor Human (better still, one that is reliably in bed & thus available for snuggles on demand)…

If she’s part Mau you must get lots of snuggles too? And presumably lots of mischief? My two are mere moggies - the feline version of Heinz 57 - but they’re bold as brass & much MUCH brighter than best-polished of it. I wasn’t so very shocked by having to lock the cupboards when they were wee kittens; but needing a lock for the fridge came as a bit of a surprise. As did learning (not that it’s an issue just now) I can’t leave food in my rucksack unless I’m willing to share…

I'm definitely her servant she has me well trained lol.

She's very high energy I have a jog with her down the street most days and chase her around she loves it. Yes, she loves snuggles.

I love all cats, she chose me. She was a street cat for a year until she decided she wanted to live with me. Your cats sound v. v. clever. Never a dull moment in your house!

Do you take her out on a lead, or does she just walk alongside you? She sounds fabulous - & it’s brilliant that she was able to choose you. I’d been getting ready to adopt when the Ballet Cats dropped into my life from an attic where they’d almost no human contact (including an irregular supply of the cheapest adult food) & came to live with me at all of 8 weeks old.

Certainly never dull here. They still love to play chase/hide & squeak and do not see why it should be limited to the daytime hours. They like attended video hospital appointments; & I’ve had to say “er, sorry, that noise is my cat purring… yes, it IS really loud…” to far too many medical professionals over the last 18 months or so because Balanchine, in particular, will come & contribute to telephone appointments too.

Ooh, does she [like to] play fetch? Balanchine absolutely loves it. He will bring me a foil ball when he wants to play (or sometimes he will hoik the insert from a box of tablets/injector pens out of my recycling bin & present me with that)…

She walks, jogs or runs depending on the mood. She's still a fast runner. She will then go to her favourite tree to sharpen her nails and roll around in the dirt.

The Ballet Cats sound amazing and full of curiosity and mischief.

No She never did fetch but she likes a game of football.