Question:
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. <snip These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable.
Lowering the protein is important to *prevent* the CRF from deteriorating rapidly. Do it if you can – it will prolong kidney function and therefore lifespan. As you noted, protein isn’t the only concern and mineral content is very important too. So the prescription diets are the best if your cat will eat them. Try several brands. That said, many cats won’t eat the Rx food. Lack of appetite is a symptom of the disease and good hydration can help the cat feel better (and therefore eat more). If your cat is anorexic, it won’t live long enough to die of kidney failure, at which point you might as well feed it anything it will eat! By the end my girl was on a mixture of home-cooked cat food, Hills a/d (the high calorie food used by many vets post-surgery), any kind of people food she’d eat including muffiins, green pea soup and cheez whiz, baby food, any brand of tinned food she’d eat (either plain or with toppings like gravy or parmesan cheese or brewer’s yeast), sardines, tuna, tuna broth, consomme (low salt), egg yolk, blood (from red meats), etc. I’d try to get her to eat at least some "proper" cat food every day, but every hour or so would get a bit of something else into her, and was able to keep her weight up enough. She eventually died of cancer (euthanized because of it, I mean), not kidney failure at all. Good luck, E
Response:
Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
My understanding is that the prescription diets are just that, available by prescription only and thus must be purchased at a vet’s office. However, all vets do not have to charge the same thing. I like my vet a lot but their food items are rather pricey. I found the Hill’s z/d diet for *half* of what my vet wanted at a local animal hospital. I just had to get my vet to call in a prescription to the animal hospital so they would sell me the food. So, shop around. You may find major differences in cost. Anna
Response:
Repost: My first attempt at posting the below seems to have disappeared into a black hole somewhere. Apologies if anyone receives this twice.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
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Thanks for the post Beth. We are not sure if Fred has IBD at this point, but I have been wondering about his diet. The biggest challenge that I would foresee is getting him to actually *eat* a better diet. I am giving it a shot, so we will see what happens. BTW, I introduced Fred to pumpkin yesterday. He was not impressed 
Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
Response:
Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
Response:
Thanks Tracy! Tracy
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
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I picked up some Science Diet for seniors and some Nutro max cat senior today, so will give them a try. Also got a little pumpkin. We’ll try it out and see what happens. I cook up chicken for Fred too 
Haven’t tried putting rice in it though. What is the purpose of the rice? Tracy N
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue I have an old guy, Truman, with a variety of health problems. I’m having pretty good luck with Nutro canned kitten food and hairball formula kitten food. I also cook up some chicken and white rice for him when he has diarrhea (he’s hyperthyroid, on Tapazole). I wouldn’t worry too much about giving dry food, as chances are your kitty’s teeth are the least of your problems. V.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
Response:
Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. Some healthier foods I’ve had some limited success with are Nature’s Recipe — there are four flavors that are julienne strips in gravy. Nutro’s MaxCat Senior is an occasianal success even though it doesn’t have gravy. Science Diet makes three flavors that are savory chunks in gravy — you could try those, although my cat stopped eating them after three days and I don’t blame her because they made her poop smell like brewers yeast. These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable. I get all of these at PetSmart. Talk to your vet — maybe you could add a little rice or something to the higher protein foods. I thought maybe I could make some gravy and pour it over some healthier foods. I tried making turkey stock and adding a little cornstarch. It was NOT a success with my cat — she wanted to bury it. I’ll try chicken next. You might also want to look at this great website: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm
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Tracy, My cat lived to 22 and her last few years she got pickier about her food. One thing that she always considered a treat was baby food (spoon fed!), but at 65 cents a jar I could go broke, and it’s not really balanced. Many older cats have at least minor dental problems that make their mouths a little sore. Since she liked the baby food so much, I tried running canned food through the blender and it really did the trick. She would eat MUCH more that way. You could try blending in some lower protein dry foods and maybe a little pumpkin for fiber to help with the bowel problems. She also did well with the new Hill’s "Sensitive Stomach" dry food. Good luck with Fred. Paula
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully.
Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
Response:
That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
Maybe you could check the Wellness line of food? or Innova? I remember when my 17 year old cat wouldn’t eat much. I was trying everything and anything, and she still liked her 9 Lives & Friskies the best. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. It is formulated to be easy on the kidneys. He had a much better quality of life for his remaining time while on it. As much as I have seen the Hill’s foods maligned, I think you will find a number of people here who have used their special formulas with success. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do. Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren
That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
Response:
Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
Response:
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. <snip These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable.
Lowering the protein is important to *prevent* the CRF from deteriorating rapidly. Do it if you can – it will prolong kidney function and therefore lifespan. As you noted, protein isn’t the only concern and mineral content is very important too. So the prescription diets are the best if your cat will eat them. Try several brands. That said, many cats won’t eat the Rx food. Lack of appetite is a symptom of the disease and good hydration can help the cat feel better (and therefore eat more). If your cat is anorexic, it won’t live long enough to die of kidney failure, at which point you might as well feed it anything it will eat! By the end my girl was on a mixture of home-cooked cat food, Hills a/d (the high calorie food used by many vets post-surgery), any kind of people food she’d eat including muffiins, green pea soup and cheez whiz, baby food, any brand of tinned food she’d eat (either plain or with toppings like gravy or parmesan cheese or brewer’s yeast), sardines, tuna, tuna broth, consomme (low salt), egg yolk, blood (from red meats), etc. I’d try to get her to eat at least some "proper" cat food every day, but every hour or so would get a bit of something else into her, and was able to keep her weight up enough. She eventually died of cancer (euthanized because of it, I mean), not kidney failure at all. Good luck, E
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Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
My understanding is that the prescription diets are just that, available by prescription only and thus must be purchased at a vet’s office. However, all vets do not have to charge the same thing. I like my vet a lot but their food items are rather pricey. I found the Hill’s z/d diet for *half* of what my vet wanted at a local animal hospital. I just had to get my vet to call in a prescription to the animal hospital so they would sell me the food. So, shop around. You may find major differences in cost. Anna
Response:
Repost: My first attempt at posting the below seems to have disappeared into a black hole somewhere. Apologies if anyone receives this twice.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
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Thanks for the post Beth. We are not sure if Fred has IBD at this point, but I have been wondering about his diet. The biggest challenge that I would foresee is getting him to actually *eat* a better diet. I am giving it a shot, so we will see what happens. BTW, I introduced Fred to pumpkin yesterday. He was not impressed Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
Response:
Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
Response:
Thanks Tracy! Tracy
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
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I picked up some Science Diet for seniors and some Nutro max cat senior today, so will give them a try. Also got a little pumpkin. We’ll try it out and see what happens. I cook up chicken for Fred too Haven’t tried putting rice in it though. What is the purpose of the rice? Tracy N
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue I have an old guy, Truman, with a variety of health problems. I’m having pretty good luck with Nutro canned kitten food and hairball formula kitten food. I also cook up some chicken and white rice for him when he has diarrhea (he’s hyperthyroid, on Tapazole). I wouldn’t worry too much about giving dry food, as chances are your kitty’s teeth are the least of your problems. V.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
Response:
Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. Some healthier foods I’ve had some limited success with are Nature’s Recipe — there are four flavors that are julienne strips in gravy. Nutro’s MaxCat Senior is an occasianal success even though it doesn’t have gravy. Science Diet makes three flavors that are savory chunks in gravy — you could try those, although my cat stopped eating them after three days and I don’t blame her because they made her poop smell like brewers yeast. These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable. I get all of these at PetSmart. Talk to your vet — maybe you could add a little rice or something to the higher protein foods. I thought maybe I could make some gravy and pour it over some healthier foods. I tried making turkey stock and adding a little cornstarch. It was NOT a success with my cat — she wanted to bury it. I’ll try chicken next. You might also want to look at this great website: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm
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Tracy, My cat lived to 22 and her last few years she got pickier about her food. One thing that she always considered a treat was baby food (spoon fed!), but at 65 cents a jar I could go broke, and it’s not really balanced. Many older cats have at least minor dental problems that make their mouths a little sore. Since she liked the baby food so much, I tried running canned food through the blender and it really did the trick. She would eat MUCH more that way. You could try blending in some lower protein dry foods and maybe a little pumpkin for fiber to help with the bowel problems. She also did well with the new Hill’s "Sensitive Stomach" dry food. Good luck with Fred. Paula
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully.
Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
Response:
That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
Maybe you could check the Wellness line of food? or Innova? I remember when my 17 year old cat wouldn’t eat much. I was trying everything and anything, and she still liked her 9 Lives & Friskies the best. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. It is formulated to be easy on the kidneys. He had a much better quality of life for his remaining time while on it. As much as I have seen the Hill’s foods maligned, I think you will find a number of people here who have used their special formulas with success. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do. Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren
That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
Response:
Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
Response:
From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
Response:
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. <snip These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable.
Lowering the protein is important to *prevent* the CRF from deteriorating rapidly. Do it if you can – it will prolong kidney function and therefore lifespan. As you noted, protein isn’t the only concern and mineral content is very important too. So the prescription diets are the best if your cat will eat them. Try several brands. That said, many cats won’t eat the Rx food. Lack of appetite is a symptom of the disease and good hydration can help the cat feel better (and therefore eat more). If your cat is anorexic, it won’t live long enough to die of kidney failure, at which point you might as well feed it anything it will eat! By the end my girl was on a mixture of home-cooked cat food, Hills a/d (the high calorie food used by many vets post-surgery), any kind of people food she’d eat including muffiins, green pea soup and cheez whiz, baby food, any brand of tinned food she’d eat (either plain or with toppings like gravy or parmesan cheese or brewer’s yeast), sardines, tuna, tuna broth, consomme (low salt), egg yolk, blood (from red meats), etc. I’d try to get her to eat at least some "proper" cat food every day, but every hour or so would get a bit of something else into her, and was able to keep her weight up enough. She eventually died of cancer (euthanized because of it, I mean), not kidney failure at all. Good luck, E
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Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
My understanding is that the prescription diets are just that, available by prescription only and thus must be purchased at a vet’s office. However, all vets do not have to charge the same thing. I like my vet a lot but their food items are rather pricey. I found the Hill’s z/d diet for *half* of what my vet wanted at a local animal hospital. I just had to get my vet to call in a prescription to the animal hospital so they would sell me the food. So, shop around. You may find major differences in cost. Anna
Response:
Repost: My first attempt at posting the below seems to have disappeared into a black hole somewhere. Apologies if anyone receives this twice.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
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Thanks for the post Beth. We are not sure if Fred has IBD at this point, but I have been wondering about his diet. The biggest challenge that I would foresee is getting him to actually *eat* a better diet. I am giving it a shot, so we will see what happens. BTW, I introduced Fred to pumpkin yesterday. He was not impressed Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Whew! There is a lot to address here. Fred reminds me a lot of my cat Tye, who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and CRF. First of all: Does your vet suspect IBD? If so, you should know that in many cases (not all), IBD is linked to some kind of food intolerance and/or food allergy. It is possible that getting Fred on the right diet *might* clear up his bowel symptoms, if what you are really dealing with here is IBD and food intolerances. (FYI, diarrhea is common with IBD cats, and constipation often occurs in CRF cats because their renal systems are sucking up all the water in their bodies to try to help the kidneys process and eliminate waste. The stool dries out because all the moisture has been drawn out of it, and viola – constipation). Secondly: I suspect that with his blood sugar problems, he may do better on a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. A high protein diet is healthier for cats anyway. Even with his CRF, I think he might do better on this type of diet than a lower protein diet. There has been some research that indicates that a higher protein diet, as long as the protein is high quality, is not detrimental to CRF cats; and I know that for my own cat Tye, he’s continued on his high protein IBD diet ever since his CRF diagnosis in March 2000, and he’s been doing great on it. Fancy Feast and Friskies are not high-quality foods and IMO they could very well be contributing to Fred’s bowel problems as well as his blood sugar problems. I would suggest the following. Talk to your vet, and/or consider consulting a naturopathic/holistic vet for a second opinion, re: Fred’s diet, bowel and blood sugar problems. I really think it might be worth a try to get all of this under control through managing his diet, as I’ve been able to do with Tye with the help of a holistic vet (I’ve gotten him to the point where he has no symptoms of IBD at all, without drugs, because I figured out what foods he can’t tolerate and eliminated them from his diet). I believe that you need to re-think what you are feeding Fred. Personally, I think he probably needs to be on a high-quality, high-protein diet, and if he needs extra fiber you can always add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food at each meal – pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber and most cats love the taste. Tye eats it every day. I think you should start checking into the following brands: Sensible Choice, Innova, Wysong, Petguard, Wellness. I have links to the web sites for these foods on my web site: www.specialneedspets.org/nutrition.htm I hope some of this helps. Beth www.specialneedspets.org
Response:
Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
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Thanks Tracy! Tracy
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here is Hill’s website URL http://www.hillspet.com/index.asp?swf=1 They have an 800# for customer service. i suggest calling them and asking if you can buy from them directly. TG Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet? That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
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I picked up some Science Diet for seniors and some Nutro max cat senior today, so will give them a try. Also got a little pumpkin. We’ll try it out and see what happens. I cook up chicken for Fred too Haven’t tried putting rice in it though. What is the purpose of the rice? Tracy N
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue I have an old guy, Truman, with a variety of health problems. I’m having pretty good luck with Nutro canned kitten food and hairball formula kitten food. I also cook up some chicken and white rice for him when he has diarrhea (he’s hyperthyroid, on Tapazole). I wouldn’t worry too much about giving dry food, as chances are your kitty’s teeth are the least of your problems. V.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
That is a good question and I don’t know the answer. You might try surfing the net for, say, "Hills prescription diet" or something like that and see what you come up with. I didn’t pay that much for each can, can’t remember what it was. I think twice what grocery store catfood is. And I also fed him the dry Hill’s k/d and he loved that. Tolerated the canned. It worked well for him, so it was worth it to me. Good luck. Tracy
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Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high".
My cat’s in a somewhat similar situation: she’s 18 and in early CRF. She’s also totally addicted to her Friskies in gravy (that WAS the good stuff seventeen years ago). I’m trying to lower her dietary phosphorus for her CRF. Some healthier foods I’ve had some limited success with are Nature’s Recipe — there are four flavors that are julienne strips in gravy. Nutro’s MaxCat Senior is an occasianal success even though it doesn’t have gravy. Science Diet makes three flavors that are savory chunks in gravy — you could try those, although my cat stopped eating them after three days and I don’t blame her because they made her poop smell like brewers yeast. These are all relatively high protein foods though — which is not yet a concern with my cat’s CRF which is barely detectable. I get all of these at PetSmart. Talk to your vet — maybe you could add a little rice or something to the higher protein foods. I thought maybe I could make some gravy and pour it over some healthier foods. I tried making turkey stock and adding a little cornstarch. It was NOT a success with my cat — she wanted to bury it. I’ll try chicken next. You might also want to look at this great website: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm
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Tracy, My cat lived to 22 and her last few years she got pickier about her food. One thing that she always considered a treat was baby food (spoon fed!), but at 65 cents a jar I could go broke, and it’s not really balanced. Many older cats have at least minor dental problems that make their mouths a little sore. Since she liked the baby food so much, I tried running canned food through the blender and it really did the trick. She would eat MUCH more that way. You could try blending in some lower protein dry foods and maybe a little pumpkin for fiber to help with the bowel problems. She also did well with the new Hill’s "Sensitive Stomach" dry food. Good luck with Fred. Paula
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully.
Say, speaking of k/d, how much do folks out there get charged for one of the small cans by their vet? $1 here. I know they are by nature prescription foods and as such typically not available at a pet store, but *can* you get them anywhere but a vet?
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That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
Maybe you could check the Wellness line of food? or Innova? I remember when my 17 year old cat wouldn’t eat much. I was trying everything and anything, and she still liked her 9 Lives & Friskies the best. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
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Hi Tracy, I had an older cat with CRF and the vet suggested the Hill’s k/d formula. It worked wonderfully. It is formulated to be easy on the kidneys. He had a much better quality of life for his remaining time while on it. As much as I have seen the Hill’s foods maligned, I think you will find a number of people here who have used their special formulas with success. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do. Tracy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
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Maybe you could try feeding him a high quality food like Nutro, Wellness or Wysong. There are some prescription diet foods for CRF cats….Hill’s K/D, Purina CNM NF, Eukanuba…but most cats won’t eat it. You could try mixing some regular food in the prescription food. Innova has some lower protein, higher fiber foods that are designed for cats with irritated bowel disease. I have a 20 year old with CRF and I have resorted to feeding him anything he wants which usually means Fancy Feast. I know that’s not the best thing for him, but he won’t eat anything else…and I figure it’s better to have him eat something than nothing. Sue – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren
That is what I have been doing. Just seems I *ought* to try a few things that are healthier. I won’t starve him in the name of good nutrition though Tracy N
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Hi All. I have an 18 year old cat, Fred, who has moderate CRF, some bowel problems (not definitively diagnosed) and now hyperglycemia. He gets 100ml Sub-Q fluids twice weekly for the CRF and that appears to be pretty stable. He was put on Prednisolone for his bowel problems (constipation and diarria) as an alternative to performing an endoscopy, which I thought would be a bit to invasive for an old guy unless absolutely needed. The Pred is working fine for that, but symtoms reappear when we try to wean him off. It now appears that one of the side effects of extended use of the Pred is high blood sugar. We have just started him on Glipizide to try to bring the blood sugar down and we’ll be monitoring that closely. Fred is a very picky eater and has lost some weight since all this began in about May this year. I have been feeding him mostly Fancy Feast and Friskies and he nibbles on some dry cat food that the vet is having us try. Not good, I know, but it is more important that he continues to eat than my forcing the issue with stuff that he won’t eat. From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
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From what I have read, it seems that he should be eating food that is low in protein (for his kidneys) and high in fiber (for the hyperglycemia). He prefers canned and juicy (lots of gravy). Can anyone recommend some canned foods that are low protein / high fiber that I can try? I’m not even sure what constitutes "low" and "high". Thanks for any help. Tracy N. and Fred
I don’t know. I think whatever your cat will eat is what you should go with for now. I know how hard it is to get an older kitty to eat. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Best wishes for your kitty’s health problems. Lauren =^..^= Mickey and Meesha: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1278826&a=9501548 Life is a journey, not a guided tour.
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