Cat wont eat food

Loulou123

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Hi hope you can help
Hairy is 16 and is on a renal diet so has special biscuits. I felt a bit mean having literally no treats or bits of meat etc from me etc so got him some renal pouches.
He loved them....but is now only licking all the gravy refusing to actually eat it.
I've tried only feeding at set times and removing and covering bowl to try again and I'm happy to just refuse the pouches and keep on dry as he will still eat his biscuits after a long stand off but my issue is the behaviour change.

It has caused him to be quite aggressive- howling (not cute little meowls)..like he is demanding food, trying to launch at our food when we are eating. We can't go into the kitchen without him charging in and again demanding food. Usually a stern no or point away would work and direct him but he is looking like hes at the point of fighting back/scratching now which he never does then just goes and sulks in bed all day until one of us goes near the kitchen or cooks and the behaviour starts again.

He is driving me mad....sounds crazy I know but its just really naughty bad behaviour, it's the only way I can describe it!!!! How can I break this??
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. It really isn't bad behavior per se. Hairy apparently likes the pouches (at least the gravy) better than he likes the dry food. And, he really should have a lot of moisture in his diet given he has a renal condition. He is also likely hungry which is affecting how he behaves. It is not uncommon for cat to refuse food they no longer like to the point of going hungry at times.

Try using a blender to mix up the gravy and meat of the renal pouch food and see if he will eat it that way. You can also add some of this mashed up food to his dry food and mix it together to see if that might be a way to get him to eat his dry more easily as well. I would also look into other renal foods - perhaps canned ones, since it would seem he likes the moistness.

If Hairy has been used to eating dry food for most of his life, it would seem some cats that have tend to do better with pates than they do with chunky foods. My cat, Feeby, was fed dry all her life and now she is solely on canned food, but if it is not pates, she will only lick off the gravy and leave the meat behind. Further, if Hairy were to be like Feeby, he might have to have his canned food scooped up multiple times into a pile. Feeby will flatten out canned food as she laps at it more than eating it, and once it is flattened out she will stop eating it until I pile it back up in the dish.

Have you seen this web site before? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Diet and Nutrition Overview (felinecrf.org)
 
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Loulou123

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Hi. It really isn't bad behavior per se. Hairy apparently likes the pouches (at least the gravy) better than he likes the dry food. And, he really should have a lot of moisture in his diet given he has a renal condition. He is also likely hungry which is affecting how he behaves. It is not uncommon for cat to refuse food they no longer like to the point of going hungry at times.

Try using a blender to mix up the gravy and meat of the renal pouch food and see if he will eat it that way. You can also add some of this mashed up food to his dry food and mix it together to see if that might be a way to get him to eat his dry more easily as well. I would also look into other renal foods - perhaps canned ones, since it would seem he likes the moistness.

If Hairy has been used to eating dry food for most of his life, it would seem some cats that have tend to do better with pates than they do with chunky foods. My cat, Feeby, was fed dry all her life and now she is solely on canned food, but if it is not pates, she will only lick off the gravy and leave the meat behind. Further, if Hairy were to be like Feeby, he might have to have his canned food scooped up multiple times into a pile. Feeby will flatten out canned food as she laps at it more than eating it, and once it is flattened out she will stop eating it until I pile it back up in the dish.

Have you seen this web site before? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Diet and Nutrition Overview (felinecrf.org)
Oh my goodness...Hairy says he loves you more than me right now....we blitzed half a pouch and it is all gone. He has cleaned his whiskers and is now having a nap

Seriously thank you so much. We will be friends again im sure now, he had me demented.....although he still tried to steal my tuna from my tea but I suppose that is the ultimate test being Tuna so I'll let him off 🤣
Xxx
 

Dianatea

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Hi hope you can help
Hairy is 16 and is on a renal diet so has special biscuits. I felt a bit mean having literally no treats or bits of meat etc from me etc so got him some renal pouches.
He loved them....but is now only licking all the gravy refusing to actually eat it.
I've tried only feeding at set times and removing and covering bowl to try again and I'm happy to just refuse the pouches and keep on dry as he will still eat his biscuits after a long stand off but my issue is the behaviour change.

It has caused him to be quite aggressive- howling (not cute little meowls)..like he is demanding food, trying to launch at our food when we are eating. We can't go into the kitchen without him charging in and again demanding food. Usually a stern no or point away would work and direct him but he is looking like hes at the point of fighting back/scratching now which he never does then just goes and sulks in bed all day until one of us goes near the kitchen or cooks and the behaviour starts again.

He is driving me mad....sounds crazy I know but its just really naughty bad behaviour, it's the only way I can describe it!!!! How can I break this??
 

Dianatea

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Food can cause nausea in cats with renal disease. I use 200 mg of Slippery Elm herb twice a day in addition to Astor's Oil.
My 16 year old is now back to eating fairly normally and does not vomit. It is totally non-toxic for dogs and cats and works wonders.
good luck!
 

FeebysOwner

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Food can cause nausea in cats with renal disease. I use 200 mg of Slippery Elm herb twice a day in addition to Astor's Oil. My 16 year old is now back to eating fairly normally and does not vomit. It is totally non-toxic for dogs and cats and works wonders. good luck!
Just curious - how do you administer the slippery elm to your cat?
 

Dianatea

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mix in a little water and use a dropper placed between his cheek and teeth so he will swallow- he knows it helps and no longer fights me
 

FeebysOwner

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mix in a little water and use a dropper placed between his cheek and teeth so he will swallow- he knows it helps and no longer fights me
So, you do give it to him separate from meals, and before hand as typically advised? I cannot get a dropper or oral syringe near Feeby. She fights me tool-n-nail and spits, hacks, coughs, even gags with anything using those delivery systems. I tried a spoonful of several different foods/treats, even baby food meat that she loves, but she can either smell or taste it and won't eat it. The best I can do is mix it with no less than about 1/4 of a 3 oz can of food.
 

Dianatea

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I am sure mixing it with food will not matter. With all my animals, once they associate feeling better with the dropper , they calm down.
Also, if you are hesitant or nervous, the cat will sense it. If you are determined , they know they better be good :)
Do you have someone that can hold her by her neck skin? If so, she will be immobilized and easier to handle.
She might be gagging , etc because it is going down the wrong pipe (like us) or it is being inserted too far down her throat . I barely insert the dropper - he feels the liquid and swallows. No, he does not like it , but he has learned to tolerate it and understands it makes him feel better. Good luck.
 

FeebysOwner

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She might be gagging , etc because it is going down the wrong pipe (like us) or it is being inserted too far down her throat .
Thanks. Two people ganging up on her is one of her worst fears! We've used a similar method for topical flea treatments, and it actually makes it worse and harder to apply. On the infrequent occasions I have tried oral syringes, I place it against the side of her cheek. But, tbh, she had a stick toy she loved to bite on until she realized she ended up gagging herself every time! I guess she has a serious gag reflex!
 
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