Canned cat food for a cat with advanced jaundice?

[EveAndHerThieves]

Spoon has finally hit the point where she needs soft food. Her tooth bothers her enough she doesn't like solids. (It's being monitored to see if she might need pain killers) I happened to have some fancy feast mature food hanging about, which I'm now out of. I work right next to a pet store and plan on buying her new food tonight. Since she has incredibly advanced jaundice I'd love to get her something that will keep her comfortable. Price doesn't matter - she's worth it.

I know I could Google this, but I'm extremely sleep deprived and exhausted from moving a 4 bedroom apartment down five flights of stairs. I'm lucky I can form sentences. But that's no excuse to let her suffer. If someone could please, please suggest something to buy her I'd be incredibly grateful. I think my vet suggested Hills Science Diet, but I can't remember which one.


Another note is that she appears to have digestive issues. She sits behind the couch to digest her food and it sounds like there's a monster back there. The gurgling and popping has made guests ask if there's an old plumbing pipe behind the couch. So maybe something easy on her stomach?

(She just had a vet checkup two months ago - she's not in any pain. Just old. My vet has absolutely no idea how she's still alive, nevermind going for "walks" around the yard each day.)

 

[crystal dawn]

I would ask her/your vet about what food would be best. There's lots of different foods out there. There's even gentle foods that are supposed to be easy to digest.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I don't know Spoon's story, but if she enjoyed the Fancy Feast that you gave her, then I would go with that. When you said "solids", do you mean dry food? I would say if she is an old cat on her death bed (quoting the Vet here), I would feed her anything wet that she will eat. The fact that she is jaundice tell me she has liver issues and needs food and probably liver supplements, but often they get jaundice from not eating. Depending on what she likes, I would try to go with a food that doesn't have high carbs, since cats have a harder time digesting those. Fancy Feast pates (classics) are ok, Sheba pates are better IMHO, and there are really a lot of pretty good foods out there but it all depends on what Spoon likes, so it's hard to say. Just try to stay away from wheat, corn, soy, potatoes as ingredients.

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Okay, I've had sleep now and can better formulate thoughts!! I have to preface by saying I'm struggling with some stuff right now and my comprehension is absolutely shot. Trying to look up brands with high protein, or something gentle, and trying to decide... for some reason my brain isn't processing the information correctly and just stresses. I can't have Spoon starve because I'm a nut, though. Which is why I'm here.

My vet is closed until mid next week so I can't call. Spoon is okay on Fancy Feast, but I'd like to see if there's something that can satisfy her better. She seems like she might never be completely full. She kept staring at the kibble bowl last night in what appeared to be confusion. She would nibble a bit, then stare some more. Fancy Feast seems to satisfy her for a little bit. She still wants to be fed a lot, though. Anorexia is definitely starting to set in.

Up until lately she's been fine on kibble. It's only been the last month that she's struggled. She stares at the food dish, nibbles a bit, then stares some more. We have her on two different medications for her extreme jaundice. She also has monthly visits to check her condition. The vet is incredibly surprised she's still alive and kicking. They're also surprised at how active she is. She's solid yellow at this point.

I'm really hoping someone has gone through something similar and can suggest what's worked for them.

I'll be calling her vet about her diet when they open, of course! But until then I want to keep her happy. I just got paid so it's okay if it's expensive.