Cat refuses to eat presciption food

Frank123

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Yesterday morning I had to take one of my cats to the vet as an emergency. He managed to get a hold of one those lickable treats that come in those long foil pouches. He ended up ingesting some of the packaging and then had coughed up or vomited some blood with pieces of the foil mixed in.
The vet took some x-rays and it looked like there was evidence of some gastric material.
The vet sent him home with a few cans of Hills canned food that is high in fiber. I guess the idea of the high fiber diet is to help push the foreign objects out of the GI tract. The problem is my cat, like most cats I guess can be quite finicky in what he eats. He'll mostly only eat Fancy Feast or Friskies. I offered him the new food and he took on sniff and walked away. I know he has an appetite because he meows for food and tries to eat my other cat's food.
I tried things such as putting tuna water on top, but he'll just lick of the tuna water and leave the rest of the food. I tried mixing a little bit of his regular food with it, but that doesn't work.
Any other suggestions? Any other high fiber alternatives I should try? I see pumpkin puree is often suggested.
TIA
 

Joany58

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Hi I have a constipated cat and I feed her on Royal Canin fibre response dry kibble which always does the trick hope that helps
 

IndyJones

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Did you try mixing the new food with his current food? Don't just put it on top, mix it in well. Mash it up together.

A bit of plain pumpkin can also help get things moving.
 
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Frank123

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yes, just a while ago I tried mixing in his regular food with the prescription food mixed very well. He still didn't go for it.
 

Tobermory

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Yeah, so many cats won’t go for the prescription foods. Here are some other topper ideas to try:
  • FortiFlora — It’s a mediocre probiotic but it’s very appealing to cats because it has animal digest as its first ingredient, the same thing that coats dry food. Most cats love the taste of it.
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Crushed crumbles of dry food
  • Bonito flakes — Can be found at Asian markets or sometimes in the Asian food section of a large grocery store.
  • Freeze-dried treats or freeze-dried raw food — Crumble into dust or small pieces over food. I use Pure Bites chicken treats and Northwest Naturals liver treats, but there are lots of choices. If you use Pure Bites, it’s actually less expensive to buy the dog treats and they’re the same thing. For freeze-dried raw, Stella & Chewy’s and Northwest Naturals may also work. Primal is another choice.
  • Baby food — Beechnut or Gerber Stage 2. Mine love this stuff. You want a baby food that is a protein only although the Gerber contains cornstarch. It should have no onions or other additives. Please read labels carefully.

And as both you and IndyJones IndyJones said, plain pumpkin purée (not the pie filling) might help.
 

FeebysOwner

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I personally think that letting him eat whatever he will eat is better than him not eating because of the prescription food. Cat food being high in fiber isn't the end-all answer to 'pushing out' what he ate. At this point, you want to see him eat, just so you know that his lack of interest in eating has to do with this Hill's food as opposed to a blockage beginning to build.

You want fiber? Buy some Metamucil, mix it with water, and put that on his regular food. As far as I know the original Metamucil (which is the one you would use) is supposedly flavorless.

When are you due to see the vet again, and what did the vet tell you to look for in the meantime?
 
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Frank123

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I personally think that letting him eat whatever he will eat is better than him not eating because of the prescription food. Cat food being high in fiber isn't the end-all answer to 'pushing out' what he ate. At this point, you want to see him eat, just so you know that his lack of interest in eating has to do with this Hill's food as opposed to a blockage beginning to build.

Yeah, I looks like I'm just going to end up going back to his regular food. He did eat the food that my other cat left behind.

You want fiber? Buy some Metamucil, mix it with water, and put that on his regular food. As far as I know the original Metamucil (which is the one you would use) is supposedly flavorless.

When are you due to see the vet again, and what did the vet tell you to look for in the meantime?

He has a follow up appointment on Tuesday. I really didn't have an opportunity to speak to the vet directly. I brought him in the morning and by the time they called me in the afternoon to pick him up, the vet had left for the day. Besides the prescription food, the also gave me antibiotics to give him. The receptionist really couldn't give me much information.
 
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Frank123

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Sorry for the delay in response. To all, thanks for the suggestions. Oliver is doing fine. He had his follow up on Wednesday and the vet said he looked fine. He was also due for his annual wellness exam so the vet gave him a complete checkup since he was there. He received a clean bill of health.
And I ordered some magnets to keep the drawers secured so he can open them to get at his treats.
 
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