Feeding A Cat Cooked Chicken

[leo12]

Leo won't touch the Natural Balance Duck dry, my next and last choice of cat food will be the Instinct Rabbit. If he refuses that I am going to feed him ground turkey with the EZ Complete on it. Nothing interests him but human food, I don't know why, and don't know what else to do but to give some to him.

 

[KarenKat]

Pretty apropos, we made baked chicken for dinner last night and Olive stole and entire chicken breast (twice the soze of her head) and carried it into her basement “kill zone” and ate half of it before we stopped her lol.

I think there is definitely a human food fascination!

 

[leo12]

There definitely is, and it has gotten worse since he is on the steroids, I don't know why. I only wish his appetite for cat food would be as good, its so frustrating

 

[leo12]

Took Leo back to vet today, he only weighs 4.4 lbs and won't eat, maybe a little ground turkey, but not much She gave him an appetite stimulant, an antibiotic in case of Pancreatitis, and tried to give him fluids but he fought too much. The stimulant got him to want to eat some cooked chicken, but not for long. Going to keep trying until the beginning of next week to get him to eat, but I feel he has given up and there are no other options.

 

[KarenKat]

I'm so sorry to hear he isn't doing any better. Poor Leo! I'll send whatever good vibes I have your way

 

[Stinky15]

Took Leo back to vet today, he only weighs 4.4 lbs and won't eat, maybe a little ground turkey, but not much She gave him an appetite stimulant, an antibiotic in case of Pancreatitis, and tried to give him fluids but he fought too much. The stimulant got him to want to eat some cooked chicken, but not for long. Going to keep trying until the beginning of next week to get him to eat, but I feel he has given up and there are no other options.

Have you tried Baby food chicken flavor? For a while my cat would eat that when he wouldn't eat anything else. You have to get calories in him! Just go buy some cheap kibble and see if he will eat it. Once you get him started eating you can add in the good stuff with it. I bet I have 6 or 7 open bags of kibble I have used to get my cat to eat. My cat seems to like cooked (fried) chicken. You didn't say what App. stimulant the Vet. gave Leo. Mine is on Mirtazapine every 3 days. When he won;t eat I keep shoving different foods in front of him and eventually he may take a bite and eat. It's very frustrating. At only 4.5 lbs I would say he is a candidate for force feeding. I haven't had to try that yet but I will if I have to. We all have our paws crossed for Leo!

 

[LTS3]

Is your cat nauseous? Lip smacking, crouching (not meatloafing) and starting at the wall or into space and looking uncomfortable? Cerenia is helpful for nausea.

Pancreatitis is inflammation so an antibiotic won't help with that

Try the liver shake: "liver Shake" Recipe For Inappetant Cats I imagine you can include a can of high calorie prescription junk (Hills A/D) while you are blending the mixture.

 

[leo12]

Today he ate boiled chicken breasts, twice so far. It seems like the morning is the best, and maybe the only time he will eat. He isn't lip smacking or crouching, but yes, he does stare at the wall, and yesterday threw up. The vet was supposed to give him an anti nausea med. I assumed Mirtazapine stimulant maybe had anti nausea in it also? She said pancreatitis is hard to get rid of, last cat she treated had to be hospitalized for a week on antibiotics, so thats why she gave him some to take home. Possibly it was just something worth trying on her part. I would not leave Leo there a week because they wouldn't try as hard to get him to eat like I do. If he refuses I follow him around, and put the bowl under him or put pieces of food one by one and sometimes that works better. I am going to get some baby food today, I have tried the dry junk food, along with good ones, and canned. I found if I boil the chicken in single servings he will eat it, but if I store it for later he won't, I have no idea why. Its possible that he is very old, and its just his time, I don't know.

 

[Stinky15]

Great going! Yes they use Mirtazapine for app. stim. and anti-nausea. My cat seems to like white meat from fried chicken best. I tried cooking in skillet and he ate it but not as good. I haven't tried boiled yet. Make sure Baby food doesn't have onion or garlic in it.

 

[leo12]

How long does the effects of Mirtazapine last for? I gave Leo a quarter pill on Tuesday, and another quarter on Thursday. It got him interested in food a little, if I put the stew pouches on top of boiled chicken pieces. Now, as of Friday, he constantly wants plain chicken breast, no stew pouches, and will also eat some Cat Chow Indoor Naturals. He would eat chicken every half hour if I let him, and a lot, too. The sad part is that he has diarrhea so bad now, because he isn't eating the right cat food, that he barley makes it to the littler box. I tried him again on grain free, duck, rabbit, etc, but chicken and cat chow is all he will try.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I think your Vet is way off base. When your cat is starving to death you need to get him to eat no matter what. They need cat food also to get the nutrients and vitamins. I use cooked chicken and gerber baby chicken (no garlic/onions) but he also gets some kibble for the vitamins and nutrients.

I agree.
Hopefully the vet assumed boiled chicken alone was his "new diet forever", but the "no boiled chicken, no raw diet" thing throws me off. Lots of IBD cats have done well with raw diets and cooked diets provided they're well balanced. My cat did not do well with raw, but many have!
My cats went awhile with a really bad URI not eating much, and boiled chicken was what they finally decided to try to spark up their appetites.
I ask my vets questions but if they interrupt me and shoot me down and say "NO" like I'm a naughty 3 year old child, I go elsewhere. I don't need that kind of BS.

 

[Stinky15]

How long does the effects of Mirtazapine last for? I gave Leo a quarter pill on Tuesday, and another quarter on Thursday. It got him interested in food a little, if I put the stew pouches on top of boiled chicken pieces. Now, as of Friday, he constantly wants plain chicken breast, no stew pouches, and will also eat some Cat Chow Indoor Naturals. He would eat chicken every half hour if I let him, and a lot, too. The sad part is that he has diarrhea so bad now, because he isn't eating the right cat food, that he barley makes it to the littler box. I tried him again on grain free, duck, rabbit, etc, but chicken and cat chow is all he will try.

My Vet's schedule for Mirtazapine is every 3 days. He takes 1/4 of a 15mg pill. I know there is a dosing schedule of 1/8 of the 15 mg. every other day from what I have read and I actually think it would have been better because sometimes by the time the 3rd. day rolls around it doesn't seem to work very good. My cat is taking an antibiotic also and I have to stay after him to get him to eat. He has been fairly good at eating kibble regularly but I push him to eat with the chicken. I don't like giving dry food but whatever he will eat I will give him just to keep calorie intake up. Sometimes I have to "jump start" him to eat with treats or kibble and once he starts eating he may also eat some canned food. Whatever it takes.

 

[1 bruce 1]

My Vet's schedule for Mirtazapine is every 3 days. He takes 1/4 of a 15mg pill. I know there is a dosing schedule of 1/8 of the 15 mg. every other day from what I have read and I actually think it would have been better because sometimes by the time the 3rd. day rolls around it doesn't seem to work very good. My cat is taking an antibiotic also and I have to stay after him to get him to eat. He has been fairly good at eating kibble regularly but I push him to eat with the chicken. I don't like giving dry food but whatever he will eat I will give him just to keep calorie intake up. Sometimes I have to "jump start" him to eat with treats or kibble and once he starts eating he may also eat some canned food. Whatever it takes.

Here's the thing...(please don't skip if a sentence makes you mad!)
-Dry food is hell on kidneys, causes dehydration, etc.
-Canned, tinned, or wet food is hell on teeth and causes nasty tooth decay despite the moisture content to help kidneys.
-Prepared raw diets that are complete are HPP'ed, and are lacking a lot of critical enzymes.
-Home prepared raw diets from scratch can be nutrient deficient.
-Home cooked diets can be very nutrient deficient unless you have a PhD or have spent a lot of money talking with nutritionalists.

These are not my thoughts, it's what we see all the time on the internet. Whatever diet we feed or whatever works for a sick, elderly, or failing cat, someone is going to tell you you're killing your cat. Brush it off.

OK, so now everyone knows these aren't my thoughts. These ARE my thoughts.
A). The diet has to be affordable and not put me in debt.
B). The cat has to like the food.
C). The cat has to do well on the food.
D). I have to be at least somewhat comfortable feeding this food.
D(1). I have to understand that sometimes cats don't do "well" on the "best" foods and I need to be willing to continue to read and learn and have a back up plan in case this diet fails.

That's just kind of my opinion.
If a sick cat that's not eating wants kibble...feed them kibble. If they want boiled chicken....feed them boiled chicken. If a cat is being picky for whatever reason, until that reason is figured out, for Gods sake, keep their bellies full and ignore the people who tell you you're killing your pet by feeding them what they'll willingly eat.
=)

 

[leo12]

Thanks for your responses. I don't know if Leo is hungry because he still has some effects of the drug, or he just decided to try eating again, but I'm enjoying not having to get him to eat, and watching him want to eat instead. I'm happy whatever the reason, and haven't given him a pill since Thursday because he hasn't needed it. Being that he is so thin, and he now has diarrhea again, I know that's not good, but I'm not ready to give up on him yet. My husband disagrees with me, so I'm considering keeping the the cat, and getting rid of the husband. 1bruce1, what you said is so true, and after my vet saw how bad Leo had gotten in one month, she changed her opinion on his food and pretty much said the same thing you did, to feed him anything. Leo did so well on grain free food for a month or two, and was gaining weight and no diarrhea, but he will no longer eat anything else so what else can I do. Stinky15, you summed it up perfectly "whatever it takes" I'm sure you could write a book on the tricks you have tried to get your kitty to eat, I know I could. Will keep you posted, it helps to vent and to pick other peoples brains that have been in the same situation.

 

[mikameek]

I love keeping the cat and dropping the husband.

Whenever you do start trying to get a cat to eat wet food, I recommend starting with the less expensive brands first. Friskies and Fancy Feast are great places to look at finding lots of different flavors and styles of food to get your cat to eat on his own again.

 

[orange&white]

Now, as of Friday, he constantly wants plain chicken breast, no stew pouches, and will also eat some Cat Chow Indoor Naturals. He would eat chicken every half hour if I let him, and a lot, too.

I agree with others: feed him all the plain chicken and Cat Chow Indoor if that's all he'll eat...and as much as he will eat.

Did your vet give you anything for him for diarrhea?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thanks for your responses. I don't know if Leo is hungry because he still has some effects of the drug, or he just decided to try eating again, but I'm enjoying not having to get him to eat, and watching him want to eat instead. I'm happy whatever the reason, and haven't given him a pill since Thursday because he hasn't needed it. Being that he is so thin, and he now has diarrhea again, I know that's not good, but I'm not ready to give up on him yet. My husband disagrees with me, so I'm considering keeping the the cat, and getting rid of the husband. 1bruce1, what you said is so true, and after my vet saw how bad Leo had gotten in one month, she changed her opinion on his food and pretty much said the same thing you did, to feed him anything. Leo did so well on grain free food for a month or two, and was gaining weight and no diarrhea, but he will no longer eat anything else so what else can I do. Stinky15, you summed it up perfectly "whatever it takes" I'm sure you could write a book on the tricks you have tried to get your kitty to eat, I know I could. Will keep you posted, it helps to vent and to pick other peoples brains that have been in the same situation.

We had a sick cat that took to Hills A/D. Super high calorie, super palatable and smelly.
I dislike Hill's (as a whole) for my own reasons but do admit this food DID help.
The baby food trick has helped a lot. Sometimes petting them when they sniff the plate or bowl of food (weird, I know) helps. IDK what that's all about but a few cats we've had that were reluctant to eat seemed to relax when we started petting then (head to tail, really gently) kind of killed that hesitation.
I've read those studies or whatever that says cats help lower our stress when we pet them. I think it's the same for them, and I don't need no study to prove it. =)

I'm glad your vet was able to see this guy needs what he will eat due to his condition and decided he needs to eat something, anything!!!! That makes me happy!
For seriously "off the food" cats, I'll go out on a limb and suggest something like Nutri-cal for cats, which most pets stores carry. Appetite stimulant, high calorie supplement, super palatable. A little dime sized dab on their cheek or in their mouth has helped many a kitty (and dogs) here regain some strength. I admit the ingredients are crap, but I can't argue our results.

Venting helps. I've been there, many here have been there, and as long as we love and keep them as our own we'll be there some day. There's lots of great hints here. Stick around.. =)

 

[leo12]

Maybe I will try the Fancy Feast, I've tried all the expensive ones, that are grain free and good for him, and he hates them, I even have two cases that he liked, I ordered, and then he hated, along with my other cats. Vet didn't give me anything for the diarrhea, just the antibiotic Metronidazole, the appetite stimulant and he is still on the steroids for the IBD, which at this point don't seem to be doing any good.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Maybe I will try the Fancy Feast, I've tried all the expensive ones, that are grain free and good for him, and he hates them, I even have two cases that he liked, I ordered, and then he hated, along with my other cats. Vet didn't give me anything for the diarrhea, just the antibiotic Metronidazole, the appetite stimulant and he is still on the steroids for the IBD, which at this point don't seem to be doing any good.

I do not think cats need grain in their diet..BUT..!!
Before you pass my post thinking I'm a jerk, most "all life stages AAFCO approved" grain free diets contains peas and legumes and all kinds of stuff to use as binders. A lot of brands use these to make that approved status.
A lot of cats do better on a plain, transparent grain inclusive food and some do not. Cats may not need grains but they don't need peas or lentils or whatever either. It's kind of a crap shoot, depending on what your kitty does well on.
Our guy has done well on FF Classics. It's not ideal to me but the results don't lie. Whatever he'll eat, whatever he isn't backing up on (IBD) and not pooping for 5-6 days on is something I'm happy to give him on demand.
So yes, I agree. If grain free isn't working, try something else.
Best to you and your kitty =)

 

[1 bruce 1]

I love keeping the cat and dropping the husband.

Whenever you do start trying to get a cat to eat wet food, I recommend starting with the less expensive brands first. Friskies and Fancy Feast are great places to look at finding lots of different flavors and styles of food to get your cat to eat on his own again.

Oh honey I could tell you so many stories about my young dating years... =D

Don't love cats? Fine. Accept them, and get over it.
Don't tolerate them? Oops, my boot accidentally hit you in the arse. Sorry bout that... (not really.)
Don't LOVE dogs? Fine. Think all dogs need to be tied up out back and fed a bowl of Ol'Roy once daily and nothing more? Oops. I think my boot made contact with your arse again. Sorry! (Not really)...

And yep, I agree. If during a transition, go with a less expensive brand and build up. And if that doesn't = happy, most people agree that ANY wet food is good if your cat will eat it.
I grew up on a decent diet of real foods with treats. When I ran off on my own, that decent food became less and less. My diet was pizza, beer, and chips, and when I started attempting to eat good food it tasted like paste. It takes time to accept a new diet, don't rush it!