Hello everyone. I have a 16 year old bombay cat that is in the early to moderate stages of kidney disease (she gets checked yearly). I've read a lot about fish oil and got vet approval. I bought her liquid fish oil and the dosage, etc is listed on the instructions but it says to not give it to her directly via the dropper tool (used to get the right dosage). Is it okay to put the oil in the cat's mouth and give that way (with another device) like I've had to use with antibiotics? For now, it's just on her food, but she always insists on having a full bowl of food and I do not know how long it will take to consume the food she has, nor can I monitor the dosage that way, etc.. so I was just trying to think of a better way to where I knew she was getting the fish oil at all...
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Fish Oil
- Thread starter pearjas
- Start Date
Hi!
Are they saying don't use the dropper itself to avoid contamination, or do they actually want it mixed with food? Can you contact the seller/manufacturer and get clarification?
Also I wanted to mention, have you seen this site? There is also a support group as well;
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat
Are they saying don't use the dropper itself to avoid contamination, or do they actually want it mixed with food? Can you contact the seller/manufacturer and get clarification?
Also I wanted to mention, have you seen this site? There is also a support group as well;
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat
Can you utilize the juice from no sodium canned green beans? ... something like that?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I guess I can contact the manufacturer. It said to either mix with food or give as is. I did try to give as is but my cat just sniffed it. haha.
I have been to that site quite often but didn't know they had a support group. Thank you!
I have been to that site quite often but didn't know they had a support group. Thank you!
I see, would she let you syringe it? Are you comfortable syringing liquid? There are videos...
Or would that end up where you'd want to be in the bathtub ?
Or would that end up where you'd want to be in the bathtub ?
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- #7
I believe I could syringe it. I had to with antibiotics in the past. 
I was just making sure there wasn't something specific with fish oil indicating that you shouldn't. I was surprised the directions in the fish oil didn't say to do it like that to begin with..so I thought there might be something specific to fish oil in which it's not a good idea... but now I'm guessing that's not the case.
I was just making sure there wasn't something specific with fish oil indicating that you shouldn't. I was surprised the directions in the fish oil didn't say to do it like that to begin with..so I thought there might be something specific to fish oil in which it's not a good idea... but now I'm guessing that's not the case.
Maybe see if there are any videos where someone is doing that. I'm wondering if, because it's so oily maybe you have to go really slowly?
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- #9
I've been thinking about you, --thank you for the update!
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- #11
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I'm only posting because I happened upon this while doing a search.
please......
NEVER, EVER....PUT ANY OIL INTO A CAT'S MOUTH !
P pearjas - you may have dodged a bullet so far but, perhaps consider mixing the oil with a small amount of a different food that she also likes....and putting that...on top of food in the full dish. That way you'll know when it's consumed. But, ditch the syringe and dropper - even if, for now, she likes and accepts it.
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I'm only posting because I happened upon this while doing a search.
please......
NEVER, EVER....PUT ANY OIL INTO A CAT'S MOUTH !
- cats are particularly susceptible to "Aspiration Pneumonia", a pneumonia that develops after the cat 'aspirates' or breathes-in a liquid. Aspiration Pneumonia is very often FATAL - aspiration of an oil is the worst case scenario and is likely a death sentence.
- most cats already DISLIKE the taste of fish oil
- if the cat resists taking the oil, there is likely to be a struggle
- in a struggle, accidental aspiration can easily occur
P pearjas - you may have dodged a bullet so far but, perhaps consider mixing the oil with a small amount of a different food that she also likes....and putting that...on top of food in the full dish. That way you'll know when it's consumed. But, ditch the syringe and dropper - even if, for now, she likes and accepts it.
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Also for anyone else who comes along this in a search...
My Krista loves fish oil. Especially wild salmon oil. It is what is keeping this old gal eating the huge amount of food her senior kitty IBD digestion needs to put weight back on.
But I agree. Do not put the oil directly into a cat's mouth. Even if she doesn't aspirate it, oil can be difficult to swallow. It can coat her throat making swallowing uncomfortable.
Because Krista loves salmon oil, and it is truly a difference-maker between a half clean and a fully clean plate, I add 1 pump of salmon oil directly into a 5.5 oz can of food and stir that in good. Because she's cleaning her plates, I know she's getting 1 pump / 5.5 oz of food no matter how many meals it takes us to finish that can. It's actually been such a lifesaver getting her to portions back up again, that I've had to cut her food lately with a flavor that I don't add oil to because she's been eating closer to a can and a half (1 and a half pumps) a day now. So 3/4 of her food is from the can with added oil and 1/4 of her food comes from a can without oil bringing her back closer to 1 pump per day. Her pooper appreciates the extra effort.
In the past, I have given her CBD oil which she didn't care for the taste. To make certain she ate the entire dose, I would prepare a medicine tray for her. This is simply a small dish like a sauce cup lid that had the oil plus a small amount of tuna in water. It took her just a few bites to finish the tray. Usually she was too deep into "omg tuna!" by the time she got to the oil to register her displeasure. If there is a powder supplement you also give your cat with food, you can mix the powder and oil together into a tight ball and then hide that in a small amount of food or treat. Make sure she finishes the medicine meal first. Then you can put out her regular meal.
My Krista loves fish oil. Especially wild salmon oil. It is what is keeping this old gal eating the huge amount of food her senior kitty IBD digestion needs to put weight back on.
But I agree. Do not put the oil directly into a cat's mouth. Even if she doesn't aspirate it, oil can be difficult to swallow. It can coat her throat making swallowing uncomfortable.
Because Krista loves salmon oil, and it is truly a difference-maker between a half clean and a fully clean plate, I add 1 pump of salmon oil directly into a 5.5 oz can of food and stir that in good. Because she's cleaning her plates, I know she's getting 1 pump / 5.5 oz of food no matter how many meals it takes us to finish that can. It's actually been such a lifesaver getting her to portions back up again, that I've had to cut her food lately with a flavor that I don't add oil to because she's been eating closer to a can and a half (1 and a half pumps) a day now. So 3/4 of her food is from the can with added oil and 1/4 of her food comes from a can without oil bringing her back closer to 1 pump per day. Her pooper appreciates the extra effort.
In the past, I have given her CBD oil which she didn't care for the taste. To make certain she ate the entire dose, I would prepare a medicine tray for her. This is simply a small dish like a sauce cup lid that had the oil plus a small amount of tuna in water. It took her just a few bites to finish the tray. Usually she was too deep into "omg tuna!" by the time she got to the oil to register her displeasure. If there is a powder supplement you also give your cat with food, you can mix the powder and oil together into a tight ball and then hide that in a small amount of food or treat. Make sure she finishes the medicine meal first. Then you can put out her regular meal.
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- #14
I'm so glad you picked up the notification for this, P pearjas - I just about had a fit when I read someone basically suggesting that it's OK to use a syringe! (and being mystified as to why the manufacturer admonished against using the dropper!)
I'm also glad that Rachel accepts the oil sprinkled on her food.
Now it sounds like she has low potassium levels and you're trying to get them back up with the potassium supplement gel.
Here's what the 'Tanya's Guide' (mentioned above) says about using these gels:
How to Give Potassium Supplements
The formulation you use can also make a difference. Most people find the powder form or crushed pills easiest to use, because the daily dose can be spread over several meals. I hear a lot of complaints about cats loathing the gel form of potassium, so I would avoid that if you can.....
LINK: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - All About Potassium (my emphasis)
The formulation you use can also make a difference. Most people find the powder form or crushed pills easiest to use, because the daily dose can be spread over several meals. I hear a lot of complaints about cats loathing the gel form of potassium, so I would avoid that if you can.....
LINK: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - All About Potassium (my emphasis)
So, if Rachel isn't thrilled about taking the gel, well, it sounds like she's not the only cat complaining!
The link there will give you information about the other forms of potassium available and how to avoid some of the common side effects like vomiting.
The specialized online community for folks with kidney kitties was also mentioned up above. It sounds like you might benefit from hooking up with them - especially because most Vets are not very familiar with the 'fine points' of managing kidney disease.
You can read about how the group works here (and there's a 'Join Up' link there too): Tanya's Support Group If you decide to check it out, first get yourself a new separate email addy from Yahoo or GMail to use exclusively for the group - that will help you manage the back-and-forth posts much easier.
You know, you could always just join to 'take it for a test-drive'......that way you could see what they have going on, evaluate for yourself and then decide if you want to participate. (I see that someone mentioned CBD - you could find out if that might be helping some other cats and how.)
I hope something there will help.
BTW......have you ever posted a picture of her? Hmmmmm...I don't seem to be able to find one
This won't do, I'm afraid
OK, now you'll have o dig out the ol' camera
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- #16
Hi there, Thank you for the link! Yeah, I regretted getting the gel. The problem I'm having is I'm noticing both low and high potassium carry the same symptoms also... so that's a concern of mine. She has head twitches frequently. They are not seizures or anything like that, but it's just a quick twitch, always her face/head.
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Or you can go to this - Rachel The Bombay Cat - Her Official Web Site
