Heating up can food.

[EmmiTemmi]

I'm guessing the logic behind saying not to microwave it would be that some vitamins are very heat labile. Taurine, for example, is very heat labile, and 50-75% of it's natural value is destroyed by cooking (says google). But as long as the food is just warmed, and not 'hot', then I don't think microwaving it is a huge problem.

 

[happilyretired]

I microwave food that's been refrigerated, but I find it's easy to get 'hot spots,' so I always check it with my fingers before serving it to my cat.

 

[laura mae]

I microwave leftover cat food. It usually takes 20-25 seconds for it to get warm enough. Since I have to mix miralax with it after, I mix out any overly warm spots.

For my elderly hyperthyroid cat with kidney problems, I tried some sample kidney diet (mix in with his regular food a bit at a time) and the Hills K/D chicken literally smelled like chicken poop after I warmed it up. Scooter would have nothing to do with it. Otherwise he's up for heated food.

 

[happilyretired]

laura mae -
Do you use Miralax regularly? I ask because my girl tends to constipation, and she rejects all the other solutions. I worry about using the Miralax too often.

 

[Cat_mediator]

yes, I'd add hot water instead of heating it up in a microwave, it is healthier.

 

[laura mae]

laura mae -
Do you use Miralax regularly? I ask because my girl tends to constipation, and she rejects all the other solutions. I worry about using the Miralax too often.

Yes. For Booberry I do. He's a cat that also needs cisapride. My vet has me giving him 1/2 teasp of Miralax twice a day. He's a special needs kitty though (former pelvic injury). He also gets some Royal Canin gastrointestinal fiber response as well as his brothy canned food (no more raw for him). The Miralax is safe for kitties and has no flavor whereas lactulose does. You can ask your vet to be sure. I dissolve it in a bit of water, whisk it up until it's dissolved and then I mix with the food. I'm not convinced it fully dissolves in canned food without the water and I figure the granules would be texture off-putting to a cat.

 

[happilyretired]

Thanks for your thorough response! I will mention this to my vet. I know that for my own 'problem,' my gastro says that Miralax is totally safe and recommended.

My girl eats wet food, but I rarely see her drink water from her fountain. I know the wet food may keep her hydrated enough, but if she drank more, her constipation might be resolved that way.

My last two cats were CRF, so I'm used to them drinking a lot. It's been more than 10 years since I've had a cat without
renal failure, so I'm not used to how much water she should be drinking.

 

[laura mae]

Thanks for your thorough response! I will mention this to my vet. I know that for my own 'problem,' my gastro says that Miralax is totally safe and recommended.

My girl eats wet food, but I rarely see her drink water from her fountain. I know the wet food may keep her hydrated enough, but if she drank more, her constipation might be resolved that way.

My last two cats were CRF, so I'm used to them drinking a lot. It's been more than 10 years since I've had a cat without
renal failure, so I'm not used to how much water she should be drinking.

I was reading one page on constipation in cats--I think it was Little Big Cat--and some of the research she quoted indicated that it isn't moisture as much as it is the right combo of fiber and gut bacteria. Soluble and insoluble fiber = good gut bacteria and less chance of constipation. However, I am certain that dehydration sure can't help.

For a few years I fed Booberry the reconstituted raw because he's not much of a water drinker either. I heated the water and made a warm soup. He loved loved loved it. But the last batch was heavier on psyllium fiber which I'm pretty sure just caused everything to swell and not move through his gut. Four days of what was basically a Miralax drip and $2,400 got him unplugged.

 

[happilyretired]

Yes, I'll bet that fiber (that psyllium) can be a problem for cats as for humans--adding it makes constipation worse, not better.
Fiber is always 'recommended' for constipation in humans, but it makes things worse for me. When I mentioned that to my gastro, he said he had the same problems, and it's a common issue for many people.