My cat just went blind.

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ape48066

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So far she's doing awesome she finds she comfy spots all around. She has no problem getting on the chouch and loving on us. She never has been a "lap cat" but this has changed her into one. I'm loving on my mew right now.[emoji]128571[/emoji][emoji]128525[/emoji][emoji]128536[/emoji]
 

kittens mom

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So far she's doing awesome she finds she comfy spots all around. She has no problem getting on the chouch and loving on us. She never has been a "lap cat" but this has changed her into one. I'm loving on my mew right now.[emoji]128571[/emoji][emoji]128525[/emoji][emoji]128536[/emoji]
It totally blew my mind how quickly Kitten adapted to everything. It's that first moment when you forget. Kitten is a beside me cat. Almost always within arms reach.
 
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ape48066

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My kitty seems to be doing well with her meds.  But now she inhales her food all at once.  She doesn't get sick, but she gets mad that it's gone and YELLS for more.  How can I get her to slow down???
 

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Is one of her meds a steroid?  Just wondering, because those will often increase their appetites.  Just slowing her down won't necessarily  make her less hungry.

So...ways to slow her down are

1)  raising her food dish by about 4 - 6 inches.  There are fancy stands you can buy, or you can rig something up yourself.   I just cut a hole in a box and set the bowl in the hole.  Sometimes even just setting the bowl on top of something will work, as long as the bowl is heavy enough not to be pushed off.

2)  spread the food out over the surface of a plate.

3)  feed among several bowls so she has to go around looking for her food.

4)  feed in a puzzle feeder (google them)

5)  feed in an "eat slow bowl"  like this one

 
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ape48066

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Thanks for the ideas the vet said to put a golf ball in her bowl to slow her down.  She is not on any steroid that I know of just the blood presser pill.  They may be changing at on Thursday when we go back to get her blood pressure checked again. The blood test showed that she has a kidney disease. So they want to give her meds for that. I'm just glad she's back to herself.  My sweet pain in the butt scratcher (she likes to we me up at 3a.m.)  But I can't complain.
 

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Yes, the golf ball (clean) works the same way that the "eat slow bowl" works.  She has to eat around it to get at her food. 

If she has the beginnings of kidney disease, be grateful that she has a good appetite.  My girl has kidney disease, and that is typically an issue with them...they have no appetite.  It's very common in kidney cats that they are skin and bones.  I'm on my third one now, and they've all looked like they were strays who hadn't been fed in weeks
 

kittens mom

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Thanks for the ideas the vet said to put a golf ball in her bowl to slow her down.  She is not on any steroid that I know of just the blood presser pill.  They may be changing at on Thursday when we go back to get her blood pressure checked again. The blood test showed that she has a kidney disease. So they want to give her meds for that. I'm just glad she's back to herself.  My sweet pain in the butt scratcher (she likes to we me up at 3a.m.)  But I can't complain.
We don't always get perfect endings but I'm happy with the good outcomes.
 
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ape48066

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I'm at my wits end. I changed kitty's food per the vet and moved the bowl up to slow her down. Now she's waking me up at 2 in the morning to feed her because the bowl is empty. And she's drinking her water like she can't get enough. Could it be the meds???
 

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I'm at my wits end. I changed kitty's food per the vet and moved the bowl up to slow her down. Now she's waking me up at 2 in the morning to feed her because the bowl is empty. And she's drinking her water like she can't get enough. Could it be the meds???
I'm guessing it IS the meds that's causing this.  Is she gaining weight?  Why did the Vet change her food?  Did that have something to do with her high blood pressure?  Does she have thyroid issues as well? Or is the new food for her kidneys.  Drinking excess water may be related to her kidney issues....probably is, but this excessive eating is so uncharacteristic of cats with kidney disease.  I mean VERY uncharacteristic. 

Well, it is what it is
.  Here's what I do for my girl who also wakes me up in the middle of the night to eat.  I feed her
.  But let me explain.  An hour or two before bedtime I freeze one serving of her food (canned) in a bowl and put it in a sandwich size ziploc bag .  Right as a crawl into bed, I get the bowl out of the freezer and set it on a book on my nightstand.  Then when she wakes me up to eat, that food as thawed, so I just reach over and get it, take it out of the bag, set the bowl on top of the bag right on the bed and let her eat.  then I slip the bowl back inside the bag an put it back on my nightstand and go right back to snoozing.   Works pretty well.  If your girl doesn't eat wet food, you could just put a bowl with some dry food in it on a baggie and then just have a towel or something under your pillow for "spillage".  Actually, I also feed my girl treats a few hours after she eats her wet food, and I do keep them UNDER my pillow in another ziploc bag (snack size) and keep that one wrapped in a washcloth.  I serve those up ON the washcloth, then fold it up and wrap it back around the baggie to contain any crumbs till morning.  (my girl needs to eat every few hours otherwise she throws up due to excess stomach acid...this is because she eats only a small amount when she DOES eat
)  What I wouldn't give for a good nights sleep!  BUT, I know what that would mean, so I wouldn't really trade her in for that, if you know what I mean.

I would definitely talk to the Vet about your girl's voracious appetite and see if perhaps a change in meds might be in order.  IS she on steroids?  Not sure if I ever saw your answer when I asked before.
 
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She is not on steroids just a blood pressure pill.  I changed her food to help with her kidney disease per the vet.  I read that because of the different calorie diet she was on she's eating more to get the same amount as before.  But I don't understand the water.  I called the vet and they said "it's because she's feeling better.  But she NEVER ate like this.
 

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Prescription kidney food is typically lower in protein than some regular cat food, and could be lower in calories and fat, which might be the issue.  So I take it that she is NOT gaining weight then.  Is she losing weight?   What, EXACTLY, are you feeding her?  Hills K/D, or Royal Canin, or Purina or what and is it dry or canned or both, and what were you feeding before?

Excessive water drinking is very common for kidney cats.  I've never heard anyone say it's because they are feeling better though. BUT, they need to be as hydrated as possible, so drinking is a good thing.  Most people with kidney cats even add more water to their wet food, just to get more in.  I do, plus we do sub-q fluids twice  week.  So it's a good thing


Have you seen this website?  I use it as my "go to" for anything kidney related.  http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm
 
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I was feeding her Iams for indoor cats.  And now I'm giving her Natural Balance low cal.  It's all dry food.  She started t eat like this before I changed her food. I'm going to give the vet another all to see what that might want to do.  It looks like she is gaining weight or maybe she is bloated.
 

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My understanding has been similar to mrsgreenjeens here with cats with kidney problems often drink more.   Also that they often loose weight so as long as your cat is not loosing a lot of weight or gaining excessively I wouldn't worry too much.   If her weight changes significantly I would continue to question your vet though in case of other issues developing - I think you are doing the right thing.   

My last cat developed kidney and blood pressure issues which were detected when she went blind at the age of 18.   The blood pressure treatment thankfully settled her kidney function and she was able to be maintained just with blood pressure medication - while she didn't regain her sight I had 4 more precious years with her.  

My Pal adapted to her loss of sight very quickly and was probably the happiest and calmest in her life for those 4 years as she had previously been plagued by a more dominant sister.    She did need a little more reassurance from me, esp if she went in to a different room to me, or I went through to another and she wanted to know where I was, and as she was quite arthritic and also a little deaf, her calls were pretty loud.... 
    She needed a little more encouragement to play to, to catch her attention by touching her paws or tail tip to get her attention - finding new ways to keep your cat entertained and active is also important, so that eating, cuddling, and sleeping is not the only ways she is passing her time. 
 
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ape48066

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Thank you for your thoughts. She did regain some sight.  It's hard for me to keep her entertained while I'm at work full time.  But I'm looking for more things. Toys and what not.
 

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Don't worry about being out at work, most cats sleep for most of the day anyway!  The main thing is to have things which do catch her attention when she is awake, and to encourage her to play with you when she is awake so she doesn't risk getting bored or depressed.   Cat nip or other smelly herbs, and toys that make enough noise for her to hear but not frighten her are likely to work best.    Crumpled up paper and ribbon you can move about and it rustles as it moves are often as good as anything you can buy.
 

kittens mom

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One of Kittens favorite toys is a cheap flannel backed plastic table cloth spread out on the floor with a few toys on it. Cheap crackle mat.  Mine have a selection of toys that require them to push , shove and roll to obtain a treat.  Bird feeders at the window. If she has some vision she will see the flutter.

They also have catnip, honeysuckle and lavender scent bags that they seem to love rubbing all over their faces.  I stay away from anything with a string , dangle when not at home. One of Kittens favorite toys is an old curly phone cord from when we had a land line. Neither of my cats are eaters of things.

Really window access and a birdfeeder are their favorite things of all.
 
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ape48066

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Thanks so much I have a bay window in the front room which she watches the cars and what not outside.  I'll have to get out more of her nip mice and foil balls when I'm getting ready to head out for the day.
 
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