"Triaditis" leading to urinary food aversion...

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StephMo

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EZComplete isn't sold in pet stores. You have to buy it directly from the company web site, which fionasmom fionasmom has posted.

Instead of giving seafood for the taurine, you can buy a taurine supplement. Again, not something that can be bought at a pet stores. You can buy it at a vitamin type or health food type store. You can also buy it online. Catinfo.org suggests this brand: NOW Foods, Taurine, 500 mg, 100 Veg Capsules The Catinfo.org raw recipe suggests 2,000 mg of taurine for one batch of the recipe. The NOW brand of taurine is available in a 1,000 mg capsule. You can't give too much taurine as any excess is just peed out. Not enough taurine, though, can cause health issues. You open the capsule and sprinkle the taurine directly into food.

Too many issues with feeding seafood (too addicting to some cats, etc ). Raw heart is a natural source of taurine but it's not enough to meet a cat's daily needs.
 
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fionasmom

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I use NOW Taurine for one of my cats who does not eat a balanced diet. It appears to have no taste and has never caused him to refuse his food. FoodFurLife had amazingly quick delivery of the sample. I had expected that it would be an afterthought for them to ever send one out, but it came right away.
 
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EZComplete isn't sold in pet stores. You have to buy it directly from the company web site, which fionasmom fionasmom has posted.

Instead of giving seafood for the taurine, you can buy a taurine supplement. Again, not something that can be bought at a pet stores. You can buy it at a vitamin type or health food type store. You can also buy it online. Catinfo.org suggests this brand: NOW Foods, Taurine, 500 mg, 100 Veg Capsules The Catinfo.org raw recipe suggests 2,000 mg of taurine for one batch of the recipe. The NOW brand of taurine is available in a 1,000 mg capsule. You can't give too much taurine as any excess is just peed out. Not enough taurine, though, can cause health issues. You open the capsule and sprinkle the taurine directly into food.

Too many issues with feeding seafood (too addicting to some cats, etc ). Raw heart is a natural source of taurine but it's not enough to meet a cat's daily needs.
I stated this in my post; the reason I went with seafood and Nupro is because of the shipping lead time.... they won't arrive until middle of next week and I was relying on brick and mortar availability because I've got a kitty who needs this stuff now, as in today. I've visited the website for EZ and went over it alongside the Nupro with my vet to make sure either product was ok to use. ;) Next time I get to run errands, if he's not eating the new commercial food I'm trying (photos in earlier post) then I'll grab some 'people Taurine'. The stores I went to today didn't have an option to buy this and I was in a hurry.
 

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Amazing update!
Some vets get stuck in their ways about cats. Most can totally do fine without RX foods for urinary issues. You can pick up some urinary treats to keep his PH high if you want.

You can certainly see if you can sell the RX food to someone close by if they won't let you return it for whatever reason. Sometimes if you call the company directly they'll send you a refund if your cat is refusing to eat it.

You can also try offering it in a few months from now if it won't expire. Magnus stopped eating his RX chicken and rice and we went to an over the counter similar..a few months later we were able to offer the rest of the RX and he ate it fine.

Lastly, if it's an option you're okay with you could donate it to a local shelter or rescue and get a tax receipt for it. It's not an immediate money back solution but can be helpful.

So lots of options.
 
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StephMo

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You can also try offering it in a few months from now if it won't expire. Magnus stopped eating his RX chicken and rice and we went to an over the counter similar..a few months later we were able to offer the rest of the RX and he ate it fine.
Yes, he's doing so much better, thank you for reading the follow-ups! The touch and go nature of acute issues ending with "--itis" is something I've read about in other posts, but never would have understood without seeing him go through it with my own eyes.

My short term goal is to get him eating about 10 oz of this new food per day and see a little weight go back on... then offer the Rx again when he's doing better and off his meds like you mentioned. If he still refuses it my plan was a food donation. If he keeps eating this limited ingredient First Mate food I'll buy a little stockpile to rotate in and offer variety. Looking back, I should probably be grateful that he actually ate the same food for 8 years and never got fussy until now. Sounds like most others aren't that lucky!
 
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How quickly my cat emotional pogo stick bounces up and down. Sigh.

I ran the math on how many calories an 11 pound cat (ideally he'd be 11 -12 pounds) needs to eat per day to maintain weight, then added a section to my "cat nurse" spreadsheet to translate that to ounces based on whatever food he's eating at the moment. The food he's tolerating today requires he eat 10.4 oz/day on the low end, and 15.1 oz/day on the high end to maintain 11 pound weight. He's been eating throughout the day today, it 'looks like' he's got a good appetite, but he's currently only actually consumed 2.4 oz since 7am. He's 10 pounds and I can almost see his ribs. I can feel his hip bones, and the indentation in front of his tail makes him almost look like a malnourished stray. He's lethargic, but not laying in the "bread loaf" position which is his pain signal. He's sleeping in a relaxed position.

Do I need to be developing a bald patch over this, or am I just too emotionally invested? If I think 'logically' and turn off my heart for a second it stands to reason that he could overcome Triaditis - but wind up 'killing himself' via anorexia. Am I wrong?

I've syringe-fed and hand-fed today, in addition to him eating voluntarily. He also got half a shrimp as a treat. But grand total it only amounts to less than 3 oz. Do I need to physically hold him down for the 60 minutes it would take to force-feed 5 oz off my finger??
 

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Hi
He's sleeping in a relaxed position.
this is huge, good for you both! You're on the right track :)

I know you said he wasn't amenable to the tongue depressor but it does allow for a greater quantity of food to be ingested at each swipe, thus less time/less stress/more food ie; "bang for your buck".

I'm in something of the same boat, the recommended amount for my situation is at least one 5 oz can daily and I'm doing four feedings daily plus the kibble. Thank goodness he's eating the kibble otherwise I'd be coming up short. As you mentioned, I'd be at it all day long with a syringe.

Don't panic, you have a bit of time to work with since he is eating, and maybe your baby will help you out and start eating more on his own :vibes::crossfingers::hugs:
 
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Hi

this is huge, good for you both! You're on the right track :)

I know you said he wasn't amenable to the tongue depressor but it does allow for a greater quantity of food to be ingested at each swipe, thus less time/less stress/more food ie; "bang for your buck".

I'm in something of the same boat, the recommended amount for my situation is at least one 5 oz can daily and I'm doing four feedings daily plus the kibble. Thank goodness he's eating the kibble otherwise I'd be coming up short. As you mentioned, I'd be at it all day long with a syringe.

Don't panic, you have a bit of time to work with since he is eating, and maybe your baby will help you out and start eating more on his own :vibes::crossfingers::hugs:
A very sad update on Mouse... the anorexia got a little better for a few days and then he took yet another turn that required more opioids. He is suffering, meds are no longer working as they should, and my vet has told me that to merely keep him comfortable (comfortable doesn't equal a good life where he does anything more than sleep and walk to the litter box) is going to require a level of daily medication that I just can't put him through in good conscience. I love him way too much to just keep him breathing for my own benefit. Every time he has had a good day the last two months it's been a worse good day than the previous one - and every time he has a series of bad days they are worse than the previous bad days.... so whatever is going on is of a degenerative nature. She also has a strong suspicion that he is probably also dealing with an underlying neurological issue that's causing him to not be improving. She and I had a very tender heart-to-heart on Friday where, when I asked her what she would do if this were her pet -- she said wouldn't string him along in this fashion until he got so sick and so skinny and so weak that he had the appearance of being at death's door. So, this is my last weekend with my best friend. He's on his opioid, which is allowing him enough comfort to walk around a little bit - but the kitty I had several months ago and enjoyed for 12 wonderful years has vanished and getting sicker every day. Monday I will say goodbye. My heart is shattered in a way I have never experienced before.
 
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Oh, hon, I am so so sorry 😞. My heart is broken 💔 for you and him. Thank you for being so incredibly strong for him :redheartpump::rbheart::redheartpump:
I know that every admin on this site completely 'gets it' after all I have read. Everyone here knows how "especially special" cats are once you 'break through' their tough little outer shells to achieve the reciprocation - it makes the relationship so incredibly special when that happens since kitties are selective by nature ya know...

I trust my vet with my whole heart. She's a wonderfully compassionate woman with very good instincts. So for her to tell me that whatever has developed within him is going to be slowly degenerative in nature, I just can't stomach the thought of watching him spiral the drain for months and months and months losing weight until he's bones, and being force-fed syringes and pills.... but it also makes Monday that much more painful - because I'm choosing to do this at the beginning part of the drain, not towards the end - because I love him too much to watch him go through another cycle of this. So this weekend he gets to eat his "0.2 ounces at a time" of whatever he wants. Scallops, Shrimp, Scrambled Eggs, a little piece of bacon - without the trauma of being held down and force-syringed liquified Nupro nuggets. My heart just can't bear to do it to him anymore. I've asked God to translate my words into a language Mouse understands. Sounds like a prayer a 6 year old would pray - but I did it. I need Mouse to know how much he is loved, I need him to forgive me, and I need him waiting for me in heaven with his little foam golf ball so we can play fetch again someday. Shattered doesn't even describe it.

I'm going to miss the zoomies, and pawing at the faucet for the water drips, the chatty conversations where he meows in his 'bossy' tone, and him tapping my shoulder at night for me to lift the covers to create his "cuddle cavern" where he enters and lies on his side as my little spoon all night long.
 

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Mouse knows how much you love him and he also knows that there is nothing for which you need to be forgiven.

Your reasoning, while so difficult, is very clear and I completely agree that vets will continue to work with any cat that they feel can be comfortably managed. Degenerative conditions are not the same as a slow decline in which it finally reaches a point where releasing the cat is for the best. As Mouse continues on, as you have said, he will reach more and more uncomfortable places with less and less help for him, no matter what you do.

Please remember we are here for you and will be thinking about you and Mouse.
 
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Mouse knows how much you love him and he also knows that there is nothing for which you need to be forgiven.

Your reasoning, while so difficult, is very clear and I completely agree that vets will continue to work with any cat that they feel can be comfortably managed. Degenerative conditions are not the same as a slow decline in which it finally reaches a point where releasing the cat is for the best. As Mouse continues on, as you have said, he will reach more and more uncomfortable places with less and less help for him, no matter what you do.

Please remember we are here for you and will be thinking about you and Mouse.
A million times. Thank you. He's enjoying opioid and catnip and fresh shrimp today. I want him to go peacefully and as happy as I can possibly help him to be.
 
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Such a peaceful and prayerful day. Mouse and I went to the vet for the last time at 2:00 today. The lighting in my home is more dim, as I enjoy less bright natural light... in the brightly lit vet's office however--- his all-over jaundice was jarring. My tears stopped the moment his heart did. A peace that surpasses all understanding came over me as soon as he was relieved of his suffering. Likely acute liver failure on top of everything else. Despite his weakness, I enjoyed a weekend where he had the energy to give me head butts, a lap nap, and even a back scratch despite his refusal to eat and drink the last couple days. My precious, precious little buddy is now waiting for me on the green stripe of the rainbow bridge with his foam golf ball, which he's being cremated with. Much love to those on here who helped me through this. There will be moments of more uncontrollable tears I'm certain. But for now, for tonight, one day at a time, he's helping me be calm - eat some food for the first time in 40 hours - and head to bed where I will snuggle his favorite blanket instead of his little body. Romans 8:28. Rest in peace, Mighty Mouse. Rest in peace.
 

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I am so sorry for your loss of Mouse. You both fought the good fight side by side and he understands everything that you did for him including allowing him to pass peacefully when his time came.:hugs:
 
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