Trouble getting my CKD cat to eat

[valou999]

I've made another thread a little while back (link here) about a very similar subject, and the situation hasn't really improved. My CKD cat spontaneously started refusing to eat his vet prescribed wet and dry food (maybe because of depression?), only eating a bite or two and leaving the rest to waste, but still complaining about wanting food. I switched him to Friskies (mainly the paté variety) which he seemed to have a big appetite for, all-the-while getting him a phosphorus binder food supplement as recommended and ordering a bunch of BFF OMG Weruva wet food (flavours with the least amount of phosphorus content). His liking for Friskies' patés pretty much dwindled to nothing, and it's now more of the same, only eating a bite or two and leaving the rest to waste. I tried the gravy/shredded varieties instead and that seemed to work, but it was short-lived. He now pretty much only eats the sauce and leaves the meat part to waste. The Weruva pet food came in and that was no roaring success on that front either. I tried topping his meals with Tiki Cat/Catit tubes, but he'll just eat the topping and not touch the rest. My cat has never been finicky about his food before so this becoming quite the nightmare and a pretty big money sink. A lot of phosphorous binder gets wasted, as do a lot of food and CKD medication. I'm at a loss. Whenever I think I have figured him out and what he likes, the next day I'm back to the drawing board and starting all over again. Really need help/advice.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If I understand correctly, Mitaine is not on any nausea meds and/or an appetite stimulant? If that is correct, I think you need to consider adding at least one of those, if not both, to his daily regimen. Feeby, whose CKD is in an earlier stage than your cat, so far, has been on Mirataz for a few months now. It stopped her weight loss and has gotten het to eat a bit better. She is also very picky, so even with taking the Mirataz, there are just some days she will eat less. Tbh, it is either one of two things with her - 1.) no amount of Mirataz in the world will make her eat a food that she has decided she doesn't like, and/or 2.) she may have reached a point that an anti-nausea med may need to be added to the equation.

She too, will likely need sub-Q fluids, but I thought given where her CKD is at this point, I would try the Mirataz, and then a nausea med, before the sub-Qs - especially since her numbers don't technically 'qualify' her as needing extra fluids yet (according to Tanya's CKD web site/IRIS guidelines).

You also have to consider where Mitaine's H-T number is as well. Feeby has H-T and is on Felimazole for that too. Her T-4 is a tad higher than preferred, at 3.4, but the vet is OK with that as she is balancing that against CKD progression. If Mitaine should be like Feeby, he could have a lack of appetite associated with the H-T. She has what they call apathetic H-T, so she never had a voracious appetite, just weight loss along with her picky food days. While the Felimazole actually helped her appetite - and weight, then the CKD came into play and the appetite dropped again.

Nonetheless, I think Feeby will remain forever picky about her food, and it seems like it is a 'crap shoot' on what she might eat this time and what she will eat next, or the time after that. I have a rotation of foods that extends out to nearly a week in order to try to avoid some of that, as frequency of one food does seem to be part of her problem. However, I do think the Mirataz did diminish that 'crap shoot' by at least a bit.

She also loves baby food meat and between that and her love of lickable treats, I am able to manage to get her meds down her without relying on her cat food.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[maggie101]

I give my cat with ckd mirtazapine appetite stimulant. She gobbles up her food and it makes her meow loud so my vet gave me a few cans of hills a/d. As someone said,it's like kitty crack. It only takes a little to mix in so one can lasts a week. She has also stopped throwing up with cerenia. For low phosphorus food I give her weruva steak frites mixed with purina pro plan nf. Also supposed to be palatable but it hasn't helped her eat. The prescription food is not just because it's low phosphorus. It also helps their inards including her struitive crystals. Has he seen an internal medacine doc? They will know more since have 4+ more years of college.

 

[maggie101]

If I understand correctly, Mitaine is not on any nausea meds and/or an appetite stimulant? If that is correct, I think you need to consider adding at least one of those, if not both, to his daily regimen. Feeby, whose CKD is in an earlier stage than your cat, so far, has been on Mirataz for a few months now. It stopped her weight loss and has gotten het to eat a bit better. She is also very picky, so even with taking the Mirataz, there are just some days she will eat less. Tbh, it is either one of two things with her - 1.) no amount of Mirataz in the world will make her eat a food that she has decided she doesn't like, and/or 2.) she may have reached a point that an anti-nausea med may need to be added to the equation.

She too, will likely need sub-Q fluids, but I thought given where her CKD is at this point, I would try the Mirataz, and then a nausea med, before the sub-Qs - especially since her numbers don't technically 'qualify' her as needing extra fluids yet (according to Tanya's CKD web site/IRIS guidelines).

You also have to consider where Mitaine's H-T number is as well. Feeby has H-T and is on Felimazole for that too. Her T-4 is a tad higher than preferred, at 3.4, but the vet is OK with that as she is balancing that against CKD progression. If Mitaine should be like Feeby, he could have a lack of appetite associated with the H-T. She has what they call apathetic H-T, so she never had a voracious appetite, just weight loss along with her picky food days. While the Felimazole actually helped her appetite - and weight, then the CKD came into play and the appetite dropped again.

Nonetheless, I think Feeby will remain forever picky about her food, and it seems like it is a 'crap shoot' on what she might eat this time and what she will eat next, or the time after that. I have a rotation of foods that extends out to nearly a week in order to try to avoid some of that, as frequency of one food does seem to be part of her problem. However, I do think the Mirataz did diminish that 'crap shoot' by at least a bit.

She also loves baby food meat and between that and her love of lickable treats, I am able to manage to get her meds down her without relying on her cat food.

Sorry for the long post.

She also loves baby food and churu tubes. Instead of just using it as a topper,mix it in

 

[valou999]

If I understand correctly, Mitaine is not on any nausea meds and/or an appetite stimulant?

Not currently, no. This food pickiness has only started around Christmas (which also nearly coincided with his last visit to the vet, but a day or two before the issue really took off). I'm guessing appetite stimulant need to be prescribed or are there any over-the-counter options? As for H-T, Mitaine's latest bloodwork showed high thyroid values, but the vet didn't seem to think it was indicative enough of H-T yet, but I suspect he may be borderline. So I tend to agree that appetite stimulant should be tried first. It's still weird how one day he will 2 full canes of Friskies like it's the greatest thing ever, the next, he won't even eat half of one.

 

[maggie101]

My cat used to love tiki after dark now she has no interest in it. I guess because cats and humans with ckd have no sense of smell

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yes, MIrataz or MIrtazapine are prescription only. Fortiflora is an OTC probiotic but has been touted as an appetite stimulant by many on this site. I do occasionally sprinkle some on Feeby's food just as an enticer. Others on this site are concerned about overuse of it as some believe a cat will rely on it to eat. So, far that has not been the case with Feeby. If anything, if I use it too much, she tires of it. But, for her it does work from time to time.

Milk thistle is another OTC option, but I have no idea if/how it works, I have never tried it. A lot of the lickable treats seem to be very appealing to cats, and while Feeby will eat them as an actual treat, she has never been fond of them mixed with her food. Another is cat nip - that too, I have not really tried. While Feeby has enjoyed some from time to time, I never noticed it making any difference in her eating habits. The only other one that comes to mind right now is bonito flakes. Sadly, they are fish based and Feeby is not a fan of fish - so that too for me was a bomb.

If you are looking for ways to supplement his caloric intake due to weight loss/maintenance, rather than entice him to eat his own food, I would recommend the baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut). Feeby gets about a jar a day and depending on which one you use it can add anywhere from 50 - 90 calories per jar.

Hopefully other members will have some other ideas for you to try!

 

[maggie101]

I have use Advita instead of fortiflora. Half the price and better ingredients. Also to help with appetite. Sold on chewy. The hills a/d is high cal. 180 cal 5.5 oz can. Only buy one at the vets

Hill's Prescription Diet A/d Canine/feline Cat Food Review

Hill's Prescription Diet A/d Canine/feline Cat Food Review, analysis, ingredient list, nutritional information and calories

catfooddb.com

 

[maggie101]

Mirtazapine makes my cat continuously meow loud and be aggressive to my cats so I am buying some food today instead

 

[FeebysOwner]

Mirtazapine makes my cat continuously meow loud and be aggressive to my cats so I am buying some food today instead.

Many times, that can be resolved by lowering the dose. Ask your vet about that. Generally, the best dose to give initially is NO MORE than 1.8 mg - some folks need to give their cats an even smaller dose. It becomes a daunting task to divide the pills, especially if you have been prescribed a 15mg pill - even at a dose of 1.8 mg, it requires splitting the pill into 8 pieces - but I know a lot of people who do it. Better to start low and gradually increase it if needed.

 

[maggie101]

Yes they're 15mg pills cut in quarters by the interest

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yes they're 15mg pills cut in quarters by the interest

So, for your cat 3.75mg may be just too much at one time. This seems to go hand in hand with most vet recommendations in matters related to many of these kinds of meds. They tend to go on the high side - or, if you will, the standard dosage recommended by the drug company. I hope people go back to their vets and tell them of these experiences. I know my vet is perfectly OK with me lowering Feeby's Mirataz dosage - as she said, "Experiment and find out what works for Feeby". She had heard before from other owners that the dosage must be adjusted according to cat.

If you have ever joined/read the CKD forum posts, it never fails that someone says, 'my cat is acting crazy, howling, and is aggressive', and the very first thing those members advise is to lower the dose and see if it makes a difference.

To be sure, there are some cats that will tolerate the meds better than others, and your girl may be sensitive to that drug as well. So, I think that is why that forum always suggest going as low as you can with the dosage and increasing it over time as needed.

 

[FeebysOwner]

valou999 - any ideas on how you might move forward? Just wanted to get your thread 'back on track'.