Trying to get older cat to use the litterbox again

[runekeeper]

This kind of ties in with the dietary issues thread I started about what to feed my cat, but I really really want to try and get this anti-litterbox nonsense of his under control. For the last few months, Kip (who is 12-13 years old) has been pooping outside his litterbox. At first, it was just an occasional thing, but as time has passed, he started doing it more and more, and at this point, I think he has sworn off his box for good for bowel movements. It wouldn't be as bad if he didn't almost always have liquid diarrhea. It is neither fun nor easy to scrub loose stools out of carpeting on an almost daily basis.


I've been trying so many things to just make him go in his box again. I keep the box clean - pretty much every time I use the bathroom myself (which is where his litterbox is), I scoop anything out that he left me. I also sprinkle baking soda in there to eliminate odors. I tried spraying lemon juice on the places he's gone (read somewhere that cats don't like citrus-y smells) and it did not deter him. Currently I'm trying something I read about where I lock him in a room with his box and some water for about a week to sort of get him reacquainted with the box. So far it's not really been working because he'll just poop all over the floor beside the box. The upside is his messes are contained and on a non-porous surface. The downside is I can't even put a blanket in there for him to lay on because he'll just poop all over it.



Sometimes I leave him in there until he poops, but that's sometimes not enough because he can easily poop 2-4 times in a row. Some days he'll leave me a giant puddle on the bathroom floor and when I let him out for a little freedom, he goes and poops some more in a random spot. Other times I think he intentionally holds it until he comes out of the bathroom. Some days he'd be in there for several hours and wouldn't so much as pee, but the second he's out in the living room, he poops everywhere. It's like he's a prisoner that's out on parole, and the second he gets outside, he does something bad and goes right back in the can. He just did that earlier today, in fact. Wasn't out of the bathroom for two minutes before he was getting ready to drop a deuce.



Some days I'll catch him squatting and getting ready to leave me a nice pile, and I'll grab him and set him in his litterbox. He'll walk away. I'll lock him in there for 15-30 minutes to see if he'll go. Half the time he won't go at all, the other half he'll go on the floor.



I've also been trying to get his liquid poops under control. At the suggestion of another member, I tried unflavored fiber powder (BeneFiber) and he gets 1/2 teaspoon with each can of Fancy Feast. So far it doesn't seem to make a difference in how firm his BMs are, but he does keep it down.



I live with family right now and they aren't exactly happy about Kip's messes either. I've been told if he doesn't knock this behavior off or if he begins peeing on the floor, he's going to be living in a cage for the rest of his life. I just don't understand - he NEVER did this when my other cats were around. He'd go in a covered, used litterbox just fine. Now all of a sudden he refuses to use it. I have tried to make the box as appealing as possible for him too: it's not in a corner where he might feel trapped, it's not covered, the sides aren't high, I praise him when I see him going (I don't yell at him when he goes on the floor either), his food is not near the box (though he is fed in the same room). There are no mobility issues since he can jump on the furniture and in the windows just fine. He's been seen by the vet who prescribed him antibiotics for enteritis and a month's worth of FortiFlora, which did not help.



It also does not seem to be an issue of continence. The vet suggested maybe he couldn't reach the box in time, which is why I moved it upstairs. That doesn't explain why he'll walk right past the box some days and go on my bedroom floor, or why when I put him in the box mid-squat, he walks away.



He seems alright physically, so I think his habit of using the floor is 100 percent behavioral. I just don't know what else to do with him. As it stands, he's going to be living in the bathroom for an indefinite amount of time because he just will not go in the box. I don't know if Feliway would work for this or not since it doesn't seem to be territorial in nature. He's driving me and everyone else nuts. Is there anything else I can try?

 

[emandjee]

RuneKeeper,

I haven't read the history of your kitty, so pardon me if some things were mentioned before. As I read your story, there were a few things I wondered if you've tried yet, so I'll just list them down:

1. What type of litter is he using?  I know my one of my kitties didn't like pelleted litter, so nothing changed until I switched to unscented scoopable clay. If he's older, has the vet ruled out the possibilty of arthritis? Was he declawed, by any chance? Some older kitties are sensitive to the litter's substrate/texture you've been using, and rather relieve themselves on the floor/carpet instead.

2. Have you tried using "cat attract" litter by Dr. Elsey? If you're already using unscented clay, you can also buy the litter attractant with the herbs in the bottle and sprinkle some in the box.

3. Is Kip on grain-free wet food?  Some cats develop allergies to grains or soy. Wheat gluten, corn, and soy, which all plant-based ingredients are especially ones to avoid.

4. Did you notice when this "going out the box" behavior started or something precipitated it? Change in environment or food, for example?

5. On your other thread regarding canned, you mentioned adding slippery elm bark. Do you still use it? It should also control loose stools and coat his GI tract. I've used it up to a tablespoons worth, per half of a 5.5 oz can of food.

6. Has the vet tried running a PCR panel on him to check if his gut is infected with a bacterial strain that may have been missed by a regular fecal sample testing?

I'm sorry, there's a lot of questions, but I'm thinking it could be Kip's uncomfortable using the box from past pain or experiences, or IBD....I sincerely hope the vet helps to find out what is causing the real issue with his bowels. Sending you and Kip both positive thoughts

and well wishes for a healthier and happier household soon!

 

Hopefully, others here can also provide you with more insight. Hang in there!

 

[yayi]

EmandJee has asked and given great suggestions. 

You can try adding an extra litter box. Some cats prefer separate boxes for #1 and #2. 

 

[runekeeper]

EmandJee, thanks for taking the time to respond! Let's see if I can answer everything.

1. What type of litter is he using?  I know my one of my kitties didn't like pelleted litter, so nothing changed until I switched to unscented scoopable clay.

Currently, Scoop Away. He was using Special Kitty for... well... ever, until recently. I grabbed Scoop Away because it was on sale and found that it's a bit finer-grained than Special Kitty and it clumps so much nicer.

If he's older, has the vet ruled out the possibilty of arthritis? Was he declawed, by any chance? Some older kitties are sensitive to the litter's substrate/texture you've been using, and rather relieve themselves on the floor/carpet instead.

The vet did not mention arthritis, but he seems to get around just fine. Not declawed either.

2. Have you tried using "cat attract" litter by Dr. Elsey? If you're already using unscented clay, you can also buy the litter attractant with the herbs in the bottle and sprinkle some in the box.

I haven't, but I'll see if I can find it. I don't think the litter is scented either.

3. Is Kip on grain-free wet food?  Some cats develop allergies to grains or soy. Wheat gluten, corn, and soy, which all plant-based ingredients are especially ones to avoid.

I think so. He gets Fancy Feast Classic flavors that aren't seafood, which, from what I gather, are grain-free. He gets this mostly because I have no job and when it's a tossup between quantity and quality, the former wins.

4. Did you notice when this "going out the box" behavior started or something precipitated it? Change in environment or food, for example?

I think it was around when his appetite began coming back. He had hepatic lipidosis last year and managed to heal without the use of a feeding tube, but once I got him back on catfood after feeding him nothing but chicken for the longest time, he started going outside the box more and more. His litterboxes used to be in the basement, but he'd go all the way down the stairs and poop everywhere but in the boxes, so I moved the box upstairs. He knows where it is, he just won't use it. Other than that, nothing has really happened. No moving, no new people or animals, no new food, no seeing less of me.

5. On your other thread regarding canned, you mentioned adding slippery elm bark. Do you still use it? It should also control loose stools and coat his GI tract. I've used it up to a tablespoons worth, per half of a 5.5 oz can of food.

I do still use it, yes. He gets one 400 mg capsule a day, which I can successfully hide in a 3 ounce can of Fancy Feast. This lasts him all day, but I can increase this to 800 mg a day if need be. I only used the SEB to control his vomiting, which it does. If he does vomit, it's usually just a little tiny bit of spit up. Once in a great while, he vomits an entire can of food for whatever reason despite the slippery elm bark. But it's sure not doing much in terms of controlling the diarrhea.

6. Has the vet tried running a PCR panel on him to check if his gut is infected with a bacterial strain that may have been missed by a regular fecal sample testing?

They have not, but he didn't get a fecal test done in the first place. The vet just suggested that it could be a minor infection and gave him about a week's worth of antibiotics, which he took. No change. Perhaps there was no fecal test because he's an indoor cat and wouldn't be exposed to bacteria or parasites?

The vet did suggest that he might associate the box with pain, but the weird thing is before he started doing this, he was actually constipated quite a bit. I always knew which deposits were Kip's because they were like little rocks. And it never put him off his litterbox. I know he's not as young as he used to be, but I can't help thinking if he has the energy to hop on the kitchen chairs, up in the window and on the couch, he has the energy to walk himself to the bathroom, step into his catbox and poop there. There's also no room in the bathroom for a second litterbox. It's not a very large room. Before I had two boxes for three kitties (Kip included) and I did notice they'd all pee in one and poop in the other. If I can somehow arrange for two boxes upstairs, I'll give it a shot.

 

[emandjee]

RuneKeeper,

You're awesome!

 You've answered each questions very thoroughly and I think it helps a great deal!

Ok, so here's what I think we need to do: first, if you can, get a stool sample in the vet's office. They'd need a decent size, so I say if he's runny, use a plastic spoon and get good teaspoonful, and put it in a disposable container baggie. I know, it's gonna be really gross, but this needs to be fresh, too, so that we can really find out if he's got some kind of bug that the other antibiotic had no effect on. I'd insist they check his stool, because even my two indoor only kittens both were found to have Giardia about 3 months after adopting them. Within a few days of meds, they were all back to normal poop! 

For his diarrhea, I'd say to increase the SEB to see if that helps any. I used to use about a tablespoon's worth, but I prepared mine differently as I have a powdered version, not in capsules. So I used one teaspoonful worth of SEB powder, added 1/2 cup of hot water mixed well, and let cool to room temp. Then I add the SEB about a tablespoonful into the wet food and mixed it up. If you want to add only gradual amounts of SEB, that might be a better idea. Work up your way to 1 tablespoon per 3 oz wet. I don't think most kitties would object to the taste. If you find he doesn't like his food, you could also use a needless syringe to gently put bit by bit into his cheek (not his throat, as it can go into his lungs instead and cause him to aspirate). If you have any probiotics powder on hand, that could also be added to his food to help your kitty regain normal, healthy flora again in his gut, too. Or try plain, non-fat or low-fat yogurt from the grocery store. No sugars or flavorings! If your kitty takes to it, feed him a spoonful as a treat.

Regarding litter, I've tried Scoop Away once, but I found my version to be scented and very, very dusty!

 If it is unscented as you say, however, I'd say it's probably ok to buy the litter attractant and sprinkle a bit of the stuff into his litter box after it's cleaned out. The herbs do work to at least get cats interested in their litter box again, so you might need to be patient.

After reading your answers toward the end, I'm suspecting it was the constipation and or the stress and trauma from Hepatic Lipidosis that somehow caused him to have litter box aversion. You could also try a new litter box if you can and see if a new box (open type, not enclosed) will encourage him to be curious and explore going inside the new box. In addition, if your kitty comes clean on the fecal sample, you could also try a different protein source of food that is not chicken or has zero chicken ingredients for 6-8 weeks to see if it helps. If his stools become normal again, he likely has developed a food allergy to chicken. Getting wet food devoid of chicken is not that cheap, however. I think Natural Balance LID (limited ingredient diet) can work, and so can Nature's Variety in LID. NB will be far cheaper, though. If the vet tries to sell you Rx food for allergies, take the prescription from them, but don't buy it just yet until you've tried other brands first as I've mentioned earlier. Always check label ingredients before you buy.

For now, I think you've got a lot to work with to see if any of this helps. I'm hoping you and your kitty finds good GI health again and back to using the litter box soon!

Good luck, wishing healthy vibes to your kitty soon and a lot less messy clean ups ahead! 

 And plese keep us updated on any progress or setbacks you encounter! Hopefully we can help your resolve this together! 

P.S. For vet's visits, you can also try looking into care credit if you haven't looked into that already, just in case you need further exams/testing by your vet.

 

[runekeeper]

Thanks again for the detailed response!

I tried upping his dose of slippery elm bark to 800 mg a day, and since he gets, on average, four cans of Fancy Feast a day, I tried alternating between SEB and fiber - 400 mg of SEB in his first and third cans and 1/2 teaspoon of BeneFiber in his second and fourth cans. He's not pooping as much (which is good because when he has diarrhea, he'll go several times a day), and when he does go, it's got actual form. It's not solid, but it's not a puddle either. I also don't know how much the SEB will alter the taste of his food, and if his food tastes too off, he will not touch it. He'll sooner go hungry. So I don't mix his with water - I just bust open the capsule and mix the dry powder right into the food. As far as probiotics, he was on FortiFlora for about a month, but if human probiotics would still work okay for him, I can try that. FortiFlora is just very expensive, especially for an over-the-counter product. He doesn't like yogurt either, unfortunately.

Also, I found out that his litter is, in fact, scented. Would the litter attract herbs still work? I tried sprinkling some catnip flakes in the litter to see if it might help. And I managed to find a spot for a second small litter box, but he hasn't used it yet. Oh, and his litter boxes are currently open. Up until he started going all over the floor, he went in covered boxes - for at least a decade. I removed the tops to see if it would help and I don't think it's made a big difference. Back when I first moved the boxes upstairs, they were still covered and when I tried to put him in the box to show him where it was, he acted scared of it. I suppose I could try putting the lid back on one box - for all I know, maybe he liked having an enclosed box.

I wish there was a local retailer that sold the good quality foods. If I order online, I have to order by the case, and I really don't want to have to sink $50 I don't have on a box of canned food hat he might not even eat. It took me forever to find a site that sold individual packs of FortiFlora just to let him try it. I've heard good things about Nature's Variety before. The other thing is I can only feed him 3 ounce cans. If he eats a 5.5 ounce can in one sitting, he generally will vomit the whole thing back up about 2 hours later. He also will not touch canned food that isn't fresh out of the can. He won't eat refrigerated/warmed food, he won't eat frozen/thawed/warmed food, he won't eat food that's been on the counter for three hours in plastic wrap. If I try something like mixing in shredded chicken, he picks the chicken out and leaves the catfood. So the trouble with a higher quality food is finding it in the proper serving sizes because he will not touch chilled food eve if he's hungry.

I just don't get his reasoning sometimes. He'll bypass his litter boxes and, instead, go down a flight of stairs to pee or poop by the front door, then go back up. He did actually pee on the floor last night, but thankfully I caught it before anyone else did, so it'll just be my and his little secret. I washed the whole (thankfully not carpeted) area with hot water and a generous amount of Pine-Sol, so hopefully that keeps him away from that spot for a couple days.

Also, I'm reading about Giardia, which I'd never heard of before (the name sounds like birth control pills to me). The liquid, foul-smelling diarrhea sounds like Kip alright, but would this not resolve on its own eventually? It's been quite a few months. I just question where he would even pick up a parasitic infection since he is strictly indoor and there are no other cats around. I have two dogs too, but neither of them have diarrhea and they don't come into contact much with Kip. He doesn't have a fever that I know of, but he can be sluggish when he's not meowing for food.

Regarding a stool sample, would it matter if it had litter granules stuck in it? I've never had to get a stool sample from a cat before, so I don't know if that would make a difference.

 

[emandjee]

 
Thanks again for the detailed response!

I tried upping his dose of slippery elm bark to 800 mg a day, and since he gets, on average, four cans of Fancy Feast a day, I tried alternating between SEB and fiber - 400 mg of SEB in his first and third cans and 1/2 teaspoon of BeneFiber in his second and fourth cans. He's not pooping as much (which is good because when he has diarrhea, he'll go several times a day), and when he does go, it's got actual form. It's not solid, but it's not a puddle either. I also don't know how much the SEB will alter the taste of his food, and if his food tastes too off, he will not touch it. He'll sooner go hungry. So I don't mix his with water - I just bust open the capsule and mix the dry powder right into the food. As far as probiotics, he was on FortiFlora for about a month, but if human probiotics would still work okay for him, I can try that. FortiFlora is just very expensive, especially for an over-the-counter product. He doesn't like yogurt either, unfortunately.

Also, I found out that his litter is, in fact, scented. Would the litter attract herbs still work? I tried sprinkling some catnip flakes in the litter to see if it might help. And I managed to find a spot for a second small litter box, but he hasn't used it yet. Oh, and his litter boxes are currently open. Up until he started going all over the floor, he went in covered boxes - for at least a decade. I removed the tops to see if it would help and I don't think it's made a big difference. Back when I first moved the boxes upstairs, they were still covered and when I tried to put him in the box to show him where it was, he acted scared of it. I suppose I could try putting the lid back on one box - for all I know, maybe he liked having an enclosed box.

I wish there was a local retailer that sold the good quality foods. If I order online, I have to order by the case, and I really don't want to have to sink $50 I don't have on a box of canned food hat he might not even eat. It took me forever to find a site that sold individual packs of FortiFlora just to let him try it. I've heard good things about Nature's Variety before. The other thing is I can only feed him 3 ounce cans. If he eats a 5.5 ounce can in one sitting, he generally will vomit the whole thing back up about 2 hours later. He also will not touch canned food that isn't fresh out of the can. He won't eat refrigerated/warmed food, he won't eat frozen/thawed/warmed food, he won't eat food that's been on the counter for three hours in plastic wrap. If I try something like mixing in shredded chicken, he picks the chicken out and leaves the catfood. So the trouble with a higher quality food is finding it in the proper serving sizes because he will not touch chilled food eve if he's hungry.

I just don't get his reasoning sometimes. He'll bypass his litter boxes and, instead, go down a flight of stairs to pee or poop by the front door, then go back up. He did actually pee on the floor last night, but thankfully I caught it before anyone else did, so it'll just be my and his little secret. I washed the whole (thankfully not carpeted) area with hot water and a generous amount of Pine-Sol, so hopefully that keeps him away from that spot for a couple days.

Also, I'm reading about Giardia, which I'd never heard of before (the name sounds like birth control pills to me). The liquid, foul-smelling diarrhea sounds like Kip alright, but would this not resolve on its own eventually? It's been quite a few months. I just question where he would even pick up a parasitic infection since he is strictly indoor and there are no other cats around. I have two dogs too, but neither of them have diarrhea and they don't come into contact much with Kip. He doesn't have a fever that I know of, but he can be sluggish when he's not meowing for food.

Regarding a stool sample, would it matter if it had litter granules stuck in it? I've never had to get a stool sample from a cat before, so I don't know if that would make a difference.

RuneKeeper,

I'm glad that your boy's stool is looking better. I'm a bit shocked, however, in the amount of food he eats!

My growing kittens ate about one to one and a half of a 5.5 oz cans a day (and 1/4 cup of kibble split between them during the day), and now at 11 months, they each eat about 3.25-3.75 oz per meal, so still about 7.5 oz a day! And we know that young kittens eat a lot more than adult cats! I'm wondering if he's overfed?? I think most adult cats eat about 6 oz a day, maybe a bit more if they're active, but wow, 4 cans of fancy feast is 12 oz per day! Yikes! BTW, if Kip doesn't like left over canned, have you ever transferred the left overs in a glass dish before popping them in the fridge? Something like those pyrex bowls with the plastic covers works well to eliminate the "tinny" taste that Kip finds unappealing. I've heard that works for folks with finicky cats. When I take out left overs, I always add some hot or warm water (about 2 teaspoonfuls) to it to heat it up so it's not super cold and mix it. This could be when you can add some probiotics or your SEB, or fiber in. I feel like most cats wouldn't be offended by SEB's taste, especially if Kip's already been eating some in his food. You don't need to buy FortiFlora, any human probiotic capsules are just as good, but I've read on a recent thread here a probiotic with this particular strain included has excellent results: Saccharomyces Boulardii. It's said to even help C.diff on humans! 

For litter, yes, it would unfortunately have to be unscented for the herb mixture to work. You can try look at pricing Dr. Elsey's brand at Petsmart or petco or try Arm & Hammer clump and seal for unscented clay, but you still need the herb bottle mixture or special cat attract litter to encourage Kip to go inside the box. Give him small appropriate treats and lots of praise when he does use it properly.

If you have a large feed store in your area, call them to see if they carry some quality canned cat food or better yet, ask what brands they carry. They might have something, you never know! Usually the prices are decent then say, the big box pet stores, anyway! 

Yes, for my two, the Giardia was found positive. It was found with a fecal stool sample, and after the meds were given, it quickly resolved their problem. I believe my cats got it from chewing on my shoes as I live in a very wet environment (Pacific NW), so if you have dogs that do go out, all the more likely that Kip needs to have at the very least have his stools checked out. Even if it comes out clean, it doesn't mean they've ruled out everything just yet. They'll often run other tests for other bacterial or infecting organisms, such as coccidia or tritrichonomas foetus. I think it's important to get this corrected as Kips GI tract must certainly be inflamed and raw by now! That's also why I suggested the use of SEB--it coats the GI tract and helps to soothe it. However, once Kip is given meds, you'll have to be careful and not give any SEB for 2 hours before/after the meds since it interferes with its absorbtion. Since Kip is aways so hungry, though, I do wonder if he does have some type of parasite or worms? Is he thin or look like he's overweight? "Sluggishness" isn't a good sign.

  This link can help you with proper pet body shape and silhouette: http://www.camdenvet.com/obesity-1 

For his stool sample, I think one without litter granules are best, but you can also call your vet and ask about specifics too. The fresher the stool, the better chances of finding the infecting organism.

Continuing on with well wishes for Kip! 

 

[runekeeper]

I had no idea 12 ounces was a lot. Ever since he's gotten his appetite back and I got him eating cat food again, I just have been wanting him to eat as much as possible. For a while, he was actually eating an entire 5.5 ounce cans in one sitting - he used to get one big can first thing in the morning and then 2-3 cans of Fancy Feast during the day, but then he started vomiting the big cans because his eyes were bigger than his stomach and I guess his belly couldn't hold it all. Sometimes even when he's been fed, he'll go munch the dog's kibbles, so I've also been letting him have his dry kitten chow at night when I can keep the dogs away from him. I think he picks at it a tiny bit.


Before he developed fatty liver disease, he was actually a big kitty - about 14 or 15 pounds. But then my other kitties passed away in rapid succession and I think going from being one of three cats to the only cat in the house was too much for him and he quit eating. And since I was mourning, I didn't notice how fast he dropped weight. Now he's about 7 pounds, if that, and he never gained anything back. None of his vets ever once suggested the possibility of parasitic infections (probably because they know he's indoor only), and since I never saw worm segments wriggling around in his stools and that he wasn't eating like a garbage disposal, I assumed he didn't have worms.



And he always gets his canned food in a glass bowl, and any that he didn't eat before would go in the fridge in said bowl. There is nothing that would make him eat less than fresh canned food. I usually add a tablespoon of hot tap water to his Fancy Feast anyway because it makes it a little smoother and I think helps blend in whatever powder I'm adding. But neat, I didn't know human probiotics could work for kitties. I'll check my usual supplement source (which is where I also got his SEB capsules). And in regard to the kitty food, there's a Tractor Supply Company in my area where I have purchased Wellness before for him, but the only small cans they have that are special are Hill's. Unfortunately, there's no Petco or Petsmart here. He did like the Wellness food I got him, and there was some other brand that was grain-free that he liked. Wild Instinct or something like that, and it had bizarre ingredients like blueberries and sweet potatoes. But they all come in 5.5 ounce cans.



Thankfully, the second litter box seems to be helping. He didn't go on the floor all day today, and while he's not peeing in one and pooping in the other (rather, doing both in both boxes), it's in a box and not on the carpet. I don't know if my sprinkling catnip in the boxes contributed to that at all, but I added in some more earlier anyway. As far as possible infections, I tried reading a bit on giardia and it seems that there's a certain test that has to be done to find antigens in the kitty's stool (ELISA test, I believe), but most vets only do the fecal float, which can yield false negatives. Not sure if that's true or not. And yes, I know about giving him things 2 hours after the SEB. I did that when he was on antibiotics for enteritis to ensure he got the meds in his belly. He's very thin, as in skin and bones. I can feel when his bowels are full and if I press my fingertips against the thinnest part of his waist, they touch in the middle. And he's not too sluggish to meow for food or walk around, but he's got significantly less energy than he did when he was better. He can't stand for very long without having to lay down, but he doesn't appear to be in pain. I suppose it's not unreasonable to think some of that could be due to simple old age.



Anyway, thank you again so much for following the topic and taking time to send such great, detailed responses.

 

[emandjee]

Well I'm certainly glad to hear the increased fiber intake has helped solidify his stools and he's beginning to go in the box again. Whew! I had no idea he's only 7 lbs!

 Poor Kip! He's certainly been through a lot with you! Does the vet know how much he's eating? It certainly seems strange that he's not gaining after consuming so much food. I think it's worth to mention it...if you have a scale, it might be a good idea to get a weight check on him, too. (Weigh yourself first, then you carry Kip and stand on it together, then subtract the difference)

I think the only thing now is save up and go to the vet for any parasites, worms, or whatever else that might be causing this. I don't know if he's had his blood panel checked recently, but that might be good for senior cats as well...

I'm sorry I can't be more help otherwise...I wish I could help you more with the food...finding 3 oz cans are definitely a challenge when he consumes so much per day! Maybe some digestive enzymes can also help if he's not truly digesting his food well and thus feels constantly hungry? I've used Optagest for my cats with their probiotics mixed in. It's also powder form, but sold often in pet stores or online like Amazon. But before you go and spend more money on things, I really feel the vet visit will help you find out more. Hoping it's a simple diagnosis and quick fix, too!

Maybe someone else here will read this thread and also give you some tips as well? 

Hope you and your vet really collaborate efforts to make Kip a happy, healthy boy again! Healing wishes sent!

  And any updates you have will be an added benefit for others who may come across similar problems, so I hope you keep us in the loop!