Ideas for an old skinny cat with urine crystals - update at bottom

[Tabby]

My 2 cats will be 14 in March. The female is fat, the male is skinny. Both have signs of arthritis but the male is far more limber and still able to jump up on the counter quite easily. He gets fed on the counter and her on the floor because she likes to hoover every edible thing in sight whereas he likes to nibble, go away and come back later. They've always been this way. The male had a severe case of urinary crystals when he was younger so types of food he can eat are restricted.

Anyway, the skinny cat has become very picky about his food in the past year. They get urinary-tract-friendly senior kibble with a spoonful of Wellness canned, twice a day. I can't give him more than a spoonful of canned at a time. If he doesn't finish it immediately, he won't go back and eat any more. He'll go back to his kibble a few times, but he still doesn't eat very much. The bag says he should have 7/8 of a cup per day - he's probably eating less than 1/3 of a cup (plus 2 spoons of canned). Any extra I give him , he doesn't eat. If there's any canned left over from his first go at it, he doesn't eat any kibble at all. He also decided he doesn't like his treats any more. I tried going back to the old non-senior urinary tract food and he doesn't like that anymore either.

He's been to the vet and checked out ok. They did blood work and nothing is wrong. The vet said some cats do become picky in old age. The problem with this one is I just can't buy him any old crappy fattening food as it could set off his urinary crystals which he won't survive at his age. If I give him something new, might eat it for 1 or 2 feedings but then doesn't like it again.

Are any of those cat foods that picky cats are supposed to like ok to feed to a cat with urinary problems? If I can get a supplement maybe I can start feeding him some of those delicious junk cat foods - provided they don't actually aggravate the urinary problem. I don't want him to starve to death but I don't want him to suffer the painful urinary crystals either. Any ideas?

[awa]

Could you provide brand names of current and former foods so we have a better idea what you've already tried?

[fergusnc]

Ask your vet about appetite stimulant medicine options. My girl needed that at about age 16.5 and she was on a very restricted diet. It helped a lot up until the things she was on a really restricted diet for finally drew a line in the sand for us and we put her down at about 17.5 years old.

[Tabby]

Currently on Royal Canin Senior from the vet. Previously on Pro plan urinary care. I didn't see it at the pet food store the last couple of times I was in. Over the years I've had to change brands as the urinary kind get discontinued. That's all kibble. He's had a spoonful of wellness brand canned food all along twice a day.

[texsuze]

Our soon-to-be 12 y.o. kitty had the crystals when younger and we had to switch everyone to a Hill's prescription kibble. With four cats (2 female, 2 male--all fixed, all indoor) there is no way to feed selectively so everyone eats the same food. I know, don't flame me---the kibble ingredients are like cardboard, but this is the only food that keeps the crystals from returning. We tried going for a more "pure" kibble (Orijen) and kitty quickly had problems again. Knock wood, our younger (soon-to-be 6 y.o.) male has had no urinary issues.

We feed free choice prescription Hill's Metabolic + Urinary kibble. In a.m. and p.m. everyone gets nearly half a can of commercial canned food (Sheba or Fancy Feast classic). We check ingredients on the canned: no grains, no potatoes (i.e. starch) or veggies as at least the first four or five ingredients listed. No "gravy" or "flaked" canned varieties either. In a perfect world, our kitties would not be eating the Hill's stuff, but it works in our situation.

One of our soon-to-be 10 y.o. rescue sisters has arthritis in her elbow joint (seen on radiographs). She gets Cosequin sprinkled on her food 2x/day and it has made a difference in her ability to jump down from heights without a problem. She used to be a bit stiff when she got up and walked after sleeping, but that rarely happens now. It has really helped her. I have some Nutramax Dasuquin listed in the Freecycle Forum....

[Tabby]

My cats are exactly the same as yours! They also have arthritis and get horse supplements sprinkled on their food and it really helps. It's what keeps skinny cat limber enough to eat up on the counter where greedy fat cat can't get to. Since he never eats his whole serving at once, if she can reach it she gobbles it up. It's the only thing keeping this cat fed at all.

All the prescription food is terrible as is the pet stores versions. But the senior stuff has lower calories than the urinary stuff. I tried to go back to prescription urinary food but his pickiness had already set in. I thought of getting fancy feast or something advertised as being delicious rather than nutritious to see if he'll eat more. Is it safe for my cat provided I get his urinary meds in him some way or another?

[Tarlo Farm]

If you're going to spend big money on prescription food, how about just feeding him homemade fresh food? Canned tuna and cooked chicken?

[Tabby]

Do you know if those things will aggravate his urinary crystals? I'm happy to feed him anything he'll eat provided it doesn't cause his other problem to recur.

[Tarlo Farm]

It seems the more grain-free and hydrated a food is, the less likely to contribute to crystals.

[fergusnc]

Anything not designed to address his crystal-formation issues (like tuna, chicken, etc) is problematic from what I think I remember from the vet...the RX food must be given as the only food source to keep things in line. Something about ratios of minerals and such. And even then, it's not fool proof...so I would stack the deck in my favor by being strict with it. No, it's not yummy, and yes, they can go off their feed...which is VERY bad in cats, way worse than in dogs. Fatty liver from not eating happens super duper fast in cats and can be their end. Thus my suggestion to ask your vet about whether you should consider adding an appetite stimulant medicine into the routine on an as needed basis if your guy goes totally off his feed. We used mirtazapine and it worked really well. Started out giving once every three days, then her body got more settled and she felt better and it wouldn't sometimes be two to three weeks before she needed a dose. Keep in mind we had added issues of pancreatitis and kidney failure so her diet was super strict, and she sometimes felt yucky which made her lose her appetite.

[awa]

I've got some of the same issues as you and am just now trying Wysong Uretic kibble for a crystal prone guy. The ingredient list is much higher quality than the Rx diets, and he's scarfing it down. He's been on Royal Canin SO (they also do a modified version that's lower calorie...not likely what you need.) It works well, but it just seems like junk with lots of salt to get them to drink, and has to be ordered through a vet. I'm hoping the Wysong will be better. Can you get that in Canada?

[Tuffytown]

I have one that is crystal prone. She gets the royal canin SO, I'll look into the wysong as I'm not thrilled with the so ingredients. She also gets wet food twice a day and I put extra water in it. I think the hydration is as important as anything.

Purists believe that no cat should have dry food, particularly not those prone to urinary problems. I'd love to go to a raw only diet but my cats don't seem to want to cooperate so the compromise we currently have is where I will remain for the time being.

http://catinfo.org/feline-urinary-tract-diseases/

There is some evidence that Dasuquin helps with cystitis in cats.

[awa]

There is good evidence that glucosamine helps, but mine won't touch the Dasuquin.He will eat Cosequin on his wet food.

If anyone wants to try Dasuquin, I have a couple bottles going to waste. PM me your snail mail.

[Tabby]

Tuffytown, My cat pretty much needs dry food to stay alive at all. He only eats a few bites at a time but comes back frequently for a few more throughout the day (and night). If I give him more than a spoonful of wet food, he doesn't finish it in the first go. He won't touch his food AT ALL if there is what he perceives to be "stale" wet food in it. He'll come back for the dry kibbles, though what he doesn't finish by the next meal I give to his sister (who eats everything). My cat's history with crystals is not quite as bad as Opie in the article, but he did spend a couple of nights in the emergency vet. I believe there may be something hereditary as I know of at least 2 other cats descending from his mom (a barn cat that was eventually spayed but produced the most wonderful litters of kittens and even grand-kittens). There's no sign that his sister has the same thing but crystals don't always cause symptoms in female cats even if they are there. Both cats drink lots of water and produce very large urine clumps so I'm sure they are well hydrated. The male has had no trouble provided he continued the medicated food (I am able to add a little non-medicated canned food).

I'll try to find out if Wysong is available up here and check it out. I'm ready to try any higher calorie food with the urinary meds in it.

[Tuffytown]

I know, as I noted, the purists, it's tough with the picky ones. Mine get the SO dry along with the hydrated wet at least for the time being.

[SnowHorse]

I had UT trouble with two of my boys (I have seven cats, five of them are girls) several years ago. With the first one, I started feeding him prescription kibble from the Vet that was supposed to fix / help with the problem. It did, for a while (a year or two?), then he started having problems again. Then, the other boy started to have problems, also, and I fed them both that same food. As problems didn't clear out, I decided to go all wet food -- every cat in the house was switched to wet food only. After that change, I think I've seen some symptoms once, in one of them, and that cleared with a recipe I once got from old UDBB.

So, for me, switching to wet food cleared the problem - the boys have been happy for years now, I think they're turning 10 this year.

Also, I have an old female cat that started to get skinny about a year and half ago. I've had her since 2002, and she was an adult cat then (she had a daughter that had already had many litters before I knew them), so she's 15+, could be even 17?
Anyway, she gets her wet food with others twice a day, but she never eats everything from her bowl (so the other greedy ones won't get it), so when she goes to take a nap, I hide her bowl, and about in an hour she comes back and eats some more. In the afternoon, around 3pm, she gets hungry, and I have a container with kibble that only she gets, small portions until she doesn't want to eat any more. With this routine, I've managed to get her from skinny to "not bad at all" (per vet!).

In addition to that, if we eat something that's OK for her (fish or chicken), I will give her pieces (no spices for her) from my plate. Yes, she's pampered and privileged, but she's so special we try to treat her like the precious queen she is.


So, you might want to see if your boy will take extra meals (even if small) between the regular feeding times, and also give him extra treats if he approves them - like chicken, or tuna.

I also add a tablespoon of water in their meals - it may be more "wet" than they need, but since I literally never see them drink (except for the old one), I figure it won't hurt.

[Tabby]

I wish I could give him extra meals between regular feeding times but I work full time and I'm gone 13 hours a day . That's why he gets the dry food because it's the only thing he will snack on. If there's any leftover wet food in the bowl, he won't touch anything in it all day long. I have been very careful about treats due to his urinary condition. Apparently, fish is extremely bad.

[Tarlo Farm]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/01/0 ... rient.html

[highoctane]

I have a 16yo kitty that previously had idiopathic cystitis, and had to have surgery to remove a humongous bladder stone removed. Since then, she's been doing well (until lately ) on free-fed high quality, grain free kibble and 2 meals of canned food each day. I say lately, because she's lost almost 20% of her weight, and has been vomiting...it's either IBS or lymphoma. Goal as of late is to keep food in her stomach, and get her to gain weight...she's up .2lbs, so there's that. I worry constantly though.

For your kitty, I would definitely try the Cosequin or Dasuquin (my girl prefers the Cosequin). And hydration is really quite key...even if you need to soak the kibble in chicken stock (small amounts) that's better than nothing!

[Tabby]

Sad update: Kitty was PTS Sunday night due to advanced lung cancer. That is probably why he went off his food. I managed to get him to eat a little more by switching flavours every day but that only worked for about 2 weeks. We were away last week and my SIL was looking after him. By Friday he stopped eating altogether. She hoped that when I returned Sunday that he would get his appetite back. He actually asked for food (by jumping up on the counter where his bowl is) so I gave him some but he just sniffed it and walked away. He was still behaving normally - playing with his toys and tormenting his sister and swatting at us if we dared to stop petting him. But by evening I noticed that his breathing had become rapid and laboured. I was torn between waiting until Monday morning to take him to his regular vet or taking him immediately to the emergency clinic. I googled what this could be and none of the possibilities were good. I told DH to say his goodbyes, put him in the carrier and took him to the ER. I knew it was going to be a one way trip. The x rays showed his chest cavity almost completely full of tumors - there was very little left in the way of functioning lung. His heart was beating irregularly and his gums were turning purple. He probably wouldn't have survived until morning. I just held him and cried while they gave him the injection. It was over so quickly.

It was strange that he never displayed any other symptoms. He never coughed or wheezed and his activity level never decreased. He must have had this developing for more than a year, yet he was spunky and full of the same attitude he always had. He still ruled the roost from either the back of the sofa where he could look down on his entire kingdom, or the comfy bed next to the pantry where he could see anyone coming down the hall. He could still leap up onto that counter like a gazelle and chase his toys across the floor. The only sign at all was that he didn't seem to like his food.

Anyway, the house is empty without him and his sister is definitely upset and keeps looking for him. He was quite a presence and he's be missed. RIP T.J.

[Wicky]

Ah, I am so sorry. IT is so hard to let them go, even when there is no other option. RIP, Kitty.

[Sunshine2Me]

So sorry for your loss. I'm glad you were able to give him a peaceful passing. {{Hugs}}

[LeoApp]

I am so sorry for your loss. If you had discovered the problem earlier, there probably wouldn't have been anything you could have done anyway.

[amygdala]

sorry for your loss ((hugs))

[awa]

I'm sorry, Tabby. Sounds like he had a wonderful life all the way to the end...the best we can all hope for our furry families. It's amazing how something so small can leave such a big hole in the world. Hugs to you all.

[Josette]

I am so sorry for your loss. I've lost 2 elderly cats within the past 3 years and still miss them. You gave him a great loving home and that is what matters. Hugs

[KathyS]

Oh I am so sorry.

[Flight]

So sorry for your loss
Sounds like he had a great home with you and you could help him at the end. Still very sad though.

[Tabby]

Thanks everyone. It is sad, but I do feel I did the right thing. I could have waited one more day probably but that would have been one more day of suffering for him. He was stoic to the end. My last cat withdrew from the family when the time came - T.J. never had to do that. He was still present right until the end. But even at the vet, he didn't struggle to jump off the table or escape the room every time a door opened - which was his usual behavior at the vet - so I knew it was time. It's a horrible decision to have to make. He did have a good life and seemed pretty content with his world. My other cat, his sister, is grieving and I'm not sure how to help her. She's been very clingy and for the first time in her life, she hasn't wolfed down her food. I think she'll be ok but I still worry. She's spending a lot of time in T.J.'s bed. I tried to move it to the spot she normally likes (over the heat duct) but she wouldn't go in it there so I put it back to his spot. Right now, she's laying on the top of the sofa behind my head - another favourite place of T.J.'s. She's quite arthritic so jumping to the back of the sofa takes her some appreciable effort. I'll continue to give her a little extra attention each day while she's going through this. I wish there was a way I could explain what happened to her brother. Don't try to tell me animals don't feel emotion - this cat is a perfect example of it.

Thanks again for all of your advice and support through this.

[PaulaO]

I'm sorry for your loss. You can tell his sister what happened. Hold her on your lap and talk to her. She will understand.

[fergusnc]

Godspeed TJ.

So very sorry for your loss.

[Rockabilly]

Don't try to tell me animals don't feel emotion - this cat is a perfect example of it.
.

Oh, I know they do. I know from so many examples in my own experience that they think and feel emotions. I'm so sorry you lost T, J, but what a magnificient steward you were for him.

[redsoxluvr]

Sorry for your loss.

Hugs to you and yours.

[Tuffytown]

I'm so sorry. I lost my mini cat to lung cancer and ileocecal cancer. She seemed fine one day had diahrea and was throwing up the next. She was gone in 2 weeks, it was heartbreaking so I really share your loss.

[amygdala]

i lost my mare on dec 11. and her buddy looks to see if she's come back every morning. and he spends every afternoon in her favorite hangout place