ALERT.. Many Cats on the board not eating.

I have seen several post by peeps of cats not eating, or vomiting and then not eating. Many have the same pattern of standing by food, sniffing, licking, walking away.
If this is becoming epidemic let's take a roll call.
If you read this and your cat is not eating please sign on.


Tom is not eating. 3 weeks.

 

Shaikha does this from time to time, but she's got triaditis (pancreatitis, liver problems, and diabetes, in addition to IBD) and nausea comes with the package. She gets anti-nausea drugs which takes care of the issue usually. If it is really bad, I assist feed until we get through a bad flareup of pancreatitis. I alternate between ondansetron or anzemet, depending on how badly she's feeling. Sometimes it just takes making some simple changes. She's had a small flareup recently and her appetite ticked down. She seemed to be struggling with her normal pate type food, so I added water this AM and she scarfed it all down. I think it is similar to a human who feels poorly and can handle soup but not heavier foods. I sometimes forget the soup trick, but it works for her and it also worked for my GA Tabriz when he was feeling poorly. Tabriz in particular loved his soupy goop. Yum! No chunks for that cat. He wouldn't touch it if it did, so I had blend everything like mad and strain before feeding. He''d hoover it down though if he could lap it up. You do what you need to do.

Hope Tom starts feeling a bit better soon, Lori. His not eating really worries me because you are risking liver problems if it continues (feline hepatic lipidosis). Do you know how to assist feed?

 

Yes Wendy, I started out by assist feeding last week. He is getting enuf in that I don't feel that is necessary anymore. About 6 ounces in 24 hours yesterday....almost normal (should be 8 ounces), just it took him 24 hours to do it rather than his typical meal downed in 1 to 2 minutes until next meal is served.
Hve you seen the number of posts of cats not eating?
Maybe this happens alot and I never noticed becuase Tom was'nt doing it.

 

Everyone is eating here, just not alot, that includes civies, sugars and the drooler. The only one out of the 12 that is still eating what she should and more is Musette, Civies and Maxwell are still eating but I would say they are down to about 1/2 of normal. Drooler is eating about every other day other than what he can beg from the humans. I think it is the ungodly heat and humidity here, since it is all of them and activity level is way down as well...I have 13 furry carpets in the house, everyone is laying around seeing if they can cover as many AC vents as possible, and taking turns laying in the sinks and bathtubs.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang.

 

I'm sure you've seen that Kit hasn't been eating. He was fine until I gave him his first insulin dose. So I figured maybe the insulin nauseated him or caused a lack of appetite. But I think he's just missing his kitty crack. So I gave it back to him :? and I'll just ween him back off of it. I also am trying a few other kinds of wet food. I don't think he likes the FF. So I'm hunting around. Making my 2nd trip to petsmart in 2 days lol.

 

Mine are eating but all of them have become very finicky when I feed them any of the Friskies pate flavors. I don't know if Friskies has changed their recipie or ingredients, but the cats seem to not like it. I have also noticed that there now seems to be a lot more liquid in their cans.

For now, I have switched mine over to Walmart Special Kitty flavors. Most of the flavors my cats seem to like and it does not seem to have any affect on Ricky's BG levels. On the days they are finicky, I just add about 6 -10 pieces of kitten chow on top of the bowl and that seems to make them happy.

If your cat is not eating, you may want to include in your response what brand and/or flavors they no longer will eat. Maybe this informal poll will point out some sort of trend.

 

Lisa,

Mine were all on Friskies as well and I've switched them just today over to Wal-mart's Special Kitty as well and now have happy eating cats. I've also noticed that the texture and the amount of liquid has changed in the Friskies. Makes you wonder, because they have also recently changed their labels as well.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

Mine are eating now but half normal and they walk away from the Friskies too. Any FF is OK with everyone but I can't afford that for too long :roll: Maybe I'll try the Special Kitty too.

 

Mine will just plain NOT eat any of the Friskies with the new labels, period. NOT a cat one even when I KNOW they're hungry. (Snow) 'ShuShu' buries it and refuses to get back on the table until the offensive stuff is removed. Even Noah who's feral (but sort of doesn't want to be)....leaves it and Noah usually eats anything. The 'Ghosts' that visit the feral bowls at night enjoy massive amounts of wet food lately. I can open one of the ones with old labels and they dig in....I going to buy all my PetSmart has until my dollars runs out.

Fancy Feast wet in the pate's doesn't get the same response lately (4-5 months) either.

I just can't make myself feed any of my cats Special Kitty wet - they were included in that horrible melamine thing. We lost 3 of our babies to it and were not only heartbroken but ANGRY - very, very ANGRY - as we had been feeding them Skitty and Iams wet thinking we were doing a really 'right' thing for them.....

Hugs to All!
Lyresa

 

Harley has had ongoing issues since March with not eating due to pancreatitis and suspected IBD. Lately it's been a real struggle to get him to eat anything at all. I've literally almost exhausted all the canned foods in the local pet store and a lot of online canned foods as well. Even after trying various combinations of Anzemet, ondansetron and Cerenia (all anti-nausea/anti-vomiting drugs), buprenex, prednisolone, and Sub-Q fluids on board he will eat one or two flavors for a few days and then stop eating them and I have to rotate. I'm supplement feeding him some dry in order to ensure he gets enough calories because he will not tolerate syringing. In his immuno-compromised condition, raw food is out of the question.

My civvie, Princess, is also experiencing vomiting and anorexia but she has suspected IBD and was recently diagnosed with mammary cancer. I'm managing her with pepcid and ondanstron and that seems to help.

EDIT: to add that when Harley got sick, both cats were eating Fancy Feast Classic Chicken and Chopped Grill Feast exclusively. Neither cat will eat that now. The list of foods that he can't/won't eat is long including tuna, beef, duck, venison, rabbit, and anything with potatoes, carrots or peas. He loves to eat but gets sick on high fat foods like EVO or Wellness. He won't eat Merrick for some unexplained reason. I'm sure there's more but that's what I can remember off the top of my head without going home and consulting my food log. And he's got food aversions to both baby chicken and baby turkey.

 

Good for Lori and Tom for starting this thread.

My new foster Hefner isn't eating well at all. Day 2.5 of reduced appetite. He ate amazing the first four days here (up to 12 oz in 24 hours - he's a solid cat not fat at all and weighing in at 16.17lbs). He was on kibble at the shelter. We are working hard to keep him eating and will be starting syringe feeding tonight to supplement calories. He is eating but not enough. Just lapped up an ounce of watered down fancy feast.

Please don't wait this long for those following along though. Start within a couple days of inappetance, not weeks. Cats are biologically different from humans.

Soap box time: Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver) can hit very quickly with anorexic cats. And in a cat that doesn't eat enough over a period of weeks. When a cats body uses their body fat for energy to make up for a lack of calories their livers start to clog and can fail. I have a link to Maverick's battle with this disease in my signature. I believe all cat owners should have a scale that weighs to the ounce - petscale/babyscale/shipping scale and weigh them at least once a month. Our scale caught Maverick's diabetes in January 2009 before any other symptoms showed up. Safe weight loss is 1-2% a week.

Assist feeding can be finger feeding, babyspoon feeding, syringe feeding.

Things to try:
Flavours of course, special kitty and fancy feast, wellness and others.
A new bowl shape and even elevating the feeding station.
Texture - runny vs chopped vs smashed. Often they may lap watery food.
A safer location, bringing food to him. One thing on the assisted feeding forum that seems to work is bringing food to a sleepy cat. Awakening them with food they often are more up to eating.
Pllain meat babyfood later.
Often cats need the engine primed also - a mouthful or two of assisted food and they'll eat the rest on their own.

 

Laura, have you joined the Yahoo Feline Assisted Feeding Group? They may have advice on the intractable vomiting. Sending hugs for Harley and Princess.

 

Hi Karrie, Thanks for the warm fuzzies for my babies - yes I'm a member of the Yahoo FAF group, the pancreatitis group and the IBD group. These groups have been lifesavers in terms of the sheer wealth of knowledge and experience. I've seen your very helpful posts there too. :smile:

Harley's issue isn't so much vomiting as it seems to be nausea/inappetance. He just doesn't want to eat despite the anti-nausea and pain meds. He's developed so many food aversions to different foods that I had tried before I got him on the anti-nausea meds. (thanks to the advice of all 3 Yahoo groups) that the pool of remaining available food choices is now very limited.

Thank you also for posting the assist-feeding tips above. I use a lot of those tips plus the ones from Tanya's CRF site with my kitties to get them interested in eating. Harley responds well to finger feeding and Princess responds to spoon feeding. Taking food to where they are sleeping and also following them from room to room until they find places that are comfortable for them to eat are also helpful. It's amazing the things we do for our furkids automatically without stopping to think, but so helpful to have it written down and posted for others to see. Bless you and angel Maverick!

 

I'm glad you are a member of those groups and I agree with you on how invaluable they all are. I sometimes am in awe wondering how people managed before online support was an option. I really stay active on the FAF group to help give others emotional support. So many people are told when a cat stops eating they've lost the will to live. I am not geeky like lots of the others understanding the intracacies of complicated medical conditions and blood work. I want to pay it forward. I would not have had 2.5 wonderful love filled years with Maverick if it weren't for them. I treasured every minute I had with him and made the most of the miracle we were blessed with. I am so sorry you are dealing with so much, but hugs to you for fighting so hard. I know how emotionally and physically drained you must feel.

Would you mind sharing some of these if they haven't been mentioned. Like Lori and Tom said - there has been a lot of posts lately about inappetant kitties.

 

Well I started Tom with Pepcid A/C
Yesterday we started with prescription ondansetron which I had in my collection of chemo related drug drawer. Nothing really good in there :lol: . So I was told 1mg.
The pill is 8mg.
hmmmmmm, it is super soft, almost powdery so I just used my finger nail to scrape off 1/8th. A pill cutter would have made it just fall apart.
Can we get a head count of kitties who are seriously inappetent.
Tom eats ff and natures variety raw rabbit....well, he did eat it when he was eating.
And he ate like a hoover, so this has thrown me totally into a tizz.
Now he want garbage.
Like Pet pride dry. (garbage)
Temptation treats (H/C garbage)
and he will eat some raw rabbit....seemingly when I'm not looking.
It was sudden and yet gradual, if that makes any sense.
And it got to NO EATING at some point. I syringe fed gerber baby food. turkey/gravy and chicken/gravy which he seemed ok with for a day or 2. Then no more.
His blood tests only show slightly elevated amyalse and lowish rbc.
He does not 'appear' to be losing weight. He remains fairly active.
He is currently on subQ and we both are not thrilled with this new lifestyle change.

 

Both my Patches and Thunder are not really eating. They have been eating less for weeks now and yesterday I started assist feeding them. I have been to the vet and nothing seems wrong.

 

The other thng I notice about the time mine started eating less, was the civies all came down with very light yellowish room clearing, peel the paint off the walls, pudding poo. Since I switched their food over to Walmart's Special kitty, over night the pudding poo went back to nicely formed brown poop. All of them went to the vets and $200 later they could find nothing wrong with any of them.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

I'm wondering....I bet many brands of cat food are all made in the same factory...grossly just putting whatever crap they can into the blender and sending out bulk. To different companies. Too many cat's are not eating.
Granted many of you are in the red hot zone.....anyone in cooler temps having this issue? To take away from 'the heat is doing it' likelihood?
I think the crappy food many of them seem to want is sooooo full of crap that it is specially formulated to taste artifically good to cover up the crap...thus the kiddies want it. Thinking, McDonalds french frys or the like.
Tom just gave me a +8 53 and has eatten barely a thing today. Damn!!!!!!
This rollercoaster of eating and then fasting is wearing on my last nerve.
He's over here grooming right now...Wanted to go out some more but I'm leaving soon so it's in for the night.
And he was having some particularly smelly bm's before this started now that I think of it....could smell them all the way into my bedroom.

 

HEYYYYYYY! I just remembered. The last big vomit I was confused if it was vomit or poo. It was partially in his box...total liquid...then moved down the hall, then to the bedroom carpet (thank you very much)
I do remember wondering which direction it went. Like did it start in the bedroom and end up in the box, or the other way around. Cause if he was heading to the box it was definetly poo. He vomits where he wants....NOT in his box.
If it was poo....it was pure liquid poo.

 

So.....do I give in and try Special Kitty again?

Oh KT has those paint peelers....doesn't cover it either, digs all the litter out of the next litter box then RUNS out of there at a dead run to the far end of the house....

 

well i can top that...Tom likes to 'wipe hizzelf' on the carpet with the scootch. :?
And yes, I would give him/her whatever she'll eat at this point if she is turning away from all else.
Hey, I have Tom on temptation treats and crappy crack!
Anything to get fudzz in his tummy is all I care about.
Lori

 

I just got a pm from Allie and NewKitty on an unrelated subject but she was telling me that her civie was on a complete hunger strike for a couple of days. She treated aggressively as he is an 8lbs kitty and lost 8 ounces. Syringe feeding, cypro...other stuff. Now eating...not so great...but eating.
How can we gather this info of just the seriously hunger striking kitties into one thread and see if it is relevant and rampant.
A freind of mine here in laguna told me her cat is NOT EATING. Just stopped. He is of course a crack food eater (non diabetic) and I don't see any thing in common with Tom.
She is considering syringing him...and setting up vet visit.
I'm gonna go give her some of my syringes to show her how to get baby food down him.

 

Suggest she join the yahoo feline assisted feeding group. Vets often prescribe way too much cypro and nausea has to be addressed completely or she's setting up for severe food aversion issues.

 

This is a little scary. Our civvie Hope has not been eating like she normally does. At this point I don't know if she is pouting and punishing us because we were gone overnight taking Nanner to catch his plane to his new mom, and she felt neglected when we left, or what. She's not been eating right for a couple of weeks. She eats, but not at all like herself. Usually she loves wet food, but she's turned down stuff she usually LOVES. The civvies around here get a mix of dry and wet, wet in the am and dry in the pm, and we're slowly trying to move them all off the dry. Hope ate 1/2 can FF classic chicken this morning, but yesterday after we got home she turned down both people tuna and greenies. It has been 100+ here for several days, but this started with her not eating certain things before the big heat wave hit. If this keeps up she's going to have to go to the vet.

Paula (Nanner is now with his new Mom)

 

On the assisted feeding forum people are asked why their cat went off food. Cats can go off food for a number of reasons such as illness (CRF, pancreatits or even a stuffy nose). But also stress. Anything that causes a cat stress - boarding/bean vacations, losses or additions in the home (eg new baby), changes in the house, changes in food or vendors food recipe, even change in litter. A baby scale really helps you see whats going on under all that fur. The important thing is to keep them eating and maintaining their weight so their liver stays healthy. If they are maintaining their weight you know that you won't have to deal with FHL. A human scale just has too much variability to be accurate. Cats can safely lose weight but it is recommended to do this slowly - 1 to 2% a week. Hugs all around.

 

Just out of curiosity, how many of the inappetant kitties are also living under this horrible heat dome? My cats always eat less when they are hot.

 

Tom is not living under the heat dome...he is perfectly comfortable in 75 degree weather.

 

Keep in mind that cats with diabetes tend to have related GI issues - liver, gall bladder, IBD, and so on.

That being said - formula changes are the equivalent of sudden food changes and may provoke GI upset, and secondary food aversions.

And Spitz didn't seem to do well on Sophisticat Turkey dinner (maybe fat content?), so we're back on Special Kitty Turkey & giblets dinner, with some Fancy Feast at night to keep him eating overnight when I can't wake up (literally - sleep disorder) if he is going hypo on me. And I picked up some Friskies 7% carb for the senior kitty Farrall who has lost a bit too much and she's eating it fine.

 

I was just about to mention this. Even my healthy cats are not eating much, although they do eat. Heat indices have been over 100 for a week here now.

 

I don't want to be the only person who is contrary on this....but

Bob is still eating just FF classics, and still eating like a piglet. No loss of appetite.
Mullet, my civie, had been eating 9-lives up until last week, when I decided to buy Friskees pates for a change of pace. I noticed the new cans, but didn't think much about it. It's only been 3 or 4 cans so far, but Mullet hasn't shown any reluctance to eating it.

The "heat bowl" wouldn't be a big issue here either. It's always like that here. Last week, we had 3 days in a row where the high temps were in the mid-80s. It was like "yeah! Summer is over!" We'd had 60 some straight days of 90 or higher, so it was a nice break. This week we're right back in the mid/upper 90s and the temp and humidity are fighting it out every day to see which one is higher. From May thru September, I usually try to get both cats into the air conditioned spaces about 1/2 hour before meals because they tend to not want to eat when overheated. But that's our "normal" this time of year.

If Mullet develops appetite issues in the next few days with the Friskees, I'll post it though.

Carl

 

This thread reminds me too much of a thread from about two years ago - when Fancy Feast changed its formula. So many kitties were licking and walking away. I share these concerns that some factory somewhere is saving money in a way the cats detect.

Purina claimed it was an insignificant change in minerals and that cats adjusted. But Kitty now barfs whenever he has eaten the FFchicken (we stopped), which he used to love.

It was also very hot when that happened.

another little trick: Add the water, then put the plate in the microwave for 6-8 seconds, then put the plate in front of the kitty's sleepy face. Kitty always ate under those conditions.

Good luck, everyone. Sending eat-well vines to all.

 

Reading all these posts reminds me of my anxiety for 6 years over Shiloh's transient appetite. It was touch and go so many times. Feeding tubes saved his life twice, once for 7 long months and another time for 3 months. No one, vets included, ever thought he would start eating again after 7 months. I gave him deli ham and that's what got him to start again. They said he was their miracle kitty. After that, I had 6 more years with him. I miss him so much. Feline Assisted Feeding was a Godsend. Prayers for all your kitties going thru this. I can identify with you. Donna

 

I don't know if somebody else has already raised this concern but...
If Friskees did change their formula or ingredients, does this effect the carb values in the canned food? I know it doesn't matter to most of the world, but that could be a very big concern for everyone here who has been using their food as a low-carb alternative.

Carl

 

Call the company. People called Purina when they changed the FF formula. They said it was a minor mineral change, no change in as-fed values.

 

I also wonder sometimes about how hot the food gets as it is trucked to the store. :roll:

 

I'll do that on Monday. On the can is the number and it says M-F 7am-7pm CT. 1-800 - I'll have to get out a magnifying glass to read the rest of it... damn bifocals! looks like 1-800-778-8864

I just went to the Purina site, and they do have a dry food recall notice dating back to June due to a shipment of bags with a potential risk of salmonella contamination. Weird thing is the list of symptoms sounds familiar from this thread.

http://www.nestlepurina.com/2011_Nestle ... umber.aspx

Carl

 

I am paying a fortune keeping the house air conditioned so its not heat for Hefner. He also is quite unique in that he was up until the Thursday before last at the shelter and overdosed on insulin quite some time. So he can't be considered a typical FDMB kitty. But he is consistently eating wet food with water now. Lapping it up. I put it back with no water and not much gets eaten. He was eating like no tomorrow when I brought him home.

 

I'm in Florida, but we are used to this heat. Plus my cats are all indoor cats and get to enjoy the a/c.

 

I've been doing the feeding dance with Atlas for a while. Seems like several months...

If I were to actually date it, it would be back to May as that was when his numbers skewed and Dr. Nappier did mention to me if it was possible his low numbers were due to his loss of appetite, after he reviewed my SS.

We have had days where he has even snubbed the kibble. And I've had to syringe Karo at times cause he just wouldn't eat anything.

The other night he upchucked several times in the early morning hours. Gray ewy stuff. Not a hairball or fuds. Not even what I'd call foamy bile...just gray yuckies.

Nature's Variety Raw Rabbit, Nature's Variety Canned Beef, EVO Dry as needed

 

Carl, good catch!

Here's Purina's description of effect of salmonella in cats:

I do not trust Purina. It is owned by Nestle, and I DEEPLY do not trust them. I just feel so hemmed in by the need for a low-carb food that Kitty will actually eat. I know many people here feed raw, but that has its own issues.

I should probably raise chickens, feed on holistic food, slaughter, pluck, cook and grind myself. Then I know Kitty's food trail will be clean. :lol: Yes, that's a joke.0

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Hi Lori, and, of course, you too, sweet somewhat finicky Tom -- and everyone else and their precious furries,

I learned to dance with Giz. Giz was probably in the top three of finicky eaters here on The FDMB. She followed Donna's Shiloh and was probably tied with Chet's ClaraKitty. I am beyond grateful she sent me a sugar cat who actually eats cat food...

Okay, here are suggestions I learned from Mz Giz and many loved members here:
Parmesan or Romano cheese sprinkled on their normal food (Thank you Ann and French Fry!)
Yogurt -- peach was Giz's favorite, although raspberry and blueberry worked in a pinch (and, yes, you can always shoot around yogurt...)
Cheese -- Giz liked extra-sharp cheddar, although had a fondness for provolone and mozzarella, occasionally Swiss...
People tuna in water or just the water -- of course, she preferred white albacore...
Canned salmon -- who knew? Not the wall-eyed (?); but, the other one (red or pink?)...
Shrimp from Yung Chow Fried Rice -- washed and chopped (make sure NO onions!)
Deli meat -- chicken, turkey, roast beef, ham (none honey-roasted)

If anyone has a George Foreman grill, grill chicken breasts, steak (whatever's on sale), or pork chops (Giz preferred boneless center cut...).

Also, mix up flavors of cat food. Obviously this is from Nikki... I usually rotate 3 cans (between 6-7 flavors) daily. She eats FF. Yes, things have been slightly off lately due to the blast furnace heat conditions; but, she's eating and I'm grateful.

Also, please do not tell Nikki about Giz's special menu...

When things were really, really bad with Giz, and I had put out like 11 plates, saucers, and bowls of menu items, sometimes what got her started eating was deli meat off my hand extended under the bed. Fortunately I have long arms... I'd like to hope she didn't hear my sobbing with worry or cursing from frustration... Sometimes all a cat needs is a little tummy jump start.

I beyond feel for you all who are having kitty eating issues... Truly.

Much love and countless hungry thoughts, prayers, and hugs for you all,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, who taught me to never give up...

 

I also feed Friskies and have noticed some inappetance. Mostly over the last week or two, and I've chalked it up to the heat, despite us having air conditioning. They ARE eating, but not as much. This typically happens at this time of year at our house--the humans eat less too. In addition, we adopted a dog last week, which has added stress. I would say the last two days have been the low point, but Truman isn't happy with the new dog, so he isn't coming out to visit (or eat) like normal. If the trend continues I'll start putting food in another, dog-free zone for him (cats eat in the kitchen, up on a half-wall, so not where dog can reach them or their food, but if she's roaming about, he won't even be up on the wall).

Our Friskies is the old label, in the 13oz cans. I rotate flavors, but only between 2 or 3 of them because Max gets pukey if the carb level fluctuates too much. And I usually feed a case of one flavor, then a case of a different flavor. I don't change flavors daily--my pantry doesn't have that much space. ;-)

 

Bandit stopped eating his EVO 95% and Merricks about a month ago after dental surgery with some awful complications, so we switched back to Fancy Feast which he ate up no problem. I get a variety, Chicken & Beef, Beef, Chicken, Turkey & Giblets, and Salmon. No problems with appetite at all, and I don't have air conditioning and temperatures have been crazy hot.

I think it's likely he stopped eating the other food because he associated it with feeling awful from the dental surgery complications. He was definitely more stressed than he's ever been in his life because of it because the hair on his face turned gray. I plan on getting him back on his other food after he goes back OTJ and hopefully forgets the bad associations.

 

Hef didn't eat much overnight. HE ate about an ounce this morning with temptations treats crushed in. Lovely for an OTJ possibly diabetic kitty huh. ohmygod_smile Eating is more important though.

I'm bookmarking this thread on my bookmarks toolbar. The tips are awesome.

 

Hi all
I called purina today. I may have the answer to this puxzle.
First off nothing has been changed with fancy feast except for some new labels. Friskees pate however, they have added a small amount of magnesium sulphate to the recipe. I will post more later but do a search on side effects of that. I think it will sound familiar. I'm on my phone. Will post more when I get to a real keyboard.
Carl

 

So they basically have added Epsom Salts to the Friskies canned food as Magnesium Sulfate is the main ingredient in Epsom Salts. Which is used as a saline laxative in humans.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

I have an old can and a new can. The old lists manganese sulphate. The new says magnesium sulphate. I'm.not achemist. But the side effects of each are not quite the same.
Carl

 

This is what I found on Magnesium Sulfate and cats in just a real quick web search http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/magnesium-sulfate/page1.aspx

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

This is the list of "sides" that caught my eye:
4. a. What are some of the most common side effects of magnesium sulfate?
Flushing

Nausea

Vomiting

Palpitations

Headache

General muscle weakness

Lethargy

Constipation

http://www.twinslist.org/magsulfate.html

Carl

P.S. Another site says "diarrhea". Which is it? constipation or diarrhea? I've seen both conditions mentioned on the board a lot lately.

 

Hi all -

A quick search turned up some info regarding magnesium and insulin specifically. The first website is a commercial one, the second is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. I found another couple of places that suggested that magnesium might make insulin 'more effective'. It makes me wonder if the side effect of diarrhea is similar to what you see when a cat gets too much insulin.

Jackie

http://magnesiumforlife.com/medical-app ... ium-story/

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium/
Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose (sugar) levels [13]. Low blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesemia) are frequently seen in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Hypomagnesemia may worsen insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance. Individuals with insulin resistance do not use insulin efficiently and require greater amounts of insulin to maintain blood sugar within normal levels. The kidneys possibly lose their ability to retain magnesium during periods of severe hyperglycemia (significantly elevated blood glucose). The increased loss of magnesium in urine may then result in lower blood levels of magnesium [4]. In older adults, correcting magnesium depletion may improve insulin response and action [42].

 

It'll depend on the exact chemical compound, and possibly, the individual sensitivity (cat or human!)

 

After much nagging from member 'eeraby' telling me to buy raw chicken livers and cut them up with a sissor into kibble size chunks (eeeewwww) Tom would eat it.
Well, miracle of miracles, he did. And with a gusto, and asked for more....and licked his bowl clean.
This is a food resistance problem of 3-4 weeks now. I have not seen, no matter what I offer, an appetite like I saw with this food.
I am hopeing it will kick start his appetite.
Anyone with severe inappetance must try it.
Lori

 

So does this mean we should stop feeding Friskies?

I looked at the cans I have...case we're finishing up and case I just bought yesterday both have manganese sulfate, which is the old formula, right? We use the 13oz cans though. And I just ordered 2 more cases from wag.com (sale + coupon code = big savings) which should be here on Thursday. I'll post what is in them when they arrive. If they have magnesium sulfate, should I send them back? It's about $50 worth of food I ordered, so not something I want to dump in the trash.

Max is OTJ, so in theory, he shouldn't have a noticable reaction to the change, other than maybe the flavor, right? I'll be getting a new meter later this week, so I should be able to keep an eye on his numbers to see if they change with the food.

 

I think it is one of ECID thingy, as with my bunch it was only the civies that had a reaction to the Friskies, my sugars were fine, as well as the youngest of the civies. So it maybe that some can handle the new formula and some can't.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang.

 

Thanks for the info on the friskies. I think we should cross post that. I'll do so on the Lantus board if you guys haven't already.

Hef is back to eating. What a relief! The secret for him right now is Special Kitty but just the chicken dinner and three crushed up temptations in the 3oz of food. I am wishing that the temptations won't be enough to send him back to being diabetic. I don't have his file so I don't know his test results of the past. Just that every time I tested him here he was 2.9-3.2. He hasn't eaten kibble since I got him last week. I am paranoid about FHL after fighting it once so I get on top of things early but still worry.

 

Yeah my bunch is back to eating as well, and again the trick for them was Special Kitty...both chicken and the turkey..in fact I may need to up the number of cans I normally feed they love it so much....cats sheesh if it isn't one thing it is another.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

So glad your bunch is eating. I have thrown out so much food that its really gross but the outdoor garbage can has things moving on it. Disgusting. I will be flushing the uneaten food from now on. Seriously disgusting, beyond gross. Why did I throw them in the garbage ohmygod_smile I am well stocked up with tons of food and most in flavours he won't eat right now ohmygod_smile

Special Kitty is the only food my angel Maverick would eat also- for him it was Turkey and Giblets only.

 

It's been nearly 4 weeks...and Tom has started eating. I got him jump started with the great idea from beth (erraby) to give him raw liver..cut up in pieces with sissors....well, whatever works! He moved on that like white on bread...he's a piggy again
Lori

 

Hi! Great post because I've been trying to figure this one since 5/15 (I even noted it in my spreadsheet). If you do a search, I'm sure you'll find some of my posts asking for tips on getting him to eat.

Part of it was due to his hyperthyroidism. One of the side effects of the Tapazol is lack of appetite. We reduced dosage and it got better for a while but it's back to a struggle.

He eats both FF and Friskies and if I'm not home, he literally will not touch his food. Oregano has worked but losing its effectiveness and he's not a fan of parmesan or tuna flakes.

 

Okay, this is probably nothing, but I saw this on Associated Press, and figured I would post it here:


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie..._TURKEY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

It's about an outbreak of salmonella in ground turkey. Just one part of the country, one event, not a cat food contamination or anything like that. It just got me wondering about the safety of the food chain for our kitties.

 

Just as a follow up...
After pretty much forgetting about it, today in the mail I received my coupons in the mail from Fancy Feast. I can have 4 cans (or pouches) of any size any variety Purina product for free! (offer expires Dec 2012). Just to remind all of you, if you experience any problems relating to Fancy Feast, Friskees, or any other Purina product, please call them and let them know?

Carl

 

I wish I knew what the problem is! I can't tell whether it's the food, or the heat, or arthritis. Kitty isn't talking. He's just not himself sometimes.

 

Good thinking about bumping this post with that new info. Mine are back to eating amazing. Little sniffles flare up in a couple of them and started lysine.

I found a solution for the kibble eater - a way to keep the OTJ diabetic out of his food.... I got a four way locking cat door and my husband installed it on the bedroom door. I can put Henry in to eat his kibble and the door only allows him to get out and not in. So I'll be able to control his food intake. He won't be able to get in every time he wants it but he can now get out. I was locking him in the room but my inability to multitask meant I forgot him in there often for hours at a time. Hefner can't get in to get the kibble either. It is working amazing. Henry who isn't the smartest or bravest cat figured how to get out on his own!

 

well, i'll just throw this out there.

tom's inappetence in killing him ... but this is not the point here.

i find (at times) when he won't eat a fresh served dish of either chicken liver or raw rabbit (you can't really do this with canned wet food) i pull out the bag of temptation treats which he usually still works up a purr for. i offer one, then another, then another...then without skipping a beat i put down in the same spot a small chunk of said raw meat. miraculously he forgot he did not want it.
of course, he will only eat the pieces i put down...one at a time (DON'T FREAK THEM OUT BY PUTTING DOWN 2 PIECES) and then at best i can only get him to eat maybe 3 or 4 bites.
still, for us, better than nothing.

 

My Chester hasn't been eating well lately, but right now we're attributing it to the need for a dental (scheduled for next Thursday).

 

Lori - I'm just so sorry you're having to fight so hard on this. Sending eat-plenty vines your way!

 

Sorry for laughing Lori! Is Tom on Pepcid AC by chance? My dog has a horrible appetite and temptations gets her stomach settled I think or over that first bit of yuck food feeling. Some days she won't touch temptations though and its a struggle to get her to eat. PS... Tom is a cat :lol: I have a friend and she has four cats. One of them I call the plop plop cat. To get her eating when she gets picky she has to plop wet food on the floor - she'll lap it up then. But not on a plate.

 

Hey all

I had a thought, because of whats been happening with Spitzer. Spitzer has been having issues with appetite loss too, and some vomiting and lethargy. The ER vet is wondering if he needs a much lower dose of insulin, so he's taking him off in a monitored setting (looking for evidence of DKA) and will start over very, very low.

Please take really good looks at your spreadsheets. If you are in the blues and greens using very small doses - less than half a unit, maybe you could try stopping the insulin. If you're giving insulin when it isn't really needed, it could be what is making the cat ill. Its just a thought.

 

This might be a silly question but where do you get chicken livers? Any old supermarket or a more old fashioned butcher meat market type place?

 

Most grocery stores will have them, they are usually in some kind of little plastic tub.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang.

 

Chicken Livers come and go in the grocery stores. Sometimes they
have 'em, sometimes not.

Ask the butcher behind the counter.