Priscilla's failing kidneys

[phesina]

Hello, I just wanted to let you folks know that my sweet little fluffball Priscilla is in kidney failure.. Has been since around Thanksgiving..

She's only 7 years old!

I am giving her fluids twice a day and trying different foods to find things she'll like to eat. Sometimes she eats some on her own. Sometimes I put food on her tongue or syringe-feed her something. If any of you have any suggestions, please let me know, and please folks say prayers and send good wishes and energies for her.

Thank you so much,

Pat, and Peony, Sydney, Poppy, and Elmer, for Priscilla

[Catty1]

She's on a low-protein diet?

It seems from what I read here that many cats like Royal Canin food. They have a low-protein food, and it might be less expensive than some of the other vet foods.

With the right diet and fluids, Priscilla can have a good life for many more years. Did the vet have any suggestions?

I think someone here on PT posted a link to a site on cats with kidney problems.
Hopefully they will again.

Good luck with the little girl! Scritches and tummy rubs! :)

[RedHedd]

With the right diet and fluids, Priscilla can have a good life for many more years. Did the vet have any suggestions? I totally agree with that. Mishi has failing kidneys and has "episodes" a few times a year when I have to rush him to the kitty ER. Aside from that he's living a (somewhat) normal life. He's on a prescription diet - right now it's Hill's X/D because he tends to get bladder stones. If I recall, K/D is the kidney diet and is available both in dry kibble and canned.

Prayers going out your way that Priscilla pulls through this period and gets to spend many more Christmases with you. She's beautiful!

[Laura's Babies]

I have no experience with this but just want you to know I am pulling for your baby to bounce right back!

[Barbara]

Filou who is only ten has kidney failure as well.
He lives with it for more than 1,5 years now- getting fluids every week and eating diet food.
He hated Hill's k/d but he loves Royal Canin Renal. It comes in little pouches which is good as the cans of Hill's were too much for him and once open he didn't like them :rolleyes:
He likes the dry Royal Canin Renal even more. Even Tigris who is not on a diet goes crazy for these kibbles.

All the best for Priscilla.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear about Priscilla.:( I hope that she'll continue to thrive for many more years to come. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[Kalei]

[Oh no that is so sad. I have no idea what to do with a cat that has kidney failure, but I will definately pray for the poor kitty.

[phesina]

Dear everybody, thank you so much for the encouraging words. I'm so glad to learn that kidney-challenged cats can keep going for a long time.

She'd been getting KD and Eukanuba Multi-Stage Renal kibble and wet food for quite a while but doesn't much like either. Then about a month ago she lost all interest in eating and was really weak and thin. I took her to the vet's. They kept her there for 3 days. Then I brought her home and have been giving her sub-Q fluids twice a day.

We've tried different medications. Her BUN and Creatinine (lab indicators of kidney function) have come down a lot (though they're still too high), but she is anemic too and her hematocrit (red cell count?) is still way down.

Since that bad state, the idea is more to get her to eat SOMETHING and I should give her anything she'd like, so I keep trying different wet and dry cat foods. (The other cats, environmentally conscious as they are, are all very happy to clean up the food she doesn't like so it doesn't go to waste!) What she likes one meal she may turn up her nose at the next, so it's a constant trial and error.

Since several of you have mentioned Royal Canin Renal, I will try to find that. Is that a prescription food that I'd have to get from a vet?

Candace, RedHedd, Laura, Barbara, KAK, and Kalei, thank you so much for your prayers and good wishes and kind thoughts and positive energies!

Pat and Priscilla

[catmandu]

We are praying hard for Priscilla , that you can find a dier that she likes.
Mr Scrappy lived with bad kidneys for three years with Vet Care and Medical Prescription.
He went when he was 15, but I did have those extra years with him, worth every penny.

[Freedom]

My boy Amber (Mr. Amber Cat) had kidney failure; it followed hyperthyroidism and fused vertebrae in his back. Vet said he "had bad genes," as he should never have had all these things so young.

Amber refused any of the specialty foods.

I did the ub q fluids for bout 7 months, starting once every other day and pogressing to 4 times per day. (His kidneys declined VERy quickly.)

Keep up with the fluids, as that is important. Good luck with finding foods, it can be tricky. Priscilla is so lovely in those photos you included. And yes, cats CAN pick up and go on for several years with the fluid therapy. Best wishes for both of you.

Sandra

[phesina]

Gary and Sandra, thank you so much. Yes, Priscilla's worth every penny, whatever it takes to keep her going as long as she wants to keep going.

She seems kind of feeble tonight. Tomorrow it's another call, and probably trip, to the vet's office.

Pat

[Catty1]

Royal Canin is a vet food. I have seen some varieties in good pet stores, but compare the labels.

It seems that a number of cats prefer RC to other brands (not a plug, just an observation! :D )

[kb2yjx]

I am so sorry to read about your dear Priscilla!!! I have 3 kidney cats right now. Nicholas is controlled by diet(Hills k/d). The girls, Molly Meu is over 13yrs old, gets sq fluids, 100cc's twice a week. Molly is a diet nightmare!!! She absolutely REFUSES to eat the kidney diet and is eating Friskies(I shudder at the 11% protein!!). However, her labs are very good and at this point I think it is more important to keep her eating or else her liver will go. She has been a kidney cat for about 4 years. Raven is 10 and eats(with gusto)her k/d and gets the fluids twice a week. Raven developed kidney disease when she was only 4 years old!!! Her last labs look like those of a healthy cat!!!
Although this is a British site, I find the information that is there, very helpful and realistic. www.felinecrf.org Another good site is www.felinecrf.com They both have lots of information about diet!!! Good luck with Priscilla and please keep us posted!! Sandra

[phesina]

I took Priscilla in today because she hadn't been eating much in the last few days and was quite listless. She vet took some blood and found a hematocrit reading of only 11.5, down from 14 a few days ago which was already too low. She said Priscilla's bone marrow is just not making new red blood cells. She'll call me tomorrow with the BUN and Creatinine results and what they might indicate.

I told her about the people here with cats that have been going along for years with kidney failure and asked her about the Royal Canin food (thanks, Candace). She said we're past that point where the kind of food can make a difference. Priscilla needs to get high caloric content into her, so the vet put her on Eukanuba Maximum Calorie food because that's the highest and told me to syringe-feed her 6 ml 3 times a day.

We're going to try something called Epogen, which will stimulate red cell growth... for a while. It is made for humans, and for a while it will work with cats but eventually the species difference catches up with it and makes it ineffective. She said it only comes in a human form and has not been made for cats yet. She ordered some, and it should arrive in a day or two.

She also said she would be glad to refer me to experts on kidney failure, e.g., at the veterinary college at Michigan State University or specialists in private practice, if I wanted to consult any of them. I might a bit later, but right now I just see how we'll do getting more nourishment into her and seeing how the Epogen does.

I took her home and managed to get 6 ml of the Max Cal into her. That's messy stuff! Kind of soupy and smelly. But if it does the trick, it's golden. Then I gave her her evening subQ fluids and her 2 quarter-tabs of something called Blood and Energy K9 which is also supposed to help stimulate the red cell growth (though it doesn't seem to be doing it yet).

Raven's Mother, thanks for the two web sites. I took a quick look, and they both look full of valuable information. That's great to hear how well your cats are doing!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your good wishes and suggestions and thoughts and hopes and prayers, and please keep them coming.

Pat and Priscilla

[Barbara]

My vet also says that the most important thing is they shouldn't lose weight- so it's better if they eat anything than not eating.
I hope that the process of producing the red cells can be stimulated.
All the best for Priscilla.

[ShylanHal]

That's so sad!! My dad's dog just recently died of kidney failure, we had to put him down the day before christmas eve, because he was declining so rapidly. He'd gotten into some antifreeze without us knowing and once he started showing signs of it, it was too late.
Reading this just sort of reminded me of him. I hope that your little Priscilla pulls through to live a few more happy years with you! She looks like such a sweet cat.
Now we have this big can of Royal Canin dog food to get rid of, and (I dont' think this is bad, is it?) I've been giving little bits of it to Clover and Echo as treats and christmas dinner to get rid of it. We also still have a big box of IV fluids and such that we're needing to return to the vet.
Do you know how her kidneys failed? Was is just a random event? Or did something happen that would make them fail suddenly like that?
But yeah, I hope she pulls through to spend more years with her loving and caring meowmie, and I bet with your love and care she has a good chance of it!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that the new food and meds will help Priscilla. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[kb2yjx]

Please check your pm's!!!

[phesina]

Well, this afternoon I called the vet's office and was told the Epogen had come in. I should bring Priscilla in so they can show me what to do, so off we went. She weighed 5.1 pounds, up maybe 1/10 pound from yesterday.

Dr. Lewis (the vet) said she had been going over Priscilla's record more thoroughly today and noticed that she had a hematocrit of 11 the last time she'd been tested, about 2 weeks earlier, so it seems to have leveled out (for now anyway) rather than just dropped from 14 in a short time.

She'd been on the phone today with Michigan State and also with a kidney specialist named Dr. Eli. He advised before starting Epogen to thoroughly rule out any other possible underlying causes such as bartonella and something else I don't remember the name of (by mycoplasma test) and to do a CBC. So she took some more blood to send off for these tests, and until we get the results of these (some time next week) we'll hold off on deciding to start the Epogen. Right there that feels like a kind of reprieve!

Meanwhile, another medication that had been on order for Priscilla, Calcitriol, also came in today. Her calcium level is also very low, and this is to help build that back up. Dr. Lewis said to start that, one per day, and keep on with the fluids and the MaxCal syringe meals and the Blood and Energy..

So we came back home, and I gave her her mid-day 6 cc of Max Cal, and her Calcitriol capsule, and her subQ fluids, and her Blood and Energy two quarter-tabs. Then I got out from the refrigerator a can of leftover 9 Lives Liver & Bacon I'd tried to tempt her with a few days ago but she had no interest in, and I divided it between the four other cats. I left a little in the can with some of the juice with it and set that before her. What did she do but start eating it!

So I got out another earlier-reject, 9 Lives Ocean Whitefish, and gave her a spoonful of that. And she ate it right up!

This is the first time in about a week that she has eaten food voluntarily on her own!

I gave her another 3 cc of the MaxCal, just to make sure she had plenty of calories on board.

She's more alert and more interested in the world around her.

I have to say I think all the Pet Talk prayers and good wishes and kindnesses .. not to mention the work of the Pet Angel Search And Rescue Squad ... must be having an effect!

Thank you so much, all you wonderful people and critters and angels, and please keep the goodness coming..

Barbara, you're right, that they should eat anything rather than lose weight. Maybe she's going to start putting some back on now! Thanks for your good wishes.

ShylanHal, I'm so sorry about your dad's dog, especially with this happening the day before Christmas. Antifreeze, that's deadly, that's so horrible for animals to get into. Please give him my sympathy.

Thanks for your good wishes too. There doesn't seem to be anything in particular that we've been able to determine that triggered Priscilla's kidney failure now. It seems just to have happened, a lot earlier than we ever would have expected. I asked Dr. Lewis if there was anything I could or should have done that would have prevented this. She said I did nothing wrong, and "I'm going to get you one of those bumper stickers that says.." [whispers] "..SHIT HAPPENS."

Thanks again for your good energies again, KAK. And Raven's Mom, I checked, and I'm gonna give it a try!

Thanks so much, everyone!

Priscilla and Pat

[ShylanHal]

I sent him your sympathies, and he sends you some of his own, and we both are praying that you'll have some good years with your baby.
And if your vet doesn't give you that bumper sticker, I sure will! how truthful is that! But even with all this shit in the world, we always seem to pull through. Talk about resiliance!

[Catty1]

YAY Cilla! Start eating like a little piggy! Get better soon, sweetie!

Very good news so far!

[kb2yjx]

The fact that Priscilla is eating on her own is wonderful news!!!! Another thing to have handy is chicken baby food, that is the BRIBE food that I use! Continued prayers!!!! YEA!!!!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks for the update. I'm so glad to hear that Priscilla is starting to eat on her own again.:) I hope that her health will continue to improve and that she'll also start gaining some weight. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[AbbyMom]

So glad she's eating better now...let's hope it lasts. Like many others, I, too, had a sub-q furbaby who didn't like to eat. You do what you can to make them comfortable.

Have you tried canned salmon? The stink stimulates their appetite.

Prayers on the way for you and Priscilla.

[catmandu]

The Found Cats Wish That They Could Send Priscilla A Case Of Fancy Feast To Help Her Get Better!
They Are Praying That Thier Friend Continues To Recover , And Is 100 % Very Soon.

[phesina]

Thank you good friends and kitties. Priscilla has been eating today too. When I was about to get up, she jumped up on the table by my bed to let me know she's WAITING for her breakfast.. First time in a while she'd left her resting quarters let alone jumped up on something.. She ate some more Eukanuba Renal kibble and more Fancy Feast kibble.. got her fluids and her Blood and Energy and her Calcitriol and her MaxCal syringes..

I got home this afternoon and found a message from Dr. Lewis saying she'd heard back from the guy at Michigan State.. he thinks we should get a urine sample and do some tests on that.. also maybe do something else medically. I tried calling her back, but she'd just left, so she'll get back to me tomorrow. I also made an appointment to drop Priscilla off at the vet's next Tuesday (first day anything can be done what with weekend and holiday) so they can get a urine specimen.

Thanks, ShylanHal and your dad for the sympathy and good wishes (and the bumper sticker thought), Candace for the cheers, Raven's Mom for the food suggestions (we already keep chicken baby food on hand! sometimes she loves it, sometimes has no interest), KAK for the encouragement, AbbyMom for the canned salmon suggestion (good idea about the smell! I'll get some!),and Gary for the Fancy Feast idea (usually we have that around but not right now, so I'll pick some of that up too). Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support and kind positive thoughts and encouragement.. Priscilla and I both love you all! (Peony and Sydney and Poppy and Elmer think you're pretty swell too. :D )

Pat and Priscilla

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I am glad to hear she is eating on her own! YAY PRISCILLA!! I will continue prayers for your special girl. I hope the news continues to be good! Katie and kitties

[rg_girlca]

What wonderful news that Priscilla is eating and starting to feel better.
Wait a go Priscilla. :D

Prayers on the way that she continues to do well.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Pat.

[Anikaca77]

I'm sending along my prays and I know that Priscilla is very grateful for what you are doing for her.

[phesina]

Thank you, Katie and kitties (I kiss cats on the lips too!), Lorraine, and Anikaca77 for all the prayers and good wishes!

Priscilla just had her lunchtime syringe-feeding of MaxCal plus a few tuna-flavored Feline Greenies she ate on her own.

Love and purrs,
Priscilla and Pat

[kb2yjx]

That is great that Priscilla ate on her own!!!

[carole]

Come on Priscilla sweetie we are all here for you and Meowmie,hoping and praying you will continue to eat well and stablise, I am so sorry to hear about the troubles and worries you are having with your precious furbabie right now, know that you are very much in our thoughts and we sure hope she keeps improving, take care and hugs.

[phesina]

Thank you, Raven's Mom and Carole, for your prayers and encouragement, which Priscilla seems to be taking to heart.. She's still eating on her own!

Dr. Lewis and I have been playing phone tag for two days. I'm trying to catch up with her to find out what the Michigan State guy said and if I should change anything we're doing.

Thanks again, everyone, all you wonderful people and cats!

Love and purrs,
Priscilla and Pat

[kimlovescats]

I'm just now reading this thread and am sorry to hear of all that Priscilla has been going through. Hugs to you too, Meommy, for caring so much for her! ;) I pray that she continues to eat well and that her labs get much better!

Kim

[kb2yjx]

Hopefully after the Michigan State vet hears that Priscilla is eating on her own, nothing will be changed!!! Keep on eating Priscilla!!!!

[Soapets]

I'm keeping Priscilla in my prayers, too. I'm glad she seems some better, and is eating. PT prayers can work miracles, I've learned! Hang in there, and please keep us posted...........

[elizabethann]

My Cosmo has kidney disease. He was diagnosed this past summer. I thought for sure I would lose him. I had to give him sub-q fluids daily. He wouldn't eat the K/D so I bought some Fancy Feast Medlies and he gobbled it up. He is now doing better & eating normally. I no longer have to give him fluids. He lost a ton of weight at first, but now he has gained about 3 pounds.

Quick question, did your vet recommend EPAKITIN? It's a nutritional supplement (a powder) you mix in with the food. It has to be prescribed by a vet. You may want to inquire about that.

I will pray for your kitty. Take care.

[phesina]

Dear Kim, Raven's Mom, Deb, and Elizabethann, thanks so much for all your prayers and words of encouragement and love to both Priscilla and me. I think she knows she has all these people and animals pulling for her. She's still eating!

The Michigan State vet (who it turns out is a woman, not a "guy") thought perhaps we should hold off on the Calcitriol and go back to the PhosLo Priscilla had been getting before (her phosphorus levels were also way too low). But Dr. Lewis said, since things are going so well right now, to keep on as we have been at least until she gets the urinalysis results.

Elizabethann, I'm so happy to hear how well Cosmo is doing after what sounds like a close call. That encourages me and Priscilla very much.

Priscilla has been taking Epakitin for quite a while. I used to mix some of the powder in with her wet food. Since now I'm not sure how much of any particular wet food she might eat, I sometimes just put a little on her tongue. She gets annoyed with me when I do that, though, so it hasn't been very regular.

After the kidney crash, she was also getting a pill supplement, Azodyl, which is made by the same company, Vetoquinol, which makes Epakitin. We're off that right now, but she could be put back on it.

Incidentally, Epakitin is not a prescription supplement.. as I found out when I ran out of my first bottle. I did a Google search on it. You can order it from many different companies, and it is MUCH cheaper than the vet's price! That's how I got my second bottle of it, and if we go back on the Azodyl I'll get that through the web too.

Thanks again, everyone, and we'll keep you posted.

Happy New Year!

Pat and Priscilla (and Peony, Poppy, Sydney, and Elmer too)

[kb2yjx]

Happy New Year to Pat and Priscilla!!! Keep eating!!!!

[phesina]

Thank you, Sandra, and happy New Year to you and your babies too!

Priscilla has started off the new year with an appetite... You go, girl!

Pat

[kimlovescats]

Thank you, Sandra, and happy New Year to you and your babies too!

Priscilla has started off the new year with an appetite... You go, girl!

Pat


Good girl, Priscilla! Kissies for a good and Happy New Year! ;)

[phesina]

Thank you, Kim. She's even eating some of the MaxCal wet food on her own, so I don't have to syringe-feed it all!

Happy New Year to you and yours, too!

Pat

[kb2yjx]

All fingers and paws are crossed that this is a good indication that Priscilla is well on the road to recovery!!!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra. I brought home some Fancy Feast Whitefish & Tuna Feast tonight. Boy, did she ever tear into that! (So did all the others, or I would have given her more! Back to the store to get more tomorrow.)

Yesterday she went to the vet's so they could collect a urine sample. They'll let me know the results when they get them - 5 to 7 working days. Meanwhile, we're to keep on as we have been.

Pat

[kb2yjx]

Hi Pat!!
You know even though Fancy Feast is not the best for a kidney cat to eat, there are times when you just have to get them to eat again!!! Molly is like that. All the things I know about the protein go right out the window!! I am so happy to hear about Priscilla REALLY enjoying her Fancy Feasts!!!! O,O, I think Molly heard!!!! Take Care, Sandra

[phesina]

Hi Sandra!! I tried another Fancy Feast (chicken liver and something, I think) on her, but she was not interested. You'll be glad to know it did not go to waste, though, as the other cats made short work of it.

I haven't had a chance yet to pick up more of the Ocean Whitefish and Tuna Feast yet.. but this evening she ate a serving of the MaxCal on her own so I did not have to syringe-feed it.

She likes kibble too (KD! and now and then some Fancy Feast kibble), but I don't think she eats much of it. She looks like she's really working on it, and then I see she's still got quite a bit in her bowl.

I know Fancy Feast is not the greatest kidney-cat food in the world, but sometimes I just want her to eat something and really enjoy it!

Thanks again,
Priscilla and Pat and the gang

[kb2yjx]

Continued HOORAYS for Priscilla!!! Eat, girlfriend!!! Molly just loves her Friskies! Wen I tell the vet what she eats, the vet cringes, but Molly IS eating, and at 13+ that is what we want.....Enjoy your food Priscilla!

[Randi]

I'm sorry to see what Priscilla has had to go through - and you too, but glad she's now eating on her own. :) You are such a good mommy.

It seems that some of the medicine has helped. I hope Priscilla will continue to feel perkier and have many years with you yet. :)

Sending positive thoughts to Priscilla, and you. Give her kisses and scritchies.

[sandragonfly]

just reading this, your precious priscilla! I can relate you, my little star girl had CRF a couple years ago and it took her a while to perk back up! you can read more here (http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=88517).

I'm so sorry you're going through this with your baby, not a good feeling .. worried, worrying and stressful! I'm glad to read that she eats a lot (than what my star could ab ovo) better, you go girl! :)

when I learned that star wouldn't want to eat ANYTHING, the last suggestion I tried was a chunk of natural raw meat (best from fresh market or butcher anywhere) - she ate like she hadn't eaten in months! they had to be in SMALL portions, she can't eat too fast! :eek: after that, I feed all of my ark raw diet and never went back to kibbles ever again. except for recently because I was gone. my cats hardly get sick now.

maybe you could try that too, it'd be pretty hard when you have other cats to feed altogether. good luck and I hope cilla's appetite continues and her better in no time! (((hugs)))

..gina & the furrfelines
(zephyra, ocean, eclypse, clayton, shaddow, whispers, midnight, star, gus, echo and two guestkittens, tortie and apollo!) ;)

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra and Randi and Gina, for all your encouragement and suggestions and good wishes.

Priscilla's appetite isn't as strong as a few days ago. She still eats some on her own but not as much. I got a couple more cans of the Fancy Feast Ocean Whitefish and Tuna Feast, but she's NOT interested now. (Of course, most cats do that, eat some food like they can't get enough of it, and then after you buy a whole lot of it they no longer want it.) She still eats some kibble but not a lot, and I'm back to the syringe-feeding.

She wants to be closer to me than she has in the past. I'll pick her up and she'll hug me, her face to my chest or neck and her paws around my neck. She's sitting on my lap as I write this. She was never a lap cat or the real openly-affectionate type before; much more independent.

Gina, I read some of your thread about Star. I felt so bad for her, and then I was so happy to realize she made it through all that. How is she now? Once again I'm amazed when I learn about cats that come down with CRF and then pull through. Very encouraging and hopeful for Priscilla and me!

What do you mean by natural raw meat? Organic or additive-free or something like that? Sounds like something worth trying, if your cats are doing so well with it. Over the holidays I pet-sat a cat that is fed entirely on raw chicken liver, beef, and fish plus some Liv-a Littles Whole Chicken Treats. I thought that diet must be deficient in some of the nutrients that cats need. But then, I suppose that's what they eat in the wild, raw meat..

Thanks very much, everyone,

Pat and Priscilla

[Cataholic]

Just finished reading up on Priscilla. I hope she re-gains her appetite. Good thoughts headed your way.

Johanna

[jennielynn1970]

Have you tried any of the new Fancy Feast canned foods?? I know they are pricey, but my finicky guys eat it. I buy it as a treat mainly, but my newest cat in the family, who is FIV+ and about 12 or so, has practically no teeth and eats mainly wet food. He doesn't care for friskies, but loves Fancy Feast, and really enjoys the new stuff.

One of our cats at the shelter is on a raw food diet. I think the shelter mgr gets it freeze dried or something like that. They have a lot of it available on one site I checked out early this week http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
They deal in only holistic, natural foods for dogs and cats. If you haven't seen the site before, you might want to check it out. They have all kinds of foods, treats and things like that.

Good luck, and I hope your kitty starts to feel better, and eat more on her own shortly!

[RedHedd]

Please do talk to your vet about special diets for kidney compromised kitties. High protein is not good for them and makes the kidneys work harder, not something you want. Most of the prescription diets for kidney cats is low protein, but sufficient nutrition to keep them healthy. I do hope Phesina is feeling better.

Have you tried the wet K/D? Mishi LOVES it.

[phesina]

Thank you, Johanna, Jenn, and RedHedd for the encouraging words and good thoughts. Priscilla's appetite is still not quite what it should be. She eats some on her own but not a lot.

Jenn, I tried one of the new Fancy Feasts.. she wasn't interested (though the others loved it). I will try another one of the flavors. I took a quick look at the Only Natural site, and thank you. There are a couple of places not that far from here that carry some of those foods; I'll check them out too.

However, I wonder if, as RedHedd says, high protein is not good for kidney-compromised cats, and what I looked at about the raw foods says they are high in protein.. would this not be a good idea for Priscilla? I will ask the vet about it. Gina said her Star loves raw food and Star and her other cats do very well with it.

RedHedd, we have tried the wet K/D, both original and chicken flavors, and the Eukanuba and Purina canned prescription kidney foods.. sometimes she'll eat some, and sometimes she won't. I'll try giving her a little more later, and see if today is a Paws-Up or Paws-Down day.

Thanks very much, everyone, it really helps Priscilla and me to get all these suggestions and encouragement!

Pat

[Catty1]

Hi, Pat - low protein is best for kidney problems, but check with your vet...if the most important thing is to get her eating right now, then I think a little leeway is okay. Check with your vet, though.

I think what Gina was suggesting was to get some beef, like stewing beef, and cut one piece up into little bits, and see if she likes that. The protein is high, but there is iron and other good things in it.

Just see how she likes it.

Also, if there is a wet food she likes, mix it with a bit of warm water, so she gets more liquid in her.

HUGS

[sandragonfly]

hi! just am reading this .. I'm sorry I didn't warn you threads about my star would be pretty long! (four long threads altogether.) they can be a bit overwhelming, I know.

yes, raw meat gives high protein and good nutrients (unless you cook), that also is why star couldn't eat a lot at first. because your cat is failing one of most active organs - kidneys and weak kidneys will not handle high (enough) proteins at first. I began with very very little, like noahsmommy's cat, micah, (where I learned at first from her in the threads you read), little portions of beef chunks then chicken and carefully. it sure was a slooow progress but now she, with a permanent damaged stomach, is doing awesomely great! certainly worthed it. when noahsmommy at first told me about raw diet, (yes, organic) I talked with my vet, he reccomended me to not...even second opinion from my usual vet but that was last thing I could try little by little, she HAS to eat something!! she went right into them (plus, most importantly with a lot of subq-fluids) and gosh, look at her! it was a miracle progress as well, it now is impossible to tell she has abdominal problems. she would have still throw up and deal with more bad days by now.

maybe you could ask for noahsmommy's help too, she is great at this too. but of course, please do talk with your vet and more than a few opinions are always best too, see what they think, you never know what they or food could for your little dear one. also priscilla, don't give a second thought to PM star! ;)

gentle, very gentle hugs and stritches to your dear priscilla please and let us know!

[kb2yjx]

I give Molly some Royal Canin Renal LP dry along with her Fiskies. I think my vet mentioned that they make wet food in pouches. Maybe you can get a sample or two from your vet. But then, Priscilla MAY like it, then you will order it and change her mind!!!

[kb2yjx]

Just checking in to say HI! and how is Priscilla doing?

[phesina]

Thanks, Candace and Gina and Sandra. Priscilla is doing about the same.. eats some but not much on her own, and I give her some MaxCal mixed with a little warm water, mostly from a syringe, and I give her her fluids twice a day. I spoke with Dr. Lewis a little this evening. I asked her about the raw meat, and she said that while high-calorie food is not the best in kidney cases, at this point you just want her to eat so I should try anything I think she might like.

I did try some more of the Fancy Feast Ocean Whitefish and Tuna, but she still was not interested, and some of the Eukanuba Multi-Stage Renal wet food, but she voted Paws Down this time.

Dr. Lewis wants to check her hematocrit again and see if it is still holding steady at around 11 (or even improving), so I'm taking Priscilla over tomorrow afternoon for that blood test.

Thanks for the details of how you introduced Star to the raw-meat diet, Gina. I think I will give that a try when I can pick up a little raw organic meat, with luck tomorrow.

Thanks again, everyone, for all your thoughts and encouragement and prayers and good wishes.

Pat and Priscilla

[Barbara]

I'm sorry to hear that there are still not many things Priscilla is interested in.
With Filou raw meat is always a favorite- he loves ground steak ;)

[Killearn Kitties]

I am just seeing this thread about Priscilla for the first time today. I don't have any experience of this situation to share with you, but send my best wishes for Priscilla's blood test.

[orangemm]

Best wishes and fervent prayers for Priscilla and you. I hope she keeps on eating!

We had that experience with some of our RB cats. We tried everything we could think of to get them to eat. It was like a cheering section when one would take a couple of bites!

Come on Priscilla, you can do it!!!

[sandragonfly]

hi pat and priscilla, I had been thinking about you both, had to come and check on you, priscilla! I'm sad to hear you're still not eating... I wish you would tell us what you'd like! {{{gentle stritches}}} ..

pat, what your vet said were the same thing what mine said. but can you imagine a really, really small portion of a raw meat (baby red grape-size, maybe?) would kill priscilla instantly? "it can't be, it didn't killed me! it gave me a miracle..," said star. if priscilla loves it, try mix it with whatever other vet food she would try so she wouldn't get too much of "high-attackers". what's her BUN level? star had really high - highest probably - when she began eating raw meat. don't let this discourage you, it took star about a month and half to look a lot better, and perky, ...well worth it!!!

we all wish you a big luck that priscilla would eat something today! AND big desiring hope there would be no murphy's law today either! we love you, little one... please eat.

p.s. be careful with steak - chicken, than any other meat are always best to begin with for a start! gentle protein for now...

[kb2yjx]

Cats sure can be frustrating!! BUT, at least Priscilla is eating, even though it be a little!! Boo did the same thing. I gave her baby food, canned tuna, even her ALL time favourite food, butter. ANYTHING to get her to eat....and eventually, she did eat... Sandra

[phesina]

Thanks for the good wishes and suggestions, Barbara, Karen, orangemm, Gina, and Sandra.

After I take Priscilla for her blood test (5:20pm), I will stop by Whole Foods and pick up a bit of raw organic beef. Should I just cut off a little tiny baby-grape-size chunk and offer it to her? Cut the little piece up into smaller bite-size pieces?

She didn't want to eat at all this morning. I syringe-fed her her 5cc of MaxCal. When I got here this afternoon, she wanted something to eat, so I gave her kibble, first KD and then Fancy Feast. She ate a little of both. I then tried one of those new Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys: White Meat Chicken Florentine in a Delicate Sauce With Garden Greens (who names these things?). She ate a little of the sauce off the top of her serving. The other cats took care of the rest. So then I syringe-fed her some more MaxCal.

Thanks, all, for the pep talk and the cheers.. I'm telling her too, You Go, Girl! (as well as how much I love her).

Pat
Pat

[elizabethann]

Thanks for the good wishes and suggestions, Barbara, Karen, orangemm, Gina, and Sandra.

After I take Priscilla for her blood test (5:20pm), I will stop by Whole Foods and pick up a bit of raw organic beef. Should I just cut off a little tiny baby-grape-size chunk and offer it to her? Cut the little piece up into smaller bite-size pieces?

She didn't want to eat at all this morning. I syringe-fed her her 5cc of MaxCal. When I got here this afternoon, she wanted something to eat, so I gave her kibble, first KD and then Fancy Feast. She ate a little of both. I then tried one of those new Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys: White Meat Chicken Florentine in a Delicate Sauce With Garden Greens (who names these things?). She ate a little of the sauce off the top of her serving. The other cats took care of the rest. So then I syringe-fed her some more MaxCal.

Thanks, all, for the pep talk and the cheers.. I'm telling her too, You Go, Girl! (as well as how much I love her).

Pat
Pat

I thought for sure your cat would eat the Fancy Feast Medleys since that is the only thing Cosmo would eat after he was diagnosed with Kidney Disease. Have you tried just giving your kitty some tuna juice? Or putting some tuna juice on the cat food? Just a thought.

[sandragonfly]

yes, just one at a time.. see if she likes it. if she does - don't give her more than three chunks a day for about one or two weeks, it depends all on how she's looking, adjusting then you can increase little by little. along with, what she seemed to like, medley food too. remember, it's a SLOW progress and she needs it to be sure she's going on right path as far as can be. her mommy's heart will know. :)

anxiously waiting to hear the outcome, I hope anything you tried for her today will work!

thinking of you all..

[kb2yjx]

Hope Priscilla ate a tiny bit of the raw meat and that her blood results are good!!!

[rg_girlca]

Come one Priscilla, please start to eat a bit more. You HAVE to get better.

Prayers and positive thoughts on the way for your precious Priscilla.

[phesina]

Thanks, Elizabethann, Gina, Sandra, and Lorraine, for your suggestions and instructions and good energies.

We're back from the vet's now. AND GUESS WHAT: Priscilla has gained a bit of weight: from 5.0 to 5.3 pounds.. and her hematocrit has risen from 11 to 13. !!!!!!!! Hallelujah! !!!!!!!!

The vet said we should keep on doing what we're doing.

She also had some of the urinalysis results: it determined the type of kidney damage. One type involves damage to the cells that do the filtering; the other to the tubules that keep the liquids flowing. Priscilla's is the tubule damage, which is better because it means the sub-Q fluid helps with that. We should get the rest of the results this week.

I didn't get the meat yet.. it took a lot longer than I'd expected at the vet's. (Anyway, I wanted to see if there was anything else to keep in mind about what to get.) I'll pick some up tomorrow. Thanks for the detailed instructions on how much to give her, Gina.

I have another flavor of the Fancy Feast Medley to try on her tomorrow. I've given her tuna juice on occasion, but she's usually not interested (though sometimes she is). That's a good idea, Elizabethann, to put some on cat food. I'll give that one a try.

See, all the good advice and encouragement and prayers and love that Priscilla and I are getting from all you wonderful PT folks is really making a difference! We can't thank you enough.

Love,
Priscilla and Pat

[rg_girlca]

Oh gosh, this is great news. :)

Come on pretty girl, keep up the good work and keep on eating sweetheart.

Prayers continuing for you to get well.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Pat.

[kb2yjx]

That is wonderful news!!! Priscilla, do the best you can do!! (((hugs)))for Pat for all her hard work!!! Sandra

[phesina]

Thank you, Lorraine and Sandra, for the hugs and prayers and good wishes and encouragement.

Today I went to the meat counter at Whole Foods. I discovered that their organic meat is all prepackaged, such as a package of 4 ground-beef patties for $8-something and on up. The person behind the counter (I don't think she was a butcher) said all the meat is "natural" (that overused, meaningless word), pesticide-free, chemical-free, hormone-free, from free-range cattle, yadada, yadada, and I could get whatever amount I wanted. There were many different kinds and cuts of beef and other meats. I wound up getting a few chunks of stewing beef as a starter.

I brought it home for the Taste Test: I took a little chunk and tore it into tinier chunks and put it in a bowl before Priscilla. She sniffed it, moved away, sniffed it again, moved away again, did this a few times more, then finally settled down and ate them! So I brought some more over for her. She sniffed, then pulled back and just looked at it. I tore off tiny pieces and put them in her mouth. She ate them but was not interested in eating more on her own.

Meanwhile, the other cats are hovering around, homing right in on this. I finally served them each a small chunk in a bowl. Sydney and Poppy ate a little, testing it out to decide what it was and if they wanted to eat it. Elmer just vacuumed his up, then headed for the others' bowls and finished what they hadn't finished yet. I brought a bowl in to Peony in the bedroom. Later it was empty, but I don't know if she ate it or one of the others did.

About an hour later, Sydney threw up a small portion of beef along with a hairball. Maybe the stuff has sort of a Laxatone effect?

This afternoon Priscilla's appetite seems to have picked up in general. She ate a fair amount of KD kibble on her own, before the meat trial. After that, I gave her some wet Eukanuba Multi-Stage Renal food. Again, she sniffed, pulled away, sniffed and pulled away again, a few times more. I put a bit on her tongue a couple of times and she then ate the rest on her own.

So, I'm not sure whether to try another type of raw meat on Priscilla.. some real organic meat.. I'm sure in Ann Arbor there must be some place(s) much more organic and alternative and groovy and holistic and all that than Whole Foods.. or some other cut of beef, or some other type of meat..

It certainly made a big hit with Elmer, anyway! He thanks you all.

Priscilla and I do too.

Pat and Priscilla and Elmer (and Peony and Poppy and Sydney too, of course)

[kb2yjx]

Priscilla, you are a hoot!!! Bound and determined to do it YOUR way!!!!

[Marigold2]

Oh I am so sorry to hear that your kitty is ill. We also had a cat our beautiful Cassiegirl that we lost on Nov 20th six years ago due to kidney failure. Our Cassiegirl was only 5 she was a beautiful calico we found at the ASPCA in Lorain, Ohio. I wish you all the luck and please know that just because our story did not turn our well doesn't mean your kitty will not be ok. Each case is different and special in treatment and outcome. My prayers are with you, chin up, stay positive.

[sandragonfly]

hi, pat! (and elmer) :)

sorry sydney barfed out, I think that's normal when someone starts something new - it's common for cats to puke, and have diarrhea for first two weeks when they first switch over to raw diet. but stop if it doesn't get any better. you had seen, sydeny's hairball got out! probaby is why..

lol...meaningless word?? well, it's important!! so glad she's still eating! I remember star had to eat out of my hands for about two weeks too - when someone is SO sick, they wouldn't want to try, or do anything yet. after two weeks, she knows what she's getting! I also tried raw chicken, she liked it better than beef. maybe you could try that, with some flavored (tuna? salmon?) juice and meldeys/KDs.. I know $8 -- sounds miserable but you could give it to someone else, as I told you, being a multicat mother over this little chunk is pretty busy! :eek: ;)

I hope she's looking a bit perky, is she purring at all? at least a bit active since she had gained some weight? many hugs to you sweetie, I'll be waiting to hear how new you're doing..

and hugs to you too, great meowmie pat.

[phesina]

Thank you, Sandra, Marigold, and Gina. Thanks for all the good wishes. Marigold, I am so sorry about your Cassiegirl. That's so sad to lose her so young. I've been learning since I posted Priscilla's story here that cats in kidney failure can sometimes keep on for quite a while, sometimes not. I hadn't known that before.

Priscilla had no interest in the raw stewing beef this evening. When I would put a small piece on her tongue, she would just let it fall out of her mouth. Elmer, Poppy, and Sydney all ate theirs and had seconds (and even thirds). Elmer would pick his piece up out of the bowl and drop it on the rug. Then he'd pick it up again and shake it around and work at it. I think he thought it was prey he'd just killed (not that he'd ever killed anything before). Peony again was not interested at all in it. Nobody has thrown up yet, but it hasn't been very long yet since they ate.

Then I got out the Fancy Feast Elegant Medley Yellowfin Tuna Florentine in a Delicate Sauce With Garden Greens. Priscilla tore right into her serving of that! I gave her a second helping, most of which she finished. The others all liked that too.

Priscilla had already had her day's quota of MaxCal and kibble and SubQ fluids and medications, so this was all extra for her.

Gina, she is quite perky, considering.. When I get out the bowls to start serving out the kibble, she zips right over. She purrs quite a bit, too. You're right, Sandra, Priscilla does it HER way!

I will maybe try some raw chicken next. They had chicken livers at Whole Foods; maybe I'll try a bit of that. Gina, do you think the ground organic beef might tempt her? I would buy the expensive stuff if I thought it would really make a difference. 4 patties is a lot, even for 5 cats, and I'd hate to see some go bad before it could be eaten.

Well, that is the latest, folks. Thanks again for all your suggestions and encouragement and love.

Pat and Priscilla and the gang

[sandragonfly]

oh I forgot.. how cold do you give the chunk to her?? the more it is thawed, the more it will be smelly. different from dogs, most of my cats picked up the smell quicker than pulling them right out of freezidger.

hmm, you could try ground beef, I never tried it with star because of lovely chicken but I do feed it to my cats occassionally. well, it's more smelly/tasty, don't you think so?

don't do chicken livers (and any other livers, tongues, glizzards or hearts) yet, they would be too "richy" for precious fragile priscilla right now. they're better for stronger stomachs. go for a bit warmer stew or chicken or ground beef if she hardly eats anything else - sounds like she's doing pretty good. my star won't ever, ever zip into kitchen for about three weeks. :eek:

knowing she's purring makes me happy. and elmer is too cute. :) {{:D}} :) all of us, the ark & I are chimmining for you both! come back soon, with more food in your tummy I hope. (((hugs to all)))

(still praying for no more barfs!)

[phesina]

Hi Gina, I haven't frozen the meat, but usually it would not be long out of the refrigerator when I gave it to them. There's only a small piece left now. (Thanks for reminding me! I just took it out of the refrigerator and will let it warm up for a while before serving.)

I will try some chicken for the next time. Thanks for the heads-up about livers, Gina. I wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't told me.

I don't think I can get some right away. They are talking about nasty ice-storm weather around here over the next day or two or three...

Today Priscilla had, besides her usual servings of MaxCal and KD kibble and subQ fluid and meds, a little more Fancy Feast Elegant Medley Yellowfin Tuna Florentine etc. etc. and a bit of 9 Lives Ocean Whitefish Dinner.

She often purrs for me, does headbumpies, will hug me with her paws on either side of my neck. She is a very sweet little girl. She is still light as a feather, but I hope she is putting on a bit more weight. (3/10 of a pound at her last vet visit!)

Thanks again everyone for all the encouragement and good wishes and love.

Love,
Priscilla and Pat and the gang

[catmandu]

When my Cats wouldnt eat, I would give them the Royal Canin Baby Kitten Food with Whiskas Ultra Milk.
That worked although I often had to keep the Other Cats at bay.
We are praying for Your Priscilla.

[kb2yjx]

Priscilla, you are doing OK in my book!! Watch all the ice and be sure you, Mom, and the others are safe!!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Gary and Sandra. I will look for the Royal Canin Baby Kitten Food (is that wet or dry, Gary?) and Whiskas Ultra Milk. Hopefully tomorrow at Pet Supplies Plus.

That's happens here, too: I try something new that I hope will tempt Priscilla, and the other cats all want it, whether she does or not. (At least it doesn't go to waste if she doesn't like it.)

The ice storm hasn't hit yet. This morning the TV weather people were all going wild with it: there would be freezing rain all day, turning to sleet in the evening, turning to wet snow, the kind that packs down heavily on everything, for the next couple of days. There was a film of ice on things this morning, and it's been cold and dreary all day. Nothing coming down, though, wet or frozen. Yet. Maybe it's just delayed and will hit later. Don't worry, Sandra, I'm not going out again today, and the kitties don't go out, so we're all safe and warm, thank you!

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, dear friends!

Love,
Priscilla and Pat

[kb2yjx]

We just heard on the radio about all the ice and other elements that are hitting Ohio and OK. But, you are in the state up North(MI), so hopefully you might have been bypassed by the weather!!! The Royal Canin Kitten food that Gary mentioned, I believe is dry food. It is the teeeniest pieces of food you will ever see!!! Keep Safe!!!

[Medusa]

Glad to hear that Priscilla is doing better. My vet, Dr. Lee, agrees w/Barbara's vet, that it's better that she eats something rather than nothing. My Puddy has been in CRF for 2 years now and she is so stubborn and she turns up her nose at KD and nearly everything except her dry Purina Cat Chow and cooked chicken. So Dr. Lee said "Well then, give it to her, just make sure she gets those subQ fluids and see if she'll drink more water." So hopefully, things will go more smoothly for you. Puddy and I and the fur posse are pulling for you and Priscilla.

Blessings,
Mary

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra and Mary, for the good wishes and encouragement. That's our idea, Mary, that it's best that she eat something, anything, if she won't eat the kidney food. She will eat some of the KD kibble but not very much.

Thanks, Sandra, about the Royal Canin Kitten Food. I found Royal Canin Babycat34 Food (dry) at Pet Supplies Plus today and got a bag. They didn't have Whiskas Ultra Milk. Is that a substitute for cats with lactose intolerance, or milk replacement for kittens that don't have mommy to nurse from? I got some JustBorn Milk Replacer for Kittens, but I'll wait until I hear what to look for before I try that.

I just served up a little of the Babycat (tiny morsels, indeed!). She sniffed it, pulled back, sniffed again, pulled back again. I put a pellet in her mouth a few times. She would suck it a bit, then let it drop back into the dish. Finally she put her head down and started eating! So at least it has aroused some interest. Maybe she'll like it more with the Ultra Milk!

Mary, that's great that Puddy has been going strong for two years in CRF! Thanks to her and you and the fur posse for the good wishes.

Sandra, this morning the weather people on TV were going crazy about the storm. They were running listings of all the school systems closed today. (I thought later, they were probably all closed anyway because today is Martin Luther King Day.) They said it's going to be freezing rain all day, then sleet and snow tonight. It was like, don't go out if you don't absolutely have to, and we're really gonna be walloped.

Tihs afternoon there was a glaze of ice on and around things. Tree branches and power lines fell in many places so power was out in many communities, but by and large things were going on as usual. Then this afternoon the "ice storm" warning was cancelled, and there are just going to be a few snow flurries. So, somehow we survived safely.

That's the latest. Thanks again, dear friends!

Pat and Priscilla

[Medusa]

Something that I forgot to mention but you've prob. tried it already: baby food w/her favorite in it. Puddy's happens to be chicken but whatever Priscilla likes. And it has enough moisture in it, too, so that base is covered. Just a thought. :)

Blessings,
Mary

[phesina]

Thanks, Mary. Yes, baby food is a common fallback. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't. Her tastes change constantly. (What do I expect? After all, she's a CAT!)

Pat

[kb2yjx]

The Whiskas " Milk" is to give cats instead of milk. There may be other brands other there that I am unaware of. I will catmandu a poke to take a look at the posts!! Priscilla is behaving just like my Boo!!! Be ready to have s few more gray hairs!!! Glad you are OK. We are suppose to get some weather. Temps dropping and WIND!!!! I am going to light a fire in the stove shortly!!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra, I'll see what Gary has to say. I'll exchange the "kitten replacement" milk for the "milk substitute" kind tomorrow, if that's the one to get.

Today there is a glaze of ice on all the bare tree branches right down to the tiniest twigs. The trees look lovely in the sunlight with the glistening light sparkling from the branches. (The branches that weren't so weighted down by the ice that they broke off and took down power lines or damaged cars and things.) But boy, is it ever COLD!!!!

Oh yeah, Priscilla likes something one time, then not the next. All of them do that, to some extent, but there isn't the urgency to make sure the others each eats a minimum amount (no problem like that with any of them).

This evening she ate a very little of the KD, then a very little of the Babycat, then a little more than that of some Trader Joe's Premium Dry Cat Food. Then some syringed MaxCal and her SubQ. So she got her quota.

Keep warm!

Pat

[catmandu]

THE ROYAL BABY KITTEN FOOD IS DRY, AND USUALLY ON PROMOTIONAL PRICES OF A DOLLAR FOR THE TRIAL SIZE BAG.
AND I HAVE USED WHISKAS ULTRA MILK, AND FOUND IT VERY GOOD,
AND I KNOW THAT THE ANINAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION USES KMR AND SWEAR BY IT.
THE BEST OF LUCK WITH PRISCILLA, AND THE PET ANGELS WILL DROP BY AND SEE IF THEY CAN HELP.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/catmandu/cat%20photos%202/cats101220.jpg

[sandragonfly]

hi there all!

princess priscilla, I know this would be a long road to go but I'm glad to know you're still eating, even little by little! keep up easy work dear one.

pat, I think you should keep trying different raw meat until she tells you what she likes. well, loves! dry food may be "too dry" right now, as she needs a lot of sub-q fluids & moisture food. baby food - gerbers are best - not much artificals and salt in these. microwave it a bit up so you could smell it for priscilla.

just curious - are you thinking about, after she gets all better, to feed all of your cats raw diet? that would prevent anybody from kidney failures for next time. also, cheaper way to keep them healthier. trader joe's beef is what I got for star too.

is she doing her business good and regularly? I hope so, will be keeping you all in our purryers and sending cozy vibes to keep you all warm!! we just had ice storm here yesterday - always a good reason to own pets. :D all those cuddles, huggles and snuggles.. :)

[Marigold2]

Hello,
I am so glad to hear that Priscilla is eating. My vet told me that the smeller the cat food the better since the amora makes them want to eat. Hang on to hope and enjoy each others time together. Priscilla sounds so loving and so loved. That is all any one can hope for wheather we are human or animal. Some people never get loved or know how to love. And sometimes an animal has more love, sweethness, kindness and understanding then a hundred people. I will continue to keep you and Priscilla in my prayers. It sounds as if she is doing well. Take care, Monica

[kb2yjx]

I can attest to the above post about the smelly cat food!! It also helps to capture a cat for a rescue!!! But Priscilla is doing things her way and so far she is eating, although not alot, but she IS eating!!!

[phesina]

Thank you, everyone, for all the warm thoughts and good advice.

Priscilla went to the vet's today to get started on Epogen because of her low red blood cell count. But she had gained another .2 pound, and her hematocrit went up slightly from 13 to 14.. so once again we're going to wait on that and keep going as we are, and check her again in another week. Good little Priscilla, doing so well in her own little way!

I've had a long day and I'm very tired, so I'll say more in response to the suggestions about food tomorrow.

Thanks again, and love from us,
Pat and Priscilla (and Poppy and Elmer and Sydney and Peony)

[sandragonfly]

poor you meowmie! no pressure, you don't have to answer my questions, it's not something you should worry about right now. I was looking for her picture, I think I've never saw her before. what a pretty cat!! :)


http://stu.wccnet.edu/~pmurray/MyCats/images/Priscilla5.jpg

how old was she when this picture was taken? cuddle, snuggle, and hug with all of your kids and know we are thinking about you! and you, little priscilla too! rest well.. take care,

..gina and her ark

pssst, second set of park pictures will be up today, hope they will lift your day up!

[kb2yjx]

Priscilla!! What a good report from the vet!!! See, all that picky eating resulted in a weight gain...YEA!!!! I know that this makes your Mom happy!! Pat have a relaxing evening!!! Take Care, Sandra

[phesina]

Gary, thank you, I think the Pet Angels have been on the job, because Priscilla had gained a bit of weight and had a slightly higher hematocrit when she saw the vet yesterday!

The Babycat food is dry, with very tiny pellets. I'll try a little of that mixed with the kitten milk replacement maybe tomorrow. I think Gina may be right that food with moisture is probably better.

Gina, maybe tomorrow I can pick up some more raw meat, probably chicken this time. It looks like at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's the chicken is all prepackaged, and there are all kinds of different cuts of it. What would you suggest I get to try? I might at some point switch all the cats to it if they're agreeable to the idea. Do the kinds of available raw meats have all the nutrients that cats but not necessarily humans require, such as taurine?

Thanks for the good wishes and prayers, Monica. Yes, Priscilla is doing quite well under the circumstances, and she is very loving and very loved.

Good point about the smellier the better, everyone.. That certainly gets their attention, thank you! Priscilla is doing things her way and making little steps of progress.

Gina, that picture of Priscilla is from a few years back, at least 3 because that's when I took the course where I made that web site. She was maybe 3 or 4 years old then, maybe even younger. There are a couple of recent ones of her at the beginning of this thread, but they are thumbnails and you click on them to see them regular size. (I still haven't worked out how to use PhotoBucket or one of those to put pictures right in my messages.)

Thanks, Gina and Sandra, I got a good night of sleep last night, oversleeping about 2 hours so i was late for work. I hope to get a bit more rest over the next couple of days.. Famous last words...

Thanks again, wonderful friends, we love you all,
Pat, Priscilla, Peony, Poppy, Sydney, and Elmer

[kb2yjx]

Pat, you surely deserved those extra hours of sleep!!!! I am glad to hear of Priscilla's progress!!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra. I'm still trying to catch up! Meanwhile, Priscilla continues to hang in there, doing things her way.

Today I found organic chicken at the People's Food Coop, but it's all prepackaged and even the smallest was way more meat than I wanted to get. So then I went to Sparrow's Meat Market, where they didn't have organic chicken but did have free-range, chemical-free, pesticide-free, etc.-free chicken, so I got a bit there. I haven't had Priscilla sample it yet.

Pat

[kb2yjx]

Would you mind if we came over? All that food has the Clan drooling!! I hope Priscilla continues to do HER thing and eat!!

[rg_girlca]

Has Priscilla sampled the chicken yet.

Prayers still on the way that she continues to eat and do things HER way. :)

[phesina]

Thanks, Sandra and Lorraine. Come on over!

We tried the chicken tonight. Priscilla wasn't interested, even after I made little tiny pieces for her and put a few in her mouth. At least she didn't just let them drop out of her mouth but did swallow them. Sydney ate some but left the rest of his serving. Poppy kept taking her chunk out of the bowl and putting it on the carpet and shaking it around, I guess so she could feel more like she had captured it in the wild. Elmer and Peony vaccuumed theirs up. Elmer also finished up Sydney's and Priscilla's leftovers.

I also tried some of the Babycat kibblets in some Milk Substitute. She sniffed it, pulled back, sniffed some more, pulled back some more. I put a couple of drops of the solution on her nose and tongue. She licked them up and seemed to enjoy them but not enough to exert herself and lean over to eat from the bowl. I tried a few of the little kibbles in the milk, putting them on her tongue, and she would eat them, seemingly enjoying them, but again couldn't be bothered to go to the trouble to eat them herself. Then she jumped down, so I put the bowl on the floor, where Elmer polished it off in no time.

As you can tell, Priscilla continues to do it HER way.

Again, thanks for all the prayers and encouragement and good wishes!

Love,
Pat and Priscilla

[kb2yjx]

Priscilla!! You are one very amusing kitty!!! The next thing I thought I was going to read, was that you pawed at the food and tried to hide it. Boo would do that!!! You are making sure that Mom is very much aware that PATIENCE is a virtue!!!! Sandra

[kimlovescats]

Come on now, Priscilla! Mommy is trying very hard to cater to your wishes, please be a good girl and eat up! ;)

[phesina]

I served up some more raw chicken this afternoon. Priscilla was not interested again, even after I hand-fed her several small pieces. Poppy, Elmer, and Sydney scarfed theirs right up. (Peony was snoozing in the closet, so I didn't disturb her.)

Thanks for the encouragement for Priscilla, Sandra and Kim.. Maybe one of these days she'll listen to you! Yes, one must learn patience (or go berserk) catering to the lovely Ms. Priscilla.

Pat and Priscilla

[kb2yjx]

O, dear!! I have this picture in my mind of Priscilla turning up her nose at the food!!! Sandra

[phesina]

She doesn't exactly turn up her nose at it, Sandra.. it's more like she gets close enough to it to tell it doesn't meet her approval, then pulls her head back. Come to think of it, I guess she really is turning up her nose at it!

Pat

[kb2yjx]

Hi Pat!!!
How is Priscilla doing!? Sandra

[phesina]

Hi, Sandra. Priscilla made another champion showing at the vet's yesterday. (Sorry, I didn't have a chance to check in here last evening.)

She weighed in at 5.7 pounds.. a .2 lb. increase since last week and .7 lb. increase (that's about 15 percent) over the last three weeks! And her hematocrit has gone up another couple of points to 15 now, so the plan to start her on Epogen is on hold.

I asked Dr. Lewis what is the long-term prognosis for her, and she said it's not good.. she's had cats going two years and more, but she "doubts we'll be doing all these things for her four years from now." She said Priscilla's recent improvements are due "entirely to the hard work you and she have been doing."

Meanwhile, we'll keep doing as we've been doing, and she goes back for another checkup in two weeks.

Thanks, and love to all,

Pat and Priscilla

[Catty1]

Sounds good though, Pat. Another four years? Priscilla might not have had that with other owners....you done so good with her, and the vet knows that!

I wonder about Reiki on her - I know Craftlady has had great results with Thumper. With conditions like Priscilla's - I wonder if it would be of benefit, especially since it is really manageable right now?

HUGS to Cilla and blessings to the best Meowmie she could ever have! :)

[phesina]

Thanks, Candace.. we're really working hard! I thought the four years sounded pretty good.. that she probably has a fair amount of time ahead of her (and who knows what might happen in that time...).

I don't know anything about Reiki, though I've heard of it. From what you say, it sounds like it's worth looking into. Do you know anything about it? Just today I saw an ad in a local magazine for a Reiki practitioner (though maybe just for humans). I'm sure there are more around here.

I've attached another picture of her. Dr. Lewis took this when I brought Priscilla in back in November and they wound up keeping her for three days. It was going to be her file picture. Priscilla flopped over and gazed up seductively as Dr. Lewis aimed her camera. Sorry, it is still an attachment.. one of these days when I have some time and no more-immediate tasks to take care of (whenever that might be), I will figure out how to do Photobucket or one of those.

Thanks again, Candace and everyone!

xoxoxoxoxx and purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,
Pat and Priscilla

[Catty1]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a Bee-yoo-ti-ful face! Hug that baby for me!

[kb2yjx]

Pat, our Miss Boo Boo Kitty was about 12 when she developed kidney and passed on at 16. Presently, I have 3 kidney cats. Molly, at 13, has been gettting the fluids, three times a week, for about 2+ years. She was eating the k/d, then refused to eat it or any of the other kidney diets. She presently devours Friskies(I cringe every time I feed her)and some Royla Cannin Renal LP dry. Raven will be 11 in April and has been a kidney cat for almost 7 years. She eats the canned k/d and gets sq twice a week. And there is Nicholas, who will be 11 in July. No sub q, eats the k/d and the Royal Cannin Renal LP. I will have to agree with Catty1, if it was not for what you are doing for Priscilla, she would not have improved as well as she has!!! I know if Raven was not rescued from that horrible home, she would not be alive! We do the best we can do...and that is what you are doing!! Priscilla is just precious and such a flirt!!!

[jennielynn1970]

Awe... sweet Priscilla. I hope she continues to get better! Just look at that angelic face!

[sprokett]

awwwwwwwwwwwww!! sweetness alert!!!!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Candace, Sandra, Jenn, and Sprokett. I'm glad you liked the photo. ISN'T she adorable??!!! She certainly thinks so! She's the Princess.

Wow, Sandra, you've certainly had your hands full with taking care of kidney cats! I'm very impressed that Raven has been a kidney cat for 7 years and is still going strong. You're right, we are doing the best we can. I will help Priscilla as well as I can to keep going as long as she wants to keep going.

She is on my lap purring as I write. She has been much more affectionate since all this started. Some people have said it's because she knows how hard I'm working to try and help her. But I wonder if it isn't a kitty version of the Stockholm Syndrome: here I've been doing all these mean things to her (sticking needles in her back, squirting food into her mouth, pushing pills down her throat), so she figures she'd better be nice to me or I might do even meaner things!

Pat

[rg_girlca]

AWWWWWWWW!!!! Just look at her sweet face. She is too adorable.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/tiger04/CillaDrLewis-1.jpg

[kb2yjx]

Pat!!! Priscilla's eyes are stunning!!! Have you been able to let up on the pilling and other things?
I am glad that I can help my kidney kitties. When Raven had her bloodwork done a bit ago, Dr. Ascher could not believe the results!! All was WNL(within normal limits). She said that is because Raven gets fluids and eats the kidney diet. BUT, when Molly had bloodwork done last month, the same thing happened, all WNL!! But Molly is the one who eats the Friskies(11% protein), but does get 100 cc's Lactated Ringer's TIW(three times a week). Now, I wonder does the amount of protein in the diet REALLY matter??? Anyone have an answer?

[phesina]

Sandra, I'm still doing the twice-daily subQ and syringe-feeding her to add to what she eats on her own. At this point we're working mainly on getting her hematocrit up. She is making slow and steady progress there.

That's wonderful how your girls are doing so well! Especially with Molly's Friskies diet. That is very encouraging news for Priscilla and me. Thanks!

Pat

[kb2yjx]

How much sub q do you give twice a day??? I had been doing that twice a day to Boo, and it flushed out EVERYTHING from her bladder, and she came down with an infection(bladder)caused by e.coli!! I really freaked out when I got that c&s report from the vet!!!

[phesina]

Sandra, I give her 2 units in the morning and 1 in the evening. I'll mention what you said to the vet and see what she has to say. Thanks,

Pat (and Priscilla)



How much sub q do you give twice a day??? I had been doing that twice a day to Boo, and it flushed out EVERYTHING from her bladder, and she came down with an infection(bladder)caused by e.coli!! I really freaked out when I got that c&s report from the vet!!!

[kb2yjx]

How many cc's per unit? Funny, I never heard it refered to like that...I just learned something new, Thanks, Pat and Priscilla!!!
I think I was giving Boo 100 cc's twice a day...

[phesina]

Sandra, by "unit" I meant the amount in the spaces marked off by the numbers 1 through 9 (with the fluid left after that as the 10th). I'm not sure if I heard that at the vet's or I just made it up because it went with the numbers. Each unit is 100cc or ml, and the whole thing is 1000ml or 1 liter.

I stopped by the vet's today to exchange a leaky fluid bag for one that didn't leak. I asked the tech who helped me about the problem you mentioned with everything being flushed out and your cat getting a bladder infection from e.coli. She said something like e.coli is everywhere but was quite firm that if I'm doing as the vet advised (which I am), that won't happen. I'm not sure about her. I think I'll ask Dr. Lewis about it.

Pat

[kb2yjx]

OK, I understand!!! It could have been a fluke with Boo getting the e.coli UTI, but it did happen at the same time I was give her a total of 200 cc's/day! It will be interesting to hear what the vet has to say. I hope Priscilla is doing well....

[phesina]

Lorraine, Priscilla says thank you and I do too for the compliments.. isn't she just such a darling girl?! Thank you for putting her picture in the message regular size, too.

And thanks, Sandra.. She continues to do well. She comes running when I start serving up the food. She may not actually eat a whole lot of it, but she at least licks off the flavoring as much as she can, and I supplement when needed with syringed MaxCal.

A few days ago I opened a can of a new treat: Max Cat Gourmet Classics Seafood & Tomato Bisque.. She was the first one there (followed immediately by 4 others, of course). I served her first and she dove right in. It's little chunks in a sauce, and she licked off all the sauce, then would pick up a chunk and work it in her mouth, then drop what was left of it back in the dish and pick up another one, until they were all milked (so to speak). (Her leftovers did not go to waste, by the way.)

She goes back next Wednesday for her next checkup and weighing-in.

Another thing I want to have checked out then: She has worn a collar and ID tag for years.. Well, when she got so thin and scraggly I took it off her. Then, when she started regaining weight and getting more chipper, I put it back on.. and noticed that the fur had worn away where the collar had been, mainly on the top of her neck but some all around, so I took it back off. I assume that has just occurred since these recent ailments, though I had no reason to check under her collar before this all happened. But I want to find out just what this is and if we should do anything.

That's the latest! Thanks, everyone, for all the love and support and good energy, and love and purrs to you too,

Pat and Priscilla

[Barbara]

Priscilla looks soooo cute!

Filou's kidney problems have been detected April 2005- at an early stage. He'll be 11 on Sunday. He only gets the fluids once a week and his vet feels rather sure he'll go the next year.... but you never know....
I' happy as long as he is happy........
Obviously Priscilla is in a later stage- but right now she's getting a delay thanks to all the TLC she gets from you, Pat. So we'll hope we can get them a happy life as long as possible.

[kb2yjx]

Pat!! That is so good to hear that Priscilla " comes running," when she hears food!!!! What great news to read !!!

[phesina]

Thanks, Barbara, she's indeed a cutie! And you're right, we'll give Priscilla and Filou (and all our cats) the happiest lives we can for as long as we can.

That's great that Filou is doing so well nearly 2 years along, when he's just about to turn 11... Wait a minute...

In fact, he's already 11, because it's already Sunday in Germany now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR FILOU! We all (especially Priscilla) wish you a wonderful, happy day full of love and treats, and many more birthdays to follow this one!

And thanks, Sandra, it's indeed wonderful to see Priscilla head straight for the food when it starts to make an appearance.. She doesn't exactly eat it all, but she eats some and does savor the taste and aroma.

Bye for now! Love,
Pat and Priscilla and the whole gang