Taz needs PT power! Update 2/17/07 post #43

[Taz_Zoee]

Any news??

Yes, the vet just called me an hour ago (got stuck in a meeting so I couldn't post earlier). She said the blood work came back and most everything looked good. The only concern she had was there are elevations in his kidney numbers. But that would not be affecting him at all. So that's not the answer to his rapid weight loss.
(By the way, I think I forgot to post that she did check his teeth and they looked fine)

She suggested that maybe he doesn't like his food. Boy do I have a picky cat!!! I just got him on this food (6 months ago) because he didn't like the other stuff!!
So we decided to try wet food. yuck! But whatever will help, I am willing to give it a try. I am going to mix some dry with it eventually, if he does like the wet. ((I think he doesn't like stale food. I have his food in a container that is not air tight. Might also look into an air tight container as well))

She is still going to have the radiologist review his x-rays, but he won't be in until the 5th of February. So I have to wait for that.

So the word for now is.....all is well. It looks like we will eventually have to deal with some kidney issues later, unfortunately. But we'll handle that when the time comes.

I will keep you all updated on his progress with the wet food, as well as what the x-ray results are.

Thank you all for the thoughts....see I knew it'd work!!

[Catty1]

An airtight container can be as easy as a CLEAN 4 gallon ice cream plastic tub! Use some dish soap and bleach, RINSE REALLY WELL, and make sure it is perfectly dry before using!

Also - those large plastic containers that restaurants use for their supply of pickes, etc - they are great for storing larger amounts.

The cats' food bowls are glass, and the water dish stainless steel. These others are for storage only.

Good luck with Mr. Picky!

[Taz_Zoee]

An airtight container can be as easy as a CLEAN 4 gallon ice cream plastic tub! Use some dish soap and bleach, RINSE REALLY WELL, and make sure it is perfectly dry before using!

This is a great idea!! It also gives me an excuse to eat a bunch of ice cream.
Thank you so much!

[kallisto4529]

Wooohooooo thank God so far all is well, im so glad girl, i will still keep the prayers going and the positive thoughts though. i think my cat is starting to have problems with her teeth, i noticed the other day she was not chewing her food, she was swallowing it, thank goodness its small pieces but still that is not good for her, so i may have to see if i can get her to eat wet food, she has never really liked it before but i have to try something. im not to keen on her being put under to have teeth cleaned etc, she is 14yrs old. so we shall see. im so glad taz is doing ok, hopefully the rest of the news will be great!!!!!!

[Lizzie]

The wet food will give Taz more fluids and that's very important for any cat with the beginnings of renal problems. With a special diet and more fluids, hopefully you can keep things on an even keel for some time. Is Taz eating more now that he's getting wet food?

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, I just got the wet food tonight and gave him some. He LOVES it!!!
I am only going to give him the wet to get his weight back up to where it should be, then I think we will go back to dry. Dry is easier and I'd rather not have him on the wet unless he can no longer chew the dry.
So for now all is well. We will see what the radiologist says about the x-rays and hopefully we will be a okay!

[Catty1]

I give my guys just a BIT of wet in the morning - 1/8 can of Royal Canin S/O split in half...helps the digestion and gives them a treat.

Maybe you could just keep a bit in his diet when he regains weight? Just get a good quality wet, and it can last a long time if you just feed once a day.

GOOD news on Taz...he'll be a plumper baby before you know it!

[Taz_Zoee]

Yeah, that's something to consider. Give him some wet occasionally. It's just such a pain....to have to wash the dish everytime. I'm lazy!! LOL
And on weekends I get up at 5am to feed him and go back to bed. Now it's going to be an ordeal to feed him. Don't get me wrong, I will do it. I want him to be healthy, so I will do what ever I need to do. Boy, what we do for our beloved cats.
I'm also going to start working on the tub of ice cream. Woo Hoo!!

[Catty1]

Then give him some wet at night time. And not a ton of it...my boys lick the plate clean!

Well, not CLEAN - but easy to wash! LOL

[Taz_Zoee]

Yeah, the problem with that is that my boyfriend feeds him his dinner. I can't rely on him to do it.

I gave him his dinner tonight (because Bruce hadn't fed him yet when I got home) and he hasn't touched it!!
I don't know what I am going to do with this picky cat!! I was mixing the wet with dry, so I guess I'm gonna have to try just wet. I was trying to avoid that, but it looks like I can't.
I almost feel like if I keep catering to his pickiness it's not going to go away. He'll just continue to be picky. But on the other hand, I need him to gain some weight. AARRGGHH!!
Well, I'll let ya know if he will eat just wet food.
Thanks for the replies Catty1.

Edit to add: I just went to see if he had eaten anything and he was throwing up....nothing. Because there is nothing in his stomach to throw up!!
So I cleaned out his bowl and put just wet food in it. He wouldn't touch it, but he was meowing at me like he does when he wants me to feed him. So I smelled the food (wet food always turns my stomach anyway) and it smelled metallic like. I use the stainless dishes. So I put it in a plastic dish and he still won't touch it.
My last resort is to go to the vet tomorrow and buy a small bag of dry food and keep it sealed and fresh. So that's my next step.......the saga continues tomorrow..........these are the days of his nine lives.

[DrKym]

Yeah, the problem with that is that my boyfriend feeds him his dinner. I can't rely on him to do it.

I gave him his dinner tonight (because Bruce hadn't fed him yet when I got home) and he hasn't touched it!!
I don't know what I am going to do with this picky cat!! I was mixing the wet with dry, so I guess I'm gonna have to try just wet. I was trying to avoid that, but it looks like I can't.
I almost feel like if I keep catering to his pickiness it's not going to go away. He'll just continue to be picky. But on the other hand, I need him to gain some weight. AARRGGHH!!
Well, I'll let ya know if he will eat just wet food.
Thanks for the replies Catty1.

Edit to add: I just went to see if he had eaten anything and he was throwing up....nothing. Because there is nothing in his stomach to throw up!!
So I cleaned out his bowl and put just wet food in it. He wouldn't touch it, but he was meowing at me like he does when he wants me to feed him. So I smelled the food (wet food always turns my stomach anyway) and it smelled metallic like. I use the stainless dishes. So I put it in a plastic dish and he still won't touch it.
My last resort is to go to the vet tomorrow and buy a small bag of dry food and keep it sealed and fresh. So that's my next step.......the saga continues tomorrow..........these are the days of his nine lives.

Hunny you know I love you..........so just a question, maybe a thought to look into? how about trying him on a RAW diet? I know how frustrating a picky eater can be ,but I haven't ever met a picky RAW eater. It is a thought thats all. And I will get some new Goofy pics this weekend for you I promise!

[Taz_Zoee]

LOL Kym, are you trying to bribe me with pictures of Goofy!
It might just work.
Well, what do you feed a cat on a raw diet? I never even thought of that.
And it won't be a shock to his system since he's almost 12 years old and has always just eaten regular cat food?
He also has IBD, not sure if that matters or would be even more of a reason to go raw.
Thanks for the suggestion!!

[Taz_Zoee]

I went to the vet today and picked up a small bag of his food. It actuallly comes in a resealable bag. I fed him tonight before we left to feed ourselves and when we came home he had eaten most of it! Yay!!! I am so glad.
I have been struggling with him being overweight most of his life, and now I am struggling with the exact opposite.

I was worried earlier today because I tried something just to see if he'd eat anything. I put some tuna juice on his food, because he NEVER gets tuna unless he is getting medicine. (which has probably been less than 10 times in his life) He wouldn't even touch that. But he would eat some of his treats he got for Xmas.

So I am hoping this new bag of food stays fresh and he can put a few pounds back on so we can go get his shots.

Woo Hoo!! Let's keep that PT power coming strong and we should be back to normal here soon!

[kallisto4529]

hey girl, sorry i have not been on much last couple of days, how is taz doing??? is he still being picky or is he still eating the food from the vet? I would not even begin to know how to tell you to fix any of this..lol mine is a very picky eater as well and im not sure what to do with her either. i know im going to have to put her on softer or wet food and no clue how to or what to put her on. i really hope he gets some pounds on him, i say prayers for him daily and keep the positive thoughts headed your way. talk to you soon.

[Taz_Zoee]

hey girl, sorry i have not been on much last couple of days, how is taz doing??? is he still being picky or is he still eating the food from the vet? I would not even begin to know how to tell you to fix any of this..lol mine is a very picky eater as well and im not sure what to do with her either. i know im going to have to put her on softer or wet food and no clue how to or what to put her on. i really hope he gets some pounds on him, i say prayers for him daily and keep the positive thoughts headed your way. talk to you soon.

I just sent you an email. Tonight is the first night I have had the "fresh" food and he ate it. So we shall see if he continues to eat it and puts weight back on.
As for Bei-Jing, does the food you are currently feeding her come in wet? If not, just try to get a wet food with similar ingredients. Of course that is just my opinion, and I am not an expert. LOL
Thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts, we truly appreciate it.