For Jen, Emeraldgirl - re cat cancer

[jenluckenbach]

He's stopped eating again? OH NO! Sweetie - DON'T!!!!

Maybe he IS just finicky???

PT Prayers for Mr. Meow!!!

No, don't panic, he is still eating. It is just that he won't eat certain choices.

BUT, I did buy some grain free food to try. Hopefully he will like it. (it is a much better food too, I would rather see him eating this.)

[Catty1]

Oh, OKAY, just a fussy kitty! He's doing well then!

[jenluckenbach]

Oh, OKAY, just a fussy kitty! He's doing well then!

He IS doing well. As a matter of fact, he is eating one of these new canned foods right now. (I have been trying to offer him food THREE times a day, vs. just TWO times like the other kitties) And since he doesn't wantto live with the fosters, he doesn't have access to dry food 24/7 like they do. (mine are not free-fed, downstairs)

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Candace, that information is really interesting. I have been giving Tiger the Arginine that is mentioned in the article you posted two times a day for a total of 1000mg per day. I've just ordered a product for cats with cancer that should arrive by mail in a few days. It is a combination of herbs including astragalus. I also bought some grapeseed extract but when I put it in his food, he always knows!!! And then he won't eat it. He's got such a good sniffer now that it works again. LOL So, I've just been giving the arginine for now.
He is doing really well and went absolutely mental the other night on this wind up hamster I bought him. He was throwing it up in the air and doing flips and rollies. It was the greatest thing to see. However, I have noticed that his balance is off. He kind of tipped over a few times while playing and he has trouble jumping up on stuff. Sometimes he attempts a jump and instead of making it, just falls backwards. I've tried to bring everything down to his level so he doesn't have a reason to jump up on stuff. I'm not sure if it's muscle wasting from the prednisilone that he was previously on or if it is the cancer. I'm going to look into it and see if there is a way to build up his muscles again. He is off the pred so that will help I think.
Also, I will begin giving him some salmon oil in his food. I will look online for the appropriate dose for cats. The part about the carbs was very interesting. Right now he is eating just a few crunchies a day but mostly I give him tinned food 3X a day. The main reason was that I needed a way to sneak the supplements in but now I'm glad to hear that less carbs is the way to go anyway. Thanks for the info.

[Catty1]

And actually, the part about an acidic environment killing cancer...a friend of mine was diagnosed with liver cancer(went in from the gall bladder), and the docs said there was nothing in their arsenal they could fight it with.

So she and her hubby did some research and picked some favourites...one was having her on fruit and juices for a few days, to create a more acidic environment. She also went to some health spa in BC...anyway, several months later she was in remission. I haven't spoken with her for a couple of months, so I hope she is still doing well.

EG - you might want to call your vet. If the polyp went into Tiger's ear area, that could affect his balance. It might be something that will get a little better - and have more to do with the surgery than the cancer.

Give that beautiful boy a hug for me! And Jimmy too!

Jen - I am glad Mr Meow is still being a piggy!

[Emeraldgreen]

That's true, his balance issues could be due to the surgery and it might just take some time for him to recover. It also could be due to an involvment with his ear but I hope not. He did have some build up of debris in his left ear and one of the vets gave me some ear cleanser to keep it clean which I haven't done yet because he was going through so much already that was far more detrimental to his health but now that things have settled down I should try it. The other reason I haven't used the cleanser is because the vet did clean his ear very well while he was under anesthesia the time before last but maybe it's started to build up again.
I'm hoping that with his added energy these days and his new found friskiness that he will begin to build some muscle as he moves around more and more. In fact, after I wrote the last message an hour or so ago I heard the cats racing around upstairs. I thought to myself, "that must be Tiger playing with either Jimmy or my other cat Stinky" so I went upstairs to see and found Jimmy and Stinky sleeping and Tiger was racing all over the place by himself. Scott made a joke and said "maybe he is playing with Charlie's ghost!". lol You never know! In any case, all that running around should help him to build his little muscles up.
Thanks for your well wishes for Tiger and Jimmy Candace. Jimmy is still down after losing Charlie but each day he seems to get a bit better. I was worried because we have to leave for a week and a pet sitter was going to stop in each day to visit them but now my brother is coming to stay in the house and take care of my pets so I'm so relieved. They will have someone around all the time. Jimmy is my brother's favourite so I know he'll get lots of attention while we're away.

[jenluckenbach]

Also, I will begin giving him some salmon oil in his food. I will look online for the appropriate dose for cats

Have you found any info on this?? I bought the Omega-3 capsules today and now I need to find out HOW much is goo (and safe). I am not a good "searcher" . But if I find something, I'll post it.

EDIT..... I found this product:
http://www.holisticpetinfo.com/prodd...od=Super%5FEPA

It is similar to the capsules I bought. (mine have 600mg, these have 500mg of the Omega-3).

Since a liquid filled capsule is impossible to give 1/2 of per day (the dosage suggested for this product) I fugured I would open the capsule and suck it into a small oral syringe. THEN give half of that amount.

My experiment with this suggests there is .6 ml in a capsule, so I will start giving him .3 ml per day.

Here is a qoute I found on the effects of Omega-3's
Omega-3s also work as an anti-inflammatory for skin diseases, asthma, allergies and kidney inflammation and some studies have shown them to be beneficial in reducing and stopping the growth of tumors.

[Catty1]

Jen - could it be mixed into wet food? (Assuming there is some Mr Meow likes! )

If it is an Omega 3 from fish oil, it should smell pretty good to him. Otherwise - there might not be any taste at all.