Cassie's health

[cassiesmom]

Hi, PT! We did our first dose of fluids at home. We went in the bathroom and I hung the bag on the cabinet knob. She did fine and tried to walk away while the fluid was still running. I was trying to hold the needle with one hand and keep Cassie still with the other. She ate and drank while I was at work. After we did the fluids I fed her. She ate a little and then went away from her dish. That is typical, though. She might go back to eat more in 30 minutes or an hour. I have pureed baby meat here if she is not interested in cat food.

Sandie, the vet didn't give me a recommendation about a brand of food. The tech said that Hill Science Diet is good, but I thought I read somewhere on PT that it is not so good. They carry Royal Canin at their office and Petsmart also carries that. J and M Feed carries the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" cat food and they are right here about half a mile from me. I need to find the thread about cat food that has a link to a chart comparing foods. I do remember that Friskies and Nine Lives are the lowest. I didn't push too hard because I knew I could look up that chart and see which ones are the best to feed.

So I think we are doing better. I need to look in the litter pan and see what she has put out, both urine and stool. I asked the vet if Convenia would give her loose stools - just because every time I've ever taken antibiotics my stomach always turns cartwheels. But the vet said probably not, and if that happened, to phone the office. She said it happens more with oral anti-infectives than with the Convenia.

At least Cassie is doing better. My stupid broken toe from almost 30 years ago - the one I slammed into the wall on my first night in a new dorm room - hurts a LOT! Payback for wearing cute but uncomfortable shoes to the concert last night.

Oh, I hear her drinking. Lap, lap, swallow; lap, lap, swallow. I think we'll have a better night tonight.

,
Cassie and Elyse

[cassiesmom]

Okay, I found the link. But it doesn't generate a table, it just brings up more links.

http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

I've read that Origin is good, it's a Canadian company and it's sold at a couple of independent stores not far from here. I've read that Chicken Soup for the Soul is good. I need Cassie to eat enough high-quality food that she will be in better health. I'll go to J and M Feed and ask the guys there. They know their products well and don't sell the mediocre ones.

[katladyd]

Elyse, the two best foods I have found, and I have a kitty with specialized diet needs, are Wilderness and Solid Gold Indigo Moon (I alternate these two primarily, now they're on the Solid Gold). All three of my boys love both these foods, so that's a miracle in itself!

[Barbara]

Filou loved Royal Canin wet food- with kidney kitties it is important they eat at all....

[Freedom]

Here is the link to the chart:

http://www.petfoodratings.org/quick-...ference-table/

The best cat foods will be grain free. Cats are obligate carnivores, they get all their nutrition from proteins: meat, fish, fowl, eggs. In the wild, cats never eat grains (unlike dogs who sometimes do).

The canned foods I use: Weruva, Tiki Cats and Fussie Cat.

The kibble I use: Earthborn Holistic. I used Taste of the Wild for many years, successfully. I only stopped using it when a recall made it unavailable for several months.

[cassiesmom]

Thank you for all the food recommendations! I looked at both local supermarkets. Dominick's carries Newman's Own and they both have Nine Lives, Iams, Friskies, Meow Mix and Fancy Feast. So that was kind of a wash. I'll go to Petsmart and the feed store next. Zoey's Eatz 'n' Treatz in Burr Ridge carries Origin, and so does the "dog boutique" near my mom and dad's house. There is a wonderful boutique out in Naperville called Two Bostons. That's a bit of a drive but the owner has set up a cat room and I know she sells food products. She also has neat items for people who love their pets and she really does have two Boston terriers who are sometimes in the shop - so it is a fun place to visit.

Freedom, I laughed out loud when I read the name Fussie Cat -- that's who I'm feeding! A fussy cat

p.s., the patient did get some of the fluids yesterday. Her fur got some and so did the towel underneath her . She is drinking well and I will try to do a better job of getting the fluids into her today. I've started probably dozens of IVs as a nurse, but this is not quite the same.

[katladyd]

I just came back from Petco and I scored a 5 lb. bag of Wellness Core for $10! I've always heard this food was good for cats with urinary tract health issues. Now I've looked online and some people said this was not a good food for cats who have urinary tract issues. Ming has had blockages and I wonder if I bought the wrong food. Does any have any experience with this food? Thanks in advance.

[Freedom]

looked at both local supermarkets. .

Elyse, cats need high quality grain free food. Supermarket quality is junk, no way you are going to find a good food at a s.m. Just the fact that you looked there tells me you still aren't grasping how important this is! You do need to be at a specialty store.

Duck and Peas? REALLY?~! Cats do not get any nutrition from peas, other legumes or vegetables; all that is just filler. Sorry, no way that is a good food for cats.