Update: Senior kitty food question

[iamonlyone]

Update: Thank you for encouraging us to take Posie to the vet! Her blood work did show that she was hyperthyroid. She has been on medication for about a month now, and--except for one incident--that has solved the vomiting problem. We are so happy!

She actually did have a lot of the hyperthyroid symptoms: rowdy at night, losing weight, vomiting. (Because she was chubby to begin with and because it coincided with us adding wet cat food, we thought the weight loss and energy were related to the diet change.) She is not chasing our other cat around the house like a mad kitty anymore (although she has never passed a chance to give him a smack in their 12-year history). Unfortunately, she seems to be filling out again and is back to begging for food all the time (also an unfortunate normal for her).

Thanks, again, for the help!

 

We may need to take our cat to the vet, but before we do, I thought I would ask for advice here. Posie is 14 years old and is spunky and active. She started vomiting occasionally after she ate. I started spreading her kibble on a plate so she couldn't gulp her food. When that didn't help, we started feeding her wet food at night (Purina Fancy Feast). This helped for a while, plus she lost weight--a good thing because she was a butterball. She still goes in phases of not keeping her food down though (wet or dry--Natural Balance, original). She had several off days, and is now doing better but not finishing her food (rare for her).

Do some of you WTM veterinarians or other experts have recommendations for food for a senior cat with digestive issues? I would like to try addressing her diet first, but we do not have a problem with taking her to the vet. I just don't particularly want to go pay $70 for him to give us a diet suggestion, if that is the place to start.

Edited September 14, 2019 by iamonlyone

[iamonlyone]

Aw, she does have pretty eyes! She is our 19 yo dds best fur baby. (In the top picture she is stretched out on dd's lap.) They are buddies, and Posie really misses dd when she is at college. Posie has been trailing daughter and sleeping under her chair at meals. I think she somehow intuitively knows dd will be heading to college next week. Our daughter knows she doesn't have too many years left with Posie and is dreading the thought of her passing.

[Pawz4me]

One of our former cats was diagnosed with IBD when she was a few years old. She did very well on Purina One sensitive systems kibble until she was 14 and developed intestinal lymphoma (which is pretty much expected in cats with IBD). I kind of doubt she would have made it that long had we not found a food she liked and did so well on.

Sometimes older pets tend to have acid reflux/indigestion problems and just a bit of OTC famotidine (generic Pepcid) once or twice a day will help settle it.

But I think given her age and her symptoms that a vet check is in order. I'd want a senior wellness panel done at a minimum. It may be just an increasingly sensitive GI tract in an older cat, but it could also be many other things.

[Kanin]

Posie is beautiful!

Have you tried grain-free food?

My cat gets sick if she eats wet food with "gums" in it - guar gum, xanthan gum, etc. It's very hard to find wet food without it, though. I finally found grain-free, gum-free cat food in a log (like cookie dough) in a refrigerated part of the pet food aisle. Not all of the varieties were gum free, but I found one. Another thing you can use is meat baby food (no gums, cornstarch, etc., just meat and water). My 14 year old cat is able to keep both of those down.

Thinking about it.... you could probably puree meat and water and make your own equivalent of the baby food. Although I've heard that just meat doesn't have enough nutrients for cats, because in the wild they'd eat the bone, skin, etc. So maybe some grain-free, gum-free dry food plus either baby food or the refrigerated food?

We use Orijen dry food:  https://www.orijen.ca/foods/cat-food/

And FreshPet (from reg grocery store) beef + chicken variety wet food: https://freshpet.com/cat/

There are still occasional pukes, but it's not often now 🙂  Good luck!

 

[TechWife]

10 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

One of our former cats was diagnosed with IBD when she was a few years old. She did very well on Purina One sensitive systems kibble until she was 14 and developed intestinal lymphoma (which is pretty much expected in cats with IBD). I kind of doubt she would have made it that long had we not found a food she liked and did so well on.

Sometimes older pets tend to have acid reflux/indigestion problems and just a bit of OTC famotidine (generic Pepcid) once or twice a day will help settle it.

But I think given her age and her symptoms that a vet check is in order. I'd want a senior wellness panel done at a minimum. It may be just an increasingly sensitive GI tract in an older cat, but it could also be many other things.

 

Ditto.

Also, by the time you try out different foods, you may spend more than a vet visit would cost you! Also, if there is something going on, she may need a prescription food. While they can be expensive, they can also help our kitties live healthier lives. Senior cats can be hard to figure out, but I agree with Pawz that a senior blood panel is a great place to start. 

[Ailaena]

It sounds like some of the symptoms one of my cats had right before he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, so I’m also saying vet visit!  Apparently, It’s somewhat common in elderly cats

[scrapbookbuzz]

Mine tom is 17! He did have a bit of a digestive issue and was losing weight. Vet put him on some sort of medication (don't remember what) and that seemed to help.
He will no longer eat dry food so we get him the cheap cans of wet food (Special Kitty brand) that he actually will eat. He gets picky about those, too!  Also discovered my cat doesn't like chicken! Weird cat...

If it's digestive, I would take to the vet so s/he can do a blood workup. It's worth it to rule out more serious issues.

[iamonlyone]

42 minutes ago, Ailaena said:

It sounds like some of the symptoms one of my cats had right before he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, so I’m also saying vet visit!  Apparently, It’s somewhat common in elderly cats

 

Thank you, everyone! I really appreciate the input. We took Posie to the vet this afternoon and just got home. It's interesting that you mentioned hyperthyroidism, Ailaena. The veterinarian mentioned that as a possibility because her heart rate was very high, even for a stressed cat. Because of the insight you all gave me, we went ahead and did the blood panel, and the vet plans to use those results to help us figure out a good food for her and if any medication is needed. He said she is really healthy for a 14yo cat, although still on the chubby side. (After switching to some wet food, she went from 15.9 to 12 pounds in about six months and has way more energy now.)

Anyway, we'll see what the labs show, if anything. Thanks, again, for weighing in! 🙂

[MercyA]

Just wanted to chime in and say Posie is GORGEOUS! Hope she feels better soon. 🙂 

[iamonlyone]

Update in first post

[catz]

Great update!  I had a hyper thyroid cat at that lived another 2+ years on meds in great shape until his last couple weeks.  Glad your fur baby is gaining weight and getting back to his regular personality!  

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by FuzzyCatz

[iamonlyone]

Thank you!

I read that cats are usually seniors when they are diagnosed and that they live an average of two years after starting meds. It's nice to read that your kitty made it a bit past the two-year mark.

[Ailaena]

Yay!  Problem solved, healthy kitty ahead!    Radioactive iodine treatment is apparently the gold standard of treatment - if you have the gold...  it’s $1500 here and although I really, really wanted to do it, I kept putting it off.   I guess I kept thinking if the cat is going to die, I don’t want his last few weeks separated from us 😭😭

It’s been about two years now since diagnosis and he’s still going strong, so I guess I should have done it two years ago 😕my mom had a thyroid cat live for over 5 years after diagnosis on normal meds - she was 18 so I guess I didn’t even consider the hyperthyroidism killed her.  Good luck and good kitty snuggles!

[iamonlyone]

Those are both very encouraging outcomes! Thank you, so much for telling me!

Yes, we considered all the options, but the cost and definitely the isolation were factors that helped us rule out radioactive iodine treatment. Our kitty would be traumatized with the process. The closest facility to us is an hour away, and the caregivers do a quick in and out for feeding and litter box, but no interaction in order to limit their exposure. Then, when she came home, it is advised not to let kitty sleep with people for a while.

For her, the ear-gel med is the course that is least traumatic while still giving her good quality of life--and I hope years to come!

[Kanin]

On 8/14/2019 at 8:51 PM, iamonlyone said:

Her blood work did show that she was hyperthyroid. She has been on medication for about a month now, and--except for one incident--that has solved the vomiting problem. We are so happy!

Oh my gosh! My Maggie was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, too! She starts meds as soon as they ship to our house. Are you doing the meds you rub in her ears?

Your post made me think... Maggie has been doing a coughing/puking thing for a couple years now, that I thought might be hairball related. Maybe it's the hyperthyroid! I felt like a bad cat mom for not taking her in sooner 😞

So happy that Posie is feeling better!!

[iamonlyone]

Apparently, hyperthyroidism in older cats is very common, but I sure never heard about it!

Yes, we are doing the ear med. It is in a pen so we don't have to touch the medicine (because it would affect our thyroid function too!). We started giving Posie a treat immediately after the ear gel, right from the beginning. So, although she doesn't love us rubbing stuff in her ears, she puts up with it and then goes to the cabinet for a treat—rather than running the other direction!

You know, if your cat hasn't lost a lot of weight, you probably caught it early enough, so don't feel too bad. Posie seemed pretty normal except for the vomiting, so I am glad we caught it before she started getting skinny! That will be great if it helps with Maggie's coughing, but, yeah, could be hairballs. Posie didn't cough, she just lost her dinner most times after she ate, poor thing.

 

[SebastianCat]

I had a cat who lived with hyperthyroidism for many years (at least 6 or 7) after being diagnosed.   As long as you keep up the meds and she is otherwise healthy, Posie could live happily for many years.   She is beautiful!

[iamonlyone]

Thank you so much for that encouragement! ❤️

5 hours ago, SebastianCat said:

I had a cat who lived with hyperthyroidism for many years (at least 6 or 7) after being diagnosed.   As long as you keep up the meds and she is otherwise healthy, Posie could live happily for many years.   She is beautiful!

 

[Kanin]

17 hours ago, iamonlyone said:

Apparently, hyperthyroidism in older cats is very common, but I sure never heard about it!

Yes, we are doing the ear med. It is in a pen so we don't have to touch the medicine (because it would affect our thyroid function too!). We started giving Posie a treat immediately after the ear gel, right from the beginning. So, although she doesn't love us rubbing stuff in her ears, she puts up with it and then goes to the cabinet for a treat—rather than running the other direction!

You know, if your cat hasn't lost a lot of weight, you probably caught it early enough, so don't feel too bad. Posie seemed pretty normal except for the vomiting, so I am glad we caught it before she started getting skinny! That will be great if it helps with Maggie's coughing, but, yeah, could be hairballs. Posie didn't cough, she just lost her dinner most times after she ate, poor thing.

 

Thanks for the info! I'm anxious to get her medicine. She has a bad tooth that needs to be pulled, but we can't do that until her thyroid levels are good. Poor Maggie! Hoping things will work out with the meds.