Temptations for cats.

[MaBelle]

We have sadly discovered that we probably caused the death of two of our cats by feeding this treat.  It causes kidney failure.   Beware.

[Selkie]

I'm so sorry, how awful! Thank you for the warning.

[MEmama]

Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss! 😞 

May I ask how you found out? 

*running to the pantry to check kitty treats*

[Tenaj]

We were giving these to our cat.  She lived them but there is no doubt in my mind that they weren't good for her.  We figured it out in time.  I'm sorry about your experience.

[Pawz4me]

Do you have a link for info?

I'm sorry about your kitty. 😞 

[Guest]

Wow, please tell me where you learned this! My remaining kitty loves them. Her brother kitty died of kidney disease. 😭

[Pawz4me]

11 minutes ago, Quill said:

Wow, please tell me where you learned this! My remaining kitty loves them. Her brother kitty died of kidney disease. 😭

I'm not doubting @MaBelle, but I wouldn't be beating myself up until there's solid evidence. And even then -- kidney disease is a very common issue among cats, and was long before Temptations came on the market.

[Terabith]

I’m googling but not finding evidence that this is true.  I’m seeing some debunked reports about it.  I don’t think you caused the death of your kitties.  I’m so sorry for your loss though.  

[MaBelle]

Our vet told us.  She says do not feed it.

[Storygirl]

It's so hard to know what causes things. I've never give my cat any treats  -- she has a sensitive stomach, so when we tried some, they made her throw up, and we stopped -- yet she still has kidney disease. I had her at the vet yesterday, and we were told that she is at the end, and that bringing her back for euthenasia is appropriate, when we feel ready to say good-bye. We now are talking about whether we want a little more time with her, or if it is more compassionate to take her in within days.

So I understand the grief and the wish that things could have been different. But don't blame yourself, because this can happen even without having treats like that in the diet.

[Kanin]

Sorry to hear about your cats 😞 

[OH_Homeschooler]

I'm so sorry about your loss.

I agree that you probably did not cause their death. I would think that if this were true, there would be recalls and the treats would not be allowed on shelves. We know they have pulled pet food off the shelves in the past. While a vet may have said this, I would trust published research over the word of one professional, who may have been sharing an opinion rather than stating facts. I saw that an unsubstantiated warning was posted on Facebook in 2016. It is very possible that your vet saw that and forgot the source, only remembering the information she read.

And in my experience, vets are often pushing the "healthier," more expensive versions of food and treats they sell in their offices. 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

I’m googling but not finding evidence that this is true.  I’m seeing some debunked reports about it.  I don’t think you caused the death of your kitties.  I’m so sorry for your loss though.  

I got the same results.

[....]

14 hours ago, Quill said:

Wow, please tell me where you learned this! My remaining kitty loves them. Her brother kitty died of kidney disease. 😭

 

Throw them in the trash!  They made our cats really sick, too (!!) - a Turkish Van and a calico.  We have 3 cats.  The third is a Siamese and the treats didn't affect her at all, but the other two were having all kinds of digestive problems.  Once we stopped feeding them the treats, all the symptoms went away.

And they were like drugs for the cats.  The Siamese was constantly opening our cabinet doors looking for them and she got to where she wouldn't eat her food or other treats - just the Temptations. 

OP, I'm so sorry about your cats!  We are huge cat people in this house....we love kitty cats...that would upset us, too.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Evanthe

[jg_puppy]

Does anyone have some alternatives? My dogs get a treat every night and my cat feels left out if she doesn't get something. 

Jan

[catz]

My kitties eat these for treats and love them.

https://www.chewy.com/greenies-feline-oven-roasted-chicken/dp/155586?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Greenies&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiApaXxBRDNARIsAGFdaB8zIXKZADEeVjY_MaXckAp2zwXkm2A0PfunJi9-EXBRaKW36BwL_dIaAkVFEALw_wcB

We have lost multiple aging cats over the years to kidney disease and they've all eaten a variety of things.  We've never regularly bought temptations.  I don't doubt some foods are better than others.  I try to rotate through a variety.  

[Pawz4me]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:23 AM, Storygirl said:

It's so hard to know what causes things. I've never give my cat any treats  -- she has a sensitive stomach, so when we tried some, they made her throw up, and we stopped -- yet she still has kidney disease.

 

1 hour ago, FuzzyCatz said:

 

We have lost multiple aging cats over the years to kidney disease and they've all eaten a variety of things.  We've never regularly bought temptations.  I don't doubt some foods are better than others.  I try to rotate through a variety.  

Ditto. We've lost multiple cats to kidney disease. None ever ate Temptations or any other treat. I don't know why, but it never occurred to me to offer treats to any of our cats. Most of them ate a variety of foods. KIdney disease is extremely common in cats. Always has been, and I suspect it always will be. I think the OP's vet is incorrect, and I'm sorry that he/she said it. It gives a false sense of blame. The vet really should be ashamed.

[Guest]

Slightly OT, but does anyone here know if the cat “water fountains” help prevent kidney disease? I read (it was an ad, though) a piece that said cats don’t like to drink still water and they don’t drink enough water, which can lead to kidney disease. My Thor Bear who died did have a peculiar manner of drinking water. He never lapped water; he only dampened his paws and licked it off his paws. Once he died of kidney disease, I wondered if that provoked it. He was only seven years old. 

[Pawz4me]

2 minutes ago, Quill said:

Slightly OT, but does anyone here know if the cat “water fountains” help prevent kidney disease? I read (it was an ad, though) a piece that said cats don’t like to drink still water and they don’t drink enough water, which can lead to kidney disease. My Thor Bear who died did have a peculiar manner of drinking water. He never lapped water; he only dampened his paws and licked it off his paws. Once he died of kidney disease, I wondered if that provoked it. He was only seven years old. 

Many cats seem to prefer fresh, flowing water over still water in a bowl. Thus the theory that they'll drink more from a fountain. But just like with the Temptations issue, it's impossible to say for sure. Our last two cats always had a fountain, and yet one died from kidney disease.

[MEmama]

Mine both drink a lot of water out of a regular bowl. One loves to play in water—she’s always in the bathtub or in the sink (I have to keep a grate over the kitchen sink to keep her out, but she likes the bathroom sinks). Some cats do apparently prefer a fountain. DH has a co worker whose kitty will only drink out of a faucet. 😻

I think it’s terribly unprofessional for a vet to declare with certainty that a treat CAUSED kidney failure. There is simply zero evidence and zero way for them to know. I feel awful for the OP, who now feels responsible for her beloved kitties death because of an uninformed vet. 😞. 

[happi duck]

So sorry for all these kitty losses

We lost our sweet kitty to kidney disease and she never had a treat and drank water well.  

It's a shame that vet didn't keep her opinions to herself.  She should have saved it for new kitten owners and even then said in a better way.

[Pen]

Thank you for the warning!

  I hadn’t heard of the treat and thought it was going to be a funny post like cat and fish tank or climbing curtains.  

😢

[catz]

The best way to get extra water in a cat is to feed wet food.  As my cats aged, I even mashed up wet food with extra water.  And yet, my last 2 kitty babies died of kidney disease!  😞  

[Pen]

2 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

The best way to get extra water in a cat is to feed wet food.  As my cats aged, I even mashed up wet food with extra water.  And yet, my last 2 kitty babies died of kidney disease!  😞  

 

I do this frequently too—though as dry food mixed with lots of water till it’s wet food.  And in dogs adding water is supposed to help not have bloat.    I also started using some chia seeds in the water to get a gelled water that’s supposed to slow absorption so that it hydrated more before getting urinated out. 

——

@MaBelle I wanted to say I am sorry for your loss. 😓

[VaKim]

On 1/23/2020 at 12:11 PM, Quill said:

Slightly OT, but does anyone here know if the cat “water fountains” help prevent kidney disease? I read (it was an ad, though) a piece that said cats don’t like to drink still water and they don’t drink enough water, which can lead to kidney disease. My Thor Bear who died did have a peculiar manner of drinking water. He never lapped water; he only dampened his paws and licked it off his paws. Once he died of kidney disease, I wondered if that provoked it. He was only seven years old. 

One of my kitties drinks like this too. He is 11 years old and doing fine so far but I always wonder about that too.