Elderly cat on special diet ..

Hi,

I've not been around for a while due to my laptop being VERY poorly! I have missed the forum a lot though, as it's helped me a lot in the past few months.

My cat has been on a diet of fish and chicken since January .. but I can't get any taurine pills into her. She's almost 13, cannot digest any kind of cat food, be it wet or dry. When on cat food she vomited constantly.

Since the new diet she's been a different cat. I am though of course concerned about her lack of taurine. I did have a cat on chicken and fish for 4 yrs - he was homed with me 'temporarily' from the CPL who I worked with then. He didn't have any taurine tablets, amd he lived to be approx 12.

My cat is the last of a gang of 4, and she is the one who was least at the vets. My others were there constantly with awful things. I was so suprised to find that the day after having her brother put to sleep she became ill - and she and her brother hated each other for 12 years so it wasn't pining!

I'm cooking the chicken and fish for her, she eats 3 times a day. She is slim, energetic, seems happy. Her mouth is fine, her coat is fine if I keep her combed with a fine tooth comb. I just can't get the taurine tabs down her ... should I be worrying like I am? Her best friend died a few years ago, her brother was put to sleep at xmas - she hated him, he beat her something chronic!!

So basically I'm just concerned about the lack of taurine - any advice?

 

Heres a site with some information in it.
Have you tried use a 'pill gun' there about as long as a drinking straw but have a retractor inside, you put the pill in one end (TIP: slice 2 opposite sides of the rubber a little, the pills stay in better) and push the retractor in. Should probably have your vet show you how to do it if you havent used one before, its not difficult, just need to get your technique down.

http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/taurine.php

 

would it be possible to add chicken hearts to her dinner? Heart meat i believe has the highest concentration of taurine than other meat. Is the taurine tablet flavored at all? Vianne gets a multivitamin with taurine everyday, but hers are salmon flavor and she gobbles em up like a treat.
Here's a link that mentions it:
http://www.petcarenaturally.com/book_health_bible.php

 

Hi, thanks for the replies..

Hi,

I've only found taurine tablets that aren't flavoured. Just out of interest, what are the multi-vits your cat has? Might be worth a try.

I could probably add chicken heart - but I'm not sure how easy it is to buy? It's something I've not had to look for before!!

I really started to worry when someone told me my cat would go blind within 2 yrs on this diet. I did have a cat on this diet for 4 yrs, and his eyesight was fine.

Over the almost 13 yrs we've tried everything with this cat and her late brother. They were both very badly treated as kittens (not by me obviously!) and were in a bit of a mess when I took them in. My vet. nurse friend even despaired!! (I'm very lucky, my neighbour is a vet so if necessary will inject antibiotics into my pets - I just don't like to take advantage of her too much!)

Whatever happens though, I know there isn't much option with Cassie. She has to eat this chicken/fish diet or she will get very very ill. If it gives her another few months/years being as healthy as she is then she'll still be old!

 

I just get her a multi cat vitamin from the grocery store. It's called Vetscription and made by Sergeant's. Actually, it's liver flavor, got it confused with her hairball paste. Its in a pink bottle with a white cap. It holds 100 tablets and costs about $6. I'm sure any cat vitiamin will have taurine in it tho. As for the chicken hearts, i don't know where you live, but i know that near where i am, there is a good sized Brazilian population and they eat chicken hearts, so i imagine they can be bought from their Brazillian food markets. Or just go to your local butcher or grocery store and ask if they sell them or where to get them. I know i've seen all kinds of exotic meats even when i go shopping at publix, so it shouldn't be impossible to get. Good luck tho!