Hi Jennifer, Thanks for all the great info.
I think my biggest question is about them craving what they are missing - mine crave BREAD. If I bring bread into the house I have to lock it up immediately - just putting it in a cabinet with the door closed does NOT work because they will open the door. I think they would rather have bread than anything. But it is bad for them, yes? Being made of grain and all.... On 12/17/06, Jennifer Phaewryn O'Gwynn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I highly recommend a teaspoon of Nutri-Cal or Vita-Cal twice a day. It boosts the calories, and most cats eat it by choice. You can also increase the fat in her diet by adding high fat supplements (like those made for good coats and skin) or Feline Missing Link (which I use myself with great results). http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3177&N=2002+113617 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=2014&N=2002+113617 A digestion aid can help her to get more calories out of what she does eat too: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3391&N=2002+113753 Also consider a liquid supplement Like Cat Sure, Rebound, or Clinicare: http://www.allivet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=12070&Show=ExtInfo You wont have to get her to eat much more if you add enough calories to the amount she's already eating. I've never had a problem with mixing Missing Link or Vita-cal into the wet food, the cats LIKE the flavors, at least mine have not refused to eat it with it in there. I have a tub of a supplement called Wild Trax, it's for supplementing wild hybrid cats that get raw meat with bones as their primary food, anyways, I got it for the bengals when I did that rescue 2 years ago. Sometimes I just unscrew the lid and leave the jar open on the table, and the cats come up and lick some of it out if they want (it's a very meaty smelling powder). Like all animals, they will crave what they are missing (think a salt-mineral block for livestock). If she doesn't eat the powdered supplements, you can always syringe her the Vita-Cal mixed with the Rebound, and add a liquid vitamin supplement like Lixo-Tinic or Pet-Tinic. There's not much you can't find in the supplement world if you look hard enough. So, that's what I would do, try the Missing Link and Vita-Cal mixed into her wet food first, if she refuses it, then get the Rebound, and Pet-Tinic, and mix those with the Vita-Cal and then syringe the liquid. You can't syringe the Missing Link, it's too grainy and doesn't dissolve in liquid. I'm not sure about the digestion aid stuff, I've never used it personally. It appears that it might dissolve in liquid, and it looks crystalline in the photo. Phaewryn Please save Whitey! http://ucat.us/Whitey.html VT low cost Spay&Neuter, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html
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