Advice on my elderly cat's diet?

Question

My cat is 22 years old he is great health for his age and very active. Indoor/outdoor his whole life. He has lost allot of weight and constantly has diarrhea. He has been tested for numerous things and checked out ok. The vet suggested special food witch I was already giving him, that helps a little. Is there some kind of natural colon cleanser or something to clean his digestive track I can try? or any other suggestions...Thanks

Thanks for the great advise everyone, since several of you were very informative I will put it to vote.

Answer 1

no idea but u sound like a good owner, be proud...

Answer 2

You should really take her back to the vet about this peeing thing. It likely means a UTI, especially with the vomiting. How long has this been going on? How long have you had her? If all checks out, I recommend Wellness wet food, in Chicken, Turkey, and Chicken with Beef. Stay away from the seafood unless you need to tempt her-save it as a bribe food. Especially the Chicken with Lobster, as my cats love that and don't actually care for the other seafood ones much. My 2 fifteen year olds have very touchy tummies and both handled the Wellness like champs. Wellness is natural and by-product free, and does wonders. I also recommend getting some Wysong Uremic dry food and either using a clean coffee grinder to powderize it or soaking it to add to the wet food. My cats have a perfect balance with the combo of the two and I'm overall VERY happy with it. Sheba also is at an age to really start safeguarding her kidneys any way possible. Encourage her to drink more with fountains and mugs (which they love to drink from for some reason) And kitty may surprise you. Cats have lived to over thirty-heck my aunt had a 24 year old! Best of luck and it's so great you took her in! Please don't give up on her, and I hope she feels better soon!

Answer 3

Congratulations to your cat for making it this far! If she were a human, she would be well over 100 years old by now. :)

I would do exactly as your vet suggests, and ask him if he has any ideas for cleansing your cat's digestive system safely. If he doesn't, or if his suggestions don't work, you could try finding a holistic vet in your area - they can help with the diarrhea problem naturally with herbs and special foods, and they might have a suggestion for colon cleansing.

Answer 4

Make sure your kitty has been tested for hyperthyroidism and also for intestinal maldigestion/ malabsorption, and bacterial overgrowth. This means checking a T4 (thyroid hormone) level (and possibly a free T4 by equilibrium dialysis), and to check for intestinal issues, fTLI, cobalamin and folate levels need to be checked. (These tests are available through major veterinary laboratories your vet should already be using.)

A fresh stool sample should also be checked for routine parasites including Giardia, and also examined for evidence of bacterial overgrowth (especially with Clostridia).

If all of these are normal/ negative, your kitty may benefit from a probiotic ( to be given orally) from a vet or a health food store. Probiotics contain "good" bacteria for the intestines that help with digestion and keep things in balance. Keep your kitty on a the food your vet recommended, and be sure to follow all of their recommendations. (Arbitrarily using a "colon cleanser" may make your kitty worse, and cats are extremely susceptible to poisoning from over-the-counter medicines and such!) If none of these things provide an answer, or help him, then he may need intestinal biopsies.

Many older cats develop deficiencies in nutrients like Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and overgrowth of "bad" bacteria in the intestines, and they tend to have more trouble digesting and absorbing nutrients. If it is one of these problems, it can be addressed with the right medications, supplements and nutrients. Talk to your vet (if they don't know about these things then find one more knowledgeable about cats)!

The Cornell Feline Health Center is an excellent source of information on cats, as is the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). You can access them online.

Good luck!

Answer 5

constantly diarrhea? vet give him antibiotics? what vet say about diarrhea? see if he eats a little yogurt or cottage cheese, you also have to be careful with those cat foods for older cats some have psyllium or fiber to MAKE them go to the bathroom and prevent hairballs, cause sometimes usually older cats get constipated, give him cat food not for older cats, try giving him lean meats, boiled white meat chicken and beef, sometimes that helps with the runs and lay off some of the can cat foods, if he likes iams is very good, science diet, usually cause less bulk in stools and got more meat, i'm sure prescription ones are good (if he likes), but usually they all like boiled white meat chicken, beef, fish, maybe a little tuna in water (not oil), poached fish like chicken good, real meat sometimes better than cans to prevent runs

definitely stay away from that "colon cleansing" carpe, ur cat already has runs, probably make worse and deplete his electrolytes, and at his age could cause him death

if humans want to have espresso starbuck "colon cleansings" well more power to them, whatever they enjoy, or giving them to other people for enjoyment lol their business, but please don't do to cats or animals, what people do to each other if done to a cat or animal, could be considered animal abuse LOL

Answer 6

Hi there...most cats can benefit from canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mixes, but plain canned pumpkin) because it contains natural fibres and moisture to help balance loose stool symptoms. See http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-75.htm This should be reserved until you clear this with your veterinarian first.

Cats who have diarrhoea are dedhyrated can also benefit from canned food because it provides much needed moisture to rehydrate a cat. Any veterinarian can confirm this fact as well.

Answer 7

Sometimes getting a kitten livens them up. I realize he's getting up there, but maybe he should be a little more active. Sounds like you're doing him well. Cats can hit 30. Good luck.

Answer 8

I have one who's 17, and I've reverted back to feeding him similarly to what I did when he was a kitten (only senior food instead of kitten food) I put water in it and it moistens it. For whatever reason, he seems to digest this better this way, and he seems to be putting a little of his weight back on.

Answer 9

try adding a little bit of cod oil or something to the diet for a few days - it makes their coat shinier and will probably help everything go down faster and smoother... hopefully that would do the trick although there will be diarhea for a while

Answer 10

WOW 22 CONGRATS ON THAT NEVER HEARD THAT B4 TRY PURINA CAT CHOW FOR ELDERLY CATS AND IF IT EATS SOFT FOOD THAN TRY NEW FANCY FEAST ELEGANT MEDLEYS THATS WHAT MY CAT EATS IT GREAT STUFF SHE LOVES IT AND IT HAS VEGITABLES!! GOOD LUCK

Answer 11

if what the vet suggested works keep it up!