CRF cat not eating

I agree with Stacey in saying that the most important think is for him
to eat! It sounds like you will need to "force feed" him if he's not
choosing to eat on his own. Use a higher-calorie wet food like Innova
Evo and add a little water. (You may need to put it in the blender and
puree it.)

Get a needleless syringe (your vet can give you some), suck up the
slurry, and gently insert the syringe in his mouth. The best place to
insert it is just behind a canine tooth, where there is a natural gap.
SLOWLY press the plunger. Don't do this too quickly!! He may aspirate
some food and then you'll have other problems.

Keep some old towels handy because it gets messy. I prefer to do this
in a bathroom, which cleans up easier.

Good luck,
Rene

I recently found a food that my 17 year old crf cat will eat - she actually gobbles it and asks for it. It is Nutro Max Cat SENIOR Chicken and Lamb formula ("adult" version did not work.) I purchased at a chain pet store. She went from 5.9 pounds her lowest ever to 7.0 within about 5 weeks. She also started drinking a lot more so I don't have to give fluids as much. She wouldn't eat KD or any prescription diet or homemade that I tried. Hope this helps somebody out there. It is like a miracle. She actually was playing at 4am this morning.

Originally Posted by Sara Jane

Gibbs is an 18 year old orange striped cat. She was diagnosed with renal
failure about
1 1/2 years ago. The big problem now is loss of appetite. When she was
first diagnosed, the vet prescribed pepcid. She hadn't lost weight and was
eating normally. The vet prescribed it as a preventative. After being on
pepcid for a week, she stopped eating. We stopped the pepcid and she
resumed eating, but not as much as she had in the past. The vet started her
on mirtazapine. The mirtazapine worked great for the last year. She even
became a lap cat, and much more cuddly, as a side effect of the mirtazapine.
But lately she stopped eating, completely. She went from 9 pounds to 6
pounds. The vet did blood tests. The vet also started her on daily
subcutaneous fluids, potassium, B complex, and Tapazole. She has very mild
hyperthyroid. The vet is hoping her appetite will return when the tapazole
has had a chance to work.

Any suggestions on how to get some food down her? She was eating Hills K/D
very happily, but now sniffs and walks away from that. Actually, she sniffs
and walks away from most foods. I have been reading about stomach acid
occurring in cats with CRF. I'd really like to try the pepcid again, but
we're afraid it will make things worse, like it did last year. What can we
do to her get to eat?