Feline Picky appetite or Internal Imbalance?

[Dr. Christina]

On the Empower Hour webinar last night (1/31/22) Jill asked a question that we missed in the chat.

From @JillH to Everyone : One of our cats is newly off dried cat food and eating a variety of flavors, but if we give him more than a small amount -- about a half teaspoon -- he leaves it, it dries, and he won't eat it until he gets a fresh 1/2 teaspoon. We're feeding him all day! The goal is to feed him more food less often, but perhaps his behavior is an energy imbalance. Should the goal be to address that?

Your goal is definitely to have him vital and balanced. Congratulations about getting him off the dry!!

As always, Jill, IT DEPENDS. How is he in every other way? Great energy? Great BEAM? Weight normal? History of major, or minor, problems? This is part of the homeopathic case taking you are studying.

• If his weight and all else is fine you can work on the diet issue first or dig in with homeopathy at the same time. Possible helps for picky cats (@Dr. Jean @Dr. Sue),
• daily Reiki (sometimes doing reiki or other energy methods ON THE FOOD before you put it down helps),
• powdering some dry food and sprinkling it on the canned food,
• offering some real food separate time from the canned - cooked or raw chicken - often the kind from the deli; fish - canned salmon, oysters, tuna, anchovy, etc;
• cheese, often parmesan
• Work up an appetite before feeding.
• Let him get hungry - feed 3 times a day and if hungry in between put down a morsel of the fresh food. If he eats anything he will not get in trouble for a week or so.
• If you see other symptoms - go for homeopathy for sure.

I am sure our members and faculty will have some other suggestions.
Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for re-posting Jill's question, and for your great reply, Dr. Christina.

Jill, that's fantastic that your kitty is willing to eat any canned food at all!

Dr. Jean may be able to provide further context into your small, frequent meal issue but my understanding is that cats in the wild et small frequent meals (like bugs).

As Dr. Christina mentioned, the interpretation of this behavior depends his BEAM, weight, etc.

 

[BillH]

My wife Gram aka Cathy, feeds our 14 year old brother cats wet food @ 7 a.m & 4pm. and days end at 10 p.m they get a snack at about 2 p.m. We supplement with kelp and give them excellent spring water. I have been in the business (non practitioner) for a few decades myself. I am curious about 2 points for our feeding consideration. I read Dr Christinas' article re:CBDa and I am crash coursing her suggestion there, as I supply a fine CBDa and CBDa treats myself but have not yet administered those to our cats thanks for sharing this info as well! GB

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Cats on their own typically eat 8-9 mice (or mouse-worth's of food) in a 24 hour period. To do this they need to hunt, so they are getting activity and mental stimulation too. Maybe try play therapy before meals, this may encourage him to eat more at a time. Also, try adding a bit of warm water to the wet food. This will increase its odor, and may help maintain its appeal a little longer.

 

[JillH]

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! I am reading the play therapy book, Dr. Jean, and am learning a lot. I have switched from my plastic bowls to ceramic plates for starters!

Our cat Sammy took a turn for the worse on Monday and isn't eating at all for the last four days. He did drink a little half and half tonight, though. I've offered all his usual favorite canned foods, his all time favorite of a little salmon, some bone broth, egg... I do see that Dr. Christina suggested parmesan, so I'll try some of that.

His bloodwork came back okay except for being low on Potassium. The vet is doing an ultrasound tomorrow.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Glad that info is helping!

Sorry to hear that Sammy isn't doing well. While you're at the vet, be sure he gets some sub-q fluids...(with added potassium!). If he hasn't been eating, he is probably quite dehydrated. That makes a kitty feel nauseous and headache-y, and not at all inclined to eat. When they're that far behind, there is just no way to take enough in by mouth. Getting in as much fluid as tolerable is crucial for any cat who's feeling poorly!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Sub Q fluids are a great suggestion for any ill cat, and can even be done at home - just be sure to warm them up. I like running the iv tube through a heavy cup of hot water.

We never heard how his BEAM is. If he is active, playing, interactive, alert and "himself" you can keep trying things yourself. However, sounds like you may need a homeopathic or TCVM vet to be working with at this point.
Dr. Christina

 

[JillH]

Thanks, Dr. Christina! How do I do Sub Q fluids at home? The vet recommended a three day IV, and I'm in the process of talking to them about scheduling it. If I could do the Sub Q fluids, I'd rather do that, especially since they want $2k +. They also want to do an ultrasound. I agreed to that but haven't schedule it. Do you think it's necessary? Sammy's BEAM has been pretty good except for the A! The E is less well each day, but he's been purring and content, his eyes are bright. He's never been a very active cat, but he seems relaxed. His legs are getting weak as he continues not eating. Dr. Jeff recommended redosing his last remedy, which helped a little but didn't get him eating, and I've scheduled a visit with him to get a remedy next week. Who is the TCVM vet?

 

[Dr. Christina]

First, since you are a client of Dr. Jeff, there is no need to look for a TCVM vet. It is best, for serious problems, to be using either TCVM or homeopathy.

If the redosing of the remedy made him feel better, even though not eating better, then trying what Dr.Jean said is great. If, however, there was not much change in general after re-dosing the remedy, it may be time for another appointment with Dr. Jeff to determine if another remedy is needed.

Did you get the Healthy Cat Journal? "journal" - Holistic Actions!

It can help you track all the symptoms so Dr. Jeff can have a better picture of what is going on.

Deciding on the need for the ultrasound should be a decision you and Dr. Jeff.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Jill-

If Sammy has had no improvement since we spoke then you may want to redose the Calc 30 using 5 extra succussions (so 10 succussions becomes 15, etc.).

 

[JillH]

I ended up okaying the IV so that Sammy will have fluids going into the weekend. When he gets home I'll see how he's doing and redose the Calc 30. Super grateful for the help!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Cats on their own typically eat 8-9 mice (or mouse-worth's of food) in a 24 hour period

Wow, that's a lot of mice!! Perfect for the barn cat, or an active outside kitty, but I think this going to be way too many calories for indoor sedentary cats.

Dr. Patty's recommendation to feed "individualized" amounts of food (based on activity, metabolism, size, etc.) is sage advise:

Feeding Cats 101: How Many Calories Are In a Mouse? — Dr. Patty Khuly

Have you ever wondered what a house cat’s ideal meal should be? In a cheeky quote attributed to esteemed veterinary cardiologist and feline nutrition pioneer, Dr. Paul Pion, the recipe goes as follows: “Take one vole and put it in a blender.” That’s it. Done. This blenderized meal is nutr

www.drpattykhuly.com

Thanks for the great reminder Dr. Jean about feeding cats frequent smaller meals.

 

[JillH]

Dr. Jean, I'm working my way through your book and I went to the website for Only Natural Pet Food. A few months ago we got Sammy completely off dry food and onto wet food (Fancy Feast), and in the last month he's begun to eat a little raw food. I'm looking for the healthiest, most inviting foods to offer him when he gets back from having his IV, and I'm wondering about the freeze dried options. Now that he eats wet food, would this be a step backward, or since he eats Fancy Feast, would it be a step forward?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great question Jill! I can't wait to hear what Dr. Jean says.

FWIW, this image expresses my thoughts about it: