How Long Would You Wait

[queenofmean]

...before giving up perseverance? One of my cats has possible 'bowel' issues and the vet gave me medication and new food to try. He is to get 1-2 cans a day. It is also ok for the other cats to eat the food too, he said. The cat food comes with a money back guarantee, so I can take it back. It has been 5 days and said cat won't eat it and even the cat that will eat EVERYTHING (almost) won't look at it. Should I wait until Friday and say I have given it a week or should I just stop. The tablets seem to help, and if this wasn't to work he is to have an endoscopy.

[albaqwerty]

is the puss eating anything at all?
Moggies are notorious for being fussy (as you know)
Dare I suggest he goes back to his normal food and keeps taking the medication?

[mccfluff]

its been 5 days, ive give up but i'd ring the vets to check first

[Ratty2E]

Unless the food has some kind of medication in It then I would imagine it would fine for the others to eat just to use it up if the cat it is intended for won't touch it. I suspect it wasn't cheap as vet recommended foods never are so if it were me i let the cats eat their normal food and see if i could get a refund?

[Barmaid]

Have you tried saying "****** eat it cos you are not getting anything else"? Ignore the "talk to the tail" response.

Is your moggy allowed out? Could be that he/she is raiding other houses. He WILL bloody well eat if he is hungry. I had this problem with my old lady. She came round to my way of thinking eventually.

[queenofmean]

He asks to get fed Alba, so he gets his usual food but he only ever eats a few mouthfuls (he hasn't lost weight) he's still looking like he was built on the Clyde. His med's run out tomorrow I think, so I might give them a call then.

That's what I thought McFluff, but £42 odd for meds and food is nothing compared to how ever much it will cost to have a scope and stuff shoved up his 'tush' LOL

[Barmaid]

(With a cat, it is a battle of wills. It's just that generally, the "Cat's Will" prevails).

[queenofmean]

Ratty - the other's won't entertain it. Henry is like a feline vacuum he will eat everything and anything except this stuff.

Yes BM I have tried that, he just walks away as if to say she's barking LOL. Sadly he doesn't go out all the mogs are indoor cats. I am of the opinion if he is hungry he will eat but he doesn't eat much when he does

[Barmaid]

I'd give it a few more days. 5 days is NOTHING in a battle with a cat. It took me about 3 months to persuade my old lady to eat her medicated stuff.

What you can do is mix it with normal food. So start with a 90/10 ratio of normal to medicated. Keep reducing the normal and increasing the medicated. so after a few weeks you are at 10/90. Try it.

[Barmaid]

Also, try treats mixed in with the special food, like a little tuna or some chicken or some prawns.

[boxtops]

Rover had to have KD cat food, and apart from two mouthfuls he refused to even look at it. I can see why - it's gross pink muck. Tell the vet, see what else they suggest.

[albaqwerty]

I hate to say it, but sometimes I think some, not all, vets have a hidden agenda when it comes to our pets.

[boxtops]

trouble is, barmaid, some of those treat foods are high in whatever the cat shouldn't be eating - and Rover doesn't like prawns.

[Barmaid]

I think you could be right Alba, although I am terribly lucky with our vets.

Trouble is, cats are devious, manipulative sods and if they think they can win the battle, they will always try.

[Barmaid]

Clearly check it with the vet first, Boxy. My old lady wasn't meant to have high protein, but vet agreed that using prawns to get her meds in her did her more good than harm. Vet also agreed that anything I could do to persuade her onto the new diet was better in the long term.

I just think that 5 days is no time at all. Kitty will not starve himself.

[queenofmean]

I will certainly give that a bash BM - thank you.

Our vet is usually quite good (they all fuss over cat in question).

But I agree they are little horrors at times, all sweet and innocent, the minute you turn your back all hell breaks loose!

[Barmaid]

Queenie, if buggerlugs doesn't like prawns, try buying a mackerel or some sardines from the fish counter. If I could those, my cats go nuts.

[Barmaid]

*Cook* not *Could* muppet.

[albaqwerty]

When the cats owned me, we had the most wonderful vet. Nothing too much trouble. Compassionate lady, (although she was more into horses than domestic friends)

Good idea from BM, queenie, tuna, prawns anything puss fancies to get the meds into him.

[queenofmean]

I've never tried Max with prawns, Jess our late cat lived for prawns. But I shall go trawl the fish counter at lunch tomorrow see what I can get for himself.

We have been managing to get his tablet into him, only once has he not taken it (crafty wee beggar spat it out when I wasn't looking) and giving him some dreamies as a reward.

The only thing I have noticed is that I have only been aware that he has 'gone' once since starting this treatment. I assume he has gone more than that since starting but I can't police the trays :/

[Barmaid]

You mean you don't know which cat has pooed what, Queenie?!!! lol shame on you. I know precisely which cat has shat/puked (Mr BM thinks I am slightly nuts).