My two both have chin acne caused by plastic bowls so I ha e just purchased them 2 stainless steel fountains from zooplus I have one in the bedroom as they sleep with us at night and I.can't hear it unless its low on water

Shadow has been sick a lot in the last couple of weeks (woke me up at 1:30am being sick in the bedroom, the landing and the spare room!), and he refusing his renal diet. I tried him on some home cooked food, some senior cat food and some Applaws and he wouldn't eat that either, in fact the only thing that I can tempt him to eat is Whiskas. At least he is still drinking plenty of water - esp in this weather.

Anyone got any advice?

I think I need to take him to the vet to get checked over in case the sickness is related to his renal failure. I have read they can get gastric problems. Hope I can get an appointment for him after work tonight.

Have you tried tuna or sardines? Plain chicken used to work on Jingle too.

One other thing that might work - pop the cat food in the microwave for a few seconds (not so it gets hot, just so that it is very, very slightly warmed) - it helps to make the food 'smellier' which can tempt poorly puss cats.

Hope you've managed to get an appointment for this evening.

I've tried the chicken and tuna, but I haven't tried warming his food a little, thanks for the tip. I'll give it a go.

Yes, got an appointment at 6:15 this evening. From what I have read gastritis is common in CRF cats so maybe the vet can give him something to help with the sickness.

Back from the vets, Shadow has lost weight . He's got to go back and have fasting bloods done on Saturday and has been started on antibiotics for the sickness. The vet doesn't want to give him any stomach meds just yet, but to try the antibiotics first.

As he won't eat the renal diet he is going to be started on Fortekor (once he's got his blood results). The vet suggested mixing the renal diet with Whiskas and seeing if I can get him to eat it that way.

Fingers crossed the antibiotics will kick in soon for his sore tummy.

And fingers crossed too for the test results. Jingle was on Fortekor for about 18 months and fortunately she thought they were sweeties so ate them quite happily (after I'd given her the Felimazole for her thyroid with the pill popper stick!)

Thanks.

I wish Shadow took his pills like sweets, it is always a major fight with him. Right now he is hiding in a cardboard box so I won't try to get him to take his first tablet just yet. I just know it is going to be a battle, which is why the vet didn't start him on Fortekor earlier, she didn't want to give him extra stress.

Jingles sounds like he was on similar meds to my poor old Muppet, he was on Fortekor, Felimazole, Furosemide and Spironolactone - and he took them all as good as gold.

hope Shadow is OK.

Our Katie will be 10 in January, but in August she is due for her injections - is it worthwhile do you think asking them to do a blood test, sort of an OAC check-up? When she is 11 she will be a bus pass cat.

Hope it goes well for you, I really do.

It was a little adventure giving Barney his tablet each day - we got around it by wrapping him in a small towel so his legs were caught up in it - not tight or anything just enough to keep the legs at bay!

Sometimes he would take the tablet without problem, others he would be a right pain in the butt! The vet gave us a small pipette that we filled with water - if he didn't take it we would put a small drop of water into his mouth and this made him swallow - worked every time and made the adventure much easier.

Something like this... http://www.sourcingmap.com/baby-5ml-...-p-121506.html

When I first started to give him the tablets I did a quick Google search for advice - this is a good page I found
http://josvg.home.xs4all.nl/pets/cat-pill.html

I lost my cat recently. if its any help to others the only thing she would eat in her last days was Muller Rice apple flavour and Flora spread .One day she was a happy bouncing cat, the next day she was off her food completly, tried alsorts of things with heavy aromas like sardines and cooked chicken,but she didnt want to know.

Brilliant. How's your other cat doing Chris? And how are you?

That's a funny combination Jack, but cats are funny things. Sorry for your loss.

My main worry is the vomiting. Shadow was sick again this morning - just what you want when you're making breakfast. I'm going to try him again on some chicken or a bit of cod, something plain for his tummy, I'm sure the Whiskas can't be helping, but the vet didn't say to stop feeding it. As he is loosing weight I guess anything is better than nothing. At least he drinks plenty, the last thing I want is for his to get dehydrated.

If it's not too expensive (or you don't mind paying the money) then I would recommend it, if not this year then definitely once she gets her bus pass. Last year's blood tests picked up Shadow's hyperthyroidism (thankfully cured by surgery) and this year it was the renal failure.

My vet (part of a nationwide franchise) does a deal where the MOT costs £30 if you have it at the same time as the annual boosters.

Thanks Shadow.
I think the term is 'a drowning man clutches at straws'
I was desperate to get any food into her at all.So I tried nearly everything, even softening up her (once) favourite Thomas's cat biscuits. I was so pleased when she ate a lob of Flora marg as I think it contains fish oils?
The other thing you could try is half a spoonful of 'Liquid Paraffin' from the chemist, this is definitely not aircraft fuel as the name might suggest, but is very much a lube and an old human gastric remedy for shifting blockages (like say swallowed hard objects like bones) with harmless ingredients.

Shadow is doing better, no more sickness since we went to the vet on Tuesday, and he ate a little bit of cooked fish yesterday and then scoffed down all of Woody's Whiskas. He has a good appetite, he just won't eat what is good for him.

I'll bear the liquid parafin in mind, might run it past the vet when I go back on Saturday. Mind you I don't know how I would get him to take it

Liquid paraffin is used as a laxative if the cat is constipated/has furballs - or rather it used to be, nowadays it is much more usual to use a palatable preparation like katalax. I don't think it would be advisible to use it for a cat who is vomiting up food (which probably due to the CRF, it is a common symptom) rather than furballs.

Glad to here little Shadow is doing better... saw a photo of him in another thread!

Thankfully, touch wood our other cat is doing fine at the moment, it has now been a week since he lost his brother and we have been making a huge fuss over him to help not have him 'morn' the loss of his brother. His kidneys also seem to be doing OK... munching down everything he sees! Has to go back the vest next week for a a quick checkup but think he is doing OK!

Luckily my cat is eating the Royal Canin renal dry food, but I don't think she is eating enough. I would like to try the wet food as well but it only seems to be available online and in large quantities. Has anyone found a good online supplier that provides smaller quantities? I don't want to buy 24 tubs if she is not going to eat it. Are there any other makes I can try that do smaller quantities that people would recommend. I have found some but never heard of the names before.

I bought a pack of 12 from my vet, it is probably more expensive that way but I didn't want to buy it online for the same reason as you- if I bought it in large quantities Shadow would probably stop eating it (which he has). I also got some Hill k/d wet food from my vet -again a pack of 12.

It might be worth seeing what your vet can do, mine gave me samples of Royal Canin and Hills so Shadow could try them all and see what his favourite was, rather than just go out and buy a large amount of something he might not like.

Waiting to hear back from the vets this afternoon, Shadow had his blood tests. Fingers crossed everything is okay. The antibiotics have certainly stopped him being sick.

Heard back from the vets. Shadows kidney function is slightly worse. I'm focusing on the word "slightly" rather than worse. He's going to start taking Fortekor (that'll be fun).

He ate a few mouthfuls of fish this evening - first thing he has eaten all day

I too would take comfort in the word 'slight'. Good luck with the pill administration, that's something I always dread doing.

Grind into powder, siphon into straw, get partner to open mouth, blow straight in - all of course easier said than done.

Ask the vet nurse to show you how to pill your cat. They have had lots of practice! BTW some pills should not be crushed, not sure if Fortekor is one of them.

If only he was like my old cat Muppet - 5 pills in the morning, 2 at night and he never fought me. Giving Shadow a pill is a 2 person job, and I live on my own.

Any update on Shadow ?
I still miss my lovely old puss (originally feral) and it does not seem to get any easier.I missed a sign which was the fact he started staying outside of a night and would not come in,I dint think much of it at the time as the weather had warmed up, he had packed up hunting a long time ago but left a clean,dead squirrel outside the back which I realise now was perhaps a parting gift?