Linda's Feline CRF Hints
Food
I used to recommend Hain's no-salt-added chicken broth; however I have learned that they now add onion powder to their broth, so this is no longer an option.
When Snowball got fussy about his food, I was going through soooo many bowls. I was using the small bowls from our Correlle set, and realized that if they could wear out from too many washings they would, and then my set would have no small bowls. And we often didn't have any clean bowls because they all had been used for cat food and hadn't been washed yet. We went to the local Corning Ware Outlet and bought a supply of the same type of bowl, but in a slightly different pattern. They were 3 for $5.00, and we bought 30; it was $50.00 well spent. These are shallow 10 oz bowls, and very smooth inside. I could use a fresh bowl each time he ate a different food -- and he often ate from 4 or 5 cans at a single meal. The "used" bowls can be left on the floor for the other cats to lick out. A
few times a day I simply picked up all the bowls and washed them; they wash up easily after a short soak in hot water. This really made that one aspect of Snowball's care much easier.
Mittens seems to have problems eating canned food from bowls, even shallow ones; he doesn't like to get his whiskers into the food. I have started feeding him on small desert plates, and he eats a lot more. I'll have to make another trip to the Corning Ware Outlet.
For anyone who has looked in pet store without success for Pet Guard cat food -- it is sold in Health Food Stores. Pet Guard is a premium cat food with no by-products. I am not advocating feeding Pet Guard; some flavors are reasonably low phosphorous, some aren't. I'm just mentioning another place to find cat food.
ONION and GARLIC
Do not feed your cat any food containing onion. And many people also avoid food with garlic.
HINTS I RECEIVED FROM OTHERS
If your cat likes to lick catnip, sprinkling catnip on food might encourage eating.
Cats mostly smell their food more than taste it. So if a cat won't eat, try smelly foods.
Fat is the richest source of calories for a cat who needs more calories but can't tolerate more protein or phosphorus. Some cats will lick butter. Cream, if it doesn't cause diarrhea, works well. Adding a little butter or oil (e.g., DreamCoat) to a food will add calories and may increase palatability.
{Karen}
Elevating the bowl a few inches off the floor can make it easier for your kitty at meal-times, especially if your kitty is elderly, anemic or not feeling very well.
{Karen}
If your kitty is not interested in eating, ask your vet about an appetite stimulant.
{Karen}
If you are having difficulty getting your kitty to eat the CRF food (or even regular cat food), you might try giving her Gerber or Beechnut meat baby food (meat and broth only - NO ONION/ONION POWDER!!). Sometimes dabbing some turkey baby food on your kitty's paw will prompt her to eat a bit.
