• Everyone can read this forum. To post on this forum, you must be a Community or VIP member. You can register here. If you are a member, to login use your email address for the username and the same password you use for the main site. If you have problems logging in to the forum, please email support@holisticactions.com.

Catrina throws up hair

JaneS

All-Access Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
32
Catrina is my 15 1/2-year-old tabby girl. She has gotten thin over this past year and a slight heart murmur was detected and early stage kidney disease by my vet. She is not on any meds for the heart murmur as her Sono didn’t show it was needed yet

she appears to be a very picky eater all her life. She eats fancy feast and I gave her small amounts all during the day to be sure that she eats it. The doctor also put her on blood pressure medicine because her blood pressure was high when she had the sono and they felt she needed medication. She’s just a very nervous cat and the change of her environment I think contributed to that but I am keeping her on the medication.But she is thin now her BEAM is good.Her last check of weight about two months ago was 8.2 pounds. She’s due to be seen by the vet in January again. She follows her every three months. My problem is that every week she throws up fur with food and I feel this is keeping her weight down also. Dr. Jeff has told me to wipe her down with a warm cloth and I do that plus brush her. I always get some fur off even then. I give her a dab of lax atone every morning and my vet suggested to give her MiraLAX to help pass the fur.
My vet isn’t concerned that she throws upBecause there is fur in it.
she said she would be concerned if she threw up every day but she throws up on an average of every 1.5 weeks. I am so concerned that she has cancer. Is it normal for an older cat to lose body weight like she has? I feel her back bone when I pet her and her haunches are more pronounced. But she seems to be energetic, jumps on and off the bed to visit me looks out the window at the birds and doesn’t seem to be in any kind of pain.I can usually tell when she’s going to get sick within the next day or so because when she eats she lets out a cough sounds like when a cat tries to get up a hairball up. I have purchased an elevated dish for her to make it easier for her to eat also. What else should I be doing? I am so worried about her
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
Wonderful question, thanks for asking Jane!

It sounds like she may have a common (but not normal) condition called sarcopenia.

It occurs when muscles shrink from metabolic changes and decreased use as kitties age.

It is often easily corrected by a move to a fresh (vs. commercial ultra-processed) diet with more bioavailable protein and fat calories. Does she eat any fresh (real) food? Cooked, raw, air or freeze-dried, etc.? The more the better.

DHA and other special fats (fatty acids as with fish oils are also especially important and have been research proven to prevent and treat sarcopenia in people.

The best treatment for sarcopenia, aside from a raw meat diet, is a special micro-algae fresh (frozen) supplement called SmartZYME which the discoverer (a brilliant scientist named Hiro) calls living DHA.


 

JaneS

All-Access Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
32
thank you Dr. Jeff. I just ordered some of the smartzyme.
no I asked you this on our last phone call but I really don’t know what you mean by fresh food? She is such a picky eater I don’t know what to feed her. You mean maybe make chicken for her can you give me an example of other types of whole foods or fresh foods that she could eat? I’m afraid she will starve if I don’t give her something that she can lick at. I sound like I’m rambling but I’m really at a loss with this girl.
For her whole life I’ve opened up cans of food and thought that took care of all her nutritional needs. Now that it’s putting my hands to supply food for her I am at a loss.
 

Dr. Jeff

Administrator
Moderator
Veterinarian
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
5,242
You're welcome, Jane.

The canned foods you were feeding were definitely supplying her nutritional needs. That's what commercial foods do best.

However, your kitties little bodies may not be working to their best. Especially as they get older. That's where feeding fresh food comes in.

By fresh food I mean any "real" food like chicken, beef, lamb, pork, fish, veggies, fruit. If it's good for us, it's nutritive for them. Just stick with moderate amounts offered in variety and you'll be fine. The only big exception is grapes and raisins which can trigger kidney problems in some pets.

Any of the raw frozen or other real food diets on the market would be great.

Since she likes to lick perhaps she how she does with the Answer's Raw Goat's Milk product. If she likes it, you can also add a raw egg on top for her to consume along with the milk..

 

Weekly Digest

Weekly Digest
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Top Bottom