The Cat Thread - Cat rescues, etc.

[Barbara]

St Catherine of Alexandria Feast Day
Encouraging that cats CAN live this long !
Apparently, how much stress the cat has endured plays a certain role in their life expectancy.

Keep your cat or cats in comfort and away from any kind of stressors, is what experienced cat people advise.

I would add that the processed cat food is horrendous for their health.

Avoid any but top brands

Tender and True, for example, is I think the only brand now sold in the US which is certified Organic.
It's made entirely in the US unlike many cheap brands which have ingredients from - China, ie can be laced with chemicals and toxins.
Tender and True has both dry food and cans. Is sold at Natural Grocers
It's not as junk-foody as so many other brands but try mixing it in with the cat's regular food to get the cat used to Tender and True's healthy taste
Avoid at all costs any cat food sold in any regular grocery store ! They are all terrible for your cat's health.

For people who don't know this, the bottom of the barrel is : Fancy Feast - throw that it out, if you have any cans or dry food. Or rather, give it to the local Cat Rescue place, they will appreciate the donation.
But Fancy Feast's ingredients are horrible beyond description

For male cats, DO NOT give them seafood meals, no matter how enticing the name sounds "Tuna Delight" or such

Stick with Chicken, maybe a little Beef, but beef is hard on any cat's kidneys.
Kidney problems are one of the major causes of demise in cats today, unfortunately. Something like a quarter of cats repose from that.

Watch salt content too.
ALL manufactured cat food contains salt. IT SHOULD NOT.
Salt causes a big drain on the kidneys.

If you can, cook actual chicken, preferably Organic, for your cat.
Add Organic Eggs and perhaps Feta cheese once in awhile so the cat gets all the nutrients it needs

Don't touch any egg that is not Organic - for yourself, also !


"Say hi to Flossie, who is 29 years old the world’s oldest living cat, she is set to celebrate her 30th birthday on 29 December 2025"

https://x.com/depressionlesss/status/19 ... 8354584794

[Barbara]

Also, be sure ALWAYS to add a little water to your cat's food ! This is very important, as they don't get enough liquid, which is what puts the kidneys into difficulty.

Add a little handful of water. The cats don't like that, but they will get used to it - if they want their food, that is !

[Barbara]

One easily detect a smile !

"The way her expressions changed after wearing that necklace" :

https://x.com/depressionlesss/status/19 ... 2211746050

[Barbara]

I forgot to mention sardines. I think it's better to give your cat, unless having a known kidney problem, more than what this man suggests.
Full sardines, not mashed more than needed for the cat to eat easily, no sauce but the olive oil that the sardines hopefully came in.

There is a good brand at Costco, for example, called Season which is wild caught in olive oil

ALL fish like salmon should be wild-caught ONLY !

"Why cats in Japan live twice as long as cats in the United States"

https://x.com/CadioArena/status/1999898065109745852[/color]

[eish]

Also, be sure ALWAYS to add a little water to your cat's food ! This is very important, as they don't get enough liquid, which is what puts the kidneys into difficulty.

Add a little handful of water. The cats don't like that, but they will get used to it - if they want their food, that is !

I have heard of this. Cats are desert animals with efficient kidneys--they're supposed to get all of their water from food under normal circumstances. So if your cat is drinking often, that means that you are probably feeding it dry kibble and the cat is dehydrated. What I'm not so sure about is the “always.” Isn't it supposed to mean kibble? I mean: if you feed the cat wet foods such as cans of fish, fresh meat, etc. should you really need to add extra water?

Kitty for your time.

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[Barbara]

Funny !

No, eish. Cats don't eat that much in the wild. How they get their water in the wild, I don't know.

But here is the problem told to me by my vet : cats' kidneys are TOO SMALL. Thus they get worn out too fast.

I didn't know a thing about this UNTIL, UNTIL...

Nobody does, that's why I thought i would warn cat parents to do this now, before the cat develops the problem.

Here is what happens. The cat may seek extra water in various forms, drinking a lot, always in the litter box - AND seeking baths for the hydration that I think comes thru their fur.

So you have to pay close attn, as these changes develop gradually.

Take your cat RIGHT AWAY to the vet, costly as it is.
A complete kidney exam will cost maybe $500. There are less costly tests but you need a full range of them. If the vet tells you at THAT point "your cat is suffering from kidney failure", it's BAD. There are a few indexes the vet uses to determine this diagnosis. I'll look them up later.

If these levels are abnormal, that means the cat's kidney's are on the way out - FAST, sadly.

For, the scariest part is that at THIS juncture, the cat's kidneys are ALREADY at 75 % FAILURE. You don't get much warning except for the excessive drinking and frequent litter box visits. Another symptom is unusual amount of seeking warmth. The cat can't stand cold and will always curl up on a heater vent or such. That last, though, can also be a symptom of other conditions, but it is a telltale sign.

The vet will tell you that there is no cure.

You will fall apart.

But there ARE solutions outside of vet care, which will get to.

Vet care consists of hydration by intravenous injection of what they call fluids. You have to take the cat every week or sometimes twice a week in later stages.

The cat will feel IMMEDIATELY BETTER - until before the next visit when the cat will start to get really tired and listless. Then perk up after the fluids are administered

You can do this at home, but i tried this and it was next to impossible for me. If a person is a trained nurse or experienced with advanced cat care, it's not a big deal.

The sooner one starts the fluids, the better the cat will feel.

But vets also insist on a "kidney diet"

The best is Purina ProPlan. It tastes better to the cat than the other two. But it's full of trash too ! How much good it does, i can't say. The best part of the kidney diets is that they are low-protein and the salt is reduced.

That's why I was talking about avoiding salt in the processed foods, which is devastating for one's cat. And also cutting out beef, which is terrible for the kidneys.
The vet's assistant told me that chicken is the most digestible, which confirmed what i already had figured out.

Time to put everyone's cats on a real chicken diet primarily.

I'll discuss alternative means of helping the cat's kidney problems - which ARE widespread in Western countries - in another post.

[Barbara]

Intermission for an inspiring tiny clip :

"Woman shows the importance of adopting stray cats who only need love"

https://x.com/catsareblessing/status/20 ... 6210096598