5/29 - Pookey - Small update

[Tim & Pookey]

Hi all,

Previous:
5/21 - Pookey - Urine Results

We’re doing good overall! A couple things that came up recently…

Have any of you noticed your cat not wanting to eat out of a certain bowl or plate? Pookey has been hit or miss with eating out of his PetLibro. I wonder if the plastic is dirty or it’s bothering his whiskers. Or sick of the same food he’s had for months…

On another note, I found a small lump on the inside of his thigh on his back leg. It’s about the size of a pea and moves around under the skin. It doesn’t seem to bother him when I touch it, so I’m not sure if I’ll act on this.

On the suspected CKD - I spoke to someone in Tanya’s group and they weren’t convinced we need to do anything at this point. I did learn you can test USG at home with a refractometer ($20 on Amazon). And I guess USG is sort of like ketones in that it can fluctuate throughout the day. So we’ll see how that goes.

Have a great day! - Tim

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hi Tim, do you use plastic bowls? They say ceramic or metal are much better for them.

Can you try different food to see his response?

Maybe you could at least call the vet to see what they say about the small lump and if they think he should be seen. I’m not familiar with a lump like that.
Hope it’s nothing. But I wouldn’t ignore it.

Interesting about the test for USG. Never heard of that.

What did your vet say about the CKD situation?

And how is sweet Pookey doing these days? Is he feeling good and acting sane as always?

Sending him big belly rubs

 

[Tim & Pookey]

do you use plastic bowls? They say ceramic or metal are much better for them.

Can you try different food to see his response?

The auto feeder ones are plastic unfortunately, yea. I need to do some experimenting to nail it down.

Maybe you could at least call the vet to see what they say about the small lump and if they think he should be seen. I’m not familiar with a lump like that.
Hope it’s nothing. But I wouldn’t ignore it.

Good idea. Online says it could be nothing or it could be cancer, of course. We have a vet tech coming in a few weeks. I’ll have them take a look at it.

What did your vet say about the CKD situation?

They said switch to renal diet. I just don’t know. You know how their advice can be on these more specialty things…

He’s been good, enjoying having windows open listening to the birds. I’m happy to see Ivy’s been letting you get out for your dinners

 

[Staci & Ivy]

The auto feeder ones are plastic unfortunately, yea. I need to do some experimenting to nail it down.

Do they have metal replacements for that model?
I have a Cat Mate and I ordered the metal inserts separately and I like them a lot.

Good idea. Online says it could be nothing or it could be cancer, of course. We have a vet tech coming in a few weeks. I’ll have them take a look at it.

I think that’s wise

They said switch to renal diet. I just don’t know. You know how their advice can be on these more specialty things…

He’s been good, enjoying having windows open listening to the birds. I’m happy to see Ivy’s been letting you get out for your dinners

I would think the renal diet they recommend isn’t necessarily the best. You could ask on the CKD forum for recommendations.

When Ivy was diagnosed with CKD was when I began cooking her food for her. So that’s what got me started.
They formulated chicken and salmon recipes I was using at the time.
Then we later switched to lamb, a novel protein.
Then when FD came along, we had that lamb recipe tweaked to be lower carb for that diagnosis

I know you will do what’s best for your boy

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Do they have metal replacements for that model?
I have a Cat Mate and I ordered the metal inserts separately and I like them a lot.

I think that’s wise

I would think the renal diet they recommend isn’t necessarily the best. You could ask on the CKD forum for recommendations.

When I’ve was diagnosed with CKD was when I began cooking her food for her. So that’s what got me started.
They formulated chicken and salmon recipe I was using at the time.
Then we later switched to lamb, a novel protein.
Then when FD came along, we had that lamb recipe tweaked to be lower carb for that diagnosis

I know you will do what’s best for your boy

Thank you so much Staci! Always appreciate you taking the time to keep up with us. Especially since I’m a bit of an overall cat newbie.

Do you know outside of maybe lower phosphorus what her diet provides that helps her CKD? Is it just less junk ingredients that her kidneys have to filter?

 

[Laurie & Petey]

Do you have the autofeeder that you can get the stainless trays for when they're released? I could feed Pete on a wet paper towel and he'd eat! But water was a whole other story.

I agree with Staci on the lump. Is it a swollen gland? If it's not, I'd shave the area if I could to make sure it's not a bug bite, cyst etc.

Give him some scritches for me .

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Do you have the autofeeder that you can get the stainless trays for when they're released? I could feed Pete on a wet paper towel and he'd eat! But water was a whole other story.

I agree with Staci on the lump. Is it a swollen gland? If it's not, I'd shave the area if I could to make sure it's not a bug bite, cyst etc.

Give him some scritches for me .

I do! Hopefully they release them when they say they are.

Shaving is going to be hard it’s like up in his groin almost, but on his leg. I just found it again it feels like a small marble under the skin…

 

[Laurie & Petey]

I do! Hopefully they release them when they say they are.

Shaving is going to be hard it’s like up in his groin almost, but on his leg. I just found it again it feels like a small marble under the skin…

I don't know if cats get fatty tumors, but Olive is covered in them, and couple are in worrying locations. They are all under the skin and movable as well. All her siblings have them too.

 

[Tim & Pookey]

I don't know if cats get fatty tumors, but Olive is covered in them, and couple are in worrying locations. They are all under the skin and movable as well. All her siblings have them too.

Google AI says cats can, called lipoma. I didn’t know that!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Thank you so much Staci! Always appreciate you taking the time to keep up with us. Especially since I’m a bit of an overall cat newbie.

Do you know outside of maybe lower phosphorus what her diet provides that helps her CKD? Is it just less junk ingredients that her kidneys have to filter?

My pleasure, Tim. We are all constantly learning.
I am as well. Even after having cats most of my adult life. Each new disease comes with a whole learning curve
It’s exhausting.
Anyway… her diet is very clean. No fillers or junk. Pure protein, carbs, and supplements (we use Balance It).
So I feel good feeding her that and no bad stuff in commercial diets.
Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love.
I’m sure there are good diets out there. I’m just not familiar with the commercial market so I don’t really know what to look for.

I know old thinking was to limit protein for a CKD cat. But that’s not the current philosophy as they try to limit muscle wasting.

 

[SqueeM3]

Are you sure it's not a nipple?

Does Pookey have whisker fatigue? Maybe try a very wide bowl so the whiskers aren't touching anything.

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Are you sure it's not a nipple?

Does Pookey have whisker fatigue? Maybe try a very wide bowl so the whiskers aren't touching anything.

Could be whisker fatigue, and he associates that with his main food flavor…

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Hi Tim!

Word on the street is that you set up this site -- thank you so much for that. I went to the old URL to check in and freaked out when I saw that all of the messages ended on 4/23!!

I'm sorry to hear that you and Pookey are dealing with suspected CKD. It broke my heart when I learned that Chispa and my other cat both had CKD (stages 1 and 2), thinking it would be the end of them -- but then I did a ton of reading and felt a whole lot better about their prospects. May I share some insights?

1. The first thing my vet told me was that his own cat was diagnosed with CKD/2 at age 12 and lived to be 19 before dying of something else entirely. With good management, it can plateau for a long time.

2. Most vets are not as well versed in nutrition as you'd hope (by a vet's own admission). Many vet students receive scholarships from the prescription diet companies and remain unquestioningly loyal to their products forever. However, you do not have to feed a prescription diet to manage CKD. Not only are they shockingly expensive, but some of them are VERY high in carbs -- not cool for FD kitties!

3. Limiting protein is old-school thinking, like Staci said. Phosphorous is public enemy #1 for CKD, so feed the lowest phosphorous food you can find that he'll eat. Weruva, Soulistic, Instinct, and Tiki Cat have some good options. This interactive chart may be useful: Cat Food Database

Hugs and skritches to you and Pookey!

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Hi Tim!

Word on the street is that you set up this site -- thank you so much for that. I went to the old URL to check in and freaked out when I saw that all of the messages ended on 4/23!!

I'm sorry to hear that you and Pookey are dealing with suspected CKD. It broke my heart when I learned that Chispa and my other cat both had CKD (stages 1 and 2), thinking it would be the end of them -- but then I did a ton of reading and felt a whole lot better about their prospects. May I share some insights?

1. The first thing my vet told me was that his own cat was diagnosed with CKD/2 at age 12 and lived to be 19 before dying of something else entirely. With good management, it can plateau for a long time.

2. Most vets are not as well versed in nutrition as you'd hope (by a vet's own admission). Many vet students receive scholarships from the prescription diet companies and remain unquestioningly loyal to their products forever. However, you do not have to feed a prescription diet to manage CKD. Not only are they shockingly expensive, but some of them are VERY high in carbs -- not cool for FD kitties!

3. Limiting protein is old-school thinking, like Staci said. Phosphorous is public enemy #1 for CKD, so feed the lowest phosphorous food you can find that he'll eat. Weruva, Soulistic, Instinct, and Tiki Cat have some good options. This interactive chart may be useful: Cat Food Database

Hugs and skritches to you and Pookey!

Glad you found us Karen! That makes me feel a bit better. It has been a crazy time for the FD community here with the main board being down. Thankfully a lot of the regular folks came over and we’ve adapted pretty well.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hi Tim!

Word on the street is that you set up this site -- thank you so much for that. I went to the old URL to check in and freaked out when I saw that all of the messages ended on 4/23!!

I'm sorry to hear that you and Pookey are dealing with suspected CKD. It broke my heart when I learned that Chispa and my other cat both had CKD (stages 1 and 2), thinking it would be the end of them -- but then I did a ton of reading and felt a whole lot better about their prospects. May I share some insights?

1. The first thing my vet told me was that his own cat was diagnosed with CKD/2 at age 12 and lived to be 19 before dying of something else entirely. With good management, it can plateau for a long time.

2. Most vets are not as well versed in nutrition as you'd hope (by a vet's own admission). Many vet students receive scholarships from the prescription diet companies and remain unquestioningly loyal to their products forever. However, you do not have to feed a prescription diet to manage CKD. Not only are they shockingly expensive, but some of them are VERY high in carbs -- not cool for FD kitties!

3. Limiting protein is old-school thinking, like Staci said. Phosphorous is public enemy #1 for CKD, so feed the lowest phosphorous food you can find that he'll eat. Weruva, Soulistic, Instinct, and Tiki Cat have some good options. This interactive chart may be useful: Cat Food Database

Hugs and skritches to you and Pookey!

Hi Karen!!!
So glad you’ve found us! Ivy and I have missed you!
Hope you are doing well!!

Yes, Tim has set up this entire website! He’s truly our hero