Cat with URI not eating very much

My cat Bear has a terrible URI. He is so congested that he is snoring and he never snores. He is drinking water but I don't think he is getting enough food down him. Bear is on c/d dry because he had a lot of crystals in his pee a while back. I want to feed him like baby food with chicken in it but am afraid to because I don't want him to get crystals again. (I was cooking chicken today and he wanted it so bad. He was standing right by the stove smelling it. It was cute especially how sick he looked) I was wondering if anybody else thinks this would be okay just until he gets better. I am also afraid he might get diarrhea if I switch his food.

Anybody else have any other ideas?

I tried that with Coco before but her infection came back. Your Cat can not smell the C/D. Coco does the same thing when she has Colds. Is your Cat on Antibiotics? They will make cats not want to eat sometimes. Colds do it because the Cta can not smell the food.

Originally Posted by laureen227

he probably can't smell his food... cats need to be able to smell their food. try heating it up before serving [really hot water would be good - also would give extra fluids].

chicken shouldn't cause a urinary/bladder problem unless he's allergic in some way... fish can cause problems, but i've never heard of chicken being linked to bladder/urinary problems. so if he wants chicken, i'd give him chicken - at least then he'd be eating something.

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I agree. When my kittens had a URI I fed them chicken wet food, heated it and they ate. I have never heard of chicken causing crystals either.

In most cases, the only real threat to a cat's recovery from a URI is from lack of eating. Your cat must eat and during a URI he/she should be allowed to eat essentially anything he wants. Lack of food is dangerous.

Baby formula chicken stage 1 is not going to give him crystals, and while feeding CD is helpful, dry food is not helpful and I would suggest lots of wet food (more moisture to help prevent crystals) but avoid seafood. Crystals form in alkaline urine so adding a little cranberry powder or vitamin c supplement to his food may help make his urine more acidic which will prevent crystal formation.

I work in a shelter and we see cats with URI **all** the time and getting food into cats in this condition is a very high priority. You can also take him into the bathroom and give him a "steam" twice a day to unclog his nostrils, and get saline drops (non medicated) from a drug store and do a gentle squirt in each nostril twice a day.

He should also be on an antibiotic to prevent a bacterial infection, and eye drops (from a vet) if his eyes are very goopy, drippy, or the eyelid is closing.

He needs a Antibiotic for sure. If you get baby food make sure there is no onion or garlic in it. When Meeko had her bad Cold in Jan sh refused to eat or drink. The Vet told me to get Chicken Baby Food. She also had Clavamox. Does your Cat have a fever? Meekos was almost 105.

Yeah when the vet checked his temp on Friday he had a temp around 105 too. The vet gave him amxocillion (sp?) for an antibotic.

I called the vet and they okayed it that he could go on other food until he gets better so I went ahead and took pieces of chicken off a chicken leg instead and fed it to him by hand. He gobbled it up. I tried wet food before that but he wouldn't eat it. I think he is just being a stubborn little kitty not wanting to eat it maybe. I know its not healthy feeding him that but hey at least hes eating. Thank goodness...


Thanks for yalls posts

Do you have other Cats? Here is my post when Meeko was Sick. Her fever was 104.9. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ighlight=meeko. Coco ended up Sick from Meeko. I hope your Cat feels better.

Yes, I agree with the other poster. My one kitty struggles with URI's a few times a year. It is crucial that they eat; I would try to get anything in him. Can you give him some tuna juice? Perhaps some Lactaid milk? Most cats won't turn down tuna or milk.

amoxicillin is for kittens. If he's not a kitten then he should be on something stronger like clavamox.

Eye cream if his eyes are gooey, dripping or partially closed.

I would not give any kind of Tuna or Fish to a Cat with a Bladder Infection. It sets them off. Coco used to get Clavamox for her Infections but she he would throw up so we had to change to Cephalexin. This time she got Cefa Drops. We did talk about Baytril too. Clavamox is one of the Meds that works well for Bladder Infections. Coco has a Vet tomorrow to see if she still has the Infection. I hope your Cat gets better.

Cat was diagnosed with a uri. He's on clavamox, and just got mazapine for a appetite stimulate. Still not eating. Have heated up food, tuna, or A/d. Help! Should I give it time? I've force fed him twice, but not liking the stressing him ot more!
How long does a uri last? My Mojo has had it since last Sunday.

It's imperative that he eat, even if you have to force feed him. Try putting his bowl up on some books to elevate the food so he doesn't have to bend down so far to eat. The snot just runs out the nose when the kitty bends his head down, then he lifts his head to stop the runny nose, so he won't eat.

Do the steaming thing in the bathroom several times a day or run a vaporizer 24/7 near where he's sleeping.

Boil some chicken in plain water. Shred it and add some of the broth into the mixture until it's the consistency of oatmeal. Warm it in the microwave a bit or in a water bath and serve. You can also use plain (clear) pedialyte to keep kitty hydrated.

You might also try some Fancy Feast. It's stinky and might get your guy eating again. I wouldn't overdo it with the FF, but I've known folks who have kitties with renal failure that have fed them FF.

Since he's prone to crystals, you might want to join the FLUTD group on Yahoo! They've got some great folks there, very knowledgeable and helpful in caring for kitties with urinary tract issues. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...guid=353539644 They might have some other ideas for you that are better for your kitty and will help with decrease the likelihood of crystals.

I have a kitten that has been battling URI and she is not eating. But I have been trying to put food in her and she is drinking water on her own. She is on antibotics. As soon as I get paid I am going to the vet and getting more stuff to help her. She was sleeping alot but now she is sitting up around the house. Sometimes she will sit by the water bowl. I try to sit food out she just looks at it. But I will not give up on her. I am going to feed her thru syringe until she starts back up again.