What to Feed My Muffin Boy - In His Last Days

Some of you may know my boy was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. He had surgery and a malignant tumor was removed from the tip of one of his liver lobes. Muffin has a history of struvite crystals and he has always eaten prescription from the vet's office. He was eating Purina UR wet and dry food. This week we learned he has another abdominal mass, whch the vet says is larger than the one removed last year from his liver. Because Muffin is 14 years old and has already been through surgery once we are not going to do another surgery or further treatment for the cancer. He is taking methimazole for his thyroid and a dailty dose of prednisolone. We also give him an appetite stimulant when needed. My question here is this: We are intending to give him whatever we can get him to eat from now on. I wanted to see what your suggestions are as to a good quality wet food I could try to see if he will eat it. You can ready Muffin's story at these two links.




http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244032/muffin-bad-news-vet-visit-today

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/255012/problems-with-my-muffin-boy

oh I'm so very sorry about Muffin. You're a wonderful parent to keep him as comfortable as possible. Well, there are many good quality foods you could try. There's Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, Soulistic, Weruva, etc. Sending you lots of good vibes. 

You also might want to try some that are not premium, Fancy Feast, Sheba, Friskies, once in a while.  The main thing is to get him to eat something he will like.

Barb - big hugs to you as you spend these last days? weeks? :dk: with Muffin. I know how difficult that end of life journey can be with our babies. I know one thing my cats would love to eat day in and day out is Weruva Mack and Jack, BFF (all tuna based) and Fancy Feast Shrimp and Fish. I guess I would just offer Muffin whatever he will eat right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you, hun.

I agree with Lauren. It's time for Momofmany's Love & Cheese Danish "treatment."

With the history of struvites, you might want to give the fish-based proteins a skip, but really, I'd feed him whatever you know or discover he loves. :heart2:

Quote:

catspaw66 said:

You also might want to try some that are not premium, Fancy Feast, Sheba, Friskies, once in a while.  The main thing is to get him to eat something he will like.

Click to expand...

I ditto on these.

Most cats love these non premiums and if you find he'll eat any of them, I'd let him have it everyday. My heart goes out to you right now.

blueyedgirl5946 said:

My question here is this: We are intending to give him whatever we can get him to eat from now on. I wanted to see what your suggestions are as to a good quality wet food I could try to see if he will eat it.

Click to expand...

I am so so so so so so sorry about your Muffin . When, my Serval, was, at the end of his life, I fed him ANYTHING he wanted. Before, I got him (I was his 5th and last stop in life) everyone fed him Fiskies canned cat food. I eventually got him onto a whole live prey diet. But, it took over six months. Anyway, at the end of his life, all he wanted, was, the fish flavors of Friskies and raw chicken liver. That, is what, my Serval ate for the last 30 days of his life.

I personally, do not feel like, I did him a disservice. I wanted my old "friend" to enjoy the rest of his life. I think, it was Momofmany, that, coined the phrase, "Love and Cheese Danish diet". Personally, my , is that is a great diet. 
 

My vet has doubled his dosage of the prednisolone. It will make him hungry. He told me continue to feed as much of the prescription food as Muffin will eat. If necessary, give him the Fancy Feast as a topper or mixed in with the Purina UR wet food. For now, I am doing this. Hubby fed him some shrimp recently. Muffin has always loved that. I am not going to see him hungry and if push comes to shove, Muffin is going to get whatever he wants. By the way, he is still feeling good and is not in pain. I let him spend his days on the porch if he wants to, and I am spending much of my time, just holding him.

So glad that he's feeling good, even though the "end" is looming.  I'm so sorry this is happening   But for now you still have him with you and can love on him all you want.  Let him have his shrimp "cocktails" to his hearts desire.

Anything yummy, spoil him. 

blueyedgirl5946 said:

By the way, he is still feeling good and is not in pain. I let him spend his days on the porch if he wants to, and I am spending much of my time, just holding him.

Click to expand...

:heart2: Aw, that's lovely!

Hi Barb, I am so so sorry to hear about Muffin. I agree that he should get what he wants. You have been an incredible mom for Muffin and your hubby has been so good to him too. I feel like you and I have been through this last year with our two kitties together. It has been a great comfort to me to share our info and what we have gone through with our fur children and I am so sorry this his happening

Toby was also diagnosed with kidney failure today as the cancer has moved to his kidneys.We plan to give him whatever he wants, go outside with him, and just hope that his last days are full of love for him. He is in the hospital overnight tonight and I can't bear it with him not here. I am only allowing him to be there just in hopes that he will feel better when he comes home tomorrow. It is torture to be without him 

You both are doing whatever needs to be done, my heart goes out to you. It's beautiful that you have this time with your babies, give them a kiss from me.  You will be blessed for your kindness, know i'll be praying for you and your furbaby.

Thanks everyone. Muffin is holding his own for now. I hold him and love him and spoil him every day. He is actually eating his Purina UR wet and dry. Sometimes I mix in Fancy Feast to get his interest. At this stage I am going to feed him whatever it takes to keep him eating.

There is ONE thing all my pets were/are just crazy about and that is FISH! I mean the real fish, you know. When I buy fish, and season it, and just fry it in the pan, they go crazy at the simple smell of it. The hardest thing is to make them wait until it is cold enough to be eaten.

I am very sorry about your dear Muffin and I know how hard these days are. But in the mean time they can be a blessing.

When my dearest baby  was ill, I knew the time was short. And we had 3 months before the end came, and I lived each and every moment with her so consciously and we enjoyed our time together so much... Just try to make the most of these days you still have together.

I haven't posted about Muffin in a while. He is holding on. Feeding him for the last several days has been and continues to be a real issue, I am buying every kind of Fancy Feast canned food. Sometimes he loves a certain kind. Then the next time, he won't eat it. Today I have opened three cans and offered Mattie's dry food. He has eaten nothing. Not sure what to do at this point.

I am so sorry.  I know it's not complete but maybe trying to mix some meat baby food in with the wet food.  

Can you syringe feed him? What about an appetite stimulant? 

With my Sven towards the end, sometimes the only thing he would eat would be Temptations, so I would load up on bags of those, and they DO say they are 100%  nutritionally complete.  When he started rejecting even those, then I knew it was time to let go .  

Is he refusing shrimp? How about some baked chicken or water-packed tuna? that he changes his mind and manages to eat for you.