How to get a sick cat to eat?

Hello all. I'm new to this forum. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to get my cat to eat a little more. She's 16 years old & has CRF. She has always been a small cat 7 lbs in her prime, but as anyone who has ever had a CRF cat you know they are difficult to get them to eat. She refuses to eat canned food, my vet actually give me some samples to have her try, but she will not touch it. So, twice a day I take her dry food put some (probably not even 1/2 a cup) on a plate with some water & warm it up in the microwave. This helps some, but she never finishes it & she just doesn't want to eat very much. My vet did give me some appitite stimulants, but when I've tried them they make her very uncomfortable. I don't know exactly how she's feeling, but she seems to feel very jittery when I've given them to her aranoid3 So I stopped. So basicly I'm looking for some suggestions.

Now a tip for anyone who might have a cat that doesn't seem to drink much. I just bought my cat one of those water fountain water bowls & she really likes it. I wasn't sure because she is a very picky cat, but she has been drinking very good since I bought it for her.

I am so sorry that your cat has been diagnosed with CRF. She is not keen on eating because cats with this disease secrete a lot of stomach acid after they eat, which causes them much discomfort as they have had a breakdown on the normal way the body would rid themselves of these chemicals. She has sadly learned that not eating gives her a little bit of relief from what is wrong with her, and since you can't reason with her and tell her she is ultimately hurting herself in the long run, there are other things you can try. i am sure your vet has told you about how to introduce new foods to her and make sure they are very low in salt and phospurous. (spelling) Eukanuba makes specific foods for Chronic Renal Failure and most vets have these foods available. Try getting several different brands of food for her, mixing it together and keeping it in a closed container to make it smell stronger and appear palatable. Sprinkle a little tuna juice, clam juice, or galic powder on the food, even try putting a small amount of catnip on her food. Feed her small amounts and understand that anything she is eating is a victory for her and for you! Good luck. If you are interested, I know of a CRF support email group that you can join to help you through the rough patches.

Is your cat taking any antacids for the acid that she gets in her stomach? Ask your vet about Alternagel, it's an antacid that binds the impurities and helps keep the acid under control. It helped my little cat who had CRF when she was having trouble eating.