How do you get the cat to eat fish oil?

gizmocat

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I have a cat with a heart condition. It's minor right now but I'm concerned since it was nonexistent when I first got her. (got cat in November, clean bill of health in November and January, heart condition (fibrosis) positively diagnosed in May.
Now, I'm told if this is genetic no one can do anything for her, but there is a chance that it is due to an infection. Some cats live for years with this condition, or so I'm told.
Fish oil has Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the heart, but how do you get it into the cat?
She won't take it plain;
She doesn't eat wet food;
She avoids the dry food when I put it on it;
Is there an Omega-3 paste vitamin I can buy? I give her L-lysine for feline herpes twice daily and she eats that, under protest, but it's a gel so she can't spit it out or avoid it when I put it in her mouth.

If anyone can recommend a paste vitamin I will try it on Gizmo. I really want this girl to stick around for a while.

Thanks very much.
 

naturestee

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Will she eat dry food that is made with fish oil? Some brands do have it. I feed Eukanuba and I know that it does (and it's chicken flavored food, not fish flavored). Check the ingredients. It's probably farther down on the list because they don't need to add much.
 

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I had to get one of my cats to eat oil over his food for a constipation
problem.
I had to just try all sorts of options.
1st was to find out which canned fish he liked, tuna, salmon, etc (he favoured mackeral of all things )
2nd how to use it with his food, flakes & oil, just the oil, just flakes

3rd which food to combine the oil with, as he liked both biscuits & wet food
Anyway in the end it was flakes mushed into his wet food
So a bit of trial and error I think
Have fun
and Good Luck
 
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gizmocat

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The problem is that Gizmo is restricted to a rabbit-kibble diet. I tried wet food, and she eats it only in small bites.
Mixing the salmon oil into another fish or rabbit 'wet'food ensures that she doesn't eat it at all.
Eukanaba is a good brand, but it's chicken based, and it's off limits for her.She would not eat it when I was trying out new brands on the new cat.

I need a non-food option, preferably a gel. Thanks again.
 

naturestee

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How about Nutri-Cal? It's a high calorie dietary supplement that is good for stimulating the appetite (because of the B vitamins). The 5th ingredient is cod liver oil and it says it's a source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It's a sticky goop that you can squish onto the cat's paw. She'll lick it off as she grooms herself.

http://www.petvetdirect.com/home.asp...2DCal+4%2E25oz

I've used this on my rabbits when they're not eating and I know it's not a GI problem (ie stress, after surgery, etc).

Edit: I wanted to add that you can find this stuff at Petsmart and many other pet stores.
 

solaritybengals

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I'm not sure anyone mentioned this? But cats are very tidy and if you put anything (including oil) on their paw they will just have to lick it of lol. True they won't get it all the first time (as they might shake it off a bit) but you know they will have some oil in them and after a while your cat might decided he likes oil.
 
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laureen227

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

How about Nutri-Cal? It's a high calorie dietary supplement that is good for stimulating the appetite (because of the B vitamins). The 5th ingredient is cod liver oil and it says it's a source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It's a sticky goop that you can squish onto the cat's paw. She'll lick it off as she grooms herself.

http://www.petvetdirect.com/home.asp...2DCal+4%2E25oz

I've used this on my rabbits when they're not eating and I know it's not a GI problem (ie stress, after surgery, etc).

Edit: I wanted to add that you can find this stuff at Petsmart and many other pet stores.
i've wanted to add fish oil to Pixel's diet, because of her dandruff, & she does the same things as Gizmo... the link above has molasses & other hairball relief ingredients, as well as being high-caloric, which i wouldn't want for my girl, since she's already rather pudgy. i did find this at that website, tho: welactin
i wonder if, instead on pumping it onto the food, you could pump it into the cat's mouth, like we do their lysine gel? i guess it would depend on the consistency.

and putting it on her paw just gets it on my walls

 

laureen227

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i found another product at another website: probalance feline. it's a dry product that you can sprinkle, liquefy, or mix to a paste consistency - that might work for you better.
 
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gizmocat

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The Nutri-cal sounds about right. It's good to hear from someone who has actually used it.
Thank you for the referral.
 
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gizmocat

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Oops, take that back. I can't use the Nutrical since the main ingredient is corn syrup. The cat is allergic.
 
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gizmocat

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The doses on the ProBalance are huge. I am afraid that I'd just spend more money on something that the cat won't eat.
 

vik61

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I have no suggestion for you I just wanted to tell you what an angel you are to care for this sick baby!
 
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gizmocat

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It's Gizmo who's the angel. She is a very dear little cat, friendly, gentle, and everyone loves her. I am sorry that she is sick and hope that her condition is not serious, but that's not the way to bet.
She is playful and happy and shows no outer signs of the disease, but it's there nonetheless.
I wish I could post a picture of her here but haven't a clue how to do it.
 
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gizmocat

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It's interesting...another poster had his female cat suffer from diarrhea when she was fed fish oil. I guess I'll talk to the vet today when I take Gizmo in for her psoriasis or bug bite or whatever is on her head. Maybe it's not necessary since the food I'm giving her (Nature's Logic Rabbit Dinner) already contains Omega 6 and some Omega 3 fatty acids.
 

solaritybengals

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

It's interesting...another poster had his female cat suffer from diarrhea when she was fed fish oil. I guess I'll talk to the vet today when I take Gizmo in for her psoriasis or bug bite or whatever is on her head. Maybe it's not necessary since the food I'm giving her (Nature's Logic Rabbit Dinner) already contains Omega 6 and some Omega 3 fatty acids.
To much oil can overwhelm the cats system. My vet says never more than 1/4tsp. Some cats will need it mixed in food to eliminate diarreah, others can take it straight. Some cats that have liver problems will not be able to handle oil/fish well at all, while a healthy liver will be able to process it no problem. To much oil to quickly can upset the cats system as much as a diet change so any change needs to be added slowly.

Every cat needs to be looked at on an individual basis. Each one can take oil in different forms and different amounts. Also the addition of oil to the diet can cause a cleansing to occur. Its the same as if you eat junk food all the time and suddenly start eatching healthy food. You will feel sick at first, the degree of how sick depends on how much of a change you made. So in cats this usually occurs as diarreah. If you see this then you need to back off some and come in slower, or in a different way. After they get used to it they will be healthier for it.

Its always good to have your vet on board with supplements especially if there is a health problem.
 
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gizmocat

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The vet said to keep Gizmo on what she was already eating, though I wonder if her scabs and so on aren't a vitamin D deficiency. Nature's Logic does not use chemical supplements for this vitamin. I may switch Gizmo back to the Science Diet Rabbit and Pea (actually Pea and Rabbit, when you look at the ingredients) to see if that improves her skin condition. She also doesn't sun her self on the window in hundred degree heat; that might have had something to do with it. But it's cooler now and she should be able to get her Vitamin D sun soak again.
 

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Buy the 4oz bottle. Pour the dosage into a small bowl and use an eye dropper to slowly feed into the side of your cat's mouth.
 

puck

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Welactin can be given directly by mouth. She'd only need it every other day, and as Welactin is high potency, more concentrated than most other free oils and capsules, a low volume is all she needs. Anti-inflammatory therapy at skin level is a much lower dose of DHA and EPA (omega 3 fatty acids) than the dose for heart, joints, and kidneys. You can start with half the dose on their label, as that dose is for heart, at 40mg/kg EPA. So 0.5-0.6mL a day would be easy to administer orally. It'd also be easier to hide in her canned rabbit diet, at the lower volume, and less detectable by her when eating the food laced with less med.
 

buddyrhonda

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That was an excellent idea! I tried putting t on my cat's paws and it worked ! She is still licking it off , now.  Thanks a lot !!!
 
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