Comments on: My cat is starving

Question: My cat is starving

ubu — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:49:38 -0800

What can we feed our cat in an emergency?

We have to buy our cat special prescription cat food from the vet, and it closed before we got off work. We have to leave tomorrow before it opens, and our kitty is hungry. Is there anything in our house that we can feed him to tide him over?

By: melt away

melt away — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:54:37 -0800

You could run to a convenience store and buy some cat food, since you are not going to feed him the prescription stuff anyway.

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:55:07 -0800

My vet recommends plain yogurt or plain canned pumpkin (not sweetened) in a pinch.

By: Ostara

Ostara — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:56:57 -0800

- canned tuna
- bits of cheese
- bits of lunchmeat, chicken, turkey, etc.
- milk
- chicken/beef broth
- small insects, particularly moths and junebugs (I don't actively feed these to my cats, but they will eat them if they catch them)
- canned evaporated milk
- yogurt

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:57:28 -0800

Canned tuna? This is what we used to feed our cats in similar situation, but I don't know if it was actually good or bad for them.

By: needs more cowbell

needs more cowbell — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:04:29 -0800

I think the answer depends on why you're buying prescription food from the vet. Does your cat have allergies? Is it a low-ash diet for urinary issues?

By: Zosia Blue

Zosia Blue — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:04:30 -0800

I once fed my cat Cheerios in a pinch, but I think the other suggestions are more viable.

By: biscotti

biscotti — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:10:59 -0800

Tuna is the best emergency choice IMO. It contains taurine (essential for cats), it's readily available in most places and most cats will eat it.

By: lobstah

lobstah — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:12:15 -0800

Sardines

By: La Gata

La Gata — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:27:21 -0800

Since he has to eat special prescription food, I assume there's a specific problem. In this case, I would recommend boiled chicken and rice. It should be easy for your cat to digest.

By: quin

quin — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:30:56 -0800

Aren't most sardines heavily salted? I would think that would be bad for a cat with dietary issues.

I would stick with tuna.

/I don't eat sardines, so forgive me if I'm wrong.

By: tastybrains

tastybrains — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:39:27 -0800

Meat flavor babyfood also works in a pinch. When my cat was recovering from illness and wouldn't eat, we hand-fed him turkey and/or chicken babyfood, and then later used it as a treat for taking his medicine.

When I worked at an animal hospital we often used it to get very sick cats who wouldn't eat to take some nutrition in.

By: zerokey

zerokey — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:41:20 -0800

Why is your kitty on prescription food?

The vet has one of mine on prescription stuff (specifically for urinary disorders).
She says it's OK to give him tuna in a pinch. It's even OK to give him his favorite food - garbonzo beans. Even the super cheap stuff, if only for a day, should be fine (unless your cat is in a critical state)

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:02:09 -0800

My cat loves Cheerios and scrambled eggs.

By: croutonsupafreak

croutonsupafreak — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:42:06 -0800

You people are weird!

I keep a stash of cheapo non-prescription cat food for times when I can't get to the vet for the special stuff. Can't you run to the corner store or the supermarket and get some regular cat food to tide you over?

By: np312

np312 — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:04:43 -0800

My mom's cat loves cantelope.

My old cat loved popcorn.

My current cat would gladly kill me for a cube of cheddar.

(None of the three cats liked the other two foods I just listed. Just a matter of personal preference, I suppose.) As far as what's BEST to feed them when you're out of cat food, I use tuna or canned salmon in a pinch if I can't get to a pet food store. I've heard it's good to feed them hard boiled eggs every so often.

By: shelleycat

shelleycat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:06:17 -0800

This really really depends on why your cat is on a prescription. I had a cat on prescription food for ten months because of severe liver disease. Feeding him anything else, even once, ran the risk of killing him. Feeding him literally a couple of mouthfuls if the wrong thing would definitely kill him. Oh, and he had stomach problems so not feeding him wasn't an option either (would make him sick for days). He was only on the diet for ten months because that's how long he lived with the disorder (as in, he was put down after that). Regular cat food was very high on the list of dangerous foods.

There were a handful of things he could eat occasionally with only some effect on his health. However, there are several types of liver disorder each with radically different diet (so my recommendations could be dangrous), let alone all the other reasons for a prescription diet. Obviously my cat was pretty sick and it was a reasonably rare problem. There are lots of more mild things that it's much more likely your cat has. But until we know the exact problem we simply can not give you a recommendation that is safe. Please call your vet and ask their advice.

By: lemonfridge

lemonfridge — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 03:58:56 -0800

i was always under the impression you shouldnt feed cats canned tuna/fish that comes in Brine. Maybe im wrong.

By: cda

cda — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 05:49:21 -0800

Here is a great essay on feeding cats.

It includes all the reasons not to feed a cat tuna. And remember, don't feed cats anything with onions!

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:12:38 -0800

Thanks for that essay, cda.

ubu: It might have been helpful to tell us why your cat needs the prescription food. Without knowing more, it's hard to say what to feed him.

By: COBRA!

COBRA! — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:18:53 -0800

We have two cats on perscription food (one for weight, one for bladder crystals), but feed them small amounts of grocery store food in emergencies with no ill effects (our Emergency Bag is Purina One, I think).

By: ubu

ubu — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:54:50 -0800

He is on special food because he previously had crystals in his urine/bladder. Thanks for all the advice--very interesting cats out there!

By: biscotti

biscotti — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:05:57 -0800

Thanks for that essay cda, I have always been under the impression that tuna HAD taurine (since a vet mentioned it to me, which in retrospect I should have questioned, since vets aren't nutritionists). I learned something. I do think that one or two meals of it aren't going to make any difference overall, mind you.

By: kenzi23

kenzi23 — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:16:40 -0800

You can just feed them ground raw beef or turkey, mixed with some rice (leftovers are fine) and shredded veggies (I usually use zucchini)...add some chopped garlic for more smell appeal. This is basically human food but without additives, flavorings or sauces. You can feed them that all the time. Check out Anitra Frazier's "The New Natural Cat" which explains why feeding your cats raw food is great for them. Most pet stores carry frozen raw food which is pretty good quality. For cats with crystals (I have one) the most important thing is to keep the cat hydrated so that they urinate regularly, not allowing the crystals to form. Find out what kind of crystals they have; one forms from acid urine, another from alkaline urine. There is a food additive that you can buy to add to whatever food you are feeding them; one is for acidic urine, the other kind is for alkaline urine. Ask your vet which kind of crystals your cats has.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:52:07 -0800

The essay linked above says that onions can be toxic to cats, and that one should avoid feeding garlic (in the same plant family) to be on the safe side.

By: Jess the Mess

Jess the Mess — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 06:49:40 -0800

Cats have very sensitive stomachs. I learned this the hard way when my cat got "plugged up" and I had to take her to the vet twice before I figured out I shouldn't change her food on a whim. Better to feed him plain cooked chicken than to change his cat food.