"...... tumours or growths in his mouth that have to be treated with expensive medicine....." Are these "tumours" resolved with the medicine? Are they eosinophillic plaques? That could be an auto-immune thing and not necessarily food related. Maybe best to get another veterinarian's opinion about this cat's health. Someone who does Internal Medicine or a Dermatologist who would do specifics for allergy testing.

AFA:Dry food for teeth. I think this is conventional wisdom that vets have been saying without a lot of scientific logic to back it up. The arguement is that kibble cleans the teeth as cats crunch it. The problems are: 1)Cats tend to swallow most of the kibble whole (I can attest to that because my various regurgitating cats barfed up lots of un-chewed kibble) and 2)Kibble...whether its grain free or not comtains a much higher % of carbohydrate than cats should have. Carbs are what cause tooth decay and plaque. A little kibble a day as a snack, or left out to tide Puss over between meals is OK, though. Also, as Nutbunch said, cats aren't always willing to accept whats best for them. When I was getting Odessa off Fancy Feast and onto Wellness, I would take 1/2 a soft Friskies Treat and sprinkle it on top of her Wellness just to get her eating. It worked like a charm.

I do not have a cat on subcutaneous fluids but I wanted to respond as I have come to believe that cats should not be fed dry food. Here are some links on the subject, with the top one being the best, I think. It talks about prescription food as well. http://www.catinfo.org/ http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/why-cats-need-canned-food-2/ http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-dry-food-is-bad-for-cats-and-dogs/ There are also other articles at www.littlebigcat.com My cat had a urinary blockage while eating dry food and was prescribed dry prescription food after that. Luckily I found the website www.catinfo.org and switched him to canned non-prescription food. He has being doing great since and has NOT had a repeat blockage, even though they are common. I credit the wet food and switched my female cat over as well.

"Harebell, are you also known as Runsnwalken? Your info is not true at all. Any good vet is VERY familiar with all cat foods, and can ID the problem and suggest the best food with the best nutritional values for that cat. A quick change will produce more diarrhea and loose stools, just introduce it slowly into her diet. Best of luck!" Firstly, no, I have no idea who Runsnwalken might be. I am harebell, plain and simple. I won't argue about gradual changes to foods. One possible reaction to a too-fast change in diet is indeed diarrhea. If you had read my post you would have read that I echoed the need to make any changes gradually. However, your response about feline nutrition is typical of the myths. Once again, veterinarians lack good sources of feline nutrition. Once again, veterinary schools provide feline "nutrition" classes in the form of seminars hosted by the cat food manufacturers. No. Most veterinarians are NOT knowledgeable about feline nutrition. I have provided a link below where you can introduce yourself to some basics about feline nutrition. The writer is a bit overbearing about raw feeding, but her research is sound. I do provide some raw for my cats but it's not a staple. I DO provide foods to which the cat has evolved to metabolise. BTW, this writer is a VETERINARIAN. This writer backed up my own research and study. I do have a problem with her site, though-she does not touch on CRF and that BUGS me, since CRF brings on a set of dietary changes that no one really understands-how does it work, why does it work (or seem to). I hear of CRF cats doing very well on a reduced-protein diet. I am curious about why you would completely discount facts without having performed any research whatsoever? It's not a totally bad thing that vets are mis-led in their feline nutrition education, it forces us, as RESPONSIBLE pet owners, to learn what we put into our companions. I'd much rather have my veterinarians know what they DO know instead-there is so much to know, for a variety of animals, that I wonder how they can possibly know so much. It's MY responsibility to know my cats' nutrition needs. I do have a problem with vets who refuse to listen to sound research and who refuse to acknowledge results of proper feline nutrition. As I stated before, two of the doctors in my practice are open-minded about feline nutrition, and are not just supportive but very excited over the results. The third vet is like you. Closed minded about nutrition. She IS the best out there when it comes to diagnosis of often very difficult or elusive problems. I no longer discuss diet with the last one, but in an emergency I'd love her to be the one handling my cats. She is also the one who I ask for when bringing in a particularly difficult cat-she's the best at handling hissing growling vet-hating cats, I have never seen any better. Your misinformation cannot change FACT. Please spend a little time researching before returning. If you wish, we could carry this on in the appropriate forum. I don't think that this forum is the right place for a possibly heated debate. I'll check in in a day or so, when you've had the chance to read and can provide factual rebuttal. Have fun in your research and we'll meet again in the Animal Debate forum. I know I won't convince you, and you won't convince me, but it is a fun way to introduce others (innocent bystanders, maybe?) into learning new viewpoints. Chat soon. Here is a link that might be useful: KNOW THE BASICS OF FELINE NUTRITION