Food: As Pud needed to put on weight, AND be on a renal diet, I chose to use Walthams renal support, as it had the highest fat content (and therefore more calories) than the other k/d foods available. I calculated that she needed at 250-300 calories/day, and worked up to feeding that amount over time. For fiber I also add brown rice, and some vegetables.

Preparation: I cook brown rice, and some veges (pumpkin/carrot/squash etc) and puree these with a stick blender. She gets about 2 teaspoonfuls of this added to her food per day. I push the Walthams renal support through a sieve, add some extra water, and some of the rice vege mix. Mix it well, and keep it in a tupperware container in the fridge. I make 2 days worth at a time. At feeding time, I use a small kitchen scale, and measure out the food into a smaller plastic container. I sit this small tub of food into a larger bowl filled with quite warm water...and wait until it is just warm before starting the actual feed. I use a 10ml syringe, and have modified a bit of an 'extension' to the tip, with some IV tubing. I just use the one syringe, and re-fill it several times during the feed.

Position: Pud has a feeding towel, I wrap her in it just like you would a baby in a blanket, and then hold her in "baby" position in my left arm.

This works for us, as she was always used to being held like that anyway (can anyone say "Freudian"...lol). At first the towel helped to restrain her a bit, she never fought, but would get a bit wriggly during the first few times. Now I think it works well to help support her back during the feed, it catches drips and I use an edge of it to wipe the corners of her mouth during the feed. I used to use a new towel every day, but I only have to wash it once a week, as there are very few drips now. I support her in the crook of my left arm, and feed her with my right hand. I put the syringe into the side of her mouth, and she gets about 1ml at a time, and then time to swallow. A 50ml feed (5 syringes worth) now takes about 20 minutes to get through. At the end of the feed, she gets another syringe of just plain water...we aim for 100ml of water/day for her CRF. I also add whatever meds she needs to the feed at each individual sitting. She gets fed twice a day when I work, and 3 times when I don't (same amount but smaller divided doses). Currently Pud has been fed like this for 8 months, and her weight in Dec'03 is 10 1/2 lbs...so now she is offically "fat", and I am trying to learn how to feed her less...and what quantities I need to maintain her weight, rather than have her continue to gain it. Assisted feeding has been a HUGE success for us, and her vets constantly comment on her great condition. I really believe her good nutritional status, has enabled her body to help fight the cancer better. She also had more chemo in July/August, was syringe fed the whole way through it, and sailed through it this time.

Other comments/tips:
1. You BOTH need to get used to the syringe feeding...I doubt any cat loves it, but they do get used to it...don't give up!! The first few feeds we did, I was covered in cat food and she spat most of it out, and clearly wasn't happy. It probably took a good month to get the hang of it for both of us. Now it's just routine, and she accepts it without any fuss.

2. Stay calm!! Syringe feeding can be very stressful, as you are only doing it because your cat is sick, so getting the food in is important to you. But try not to let this show, your cat will feel if you are stressed and uptight. I talk softly to Pud the whole time, tell her what a good girl she is. Be gentle, move slowly and calmly, try not to rush.

3. When I first started feeding Pud, I would always try and do something positive afterwards, she loves being brushed, so I would groom her after each feed, and spend some time cuddling. I think it helped to associate the feeding with something good.

4. Other people will think you are either totally crazy, or just don't know when to 'let go'....IGNORE them.

5. Even with added fiber from the brown rice and veg, I find Pud still gets a bit constipated, I use lactulose as well to avoid this becoming a problem

6. Remember that each cat is an individual...try an work with their existing personality to try and figure out what will work for you (eg: if your cats hates being in a certain position then don't use that, even if it works for others), modify the way you feed until you find the routine that works best for you.

Potassium liquid 1ml (1 mmol) twice/day

Lactulose 1/2 - 1ml twice/day