# foods high in iron..



## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

Im not entirely sure what is suitable to feed a cat in the form of trying to get iron into her system to help her red blood cells.

I have fed her tuna as it has a source of iron, but I dont want to feed her too much of it incase she gets ill or even decides shes had enough of it  

what else can I give her?


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

No experience here but, since anemia is common in cat's with CKD, this site might be helpful: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - All About Anaemia


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

thankyou


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

give her raw beef that's high in iron.


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

we love bsh's said:


> give her raw beef that's high in iron.


would it be ok to give her that if shes never had raw meat before? or would I have to very slowly introduce it?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I definitely wouldn't feed tuna, as like all deep sea fish it is contaminated with mercury. Government guidelines for humans (& cats!) are to eat tuna only occasionally. 

As WLBSH has said, raw meat is high in iron, including offal such as liver and heart (though don't feed liver every day as it is high in Vit A, which can be toxic in large amounts).

Has your vet not suggested an iron supplement you can add to your cat's normal diet? Or even an injection every few weeks?


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

GeorgiiePixie said:


> would it be ok to give her that if shes never had raw meat before? or would I have to very slowly introduce it?


When I put mine on Nautral Instinct, I found they could eat it straight away without slow introductions - raw meat is the most natural food a cat can have, so they usually cope with it very well 

(They got bored of it after a few weeks, but it was good while it lasted...)


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

GeorgiiePixie said:


> Im not entirely sure what is suitable to feed a cat in the form of trying to get iron into her system to help her red blood cells.
> 
> I have fed her tuna as it has a source of iron, but I dont want to feed her too much of it incase she gets ill or even decides shes had enough of it
> 
> what else can I give her?


Not sure what the history is, but I presume you did a blood panel to see how low her red blood cell count is? Didn't your vet suggest a product that you could try?


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

chillminx said:


> I definitely wouldn't feed tuna, as like all deep sea fish it is contaminated with mercury. Government guidelines for humans (& cats!) are to eat tuna only occasionally.
> 
> As WLBSH has said, raw meat is high in iron, including offal such as liver and heart (though don't feed liver every day as it is high in Vit A, which can be toxic in large amounts).
> 
> Has your vet not suggested an iron supplement you can add to your cat's normal diet? Or even an injection every few weeks?


unfortunately as my cat has luekeamia i was told she wouldnt be living long (approx4-6weeks, this is now the 4/5th week) she was eating or at least trying to eat her litter which i looked up and found out that it was because she is aneamic....we took her to the vets who gave her a jag and she had a second jag 2days ago but she is still trying to eat her litter as though the jags are not working.

so i thought altering her diet a little and giving her some foods high in iron would help her progress a little and put enough iron back into her system so that she stops trying to eat the litter. shes a healthy looking kitty and has a very good appetite. her white blood cell count has dropped and the steroid injections have been making slow and gradual progress which means at the moment we have hope.

the vet didnt give me any information as to what to do or how to change her diet as at the time they had took the stance of she will die in a few weeks, theres nothin can be done (obviously she is proving them wrong) vet has still not given us any details and has said she is to go back every so often for the jags. but i still feel feeding her foods high in iron, not all the time, but still enough to increase her red blood cells would be good for her.

the vet was stunned by the fact she has started to put back on weight she lost, that her white blood cell count is now going down and the fact that she is still a very healthy looking cat with a very big appetite...especially since she was supposed to be at deaths door


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

GeorgiiePixie said:


> unfortunately as my cat has luekeamia i was told she wouldnt be living long (approx4-6weeks, this is now the 4/5th week) she was eating or at least trying to eat her litter which i looked up and found out that it was because she is aneamic....we took her to the vets who gave her a jag and she had a second jag 2days ago but she is still trying to eat her litter as though the jags are not working.
> 
> so i thought altering her diet a little and giving her some foods high in iron would help her progress a little and put enough iron back into her system so that she stops trying to eat the litter. shes a healthy looking kitty and has a very good appetite. her white blood cell count has dropped and the steroid injections have been making slow and gradual progress which means at the moment we have hope.
> 
> ...


I am very sorry to read this. Have you considered a second opinion from another vet?


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

hobbs2004 said:


> I am very sorry to read this. Have you considered a second opinion from another vet?


we had her at another vets and they had said the same thing...although the other vet we seen also travels to do work in our vets to cover if needed so not sure if that makes a difference.

I just feel she has been put aside because of the results but hopefully now that shes proving them wrong something will be done and I might be able to get some advice from them.


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## Joy84 (Nov 21, 2012)

I'm really sorry to read about your cat's health and just wanted to say that I don't like the sound of a vet that is not fighting for the animal ...
I really hope she'll prove them wrong!


My first thought was SPINACH ...
It's high in iron and Phoebe has taken a liking to it in absence of rocket in the last few days, but of course it's not something that you could feed enough of to make a difference I guess


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

Joy84 said:


> I'm really sorry to read about your cat's health and just wanted to say that I don't like the sound of a vet that is not fighting for the animal ...
> I really hope she'll prove them wrong!
> 
> My first thought was SPINACH ...
> It's high in iron and Phoebe has taken a liking to it in absence of rocket in the last few days, but of course it's not something that you could feed enough of to make a difference I guess


hhmm I may try her with spinach then...I know she likes peas so she may well like spinach 
As long as I can have a veriety of foods that have iron that are safe for cats to eat then I will be trying all of it to try and help especially since if she doesnt like one thing shes bound to like something else so its a trial basis to find out what she likes at the moment
thnkyou for the suggestion


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

GP, I am glad to read that Tigerlilly seems to be holding her own.
I think it is a myth that spinach is particularly high in iron, and anyway cats do not digest plant material very well so it is not a good source for them. A small amount of liver or a chunk of heart a day would provide much better food sources for a cat. Whether these would actually help a cat with anaemia is another matter though.


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## Joy84 (Nov 21, 2012)

That's what I meant, Phoebe likes her greens sometimes <must be my veggie influence on her> and when I make a salad she will try to nick a leaf or two but it's just like a treat for her 

I guess if your cat will like it a leaf or two a week will not hurt, but will it help with iron levels ... don't think so, but maybe every little helps ...


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

GeorgiiePixie said:


> unfortunately as my cat has luekeamia i was told she wouldnt be living long (approx4-6weeks, this is now the 4/5th week) she was eating or at least trying to eat her litter which i looked up and found out that it was because she is aneamic....we took her to the vets who gave her a jag and she had a second jag 2days ago but she is still trying to eat her litter as though the jags are not working.


Supplementing iron is only of use if the anaemia is due to a deficiency but if she's has leukaemia (do you know which type though based on what you've said I'm wondering if it's the acute lymphocytic form though vet should be able to confirm) then this means there's a problem with the bone marrow which isn't producing enough red blood cells and while some interim treatments _may_ offer some 'supportive' help, the only way to deal with this is by treating the leukaemia itself. Depending on the type there are some treatments available ie chemo or Interferon is some cases. I think you need to discuss this with your vet/or obain a second opinion.

With anaemia you have to be very careful (which will inevitably happen in the absence of treatments, I'm afraid) it doesn't reach critical (low) levels where a transfusion is necessary. Keep an eye out for problems with breathing especially.


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

Ianthi said:


> Supplementing iron is only of use if the anaemia is due to a deficiency but if she's has leukaemia (do you know which type though based on what you've said I'm wondering if it's the acute lymphocytic form though vet should be able to confirm) then this means there's a problem with the bone marrow which isn't producing enough red blood cells and while some interim treatments _may_ offer some 'supportive' help, the only way to deal with this is by treating the leukaemia itself. Depending on the type there are some treatments available ie chemo or Interferon is some cases. I think you need to discuss this with your vet/or obain a second opinion.
> 
> With anaemia you have to be very careful (which will inevitably happen in the absence of treatments, I'm afraid) it doesn't reach critical (low) levels where a transfusion is necessary. Keep an eye out for problems with breathing especially.


i was not aware there was a different form of luekeamia...the vet said she had luekeamia and that was it...said we could go for the chemo but the specialists had said it would not help so there was not point in travelling the distance and stressing the cat out (because it is a fair bit away from us)

the vet said she was aneamic because she has far too many white blood cells compared to red cells and that it was caused by the cancer. she had her spleen removed which had swollen to approx 30times its size. once removed she recovered quickly and went back to her usual self but going by the tests done afterwards we were told she has luekeamia. she is getting 2 different injections, one for the aneamia and steroid injections. she has been very healthy, playful with a brilliant appetite and seems to be having no problems at all.her white blood cell count has decreased also meaning that it is possible these will return to a normal level. she is putting weight back on that she lost so after everything it looks like she is returning to normal. but I felt feeding her a food which helped aid the reproduction of red cells would help her recovery.

my vet is not being very forth coming and im sick of getting a second opinion as all of them are basing their opinion on the initial results and the words of the "specialists"


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## Joy84 (Nov 21, 2012)

You are doing the best you can for her, it's a shame that your vet isn't trying hard enough!
Maybe feeding her foods high in iron will not make it much better, but it'll sure not do her any harm.
She's bouncing back, she's fighting and your vet should help her with it!
I think you should be firmer, ask questions, press him for answers, you've got the right to know and to have as much information as possible.
Good luck


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## GeorgiiePixie (Apr 11, 2013)

Joy84 said:


> You are doing the best you can for her, it's a shame that your vet isn't trying hard enough!
> Maybe feeding her foods high in iron will not make it much better, but it'll sure not do her any harm.
> She's bouncing back, she's fighting and your vet should help her with it!
> I think you should be firmer, ask questions, press him for answers, you've got the right to know and to have as much information as possible.
> Good luck


thats how I feel but I dont like to push too far but maybe I will have to in order to get some answers. She is being sent for another blood test to see if the white cells are still dropping ,which if they are, would suggest that she may not be as severe a case as they believe and that treatment would work...the steroid injections are working for her so she will continue to get them for now.

thankyou for the advice, I shall certainly phone them tomorrow and question their decisions and ask for the advice I need.


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