Natural Pet Remedies for Cats

Hi Lesa, I've an 11-15 year old? Chartreaux (I'm her 4th owner, no one cared enough pass on her history).

When I got her she was severly overweight, borderline diabetic, and in the process of losing a major canine due to diabetes onset. The vet also found a heart murmur. My baby had no energy, didn't talk or play, and looked perpetually miserable.

After two different vet consultations I was talked into beginning an insulin regimen to manage her diabetes.We tried two different insulins in a 2 month period beginning with ProZinc.
During that time she went from just above borderline diabetes sugar levels (pre-insulin injections) to levels in the high 300 - low 400 levels while the vet was trying to get the insulin type and amount right. She was a mess and went from being lethargic, timid, and docile to being agressive and panicky. She lost all the hair at her injection sites. She was itching like mad all over. It was horrible watching her go through this.

I decided to leave my vet, ditch the insulin and go a holistic route. I did a ton of research during the insulin crisis and settled on a few things that have helped immensely over the last year since.

Raw Food:

When I got her I put her on Innova Evo, weaned her off dry kibble and moved to a 95% protein diet. She went from 21 lbs to 10 and has remained at 10 for 4 years now - obviously her 'healthy' weight as she doesn't budge from here unless she's stressed.

Innova sold out to P & G so I switched to raw. The cost is well worth the amazing changes I've seen in her overall wellness.

Her heart and diabetes are no doubt due to the artery damaging, high carb crud that she was fed for so many years.
The high incidence of diabetes and heart disease in humans due to the Western Diet is now mirrored in the poor health of our pets as a result of corn/carb laden commercial pet foods.

I've had her on a raw food diet for almost 2 years (this prior to the insulin) - I prefer Primal over Nature's Variety as Primal includes Taurine in their feline formulas. People will tell you there's enough naturally occuring taurine in meat, thus it's a non-issue, but feline taurine needs are higher than canine needs, thus I'd rather not take a chance.

I feed her at regular 3 hour intervals to keep her blood sugar steady. I do use both 'Tripsy' (to combat the diabetic impact on her kidneys/UT health) and 'Mellit' for diabetes.
I alternate the drops every other day with a daily herbal regimen to address her heart and blood sugar.
In a small bowl I mix the powder from 2 capsules of Nature's Way 'Blood Sugar Formula' (diabetes and kidney support - chromium polynicotinate is the key), 1 capsule Doctor's Best CoQ10 (Heart support), and 1 capsule of Jarrow's 'Hawthorn' (FABULOUS for both human and pet heart health) 500mg.
These are powerful herbs and I made the mistake of giving her one day's dose in one feeding the first time - MISTAKE!
Her little heart was racing as the hawthorne was that effective at increasing circulation.
I found the best method is to divvy it up over each feeding.
I use a kitchen measuring spoon set, choosing the tiniest spoon labeled 'Smidgen', I put enough of the mix to cover the bottom 1/4 of the spoon and sprinkle it over her defrosted raw food nugget.
Ultimately she gets what amounts to a 1/4 capsule of the herbal mix over a 24 hour feeding cycle.

Every other day I giver her 5 drops of Tripsy and Mellit in the morning and 5 more at night.

Since begining these she's testing/averaging BSL of around 130.
Her energy is through the roof, she's vocal, and so very loving. A 180 degree shift from her demeanor during the nightmare insulin incident.

One last thing to report... Last month I went to a new vet to get her yearly check up done. I did not mention my regimen to the vet, nor did I mention she had a heart murmur (I did tell them she'd been diagnosed diabetic and I was refusing insulin).
The vet did not find a heart murmur and was impressed that her blood sugar was borderline without injections despite having been diagnosed so many years back.

Herbal therapies may not work for all pets as there are many varying factors, but the pharmaceutical alternatives in her case were wrecking what was left of her health.
I took a chance and it is working in her favor.

I hope our story may inspire you to do a little herbal research for your baby. I'd definitely suggest Hawthorne and CoQ10 for the cardomyopathy.
I like to occasionally comb the pet forums to see if anyone else has had similar success with herbs. I'm not finding as much pet experimentation as I thought I would.
I should also add I'd NEVER use an herb that's not been deemed safe for felines.
As an example I considered ALA as there's so much sucess with it in human use, but I found a holistic pet forum that says it's specifically toxic to felines.

Good Luck*

That's great that you've gone raw, but why are you buying it from a company? You can easily do this yourself and it's so cheap! We buy chicken livers by the tub at Wal-Mart and they also have packages of chicken hearts and gizzards for cheap-our kittens also like skinless, boneless breasts. You just bring it home, wash it in hot water and throw it in ziplocs and freeze. I bring enough down for one day and let it thaw in the fridge and before feeding, I fill a bowl with hot water (not boiled, just hot tap water) and sit the ziploc bag of thawed meat in there and let it get warm. This does not cook the meat-and please, do NOT microwave the meat as this kills all the nutrients. Also, it is essential to let them have raw meaty bones-no, it does not harm them, no they do not choke. Just make sure they are raw bones, not cooked. Cooked bones fragment and are brittle and dangerous. Anyways, when the meat is to room temperature after a few minutes, I put it in their little ceramic dishes and they gobble it up. If there is blood, don't throw it away--my cats love sipping the blood that comes with the meat. The main thing is freezing first, as I've read that this kills any parasites that may be in the meat... Although, we are feeding them human grade meat from our grocery store. I supplement with occasional treats of herring, mackerel, sardines, fresh Lake Erie perch and salmon (bones and all). On occasion I give a can of good quality GRAIN FREE moist food such as Blue Buffalo, Nutro, Avoderm or Wellness. I know feeding raw is best, but adding a can supplementally once or twice a week just makes me feel better, because these are foods with added minerals and whatnot that cats need and that way I know my 3 sweethearts are covered. For water, we use a fountain and also a ceramic dish that I clean and refill daily. It would be easier to just plunk down dry food and let them have at it all day, but I know I'd pay down the road in vet's bills for cystitis, urethritis, bladder crystals, etc. , not to mention obesity. My cats will eat dry kibble-the good stuff, the bad stuff-any of it, they will eat it and this is just useful information for us for when we need to go away for a trip somewhere and our pet sitter will be able to feed the cats without dealing with the raw meat, etc. (plus, I am fastidious about cleaning after handling raw meat, and would prefer not to have anyone else in my kitchen attempting to do it). Cats are obligate carnivores--why anyone would feed them grain is beyond me. But that's the conclusion I came to when I knew I was going to adopt the first 2--I did tons of research about everything, from foods, to bedding, to toys, to cat litter (clay is evil, for cats and for the environment) and by the time we finally brought them home, we were READY and when we rescued #3, we were all prepared and she's taken to the raw meat like a champ and she's only 8 weeks old. Thanks for listening and good luck with your kitties. Sounds like you're a good mama-but you can ditch the raw food company and do it yourself for tons cheaper, just wanted you to know that.

Hugs, Jujucat

I started my dogs on a raw food diet and later found that meat while still alive were injected with many experimental shots to name a few/steroids, antibiotics etc. My dogs in the process were getting sick(breaking out with blisters/boils/ their skin turning red) so I decided to stop them, now they are doing better with just raw veggies, with occasional chicken livers. And even a few doggie treats.

How did you get your cats to eat raw meat? My cats have been on kibble for years. I switched my dog to raw and have tried and tried to get the cats to eat raw and they will NOT touch it. You would think I was trying to poison them.

First start adding a little tiny bit of canned food to their Kibble every day, gradually increasing until it is all canned. When you have accomplished this then it is time to start to add tiny bits of raw chicken breast chopped very fine and then gradually increasing that until your cats are all raw. Recipes can be found online in the barf (bones and raw food) cat sites. Their health will be reward enough for all your trouble.

Replying to Lynda regarding the eye problems, apparently the amino acid L Lysene is very effective, which is the same used for human cold sore outbreaks. I have used this with much success, also a little ascorbic acid or bio c powder for the immune system. The info on L Lysene is can be confirmed on a site called www.vetinfo4cats.com which I have found extremely useful.

L-lysine is the best short term treatment for feline herpes. You want to give about 250 mg twice daily. It is tasteless and colorless(I have a very picky tortie!) so it is easy to mix in wet food when crushed into powder. L-Lysine is VERY inexpensive, so it is a must have at any cat shelter, or for anyone with a kitty with chronic herpes flare-ups. Meds rarely do anything but relieve you of your money when it comes to herpes. I'm lucky to have found a vet with knowledge of lysine. My tortie has major eye tissue scars from weeks of antibiotics having no effect on the disease.
Also, Colloidal silver is completely non-toxic to humans and cats(and everything else that isn't a microbe). I've done much reading on CS lately because I had a duck with a fungal respiratory disease. What I found was multiple forums with people who had cured their HUMAN genital herpes with CS. You can use the silver as eye-drops, with great success, for any apparent eye disease. Herpes recedes into other part of the body, when it goes into remission, and hides until the next flare up. Keeping silver levels in the cat's tissue at a constant rate may cure the disease altogether (my tortie has had no flare up since completing this l-lysine/colloidalsilver treatment, however some cats NEVER manifest symptoms of their herpes, others not more than once, and some have chronic problems, so it is hard to tell if it's actually been cured or just put into permanent remission). I recommend 1/8-1/4 teaspoon (depending on the size of cat) 3-4 times daily (depending on how sick) for a few months (3-5 months to be safe). Use the lysine treatment when there are apparent flare-ups. CS is best absorbed and most effective when taken on an empty stomach. Thats hard to do with a cat, so just don't mix it in with food. Use a syringe and squirt it right in their mouth. If your cat doesn't take meds well, or squirms too much, try using a towel to wrap them in (making sure to pin the front legs with the towel), like a little kitty burrito.

P.S. colloidal silver hydro-sols at around 10ppm have the best absorption, and are the most effective at moving through tissue. Although any silver colloid will be (at least marginally) effective. These are tiny animals, so you must make sure the only ingredients in the one you buy is silver and water. NOTHING ELSE!

Good luck everyone!

I have a 5-1/2 year-old male feral that developed herpes in his eye when he was 1. I sprinkle L-Lysine on his dry food everyday, which has seemed to help the flare-ups. He doesn't really seem to be bothered with the condition most of the time. His eyeball, however, has what appear to be growths on it and it is very cloudy. When this first occured, I took him to veterinary opthamalgists and spent incredible amounts of money on him, only for them to tell me that this is a chronic condition and there was really nothing that could be done. They gave me a prescription for ethromycin for the flare-ups. I am reading all these posts and beginning to think that I might possibly be able to help my feline buddy. If there is anyone out there that is dealing with - or has dealt with this and can give me some pointers, I would be most appreciative!

I had an older vet tell me to use a warm salty cloth to wipe their eyes with.

One of the cats I used to have always had a runny eye.The vet said it was a blocked tear duct.One weekend when the town vet wasn't available, she ended up with her eye swollen shut and very swollen.We were going to take her to the vet the following Monday.

I googled it and found out it was a reoccurring herpes virus probably passed on to her from her mother.The EarthClinic sight suggested ACV diluted with water in a 1:3 solution.Dip a cotton ball and squeeze the mixture onto the scruff of the neck between the shoulder blades until the area is wet but not dripping.Then I also gently wiped her closed eye with it.

Not only was she completely cured in a few days, the virus never bothered her again.

Hello and I'm sorry you're having problems with your cats.

Try using colloidal silver 20ppm ointment its a strong antiviral and colloidal silver orally with a 3cc syringe. Its tastless so they won't be too bothered by swallowing it. You can also try using chlorine dioxide eye drops and or orally as well. Of course you'd have to know how to make the solution before administering. I've included two images of books on the subject and recommend watching a documentary: www.universalantidote.com. You can buy the solution at kvlab.com. The set of two 4 fl oz bottles cost around 30 dollars but considering you only use one to one ratio drops mixed in distilled water makes it SUPER cost effective (in the long run way more than the colloidal silver but you will have to research it yourself) as it will last you around 3 or more months. I use it regularly myself as a Covid prophylaxis but it has many uses as you will discover once you watch the movie. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. For the eyes it's one drop of sodium chlorite and one drop of hydrochloric acid in a glass container. Let it activate for 30 seconds then add the DISTILLED WATER enough for one fluid ounce, no fountain water the fluoride will deactivate the solution. I saved some of my bottles of 1 fl oz. Of vitamin B drops and washed them out and rinsed them once I was done. And put the solution in there and gave it to my cats. Test it on yourself first if it burns its to strong but mine didn't so yours shouldn't either. I made another one for their ears as well. Make sure you use glass containers and glass droppers. NEVER use metal as this will corrode over time and be added to the solution which isn't good. I tried adding the image of the books if you don't get them they are: Forbidden Health Incurable Was Yesterday by Andreas Ludwig Kalcker(this is the one I reccomend as it has A-Z treatments and the protocols AND MMS Health Recovery Guidbook by Jim Humble with Cari Lloyd. Sorry this was kind of long but I hope this fixes your problems.

Try colloidal silver 3cc syringe orally. Look up my post for colloidal silver.

I've had success with L-Lysine. It's an amino acid helpful in treatment of viral infections. I had a cat with a viral growth on one cornea and lysine helped it clear up permanently when nothing else helped. Also colloidal silver is tasteless and can be added to food or water.

I use Colloid Silver in a dropper for my cat with herpes in his eyes & it works a treat. It does not sting etc. It really is brilliant for keeping it at bay, as you know there isnt a cure, it lays dormant in body till something flares it up which can be stress, heatwave, strong sunshine & damp

No answers yet? I'm looking for the same thing :( My cat is 17, I don't want to put her on meds that might make her sick.

Yes, I don't know if EC will allow this to go through-perhaps they will-since 2 different people are asking. I have used the site, PetWellbeing.com for years and they have formulas for Thyroid. One for Hypo and one for Hyper. We tried this formula for HyperThyroid and then went to the one for Blood Sugar and that seems to be a bit better for our Cat, but it has worked wonders for many pets. We have used several of their formulas over the years. They are expensive but they work. Unfortunately, they made the bottles smaller than they used to be for the same price of $38.00 but they do last. I wish I had a less expensive home remedy for you. Good luck!

Thyroid Balance from Pet Essences really worked for our cat.

Hi,

I just love your site for natural remedies. Is there any way we can start a Pet category about treating Hyperthyroid cats with natural remedies? I saw a category for Hypothyroid, but not one for Hyperthyroid. I can send you info about it if you would like. Thanks, donald

Because iodine is absorbed through the skin, it's really easy to administer the proper amount. I found that it's chemically similar to a steroid that's been prescribed to heal my cat's chin-zits and jaundice in the past, and with similar results. Simply swab the iodine on the skin using a cotton swab. I've put the iodine on my cat's chin to fight the zits, but it's also nice to put it in the thin hair between a cat's eyes and ears so that you can see if and how quickly the iodine is being absorbed. My very timid baby doesn't mind the treatment, and hasn't put up a fight since the first time I used iodine.

Could someone indicate what type of iodine and at what dosage/how much is used when painting? This is strong stuff!! I would hate to bring harm to my pet through my own ignorance!!

Please help me understand why my 11 year old neutered male cat continually humps these kittens. Any advice? Anyone?Also is there anything I can feed the two kittens to help them wean?

Hi Meccamoo, I know your kitties are long since weaned, but this may help someone else with the same problem. I have raised many baby kitties with the following:

Meyenberg canned goat milk, about 1/2 cup (grocery)

1 or 2 whole raw egg yolks

"Missing Link" nutrient powder for cats (pet store or Ebay)

A small amount of water (~ 1 tablespoon or so, to help keep the kitten/s hydrated.)

Mix the above very well together and feed the kitties every couple of hours, including through the night (just like a human baby). Use an eye dropper (carefully, go into the side of their little mouths, there is a gap between the teeth there) if you have to, but don't "push" it into them, "offer" it and let them lick it off the dropper, or off your Very Clean finger. They *may* suck directly to the end of the dropper, if they can/do that's great, but it ain't going to be the same as Mama..

Very young kittens can dehydrate and die easily, and also cannot produce enough body heat to keep themselves warm enough, so you will have to keep them sheltered and watch that water intake. Fleas will also make them anemic and kill them pretty quickly, so you may have to brush them to get fleas off (outside of course). A human boar bristle baby brush can be used for this. Or you can pick the fleas off and put them into a small bowl of any kind of oil; they won't be able to hop out, and will drown. If you must use a source of heat, use your own body heat, it's the only truly safe thing I know of, unless you have a whelping heating pad around the house (Ebay).

Those will cover the major and most likely problems you may run into...

Namaste, Linda

I don't have a cat but I read A LOT. Dr. Batmanghelidj wrote about pets using specific salt ratio in water and its in earth clinic somewhere but I can't find the ratio....a book in my pile has it somewhere. Anyway he used it to treat many pet diseases. Sea salt with minerals in it. So many amazing testimonials from people who used it. Salt works like an antihistamine because histamine is caused by a mineral salt/water imbalance. salt holds water in place and water helps our intestines move the food through to the exit port. Need the right ratio to do this.

Hi Joyce, I had a kitty with mega colon. Although his vet termed it ideopathic, I believe it was due to spinal problems he had when we got him as a kitten. As he aged, he began experiencing occasional severe constipation, which became chronic. We had to do enemas for him at home, and sometimes take him in for more extensive procedures. Poor baby. Initially we tried pumpkin, then lactulose, and finally Cisipride. Though I prefer natural therapies for myself and my animals, the Cisipride finally made his life comfortable. It causes peristalsis in the colon and allows them to have a bowel movement. This drug was taken off the market for humans years ago due to it having some serious side effects. As I recall, the vets were somewhat reluctant to prescribe enough for our kitty's needs, and I was able to find it online from overseas. I do believe it made the last years of his life much more comfortable. All the best. PS If you do an enema at home (takes 2 people and is not at all easy), NEVER use a prepared enema solution, such as Fleet brand on a cat. It is deadly! We used warm water with a tiny bit of soap.

Try Probiotics and ground flaxseed for colon issues.

I had a 6 y. O. cat with bad mega colon. I gave him 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of miralax in his food. He also had a spasmodic motility med to move his bowels. Occasional rectal laxatives doesn't really work great like the miralax did. It worked wonders.

I had the same problem with my male 12 year old. Started giving him 1/4 t of MiraLax (I use store brand-Equate ClearLax) and so far he has been fine. I put it in a little bit of juice from canned cat food and add a little water and he laps it up and loves it.

My cat is developing megacolon too. Did you say you're giving Miralax or actually Metamucil? Because I don't know about the latter that has psyllium in it which turns thick immediately -I prefer to take that for my own low fiber issues but don't think a cat could take.? There's sugar in the orange kind, Etc.

not all cats meow...or meow often...does the cat try to meow? Cats meow specifically as a signal to their humans..if a cat was raised with no humans, it may have a tendency not to meow....except when in heat to signal a mate...or to it's kittens...

The cat tries to meow, but it only makes a sound like it's trying to hock up a hairball. I forgot to mention this before. I don't know what is causing this. It's worrisome. The cat has been here several times and it was able to meow before. But now it just opens its mouth like it's going to meow, but these little coughing sounds come out instead. It's not choking on aything because it's able to eat its food and drink its water. I would like to help this cat, but I don't really know what to do, except give it hairball medicine. Has any body here ever dealt with this problem before with a cat? If so, I'd love it if you could help me out by suggesting some remedies you've used in the past to treat this problem.

Kelly, I started feeding a feral kitten this past Summer and found that he could not meow very well...he could barely get a squeak out of his mouth. It is now Winter and since he has been fed good food on a regular basis he has slowly developed a fairly good voice...much improved. He also had ear mite infestation, so I have been using over-the-counter ear mite treatment. It is possible that getting the ear mites under control has helped with his voice.

Hi, I find good raw food like kangaroo mince really helps them get better.If you can I find a good quality acidolphus also helps a multitude of problems like urinary tract crystals. I also add rainwater to my cats meat in dry months. He won't drink fluoridised water. Smart kitty.

Our nearly 18-yr-old cat (1) has lost several teeth due to resorptive lesions (2) had his thyroid treated with radioactive isotope in late 2016 - which vet told us COULD give him up to 3 more years* (3) without his thyroid developed diabetes so is on 1 unit of insulin daily (4) and developed kidney disease - stage 2 (5) was diagnosed before Thanksgiving 2023 with feline herpes.

ER vet suggested steaming him before we got herpes diagnosis from regular vet. While waiting for the test results, the reg vet put him on an antibiotic. Then prescribed a med that needed to be compounded and given 2x per day. Expensive and very bitter/nasty tasting to the cat. Stressed him out to the max. Stress can make the virus more active. Decided to postpone giving the med to him until after Christmas, but continued steaming him 3x per day.

Rarely sneezes anymore and eye no longer waters. Plus he loves being steamed. He voluntarily goes into his hard-side cat-carrier to put him in the tub with an electric pot boiling near it. With a support over the pot to keep the towel from touching it, we drape a heavy towel over the pot and carrier for 10 min, then unplug the pot and leave him for another 5-10 min.

*It is now Feb 2024. We've enjoyed this "3 years" with him!!!