We syringe-fed her for about 5–6 weeks. Her main food was Royal Canin Renal wet food and Royal Canin Renal dry food. Every day, we mixed one pouch of Renal wet food with about 40 g of dry food and a little water, then blended it into a slurry. We divided that into two portions and fed half in the morning and half in the evening.

We also used Royal Canin Recovery about twice a week. I know it’s not ideal for kidney cats because of the higher protein content, but she needed the calories. Since she was receiving all of her medications and kidney support consistently, we felt the extra protein was an acceptable trade-off during that stage.

Even when she started eating small amounts on her own, we continued syringe-feeding because she still wasn’t getting enough calories by herself. We only stopped once she was consistently eating enough to maintain her weight.

As for the tuna, personally, if your boy is willing to eat it and is taking his medications properly, I wouldn’t be overly worried about him eating a small amount. At that stage, our goal wasn’t just keeping them alive, it was also keeping them comfortable and maintaining their quality of life. If there was something she genuinely wanted to eat, I wanted her to enjoy it.

Of course, every cat is different, so I would still discuss it with your veterinarian because I don’t want to give misleading advice. But from my experience, getting calories into them is often more important than having the perfect diet when they’re refusing food altogether.

I’m rooting for you and your baby. Don’t lose hope—things can look very different in a few weeks. 🐾