I just wanted to say I hope your kitty gets better soon.  She's only 11 and has a long life to go so hang in there!  I agree about not listening to your vet on the best diet.  I don't feel they really know either.  I think these forums are a good place for you to get answers from people who have experienced similar problems.  Good thoughts for your little buddy!

catmom5 -
     I hope your kitty continues to improve.  If your vet from the very fine university teaching hospital is adamant that you only use the Eukanuba then maybe you should listen to him.  Sometimes in our quest to do something we think is beneficial, we do harm by not listening to the experts.  If you trust your vet, then follow his advice.  Kitty may like the Cal Natural, but it may not be the thing she needs right now.  I am an RN, and I can tell you that, even in the human world of medicine, non-compliance with doctors' orders is a big challenge we face in trying to do what we need to do to make people well. 

catmom5 -
     As long as CJ is getting nourishment through the feeding tube, she should be okay. When the feeding tube is removed, then it will become more important for her to eat on her own, and, if she doesn't like a particular food, then you can discuss alternatives with your vet.  For now, just make sure you are giving her the amount of food through the tube that the vet has prescribed.

Thank you all for your words of support for CJ.  She is now eating pretty much on her own, with an occasional tube feeding.  However, I have been concerned because she hasn't been drinking on her own.  This morning she got up, walked over to the water dish and had a nice long drink!  So I'm feeling more optimistic about her recovery.

Still don't have a definitive diagnosis, but it looks like it's probably NOT FIP, which is a good thing.  We can deal with the IBD and ARF.  I told her vet that I would take care of CJ and she could worry about the diagnosis.   

She is still on the Eukanuba Low Residue, and I'm not going to do anything right now that might set her back. 

Just wanted to share the good news with you all!

So glad to hear CJ is doing better! 

Okay, I'm really scared now.  CJ has done well, has been eating (some) and drinking on her own.  On Friday the vet pulled the feeding tube so she's on her own.  The problem is that she's not eating much at all.  I think I may have made it worse by coaxing her to eat so she's just not interested. Tonight I simply put the food down (after measuring it) and will leave her alone and see if she will eat.  Don't know what will happen if she stops eating again . . .

I can't fuss with a lot of different foods because she has IBD and ARF so it's hard to find a food that she can eat.  She's getting Eukanuba prescription mixed with Cal Natural right now and she picks out the Cal Nat!

Don't know what you all can do ~ maybe some prayers and healing thoughts.  But it helps a lot to be able to come here and share her story with people who really do understand.  So many people simply don't and I find myself not even talking about her (or her vet bills!!!).  They just don't get it.

Thanks for being there for us.

her throat may still be raw from the tube.  On the CRF support group site I joined, almost everyone with a really sick cat does 'force feeding' on their cats.  It's an absolute necessity until they get back to eating on their own, so it might be something you want to consider.  I know it sounds like it would be horrible for you & your kitty, but it helps almost all of them get back to eating on their own, so isn't really as bad as it seems.  Here's the website that gives tips on how to do convince them to eat, & the assisted feeding section tells about how to get it in them if they won't eat on their own:

http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

Does anyone remember this--weren't some of the acetaminaphen symptoms centered around bowel inflammation?

catmom5, sending prayers and good thoughts to you and CJ.