Should I give my anemic cat iron-rich foods like liver and eggs?

Unfortunately anemia related to lymphoma is usually not due to iron deficiency so eating iron rich foods may not make much difference. As long as your cat does not have any food sensitivities I do think it would be okay to feed him small amounts of cooked chicken liver. It can be rich, so if you notice any vomiting or diarrhea I would discontinue.

Hi there. Unfortunately, it's not likely that liver or any other food will make much difference in his red blood cell count. Anemia in chronic kidney disease is due to the body not producing erythropoietin, which is the hormone that drives the production of new red blood cells. This type of anemia can be treated with erythropoeitin injections, so I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about this option. I have had several kitties with chronic kidney problems and anemia who responded well to this treatment.

The best diet for a cat with chronic renal failure is a canned-only, low-protein diet - this won't help with the anemia, specifically, but is the best option to help slow the progression of her kidney disease in general. You can try supplementing her with an iron supplement designed for cats such as Pet-Tinic - this can be ordered online without a prescription, and has dosing instructions on the label based on your kitty's weight.

The pale gums do signify anemia that could be related to kidney disease, cancer, bone marrow disease and other significant issues as well. I think your ideas are good and could be beneficial although they do not address the underlying problem. However good nutrition is always a good thing. Cats that are hard to handle are challenging and diagnostics are the only way to know what is the cause of the anemia. Certainly it is concerning that she did not do well with sedation. You may contact her vet and ask about an option of an oral light sedative called Gabapentin that tends to work well for aggressive cats without the side effects of stronger sedatives. It doesn’t work for every cat but I find it to be effective more often than not. Your vet will decide if this is an option based upon your pet’s overall health and previous medical history. I hope this helps!

If the anemia is from parasites then his bone marrow should make new red blood cells and the anemia will resolve with time. If he is severely anemic he could die before this can happen. If the anemia is from a viral infection or cancer then even a transfusion would be a temporary fix. You can continue to keep him warm and tempt him to eat, but if he is having trouble breathing or seems to be suffering euthanasia would be the most humane option.

While kittens can take vitamin supplements they shouldn’t need one if they have been fed a commercial diet. The most common cause of anemia in a kitten would be parasites or other infectious causes - I would recommend having your kittens examined by a vet who could identify the cause and prescribe medication.

An RBC of 7 is seriously low. It will take quite some time (around three weeks to get a normal RBC count) for your kitty to make new blood, so it is important that it eats and drinks. I would actually feed it canned food only, and even add some minced beef (hamburger) to it to make sure it has enough iron and moisture to make new blood. He should get a little bit better every day. Such severe anemia weakened your kitty and that is why he is so lethargic.