My cat Elvis will be 17 – !!! – later this month. In general, he’s still in okay shape – he’s not as sure-footed as he once was, and can no longer do the 5 foot vertical jump from the sidewalk to the porch – but he’s actually a mellower, nicer cat than he was as a young 'un.
Except he won’t – can’t? – eat dry food any more. I’ve always fed him a half cup of dry food in the morning, and a half-can of “the good stuff” in the evening. He’s not eating more than a mouthful or two of the dry food now – too rough on his elderly teeth and gums? – and he’s been losing weight. I’ve switched him over to canned morning and evening – is there any reason why this wouldn’t be okay? (After 17 years, I don’t remember how this regimen got started – whether there are physical reasons to feed him both kinds of food, or whether it’s just cheaper to alternate between the two kinds of food.)
if you don’t want to have canned food out all the time, try looking for some of the soft pebble variety. as implied, it’s in a pellet-type format, but soft (about the texture of bread pellets, i’d say). Tender Vittles is one variety, and it comes in 4 different flavors.
it’s hard to find it in grocery stores at times, particularly in all flavor selections. but places like PetsMart and Petco generally seem to carry it. some grocery chains (like maybe Food Lion and Weiss) occasionally have a house-brand variety, but usually only in one flavor.
good luck with the old guy. it’s hard watching them get old and frail.
I would have to recommend that if your cat is really getting old and not eating much any more you switch to a better brand of cat food. The best brand you will find at the supermarket is Iams, try to see if they have a “mature” cat line you can feed Elvis, it will have softer pellets and more “old cat” vitamins. The brands like Tender Vittles (no offense to lachesis) don’t have the high level of nutritional content that he may need now that he is eating less. Try a specialty pet store for Royal Canin or Nutro if you have the extra cash to spare, but if not go for Iams.
When was the last time Elvis went to the vet, and how were his teeth then? He may have a few rotten, painful teeth that make it hard or unpleasant for him to chew solid food. It may be as simple as him needing a few teeth out and the rest cleaned up to get back to his normal self.
It could also be that he’s going into renal failure. All cats do that if they live long enough, and he’s a very old guy. Loss of appetite is one of the first clinical signs we see in cats with failing kidneys, and dry food ain’t nearly so attractive as wet to a cat with reduced appetite. If he were my kitty, I’d haul him in for an exam and some bloodwork. Cats can live happily with kidney failure for a long time, but it requires some special management to do so.
CrazyCatLady - my boy’s in (probably) end stage renal failure - he’s 14 and on 2x daily 120ml sub-cut Hartmann’s solution and also sub-cut penicillin for mouth ulcers. I’ve tried him on canned food, dry food of various varieties and fresh meat and fish - he’s interested on some days, and not on others - can you suggest any other food that I could try to tempt his appetite?
(I should also metion he’s on medication for hyperthyroidism, heart valve failure, pericardial edema and arthritis) - we are monitoring him daily for quality of life, acknowleding this is hospice are, and seems OK other than seems hungry, but can’t be satisfied with what we are offering him. Any suggestions?
You can try warming the canned food. Sometimes being able to smell the food better will spur their appetites. You can also try him on canned chicken or tuna. I don’t know if you’ve tried prescription foods from your vet, but there are special formulations that are made specifically for inappetant animals. They’re usually very soft and smelly, and they’re incredibly nutrient-dense. You can also try him with baby food–our patients seem particularly responsive to the veal and lamb varieties. With the mouth ulcers, softer and squishier is probably better, and with the renal cat drop in appetite stinkier is probably better. My rule of thumb is that the more something puts you off your dinner, the more likely your cat is to eat it.
My kitty turns 18 next month. She’s in kidney failure (4th year) but manages pretty well, has slowed down, no more catching household mice.
The vet says her teeth are in good shape. She was on Max Cat kibble all her life but in the past 4 years I’ve been supplementing with canned food. Changed the kibble to Pet’s Promise. The canned food is Safeway or Fancy Feast or sometimes fancier stuff.
She also absolutely adores Gerber’s baby food–the lamb or the turkey.
another vote for fancy feast. esp. the ones with gravy, look for sliced or minced. warmed just a wee bit … kitty yummieness.
my winken has kidney and heart problem at 13. i thought she might not make it past thanksgiving. at this point whatever she wants to eat she will get (cat food wise).
she loves gerber’s beef and chicken baby food. i use that to get her meds in her.
beware fancy feast kibble. it had a rather messy result with 2 out of 3 girls in my house. they loved the kibble… it did not love their intestines.
Phoebe, my sweet little tabby girl, is 20. I have fed her Fancy Feast since I found her in the parking lot of my apartment complex, skinny, worm-ridden, and affection-starved, in 1985. My vet huffs that it’s “like McDonald’s for cats”, but she’s 20 (the cat, not the vet…)! And her kidneys are in amazing shape. So, my vet advises me not to change food at this point.
I've recently started giving Phoebe some transdermal meds that slow her metabolism down- she's gained a half pound and her fur looks a lot better.
I think when they get to be as old as our kitties are, we should feed them whatever they want, unless they need something special like a diet for kidney or urinary tract problems, etc.
My last 2 cats have lived to 18yrs plus. Towards the end, they both had trouble eating. We found that mixing some water in with a canned cat food seemed to help.
I just lost my 15YO Trouble to cholangeohepatitis. Right up to the end, though, he LOVED Fancy Feast and canned tuna. Absolutely right–the smellier the better.
I have never personally had an old cat, but I can recommend people food like boiled chicken, scrambled egg, yogurt (no flavors!) and other ‘white foods’ (potato, rice, pasta) if he is eating alot. I second (third, fourth) checking kidney and liver function and dental health. Kitties can also benefit from a pancreatic enzyme suppliment if that is their problem (ask your vet). With a geriatric kitty, expect vet visits more than once a year. Also, ask your vet for ideas. There is a line of food calles Hills Prescription Diet (I think) that makes a canned food called a/d that is meaty mush in a can and often used for ill/injured animals and for puppies/kittens. It is soft enough you can fill a syringe and squirt it down their throats if you have to. It will be a little pricey.
The philosophy behind hard food is that it preserves teeth longer since it doesn’t stick to them as much and the crunching scrapes off build-up. You may be at a point with Elvis that this is not a big concern anymore.
Hopefully this is a passing illness, I wish you and your kitty well.
His appetite is fine – it’s the crunchiness of the dry food that seems to be causing problems. I’ll definitely ask the vet to look at his teeth – she’ll enjoy that, no doubt. (This is a cat who’s never had his temperature taken, to give you an idea how cooperative he is at the vet’s.)
I looked for the soft nuggets at the grocery store last night, and they didn’t have them – I’ll check PetSmart next time I’m over that way. For now, he seems happy – nay, delighted – to be getting canned food (just the regular 3/$1 six-ounce cans) twice a day.