Elderly cats and eating habits

Doodles

Hi, grateful for any advice from other owners of eldery cats please.

I have 2 cats, one is 20 the other 17, they both have their health problems - one had kidney problems and the other liver, arthritis and high blood pressure which they are on medication for.

Both of them have, at the moment, good quality of life - however the one thing that is driving me mad is their eating!

The problem is 1) the fussiness, I try every brand, every flavour, one minute they like it, the next they are fed up of it. I make sure I offer a different flavour/brand each meal, sometimes it goes down, other times it doesn't and they look at you as though to say "you want me to eat THAT?" :rotfl: Ive tried not giving in before with the attitude well thats all there is, like it or lump it but all that ends up happening is they refuse to eat it and then start vomiting or going out into the garden, eating grass and then vomiting!

The other problem is the amount they eat - obviously older cats do eat less I realise but they no longer just eat a full meal - they eat a few bits, then go off to sleep, then come back to their dish when they are a bit hungry and of course the food starts to go off and they don't like it.

Its driving me mad! Does anyone else experience this problem and do you have any tips or techniques that help your moggies get the food down easier please?

Thanks

Iguana

I feed my 14 year old cats Hills Science Plan Senior; before this they were on the Science plan dental one.
Having had cats over nearly 30 years I find the more variety they are offered the more fussy they get.
They do get the occassional treats (like tinned food, fish or chicken) but mostly I stick to the Hills; which as it is dried doesn't really go off although I don't leave it down for more than a day.
I have found that older cats need feeding more than twice a day; so perphaps reduce the amount and feed them more often,

Doodles

Thanks for the advice Iguana. I will try the Hill senior food and see how I get on.

lowis

i have fed mine Hills all their life (with treats too) and they have always eaten it. my boy is on senior too. it is dry food so it won't go off over a day. my vet said that a cat will never let itself starve, if its hungry it will eat - self-preservation

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

When my cats get fussy like that and start chucking up, I take them to the vet as every single time it has happened, there's been a rotten tooth or tartar causing them pain.

sandy2_2

My old boy (18), eats tuna one minute and doesn't want it the next. Occasionally has a lick over the tinned food but at his age I don't mind him being picky. He does have poor dental hygiene, but vet advised he was too old to subject him to anaesthetic as he might not come round afterwards.

~Chameleon~

If one already has kidney problems then I'd be very wary of switching to a dry food without first speaking to your vet. There's a risk they won't drink sufficient water if they're unaccustomed to doing so and could cause further damage to their kidneys.

I think part of the problem is that you're swopping and changing brands and flavours too much. It's a complete myth that animals like varied diets, that's just a human thing and manufacturers play on that by creating all these "tasty" morsels for cats and dogs. They are quite happy eating the same thing day in day out for their whole lives. Give them a choice and they will become fussy eaters.

As they get older their appetites will decrease naturally as they become more inactive and will thus require smaller, more frequent meals. My two are free fed on a dry diet and they will often visit the food bowl up to a dozen times or more throughout the day and night, but they never exceed the daily recommended allowance during a 24hr period as it is measured and monitored daily.

I wouldn't advise giving either of them tinned tuna either due to their existing health problems but I think you need to find one particular food they will both eat (preferably something suited to the mature cat) and stick with feeding them that in smaller amounts 3-4 times a day.

If you usually buy those 80g/100g sachets or cartons of wet cat food then one of those between the two of them at each sitting will be more than plenty!

Iguana

Doodles wrote: »

Thanks for the advice Iguana. I will try the Hill senior food and see how I get on.

It was recommended by my vet so perhaps you should speak to him/her first as the other person said.
If they are throwing up and its on a regular basis they do need to see a vet; one of my cats was diagnosed with thyroid deficency when she was doing this (with other symptons).

Bendybops19

I feed both of mine little and often, they both much prefer to graze throughout the day