Whats the best thing to feed an elderly cat who is losing her teeth?

skypie123_2

My moggy is getting on a bit now and seems to have lost a few teeth recently. I did feed her dried food but that is pretty much impossible now so what would you suggest I could feed her?

olias

Hate to state the obvious, but....wet food?

Pouches/tins/tuna/pilchards..........there are a million and one options other than dry food. You could even try soaking the dry food in gravy to make it easier to swallow.

Olias

tandraig

I had a cat who had lost most of his teeth - and i fed him pouches (he disliked tinned food) and any which were a bit lumpy i would mash up with a fork for him. look for supermeats in tins and avoid the ones which say chunks in gravy - you will be there hours trying to mash them up!!!

peachespeaches

I had two cats, they used to have wet food twice a day, with dried food left down during the day. Both ate the same diet. One kept his teeth until he was 14, the other started losing his after a few years and ended up with just a couple, despite some treatment. He was given the usual wet food twice a day, but still managed to crunch the odd biscuit. He couldnt resist them! As far as the tinned stuff was concerned he had it all, supermeat, chunks in jelly, chunks in gravy. They are all fairly soft. His appetite was good to the end, but as he got older he had given up scavenging and hunting! He particularly liked the ones in gravy, he enjoyed licking the gravy off then eating the meat.

chris_n_tj

If she likes her regular dried food why not moisten it with hot water for her. That way she gets the food she likes and it will easier for her it eat.(Of course let it cool lol) Just an idea, x. We had to use this method with our cat a few years ago, she has saddly gone from us now. But whatever you chose to do I wish you good luck.
Chris n TJ

sandy71

My cat has 4 teeth left and still eats dried food without a problem.

tankgirl1

Hi

Ditto what other people have said - she will probably cope with dry food fine, but you could dampen her biscuits or give her the odd pouch of wet food.

Just to add, that if you have an elderly animal with dental problems, it is worth taking them to the vets for a check up and possible blood sample - dental problems can cause secondary, systemic problems, so always best to check in my opinion.

lowis

one of my cats only had her canine fangs left, no back teeth, and she was on dried food all her life with no problems. the gums toughen up by all accounts...however an elderly cat might need the food moistening a little, so would echo the above suggestion of adding a touch of water x

tandraig

may i just say that my cat lost his teeth through feline aids - his gums were soft and one of the reasons he was near death when i found him was malnutrition. so he really did have to eat very soft food! if your cat is used to the dry food then the suggestion to use hot water is a good one i think. if the cat will accept it. tinned salmon or tuna is easy to eat but my vet warned me not to give it more than once a week - he felt fish wasnt a natural food for cats! not sure about that - havent seen any cats killing cows and you just cant get sparrow or mouse whiskas! one thing i did see that cats shouldnt eat was a tin of beef cat food with onions! as onions are very bad for cats was shocked and told the store (asda) manager - who laughed at me. hope they dont still sell it! dont shop in asda now anyway.

Fire_Fox

Tandraig both fish and beef are (relatively) common allergens in cats, possibly because they are both unnatural foods. Tinned fish meant for humans doesn't contain all the nutrients a cat needs, and can contain harmful substances such as salt and substances they cannot utilise such as vegetable oil.

If you want to go natural there are companies selling frozen mice and chicks for the express purpose of feeding to your pets. Not sure I could handle it after reading on another forum that the cats preferred to play with rather than eat their food! :eek:

BitterAndTwisted

There's no reason an elderly cat or even a young one with no or few teeth can't eat dry food. One of mine many moons ago needed a dental and had most of her teeth removed and she was straight back on biscuits after the procedure. This was recommended by the vet.

If the OP's cat is having trouble then I would strongly suggest a visit to the vet to check whether any extractions or any other procedures are needed rather than adding water or stock or whatever to pusscat's food without professional advice.