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

~Chameleon~

skypie123 wrote: »

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?

You say your cat seems to have lost a few teeth? I presume these were not extracted by the vet then? I advise you take your cat to see the vet and find out why she is losing her teeth!

There are numerous causes of dental loss, including FIV (feline Aids) so it's imperative you get her checked and treated. She could well be in considerable pain from ulcerated and infected gums which is preventing her from eating. Ordinarily cats can and do continue to eat dry food with no teeth!

tandraig

Fire_Fox wrote: »

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:

thanks firefox - you put it better than i did really! a natural diet for cats wouldnt include most meats such as beef and lamb! but on another thread i have mentioned my sons turkish van cat - no fish pond is safe from him! and yes he seems to eat one and bring one home for son (whether he wants son to keep it for him or thinks son would like to eat one is debateable)

I know you can get frozen chicks mice rats etc as my daughter had a burmese python (george) who was fed on those. top tip - when defrosting DONT use microwave! she did and accidentally left it on cook setting..............yeuchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh even now 12 years later if you mention it she turns pale and heaves - so do I as i was in her flat when she did it! the stink is unbelievable!!!!

tandraig

but - back to OP - the cat i had before the FIV one did lose a couple of teeth in old age - but still managed to eat most things. but he was always fed tinned food and had go-cat for treats. he couldnt eat them in his last years - but my son did! lmao - my five year old son got a taste for go-cat, he was eating handfuls of them - and i had to phone the company up to ask what was in them!!! he was dairy allergic then and i was convinced pet food wasnt healthy. spoke to very nice woman who (when she stopped laughing) put me on to the bloke who developed the recipe. when HE stopped laughing he told me they contained NO dairy and there was nothing in them not fit for human consumption. as was their tinned products! just a little aside - but pet products are usually safe for humans to eat - but not the other way around!!!

Fire_Fox

tandraig wrote: »

thanks firefox - you put it better than i did really! a natural diet for cats wouldnt include most meats such as beef and lamb! but on another thread i have mentioned my sons turkish van cat - no fish pond is safe from him! and yes he seems to eat one and bring one home for son (whether he wants son to keep it for him or thinks son would like to eat one is debateable)

We used to have a cat who who was a hunter - voles, mice, insects and birds right up to a dove. The 'presents' seemed to go in fits and starts and we could never align it with the seasons ... one day we came home to find a dead rodent neatly lined up next to her brand new toy mouse. :rotfl: