Is there an oil or flavor I can add to regular dry cat food to make it soft and appealing not soggy

I have 3 cats, one of which has a hard time with hairballs/puking and possibly teeth.  He is very skinny and wont eat much dry food the way it is.  All the cats are fixed males, indoor/outdoor  and can come and go as they please.  Feeding them canned food makes em all crazy and thinking they are getting left out lol.  I need a way to feed the special needs cat special food without upsetting the other 2.  Is there an oil or flavor that can be added to the dry food to accomplish this?  Or does anyone know of another way to go about the feeding issue?

Well, what about getting him a dental for his teeth?

And giving them all an egg yolk treat once or twice a week to help address the hairball problem? I realize just one has the issue, but the yolks are a good addition to any diet: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/250653/egg-lecithin-for-hairballs/30#post_3366171

Can you afford to feed them the wet food? It's better for their long term health, and they'll get over the "he's getting something I'm not." :lol3: I feed my ferals wet food. I use Friskies pate and Fancy Feast classics (when on sale), as these are affordable, high animal-based protein, low-carb options. More information from a site written by a vet: http://www.catinfo.org

I just realized I posted in the wrong spot ugh!.  I have 3 cats, one of which has several issues going on.  If I feed them canned food or tuna they all go crazy on me, thinking they are missing out on the good stuff (they are indoor/outdoor and its hard to round them all up at the same time).  My special needs cat is very thin and the other 2 are fat cats.  I tried giving the special food to just the special cat but then the other 2 pick on him and hate on me so thats not an option.  Could I use some sort of fish oil?  Do they have fish oil that smells fishy and is good for them and will soften the food not make it soggy?

What is a dental?  If it involves going to the vet its not an option.  His jaw clicks when he grooms so Im assuming this is why soft food is more appealing to him.   I got him (Ruffy Fluffinger) from a shelter he was in for over 3 months.  I managed to get him to the vet one time and since then he will not allow me to pick him up.  This cat has so many problems its not funny too.  From flea allergy to his claws in-growing.  He is very skittish and I am the only person he trusts...barely lol.  I really feel like I am not qualified to care for this cat but at the same time what else would I do with him?

Well, I care for ferals I can't handle. Depending upon the cat, I either use a trap to trap them when they need to go to the vet, who - depending on the cat - either anesthetizes them for an exam, or doesn't. Some are so scared, they're literally scared stiff, and they don't need to be sedated for an exam. The other method we use to get them to the vet is feeding them in a crate for a few days, then just shutting the door (if we can stand near it while they eat), or using a string that's up into our window, and pulling the crate door closed with it, running outside and securing the crate door.

We did have a hurt feral that wouldn't go in the trap or a crate, and it took three months to get her to the vet for a hurt leg. But we finally got her there.

But anyway... why not just feed wet food then?

And if he has a flea allergy and is outside... how do you prevent fleas? (Sorry, don't mean to take the thread off topic). I can get Frontline on some of the ferals. One is allergic to it, so I give her a pill... I think it's called Composure. She eats it if I break it in half and put it in pill pockets.

No - that's not the name of it. (Composure). It's Comfortis.

I use advantage flea drops.  I was using revolution.   And I have been feeding him and the other 2 canned food.  I was just hoping there was an easier way.  If there isnt a fish oil I can add to the food then maybe I need to invent one because it would solve so many problems!  As for taking him to the vet, I would rather not.  The last time I tried to get him into the carrier even he hid from me for weeks afterward.  After I put flea drops on him, he acts like I am going to hurt him when I try to pet him.  Slowly I have gotten him to come out of his shell to where he doesnt run and hide everytime theres a knock at the door.  But any time I even get the carrier out of the closet he regresses.
 

Yes I agree switching to a wet diet will help and if you can a novel protein like duck or lamb is a great option (I recommend nature's variety). I have a cat with a who also had chronic hairball issue which I believe is IBD/IBS (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/259470/vomiting-bile-possible-blockage-in-ragodoll-what-to-ask-vet). What worked for him was switching to nature's variety lamb and duck wet, shaving him and giving him vitality science supplements (http://www.vitalityscience.com/v/AllProducts/Cat-Diarrhea-Vomiting/feline-Diarrhea-Vomiting.asp).

It sounds like you have some food aggression going on and that is why you are not feeding wet to all of them? To solve this problem feed them in separate rooms. 

Here is a great video on vomiting in cats:



Good luck and keep us updated!

hotrodmom said:

I use advantage flea drops.  I was using revolution.   And I have been feeding him and the other 2 canned food.  I was just hoping there was an easier way.  If there isnt a fish oil I can add to the food then maybe I need to invent one because it would solve so many problems!  As for taking him to the vet, I would rather not.  The last time I tried to get him into the carrier even he hid from me for weeks afterward.  After I put flea drops on him, he acts like I am going to hurt him when I try to pet him.  Slowly I have gotten him to come out of his shell to where he doesnt run and hide everytime theres a knock at the door.  But any time I even get the carrier out of the closet he regresses.
 

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You can add a fish oil supplement to your cats food. A human supplement is fine just make sure it does not have any flavour additives. I would also not recommend putting it on dry food because it could cause a bacteria problem

Are you brushing him? The best way to treat hairballs is to prevent the hair from getting in their system. Here is some more information about hairballs from a vet (http://catinfo.org/#Hairballs)

It sounds like this cat is a very fearful and skittish cat rather than a true feral.  Are there any vets in your area that will make housecalls?  At some point a vet checkup will be necessary and this seems like the easiest way of getting it done.

The hairballs I keep at bay from keeping him current on his flea treatments,  except for the month of June.  My other cat was bullying him and I had to take food to him outside because he was intimidated into staying away.  Fourth of July saved me from that as the fireworks were much scarier than my other cat. During that month he got behind on the flea drops because I was afraid he would just not come back if i treated him.  So the hairballs got out of hand and are under control again. he is medium haired cat, the other 2 are long hair and dont have issues with hairballs.  But now he pukes up foamy water all the time which scared me into thinking he had hairball blockage but he has since pooped so thats not the case.  He is much thinner than the other cats.  Can feel his backbone.  He doesnt eat much dry food at all but I dont really have the money to feed all 3 cats canned food. I mean I do but its $100 more a month at the least. If I can save $100 a month, why wouldnt I?  Thats why I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of fish oil or something to make the dry food more appealing to him.

I like LDG's idea of trapping him in a crate to get him to the vet, but if that doesn't work you could trap him in the bathroom and then get him in a carrier. That way he can't run and hide easily when it's vet time.

As far as a flavor enhancer you could try something like Vita Gravy.

hotrodmom said:

 If I can save $100 a month, why wouldnt I?  

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As Dr. Pierson points out on her amazing site www.catinfo.org what you save feeding an all dry diet will likely be lost in vet bills with all of the health problems associated with dry food diets and cats.

If you would like to save money you may want to look into a raw diet which is cheaper than canned and some high end kibble. Here is an interesting article on pet food costs and the cheapest diet by far is homemade raw (http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and...y-cat-or-i-can-afford-to-feed-commercial-raw/). 

...which can also be fed cooked, not raw. :nod:

But it sounds to me like he really needs a vet visit. The problem likely isn't the food, it's likely an illness potentially combined with pain from dental problems. If you can't afford a vet, perhaps this will help: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read

So Im guessing there isnt a product out there that I can add to the dry food to soften it up?  I guess I will figure something out.  What about using the oil from tuna?  Would that soften the food without making it soggy?  Is vegetable oil good or bad for cats?  I would think it could help with hair balls but it may also do damage somewhere else along the way.  Hmm what about some kind of broth?  Or could I steam the dry food I wonder...

I can't think of anything to soften it, but if it's a flavor issue there are enhancers like the Vita Gravy I mentioned.

You're sure it wouldn't be possible to feed him in another room and buy canned? The other two would never have to know! Friskies pate is pretty cheap especially if you buy online with a coupon code. A lot of sites have it for under 50 cents a can. One can a day would probably work fine, but I would check with a vet to be sure if he's having appetite issues.

If you feed them the 5.5-oz cans of Friskies (classic pate only), it would only cost about $45 a month. If you bought the 13-oz cans, it would be even cheaper than that. 9 Lives is a bit cheaper than Friskies.

You can soak the kibble to make it mushy, as long as you feed it all right away (it gets nasty if it sits). But kibble is full of grains and junk, canned food has a lot more meat in it.

Well your in luck because dry food isn't what it's cracked up to be as it is. Canned food is much healthier. It's higher in moisture and animal protein