Senior Cat Isn't Eating Much

Hi, I'm new to these forums. I have an almost 17 year old cat. A couple of months ago, he got sick. He wouldn't eat or drink. He walked with his head down. I took him to the vet and the vet said he was probably dehydrated and also lacking in certain vitamins/minerals. They gave him fluids, and a dose of vitamins. They also gave him antibiotics because he had a bad tooth. I think that may have been why he stopped eating. He was eating dry food and it hurt his tooth. So, anyway, I started giving him canned food. He seemed to be getting better. I also still gave him some of the dry food, because he started eating it again. He was doing fine until the last couple of weeks. He started drooping his head again and not eating. So, I completely stopped giving him the dry food. I now only give him canned. But, the problem I am having is that he doesn't eat much of it. I feed him twice a day. He only licks the gravy off of it or eats a very small amount. I am lucky if I can get him to eat a 3 oz. can per day total. He doesn't droop his head anymore, but he walks wobbly and limps. He doesn't seem as sick, but how can I get him to eat? I think he would do better if he ate more. Is it normal for old cats to only eat a couple of spoonfulls of food a day? 

Thanks!

Jenny

First welcome to TCS.
I'm sorry your having problems with your old boy

Have you tried different brands and types of wet food ?

I've given him Iams, Innova, Nutro Natural Choice, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Red Barn, Pro Plan, Science Diet, and probably more that I just can't remember now. I have given him pate, minced, and maybe shreds or chunks. He loves the gravy on the food, but he won't eat the pieces of meat, he just licks the gravy. If I give him pate, he only seems to like the ones that have gravy on them. He did not like the Innova pate. I think it was too dry for him, lol. He liked the Iams the first few times I gave it to him, but then he seemed to stop liking it. I haven't tried the Fancy Feast pate yet, just the minced, so I may try that. I've heard cats like it. The other stuff he just licks the gravy off. He did not like the friskies pate, the pro plan or the science diet. I think he did eat the nutro natural choice loaf. But, I have a feeling he would like it for a day or two and then not like it. That's what he seems to do. Unless he just doesn't have a big appetite anymore. Do you know if it's normal for cats to lose their appetite when they get old? It's it normal for old cats to just eat small amounts at a time? Should I feed him smaller amounts more often, like 4 times a day, instead of bigger amounts twice a day? Also, does anyone know the symptoms of diabetes in cats? Sometimes I wonder if that might be an issue, too, because he goes through spurts where he'll want to drink a lot. 

I think feeding him little and often woul be a great idea. Older cats do slow down on the food and eat a little less than when they were in their prime. But not dramatically only a little less.

One idea is maybe try and mash the lumps of meat up to the same consistancy as the gravy. So he cannot just lick the gravy without taking in the meat as well.

Cats with diabetes tend to drink and pee a lot more than normal.

Have you had any blood tests done at vets ? To rule out any underlying medical problems

When we took him to the vet, the vet said that they could run all kinds of tests, but it would be expensive.At the time,I did not ask the vet about diabetes,because I didn't think about it. Do you know if it's expensive to do blood tests? The vet basically said that since our cat iss very old,and won't live much longer, spending a lot ofmoney on testss isn't worth it.
As far as his food, I will try smashing up the chunks. But, I do waant to try to get him away from food with gravy, though,because it's not as healthy.

If he is drinking more water than usual, it could be a sign of diabetes or kidney disease, or it could be he's trying to fill up his tummy because he's hungry but not being satisfied.  Cat's are so darned strange about eating. 

I've got a senior who DOES have kidney disease and drinks tons of water, but doesn't eat much.   She will lick her food to death, but not chew anything on her plate.  Because of that, I put her canned food into my Magic Bullet (even if it starts out as pate), then I add in egg whites (extra protein), a little more water, and blend until it's fairly soupy.  Then I present it to her majesty.  If she doesn't lap it up, I put a topper on it, sometimes freeze dried chicken (Purebites), sometimes FortiFlora, sometimes Parmesan Cheese (green can), sometimes bonita flakes, sometimes tuna juice.  Oh, and the leftovers I gently warm up on low in the micro for a few seconds because she will only eat about 1 oz (if that) per meal.  I'm lucky if she eats one small can per day.  I DO supplement with Stella and Chewys and/or Feline Naturals  freeze dried raw food throughout the day as treats.  Sometimes I even crumble those as toppers.

mrsgreenjeens, I never thought to make it more soupy, that's a good idea! I don't know why I didn't think of that,because I actually did that with some canned dog food that I bought for my dog. It was real dry and he didn't like it, so I mixed some water with it and heated it up, and then he ate it. So, I will try that for my cat. I went to the pet store today and bought some Fancy Feast classic pate and some more of the Nutro Natural loaf. I also bought some Sheba pate. Hopefully, he'll like one of those. I do think I will also have to feed him smaller meals more often, at least until I can get him to eat better. Thanks, GemsGem and mrsgreenjeens for the advice!