New to the forum! <waves> Have a question regarding wet food for older cat and older human!

janelovescats13

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
4
Purraise
1
Hi All,

I guess I will introduce myself as Jane. It is great to be here, everyone is so supportive with each other!. I know I am new but hope to get some feedback on what you all think. I don't know what the general "age" is in the forum or if that matters. Age really doesn't necessarily have anything to do with "mobility issues" of which I am experiencing and I am afraid it will effect my beloved cat and wish that I could keep him from having to go through this with me. The issue is this, he is on a wet food diet, I am lucky because I can stay at home with him (I own a small home business) so it is never an issue for him to have the freshly opened cans of Whiskas or Fancy Feast. Yes, I know not the *healthiest* he could be on but I have tried to get him to eat better and he is a baby about it. He will eat the little Wellness duos but they are expensive but that's okay only the best if he will eat it I will buy. Okay, sorry to take so long to get to the point, the problem I have is simple...I have arthritis in my hands that just keep getting worse and worse. It is difficult to open the containers of food.....sometimes impossible and we both sit there staring at the container like it will magically open and he thinks I am playing some mean game! Well I got smart one day and punched a whole in the foil top of a container and was able to through much effort peel off all the little ripped pieces until there was a big enough hole to slide the food out of onto the plate. This is quite comical to think about, believe me...there are moments when I am crying about this then laughing b/c of how silly I must look trying open a container of wet food. My friend at church, also a cat lover, has told me about the timer feeders online that are automatic. I looked them up online and most of them are for kibble and the ones that I could use for wet food, still requires me to open the container! I am wondering if anyone else has had hand mobility issues who has cats on wet food and what I could possibly do to make this easier for me and my handsome little man! He's been there for me through my divorce, my kids moving out of the state, my early retirement from the corporate world. I will never give up on him but if I can't feed him properly maybe he'll give up on me? Any suggestions for me? Thanks so much for your time. I look forward to reading other posts and commenting if I have anything to add. Best, Jane
 

betsygee

Just what part of meow don't you understand.
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
28,292
Purraise
17,374
Location
Central Coast CA, USA
Welcome to TCS!  

My grip strength isn't what it used to be, that's for sure.  I finally bought an electric can opener so I didn't have to struggle with a hand-held one.  

For the foil top containers, can you use scissors?  How about cutting a slit into the foil and then cutting out rest of the foil?  

He sounds like a wonderful companion--what's his name?
 

ritz

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
4,656
Purraise
282
Location
Annapolis, MD
Yes, what we do for our cats!
I fed prey model raw so have to cut raw meat. I have some problems with my wrist (from being a secretary for about 30 years) and find it is easier to cut the meat if it is slightly frozen. Also when Ritz throws up (acid indgestion) I usually fed her baby food. I use this device to open the jar. Can you slip a knife under the pop up part of the lid and then pull up? Kind of like a lever. Or maybe this might help too.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

janelovescats13

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
4
Purraise
1
Sam is 10 and only like friskies and whiskas. He is very picky. The cans have the snaps to crack them open but I still have trouble.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

rlavach

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
284
Purraise
72
@Ritz  That 2nd can opener you posted looks great! I'm going to get one b/c I have poor hand strength too. If I'm having a hard time, I usually use a knife or screw driver to lift up the metal tab & crack the seal. Then I'll flip the screwdriver the other way and use it as leverage to open the can. It usually works. I don't know if this would help, but what about purchasing larger cans? I know Friskies has ones that are the size of cans of beans. That way you don't have to open a new can every night. 

EDIT: This isn't related to your question, but if you're also having problems opening jars, I bought a jar opening thing recently and it is absolutely amazing! Search Amazon for "OXO Good Grips Jar Opener". 
 
Last edited:

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
You can buy can openers that slip under the ring so you can more easily pull it. I have one that I got as a freebie from a cat show years ago. Here are two that I found from a Google search:

http://www.magicopener.com/pet-food/

 

chromium blues

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
819
Purraise
140
Location
Ontario, Canada
I just use a spoon to pop some of the tougher cans. Slide the handle of the spoon through the loop and use it like a lever.
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,885
Purraise
28,283
Location
South Dakota
I don't have any accessibility issues, but I do have to open a lot of cans so I want an automatic opener. And I hate sharp edges on cans. So I got a Smooth Touch can opener:
It works even on the little Fancy Feast cans. For the foil-top kind, I think scissors should work.
 
Top