Feeding a senior cat who's losing weight

I happened upon 'thecatsite' by accident this morning and I've been reading various blogs for a few hours.  I'm old and not good on the computer and since I've had Rose (10years) I've been looking for a resource such as this.  So thankyou to all the bloggers.  I have a fussy eater.  I've always thought she was too skinny but vets say she is perfect.  This last check up, she went down a pound which was upsetting to me..from 9 to 8 pounds. Vet was unconcerned.

I want to feed her the very best of course and I'm looking for a wet or dry product which might add some weight but not compromise her protein etc.  She has always had a continuous dry supply of Purina One.  Then I give her Fancy Feast 1/3 can or 1 tblsp twice day of wet.  Is this not good??  Should I not give her both?  95% of the time she doesn't eat the wet unless there is a lot of broth or it is a new flavor.  She always comes snooping on my plate and I usually give her a taste of anything but she just smells and walks away.  She won't eat fresh shrimp, salmon, tuna, etc.  She will eat the broth from the tuna can and leave all morsels of tuna.  She does the same with the fancy feast new 'Broths' packets...sucks all the gravy and leaves the solids.  Vet says her teeth are fine.  I would appreciate any suggestions???

Hi and welcome to TheCatSite (we call it TCS for short)!   I'm glad you're enjoying our articles!

I have a cat who's similar to yours in being both older (12 yo) and a finicky eater. I feed him like you feed your cat, pretty much. 

I've been corresponding with two veterinarians lately, one of them a cat expert and the other a pet nutritionist. They both mentioned that feeding all-canned was good for cats who need to lose weight. It's not so good for cats who need to gain weight (or are not overweight). One of our members and moderator @MoochNNoodles  recently shared a similar experience where switching to all-canned caused excessive weight loss for her two cats.

What you could try is introduce a different kind of dry food that has more protein and fats, and less carbs. The less carbs in dry cat food, usually the more fat and higher caloric intake. Not so good for overweight cats but quite beneficial for cats who may need to gain a little. You just need to make sure you switch very gradually, mixing in just a little a bit of the new kibble at every feeding.

If your vet isn't bothered by the weight loss then maybe all you need to do is add a few more treats here and there. However, if you're still concerned, I would definitely consider a consultation with a pet nutritionist. You can even do that via emails or over the phone. I wouldn't make any drastic changes to a healthy cat of this age without such a consultation. 

Hello & Welcome to TCS -

I have no doubt you will get the tips and advice you're looking for.

So you too have a picky gal on your hands, as I.

I learned this tip while feeding my terminally ill boy who had complications eating morsels and well, hated wet to begin with.

My girl Chestnut is a picky eater, although you'd never know it by her 20lb curvy body. LOL  I think she actually started losing a bit which is good. We'll find out soon enough at the vet.

Okay, so what I do is.  I take a can of her pate food, I mostly feed her Royal Canin Urinary so but once in a blue moon I give her fancy feast pate's that contain NO FISH.

I put the food in a small bowl, mug etc, and then I take the food can and fill it with extremely hot tap water, dump it in with the food and mix with a hand blender.  The first feeding is watery, but she laps it all up.  I store the rest in the fridge and that because of the broken down fats in the food becomes more pudding like.  So for the feedings after, I spoon out some food and still add a little hot water to break down the fat, and she eats it and gets a good amount of water also.

Chestnut hates anything grisly and will spit out the morsels making me one frustrated mommy but this has fixed the problem, plus I get an extra day out of the wet food and I leave her out a 1/4 cup of dry Royal Canin calorie control so she can pick if she likes.  

Hope this helps.

It does help.  Thanks for taking the time to get back with me.  I feel better already just knowing I'm not the only spoiler on the block...lol

Thanks very much for your input.  I feel better already just to be heard.....my friends think I'm crazy ofcourse but they don't have a cat.  Rose watches me at feeding time and she can tell whether I'm giving her what she wants before I even set it down.  I've tried the warm water with the pate but she doesn't go for that.  Just when I was at my wits end, yesterday she ate 2 whole tblsp of chopped up steak.  I was amazed.  She's kind of like my x-husband...who wouldn't eat the same thing twice in a row.  We mommies must persevere I guess.  Thanks again.  Jane

No you're not crazy. LOL  Cat's can sometimes drive us crazy. haha

My girl won't go for the warm water over food, I have to blend it.  when blending it it breaks up all the fats and grizzle.  And when I think about it, I wouldn't want to eat food with coagulated greasy fat and chunks. LOL

I tell you my Proctor Silex one speed hand blender is my best friend.  It may be worth the investment.  It cost me I think 20 bucks.

I'm glad she's eating.

From my own experience with my 13 year old gal, she's very sensitive to fish.  Be careful with too much tuna juice.

Best to you and Rose.

I don't know if you've been to the Section New Cats On The Block, but its a great place to introduce Rose to the TCS community.  You should check it out.