old kitty needs help

but I have a problem with my old kitty Maureen and I thought you guys might have some suggestions as to how to help her.....

ok I was watching my 16 year old girl try to eat last night and what was discovered is that she can't chew.... she is hungry but is having trouble with the kibble and she doesn't like wet food..... she just turns her nose up at it although I am going to try it again. She has lost a great deal of weight... probably at least a pound or two and she at this time is all bones.... We have a vet appt. on friday but I am positive we are dealing with old age thing here..... she has lost several pounds..... and my younger cat (6 mos. old Janet) is harrassing her. I ordered a baby gate.... that I am going to put at the top of teh stairs hopefully it will be here today and I bought Maureen a new litter box and bowls and I will gate her upstairs to keep her free from Janets "you will play with me".

The question is food..... I have gotten kitten food and I have good and soaked the kitten food in warm water so to soften it up.... she is hungry and she cries while the food is soaking and tries to reach up and grab it... but she is not eating... she is drinking the water the kibble is soaking in, I am sure it tastes good... it is very clear she is hungry.... I have given her nutrical.....and I am hand feeding her nutrical a couple times a day and she will eat some but I dont think she is eating enough....
but I dont know how else to get her to eat or what to feed her.....

I would greatly appreciate any insight you might have.....
thanks
S

Friday is a long way to wait for her to see the vet. I know there are appetitie stimulants. She might have a tooth problem that needs to be dealt with but she cannot go any longer without eating, or she can have permanent damage. If you get a big syringe you can mush up wet food and water and force feed her. You really need to talk to the vet immediately and get some food into her before friday.

I am hand feeding her the nutrical several times a day so I am hoping that will keep her unti lfriday.
thanks for the idea about the syringe.... I have one in the first aid kit so that will work....
s

I would not wait until Friday to take her to the vet. I would call the vet today & tell them your 16 y/o kitty won't eat, & you have to feed her Nutrical. IMO, she needs to see a vet ASAP. Not eating can lead to fatty liver disease. I don't think Nutrical is enough for her. Try mixing it in with some wet food & water...making a puree to syringe into her, if nothing else.

Don't loose hope. Maureen could simply have a few teeth problems. My Twitch has no teeth & she is now fine & dandy. I think that just because Maureen's an old cat, doesn't mean she can't live to be older!

Try a bunch of different canned foods and flavors. Right now, don't worry about quality--grocery store food is fine as long as she eats something. If that doesn't work, you can also try to get her to eat some human baby food canned meats (be sure they don't have garlic or onion). Appetite stimulants may also help, but it is important to figure what she isn't eating. Since she is still trying to eat, it is possible it is a mouth problem--having her teeth examined is very important.

As for the weight loss, there could be other causes. I strongly suggest that you have the vet run a senior panel--it is a series of blood tests that can check for common ailments in older pet, which can be treated once they are diagnosed.

Dont wait till Friday.. if your vet wont get Maureen in then find one that will....

I second the wet food ... at this point evan human tuna for a day would be okay...