12 year old cat appetite

[chickpea616]

I'm fostering a 12 year old cat that I just got on Sunday. I have zero clues into her past (diet, etc) - so I placed down both wet and dry food for her to eat. The dry is Purina One brand (I've tried the Healthy Digestion, Senior Cat, Hairball, and Kitten versions - because I have all those on hand). The wet is a toss up - there's SO much out there. I've had varied success: some times she'll gobble up stuff like Fancy Feast or Purina Pro Plan (mostly licking the gravy), other times she turns her nose up at all wet food, the other day she tried (and liked) Tiki Mousse. I'm trying to build some kind of profile of her likes and dislikes, but it's all so "hit or miss" still. Some days she doesn't even seem like she wants to eat and I worry about her intake; other days I hold the bowl for her while she eats (seems to be her preferred way), some times I can put the food in the bowl and she'll nibble on her own.

It doesn't look like she actively seeks out food - she only seems to show interest when someone goes in there and sits with her or coaxes her to eat. I understand she may be very stressed from this past week (she traveled 11 hours in a car before I picked her up, and now she's in a strange house with strange people and other cats - even though they are separated, she knows they are here)....so is the key here NOT to stress about her eating, leave dry food out all the time (knowing she'll eat when she's hungry) and just try wet food randomly? And for the record, she's overweight; not sure how much she weighs exactly, but is clearly overweight. Thanks all!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I think I'd go with not stressing too much, leaving wet food for her for a couple hours at a time, and have dry food for her intermittently. Cats will often lose weight very gradually with canned food only (slow weight loss is the only safe way for cats to lose weight), although you may not have that option since it can sometimes be too expensive to feed only canned when you have multiple cats.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I agree not to stress. Part of this may be HER stress, and part may simply be HER. I have a cat who sounds almost exactly like her, and Ive had him since he was a kitten (he's now 12). Even then I had to hand feed him, and I still do most of the time.

As a little more time goes by, you should be able to tell if she's getting more comfortable and starts eating better. Who knows, maybe she never had wet food before and is really a kibble addict. I truly think most overweight cats are, and if that's the case, it may just be a matter of figuring what kind of wet food might peak her interest. and that could be a big undertaking unless you will be fostering her for more than a few weeks. (at least it seemed to take forever for us to convert ours from free fed kibble to scheduled wet food only meals) In the meantime, I'd probably just leave kibble out for her, perhaps a little less than her current weight calls for

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It sounds like she is looking for security and comfort - in that you said she will eat if you are with her and coax her . I would continue that mode until she starts to feel more secure. It also seems as if she might like pates better than the others, based in her reaction to the Tiki Cat Mousse. She might be overweight, but you can deal with that later.

Treat her with gentle, tender loving care, and cater to her whatever you find works for her to eat. She is looking for someone to comfort her.

 

[chickpea616]

figuring what kind of wet food might peak her interest. and that could be a big undertaking unless you will be fostering her for more than a few weeks. (at least it seemed to take forever for us to convert ours from free fed kibble to scheduled wet food only meals) In the meantime, I'd probably just leave kibble out for her, perhaps a little less than her current weight calls for

We might stink as fosters because I think we are leaning towards adopting her - so I could potentially have A LOT of time to figure this out, LOL! I would love to convert her over to all wet, scheduled feedings as I do believe that's best, but that's a post for further on down the line IF we end up keeping her. The *real* test is to see if she's good with my other cats....sounds like a thread for another forum! Thanks for your advice...

 

[chickpea616]

Hi. It sounds like she is looking for security and comfort - in that you said she will eat if you are with her and coax her . I would continue that mode until she starts to feel more secure. It also seems as if she might like pates better than the others, based in her reaction to the Tiki Cat Mousse. She might be overweight, but you can deal with that later.

Treat her with gentle, tender loving care, and cater to her whatever you find works for her to eat. She is looking for someone to comfort her.

Yep, that's the plan - we are treating her like a queen - and I *will* find something that works for her, it's now my mission, LOL