Any tips on helping cat with broken jaw eat?

[madammagikarp]

My cat has a broken jaw so his bottom jaw is slightly off center, he also is missing his front canine teeth so eating has never been easy. He had to have a tooth removed in June and since then has lost 4 lbs. I think this tooth was previously very important to how he adapted to eat so he's now having a much harder time eating, always pawing at the mouth after taking bites as if food is stuck. The vet said the tooth healed properly, but hasn't given any advice to help besides very very spendy treatments. Moving to wet food from dry food has helped so now he's at least eating some and maintaining weight. Any tips on ways to maybe make eating easier for him? Watering it down a ton doesn't seem to help. I've tried a couple food bowls and I have a slanted one that has seemed to work better so far. I'm just not sure what to try next

 

[Jcatbird]

There is feeding him with a flat tongue depressor shaped item or shallow spoon. Extra nutritious food should be helpful. Ask the vet for ideas on that. Syringe feeding might be an option but be careful to give it very slowly. Lickable treats could help but should not be his only food. Gerber second foods all meat baby food chicken could supplement his wet food. I would try purring his food in a food processor too. That might help. Texture can be important to a kitty so vary how much you need to purée the food. Maybe just doing it slightly will be enough to keep it from getting stuck. Vary the amount of water added too or try adding the water used in canned tuna or chicken to the purée. You could also try some home made chicken that is stewed down for kitty. You can but taurine and other nutritional needs to add to home made foods. Taurine in his diet is important. If pawing at the mouth is not from stuck food I would make sure that he isn’t still having some pain that needs to be addressed. Poor kitty. I hope he adjust to eating without that tooth. It may just take time for him to be able to maneuver the food in his mouth now that the tooth is gone. Such a darling kitty! Please do let us know how things are going.

 

[cataholic07]

I would feed the cat a wet food slurry, so pater that is either watered down or chicken broth or bone broth added to it.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I think bone broth is an excellent idea. It's full of nutrients, and if prepared correctly, it forms into a slight gel so should be pretty easy just to lap up. This would, of course, be in addition to a blended wet food diet. I probably wouldn't use water to thin down his food though, since it has zero nutrients in it. I would possibly use KMR or something similar. And I would try to use a high calorie wet food. Pates are usually highest in calories.

 

[John Perram]

Pate only requires a cat's tongue. I have 2, 15-year-old cats and got them Weruva pate in pouches. I have never seen my fur babies eat like they do now. They will no longer touch fancy feast. Available at petco with 40% off on the second mixed package also on Amazon.
You might want to try a few single packs to see if your fur friend likes it.