Seeking assistance/guidance

[Ashara]

Our 5 year old, female, spayed cat was having dental issues. Took her to a vet who said all teeth needed to be pulled from a cursory dental inspection. Took her for a second opinion to another vet, who actually did some blood work. She has sores near 2 teeth, but the teeth themselves looked OK. Bloodwork came back with kidney issues they want resolved before treating her mouth.

We've been waiting two weeks for Chewy to fill the prescription (first was lost, then showed up too hot to use). Meanwhile, Pebbles is now really struggling to eat. I have to put her food in my hand a lot of times to coax her to eat.

The last 2 days have been brutal. She's really struggling. I managed to get her to lick 2 packets of broth treats, and a half a container of Tastefuls. Tonight I boiled some chicken breast in plain water, shredded it, and she was able to manage that.

Can I supplement her diet with cooked, shredded meats for a short while? How much should I feed (morning/night vs total)? Can I mix with some canned food (if she'll go for it) to make sure she's getting her other nutritional needs met?

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

This is my personal opinion and what I had to do with my cat when I brought her home from the shelter until I was able to finally find a cat food she would eat...
I did chicken I would also do scrambled eggs for her
Knowing it is not complete nutritionally but they have to eat. They cant go without..
Whatever you can get her to eat let her eat now on the how much I really don't know because my baby just snacked on little bits here and there... but I think until she gets her meds and starts feeling better it should be fine. If you want to call your vet on monday and see what they say. Until then I would feed her the chicken and if she can eat eggs too

 

[Tobermory]

Hi, A Ashara . Welcome to The Cat Site. I’m so sorry to hear that Pebbles is struggling. And it sounds as if getting a second opinion was exactly the right next step.

Generally, plain, unsupplemented meat should be less than 10 percent of a cat’s diet. But if she isn’t eating, you should do whatever you can to get her to eat. Mixing in canned food it a great option.

Check out this thread for a lot of other ideas to try: Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[furmonster mom]

You could also try human baby food, but you need to double check the label because some brands add garlic to their meat recipes. No garlic for kitties! Maybe add a smidgen of egg yolk for omegas.

 

[sophie1]

Do you think the problem is that the cat's mouth is painful and that's why she's having trouble eating? Or is it uremia from the kidney problem that's taking away appetite?

Maybe the answer is to add water to the raw food and blend it to a smooth consistency so she can lick it up from a bowl or off a syringe. If that doesn't help...when my cats are sick and not eating, it helps to feed them out of my hand. You could also try tasty toppers to entice them to eat...my cats love Whole Life freeze dried treats, as well as canned tuna or tuna-based canned food.