Senior cat eating less

[angels4mom]

Mandie is 15. Seems as she gets old she doesn't want to eat much. I read seniors should get a lot of calories but she will only eat what she wants. Which isn't much. I give her cat milk at times and kitten nutrical. Kitten has taurine in it. Any tips or input would be appreciated.




Rest with angels sweet Cocoa. I love you. :rub:

 

[misterwhiskers]

First of all, congrats on keeping your cat healthy all these years!
Have you had her blood work done recently to rule out any issues like liver, heart, thyroid, or kidney problems? How are her teeth?

They make stuff in a tube that looks like hairball med, it's a cat supplement. I've used it but it's been so long I can't recall the name. Your vet may sell it. It's calorie dense, and for years was pretty much the only thing that kept one of my first cats from being malnourished as she had trouble keeping cat food down.

How much does she weight right now?

 

[angels4mom]

Mandie is 13 pounds. A Maine coon mix. The stuff you're talking about is nutrical. The adult cat version doesn't have taurine in it so I use the kitten. It's an orange tube. Her teeth could use cleaning but I hesitate because I had a cat get it done at around Mandie's age and the vet gave her too much anesthesia for her age and she nearly died. For now I rub cat enzymatic toothpaste in her mouth. She doesn't like her teeth brushed. Even with soft bristles.

 

[LTS3]

You can use a gauze pad wrapped around a finger to gently brush the teeth. You cuold also try a cotton swab (Q tip) but some cats see that as a toy and will try to chew and play with it.

The vet can give you a high calorie food, either Purina A/D or Iams MaxCal. You could feed either as is or mix with regular food. The vet can also give you FortiFlora which you can sprinkle on food to make it more appealing. You can buy FortiFlora online as well.

Are you feeding dry or canned? Canned food is easier to eat for older cats.

 

[angels4mom]

She was raised on dry but then switched to canned. Now she wants dry again. She gets both. I could try gauze with her toothpaste.

 

[lisahe]

First of all, congrats on keeping your cat healthy all these years!
Have you had her blood work done recently to rule out any issues like liver, heart, thyroid, or kidney problems? How are her teeth?

They make stuff in a tube that looks like hairball med, it's a cat supplement. I've used it but it's been so long I can't recall the name. Your vet may sell it. It's calorie dense, and for years was pretty much the only thing that kept one of my first cats from being malnourished as she had trouble keeping cat food down.

How much does she weight right now?

I second the thought of getting blood work done: as misterwhiskers says, lots of things can reduce a senior cat's appetite so it's important to know how her numbers are. And even if everything's fine, chances are good the test results will come in handy later.

When we were going through low-appetite issues with our previous cat, a pet food store employee suggested Merrick foods, Wellness Core, and Nutro Natural Choice. Wellness Core's kitten food and venison/lamb/beef, Merrick's Cowboy Cookout, and anything from that Nutro line have been popular here with either that cat and/or her successors. And they're all at least moderately high in calories.

Good luck, I hope you cat starts eating more -- I know all too well how hard it is to try to get a cat to eat.

 

[detmut]

a senior cat would need slightly less calories due to less activity.