21 year old cat wants human food

[Mjhend]

Pali is very skinny and mainly was eating the gravy from Fancy Feast. We were opening 5 or 6 cans a day, most wasted but anything for her. She started getting on the table while we ate and eating the dregs of our meals as well as deli turkey, mayo, pork from tacos, Arbys beef and snack mix. We were so excited to watch her eat voraciously and ingest calories and she actually seemed more active. I even DoorDashed her some plain tacos the other day! I just realized some of these things may include onion or onion powder. We are going to cook some foods now that are onion free but should we worry? She doesn’t puke, seem ill or have any other side effects.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I think, now that you're cooking her onion free, garlic free, sugar free and no sodium/salt food, she'll be ok (I'm not a vet )

 

[Furballsmom]

Sorry for the double post, but if she's not getting any Fancy Feast at all any more, you might want to look into obtaining a taurine supplement. You could also try Merrick Backcountry pouch foods, the gravy from either will help in giving her the taurine.
If she hasn't been to a vet lately, this might be a good time for a wellness check.

 

[Mjhend]

We are still giving her FF and she’s still eating a bit plus gravy. She also eats Temptations treats. Believe me we have tried every cat food out there! We will try the Merrick tomorrow.

it’s so odd she was semi feral and spent much of her life in the basement. She went deaf and it must have relaxed her because she now spends most of her time with us.

 

[daftcat75]

We are still giving her FF and she’s still eating a bit plus gravy. She also eats Temptations treats. Believe me we have tried every cat food out there! We will try the Merrick tomorrow.

it’s so odd she was semi feral and spent much of her life in the basement. She went deaf and it must have relaxed her because she now spends most of her time with us.

Ask your vet for a can of Hills A/D. It’s a highly appealing recovery food meant specifically for cats who aren’t eating enough. It’s a smooth pate you can mix with another food to get some nutrients in her. If she only eats human food and gravy, she will be at risk for a number of deficiencies. I would normally recommend mixing the A/D with something else to save the pure A/D for desperate times. But a cat that doesn’t want cat food is desperate times. If she likes the A/D, feed just that until you can get her to eat it mixed with another food. Then you reserve the pure A/D for the next time she won’t eat any cat food again.

Give the A/D a try first. Hills I/D in the stew cans (not the pate) is another my picky and frequently nauseated Betty eagerly eats. If you try both those and she’s not interested, then you should look into a supplement completer mix like Alnutrin or EZ Complete. Nutrient deficiency is a terrible way for a prospurrous 21 year old to decline.

 

[tyleete]

Sadly my cat refused the AD food. But Something some love (my kidney car loved this till his last day) was baked chicken! Just baked it with no additives except EZ Complete. When my cats look at my food (especially if I get take out), I tell them..... If this isn't good for my body, it's definitely not good for yours.
I know the baked chicken is good food without extras. And the EZ Complete is a meal completer. Meaning it has ALL the vitamins & nutrients in it already so I don't have to don't have to come up with crazy recipes to make it balancedand hope he's greeting everything he needs.

 

[Robyn5678]

This may only be my opinion, and by no means medical advice, but if my cat lived to be 21 years old I would feed her whatever the heck she wanted (well as long as it’s not poisonous).

 

[carebearbaby1]

At 21 I'd say feed her whatever she wants within reason. Have you had any blood work done on her recently? Sounds like she might be hyperthyroid.

 

[KimBelden]

Cook some organic beef. Add a topper and some plain chicken baby food. I've also used cat bone broth to make more gravy.

 

[louisstools]

If she just likes the gravy, have you thought about puree'ing the food before giving it to her? You can puree the food -- the texture matters little -- and add some water to dilute it to whatever the cat will tolerate. I puree my cat pates with a bit of water to loosen them up a tad. Something like a shreds or the "in gravy" textures would be extremely loose even without water. And you don't need much water to add either...just a tablespoon at a time, buzz it, and check the consistency. You'll figure out the right formula real fast. (My girl likes 0.2-0.3oz water, by weight, added to 5.5oz of food)

The blender will "eat" some of the food in the process, around 1oz from a 5.5oz can, that you'll be unable to get out of the container.