Helping my cat catch food

[botolo]

Hello all,

My beautiful cat Holly recently had a radical mandibulectomy procedure to remove a bad squamous cell carcinoma. She is doing fine right now, getting almost back to being her usual beautiful cat. But she is still being fed through an e-tube. She has a lot of appetite and she often comes to ask me for food, but she is having trouble being able to get food in her mouth while she is learning how to use her new reduced jaw.

I tried to give her treats...she usually tries to catch them with the tip of her tongue, but that's not enough. After a few tries, she goes fully with her face in the bowl and starts licking with her full tongue out but at that point she fills the treats with drool, and they become super slimy and mushy and she can't grab them.

Wet food is working better, but I am still trying to find the right density (I am now blending pate with a couple of tablespoon of water).

Any suggestion or idea?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I've been thinking about this, would a bowl with a raised edge or lip help? For the treats, what about something like a wide short cup or mug? I'm really not sure what could be helpful for her, but you get the idea - some type of dish, bowl, or something where the food can't slide away from her, I think...? Would a lifted, or even tilted bowl/dish work?

 

[fionasmom]

Glad to hear she is doing well after the surgery. I agree that using an "outside of the box" idea for treats is probably what you have to do.

 

[botolo]

Thank you all for the suggestions. It looks like I may have found a good solution (for now). I gave her today some freeze dried treats and she was able to eat many of them. I feel that the freeze dried food is so dry that it sticks on her mouth, but when it gets in contact with the salive in the mouth, it gets soft and easy to swallow.

I will try again later today to see if this was just a temporary miracle.

Another thing I thought about was something like bird feeders, where I place the treats (or dry food), and she has to lick the entry lip to capture them.

 

[Furballsmom]

By the way, do you weigh her regularly? You might start doing that. If you have a bathroom scale, weigh yourself, then weigh yourself while holding her and subtract the two to get her weight. It might be good if you keep up with where she is in all this

 

[botolo]

Yes, absolutely. I have a baby scale being delivered today by Amazon.

 

[botolo]

Also, today good news from the radiation oncologist. No need to do radiation because everything was taken out with good margins.

 

[fionasmom]

Great news!

 

[Furballsmom]

That is fantastic

 

[cat nap]

...I tried to give her treats...she usually tries to catch them with the tip of her tongue, but that's not enough. After a few tries, she goes fully with her face in the bowl and starts licking with her full tongue out but at that point she fills the treats with drool, and they become super slimy and mushy and she can't grab them.

Wet food is working better, but I am still trying to find the right density (I am now blending pate with a couple of tablespoon of water).

Any suggestion or idea?

...some type of dish, bowl, or something where the food can't slide away from her, I think...? Would a lifted, or even tilted bowl/dish work?

I was thinking along the same lines as Furballsmom.

Is it that your cat Holly is pushing the food away...while she licks at the plate, or cat bowl.?

(I was watching both my male and female cats eat last week, because they are such 'messy eaters'...and eat wet food from plates, with some dry in bowls. Both types of food end up on the floor, and they both have the dishes raised up, about 4-6 inches from the floor.
The way they use their tongues, is either, lapping it up with their tongues in a backwards "J" shape...but they push their tongues forward, when eating wet food, thus causing the food to move forward and fall off their plates.)

Would something like "low sided stainless steel bowls"...even the wider diameter ones for puppies or dogs help.
low sided stainless steel bowls - Google Search

Or even 'shallow cake pans':
shallow cake pans - Google Search

You're probably going to have to 'experiment' with a number of different designs,...so perhaps going to a 'dollar store'...and getting some of those various 'aluminum foil' pie plates, or containers,...or just seeing what you have around the house...even 'wide lids of containers' or 'lids of the cookies in tins', or shallow lids from jars, etc. might be worth a try...until you find something that works well.

The 'raised up, and tilted bowl' idea from Furballsmom ...seems really good, too, if the tilt in the bowl helps Holly to eat while standing, or more in a 'seated' position.
15 Degrees Tilted Raised Stainless Steel Pet Feeder Bowl | Etsy Canada

I was also thinking about what you said, about the density and texture of the wet food.
Is there a way, that you can sort of 'stack the food, where the stickier food is at the bottom of the bowl or plate'...and then the other food, is on top?
Or maybe vice versa.
What I'm thinking is that ...in order to make it easier for Holly to eat, and lap up the food with her tongue, that she needs to have the food to 'not slide away from her, but sort of be like a scoop of 'soft serve ice cream'...but have some 'thicker creamy stuff at the bottom.
Even experimenting with using those 'delectable lickable treats' or 'squeeze ups'...and seeing how she laps them up.

I guess you are having to use a 'machine or hand held blender' to puree her food, right now?
To experiment with the right consistency, and density, like you mentioned.

Also, today good news from the radiation oncologist. No need to do radiation because everything was taken out with good margins.

Yay.!!
That is fantastic news!! It deserves some bananas dancing.

 

[botolo]

An update on Holly. I have been trying all different type of bowls and foods (both wet and dry). Here is where we are right now, five weeks after the surgery:

- she still has the e-tube but I have started decreasing the number of feedings per day to 2 or 3 (depending on the day)

- her last visit at the vet was this past Friday and everything looks good. She is gaining weight and the mouth is fine

- I found a couple of wet foods that she seems to like. She usually eats them at night. One is Tiki Cat Tuna and Pumpkin stew and the other one is Love Me Tender from Weruva, it's gravy and chicken bits. She does not eat the whole thing, I would say she eats roughly half a can per day

- I found a dry food that she loves, Orijen Original Cats, but she still can't eat it from the bowl. She tries very hard, but she ends up spreading the dry food all over the place, or she just covers the food with so much drool that it gets all stuck together. I was successful in having her eat some dry food from my hand. I basically keep the dry food in my hand slightly tilted, and I keep moving the food at the top of my hand at every try. It gets messy and sticky but I was able to feed her 1/2 of the daily dose during one or two feeding times.

- she drinks on her own from the bowl.

This is definitely an improvement, but we are still far away from removing the e-tube, because she can't still get enough calories per day autonomously. It's fine, I am here for her and I am ready to fight with her until needed.

One thing I was thinking about trying is to blend the dry food with some wet food. The good thing about the dry food is that it's super caloric. Half a cup would be enough for her for the entire day. Wet food is only 60/70 calories per can, so she (8 lbs) would need roughly 3 cans per day, and it's never going to happen (she has never been a huge fan of wet food). Blending dry food might allow me to give her the calories needed and might allow her to be able to lick it.

I have also tried the Buffy method here: but it does not seem to work. She is not crazy about the idea of picking food from a towel.

What do you think? Any other suggestion? Any other food that is so addictive and good that she might just want to eat it no matter what?

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for updating! So good to hear that Holly is doing well. The two foods which saved Fiona's life were Tiki Cat and Weruva, so I was not surprised that you are having luck with them. I would try to moisten the dry food and see if she can eat it that way. Trying other brands of dry food is probably pointless as she likes the Orijen but just needs help eating it. I have a friend who moistens dry food with liquid from other canned cat food which seems to make it more appealing, but you still might need more liquid to get the dry to a sort of gruel. As for wet food alternatives, Fancy Feast Savory is very soft and easy to swallow. It can be a little hard to find, but Chewy will probably have it. Applaws has been another big hit here; however, not all of their products, by their own admission, are complete cat food. You would have to check the labels to be sure, or just use as a supplemental.

 

[Furballsmom]

WOW
You, and she, are incredible!!

I'm wondering, would a kibble that's smaller work, or would that end up as a choking hazard for her? ...thinking "out loud" here on that one... well, maybe it doesn't/won't matter if she can work with the kibble you have when it's moistened, since it's so calorie heavy.

 

[botolo]

I am trying small kibbles and she can definitely get some, but she is still struggling. The problem is that she goes to the bowl as if she was going to eat pate. She licks the kibbles, but that way she can't get them. And licking licking licking, she pushes the kibbles on the side, she drools like crazy (because she would love to eat them all) and they all get sticky. Also, she thinks she still has the lower jaw, so she tries to lick them and catch them by pushing her upper jaw on the bowl, but I am worried she might get injury to her front teeth in the upper jaw.

 

[botolo]

Oh, and the video I posted is not Holly. It's another cat who had the mandibulectomy and has learned how to eat kibbles from the rug. This is Holly.

 

[Furballsmom]

I think you're right, until she gets the hang of her "new normal", having the kibble in your hand might be the best method for her

 

[cat nap]

- I found a dry food that she loves, Orijen Original Cats, but she still can't eat it from the bowl. She tries very hard, but she ends up spreading the dry food all over the place, or she just covers the food with so much drool that it gets all stuck together. I was successful in having her eat some dry food from my hand. I basically keep the dry food in my hand slightly tilted, and I keep moving the food at the top of my hand at every try. It gets messy and sticky but I was able to feed her 1/2 of the daily dose during one or two feeding times.

- she drinks on her own from the bowl.

This is definitely an improvement, but we are still far away from removing the e-tube, because she can't still get enough calories per day autonomously. It's fine, I am here for her and I am ready to fight with her until needed.

One thing I was thinking about trying is to blend the dry food with some wet food. The good thing about the dry food is that it's super caloric. Half a cup would be enough for her for the entire day. Wet food is only 60/70 calories per can, so she (8 lbs) would need roughly 3 cans per day, and it's never going to happen (she has never been a huge fan of wet food). Blending dry food might allow me to give her the calories needed and might allow her to be able to lick it.

I have also tried the Buffy method here: but it does not seem to work. She is not crazy about the idea of picking food from a towel.

What do you think? Any other suggestion? Any other food that is so addictive and good that she might just want to eat it no matter what?

I am trying small kibbles and she can definitely get some, but she is still struggling. The problem is that she goes to the bowl as if she was going to eat pate. She licks the kibbles, but that way she can't get them. And licking licking licking, she pushes the kibbles on the side, she drools like crazy (because she would love to eat them all) and they all get sticky. Also, she thinks she still has the lower jaw, so she tries to lick them and catch them by pushing her upper jaw on the bowl, but I am worried she might get injury to her front teeth in the upper jaw.

Along the lines of what the other members have said,...could you try:

1) different shapes of dry cat food...such as not round ones, but stars, or rectangles. For this, I would think that you would have to go to a pet store, or phone them, and ask them specifically about the 'different shapes of kibble/dry cat food'.
They might even be able to give you some 'free samples'...to try out.

Actually, perhaps even phoning or emailing 'cat food companies'...and asking about the 'shape of their cat food'...might have them send you some 'free samples'. Never hurts to ask, phone, email, and try.

Probably the most appealing dry food,...would be the one with 'animal digest' on it...but I'm not sure that it would be as 'healthy' as the Orijen, you are feeding. (and the risk would be that Holly likes it better, and then refuses the 'healthier' Orijen dry.)

2) You mentioned that Holly does not like the 'eating the food off the towel' method...but do you think if you tried different 'textures'...such as 'fabric place-mats' .
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E0YEPNE/?tag=thecatsite
It's almost like Holly would need some type of fabric, or texture, to not allow the dry pieces to roll away..from her.
What Furballsmom, said before,...like creating a 'ridge' or 'lip'...slightly uneven surface, with the fabric...might hold the food in place, more.

3) or even those 'tool box liners' (we use to keep tools from sliding. (not sure what material they are made from, though,...and if it would be dangerous for Holly to eat from them, or if they break apart with food on them.) They are similar to 'soft shelf liners'...and those 'grip pads' that people place under fabric carpets to hold them in place.
Robot or human?

4) What about trying out those 'baking strainers'...or 'tea strainers'
Amazon.com : baking strainer

I think you can also get these in dollar stores, too, but not sure about the sizes.
I was thinking if you get the dollar store ones, and then you can 'experiment' with how well, they hold the dry food in place..and at what angle, too.

Plus, you could possibly...turn the 'mesh screen' inside out, or manipulate it in such a way, that it creates...ridges...and hills...for the dry food to sit on top of.
Then maybe Holly's drooling would 'drop through the mesh screen'...and not coat every kibble morsel.

I think you mentioned, that when Holly coats the dry morsel,...then she no longer wants to pick it up...It must Smell differently too her.
Since I noticed that the cat in the video, above, also 'Sniffs' each piece,...and then moves on.

5) There is this very informative post, in this thread by mrsgreenjeens ...that I remember reading:
(the thread is totally different to Holly's issue...but the 'food dish'...is worth looking at)
It's ...Post #5...in this thread: How to treat MegaEsophagus
I just thought it was absolutely neat,...when I saw the photo of that bowl design.

Finally, your cat Holly is totally Beautiful.
I love how sleek her fur looks, and her green eyes are awesome.
(I think my black cats have yellow eyes.)

If you can, I think it would be good if you could videotape how your Holly eats...(similar to the video you posted about Buffy).
Then play back your video...at the slowest speed possible...to see how your Holly's tongue moves.
(in Buffy's video, she seems to move her tongue..in a sort of swirl motion,..when you watch it at slow speed.
Buffy's tongue goes down, around, counter clockwise, and then up towards the roof of her mouth.)

If your Holly begins to do this,..then I think she will also figure out how to pick up the pieces, too.
It probably just will take time, like you said, since Holly still needs to adjust her motions.

I wish Holly and you the Best.
All the Luck...for daily improvements.

 

[botolo]

Thank you all for the great advice. I am reading each post very carefully not to miss anything important.

A quick update. For no reasons I thought about adding water to the kibbles. I added some hot water, let the kibbles stay there for a few minutes and then I offered them in the bowl to Holly.

To my surprise, she was able to eat them way better than the simple dry kibbles. The bowl is still not perfect because after a while she pushed the kibbles to the side and she was not able to grab them anymore, but she was definitely able to catch many of them in this way. More testing is needed but it’s an interesting approach. My guess is that watered kibbles become more mushy and sticky and they might be easier to catch with her tongue and the current way she is using it (as if she was eating pate, licking licking licking).

Now, it would be lovely if I could leave these kibbles out for her to eat, but my understanding is that watered kibbles need to be removed after less than an hour to avoid them becoming unhealthy.

 

[vansX2]

Thank you all for the great advice. I am reading each post very carefully not to miss anything important.

A quick update. For no reasons I thought about adding water to the kibbles. I added some hot water, let the kibbles stay there for a few minutes and then I offered them in the bowl to Holly.

To my surprise, she was able to eat them way better than the simple dry kibbles. The bowl is still not perfect because after a while she pushed the kibbles to the side and she was not able to grab them anymore, but she was definitely able to catch many of them in this way. More testing is needed but it’s an interesting approach. My guess is that watered kibbles become more mushy and sticky and they might be easier to catch with her tongue and the current way she is using it (as if she was eating pate, licking licking licking).

Now, it would be lovely if I could leave these kibbles out for her to eat, but my understanding is that watered kibbles need to be removed after less than an hour to avoid them becoming unhealthy.

Just add a Pet Water Fountain and problem solved.

 

[botolo]

MMM I am not sure I understand. How will the Pet Water Fountain help me with the issue of watered kibbles becoming damaged and unhealthy?